West Side YMCA 5 West 63rd Street, Manhattan, New York 10023

"I was out sightseeing from sunup to sundown, so in that sense, staying here was fine. It was a place to crash. The bed was pretty comfortable and I slept well. Hallways felt quiet and clean. Some staff were friendly and kind, others less so. And of course, the location is hard to beat. It’s the bathrooms that will keep me from coming back. Each floor has two bathrooms for everyone to use. The one I used featured three toilet stalls, three sinks and three showers. At one point, two of the three toilets were clogged for the whole day, and the stall door for the third one would not close properly. One of the three sinks did not function. And two of the three showers did not have hot water. Also, the outer door to this bathroom was slightly broken and could not close all the way. It offered a view straight to the showers from the hallway. Since the showers just have semi-opaque curtains for privacy, guests had to dress and undress very strategically. So yeah, at the end of a long day of sightseeing, I don’t need luxury, but I’m tired, and functional, private bathrooms are a basic need. This bathroom was a stressful situation to come back to every evening, and by the end, I was very done. Maybe it’s not that way on every floor. That’s why I’ll be generous and give two stars instead of one… that and the location, the fact that everything else about the experience was “fine,” plus as I said some of the staff were very nice to work with. I know it’s rock-bottom cheap and you get what you pay for, but the money I saved wouldn’t be worth it to me a second time. Save a couple more bucks and get yourself a basic hotel room with a private bath. There are affordable enough options right in this same neighborhood."

"The photos on their website have little to do with reality and probably date from a time before the opening. The entire floor smelled unpleasantly of strong, industrial chemical cleaner, there were only 3 toilets for everyone (these were in a miserable state as a result), the other toilets were broken. Similarly with the showers... only three worked, although that just meant that the water flowed... in addition, the privacy screen was partially torn off and so there was no privacy at all. The room seemed to have been randomly thrown together with furniture of the lowest quality. Everything wobbled, was loose or didn't work at all. The air conditioning was running at full blast with a lot of noise, but it was hardly effective. Many doors were jammed and therefore had to be thrown into the lock by the guests with additional effort, plus walls like they were made of cardboard and it was impossible to get any rest at night. The staff are not at all interested in such things. I spent one night there and then moved to a hotel in Times Square, which only cost slightly more. However, I was stuck with my costs for the YMCA. Never again YMCA in Manhattan."

"Amazing price for the location, rooms aren’t anything special but what can you expect when you’re right by Central Park. The rooms have everything you need, feel safe and you can get a good nights sleep. Plus you get access to the gym/pool/sauna etc which is a bonus. Only thing that’s lacking is a kitchen space but overall I rated it."

"Stayed here for one night and booked because it was cheap and needed a place to stay after a long haul flight. The room was very worn and could've used a deep cleaning. You were given an access code for showers/bathroom. This was the first hotel I've stayed where I needed to list an emergency contact. Location was great and the Columbus circle subway station is nearby. I checked out on Thanksgiving day and the Macy's Day Parade route is one street over."

"This is hard to review. From one side it has a very good location and it feels very safe. But the hallways and rooms feel very claustrophobic. There was a permanent wet smell on the hallways, but not on the rooms, that have both a heater and an AC. The shared bathrooms and showers were kept clean daily which was appreciated, it felt good to use them. On the other side the rooms are not sound isolated, you'll listen to everyone slamming their doors, talking and more. Glad I was there just for a weekend and it did what I wanted out of it, a place to crash at night. But I wouldn't recommend it for anything else."