Yotel New York review - Midtown - Hells Kitchen

Most people don’t go to New York City to get away from it all, they go to get in to it all. The theatre, restaurants, nightclubs, shopping, sightseeing… While we all may enjoy a little luxury in our lives, the savvy active visitor to NYC may be looking for a comfortable but practical place to stay at economical room rates that allow more of one’s travel budget to go for those aforementioned activities. Yotel New York is designed for just that sort of traveler, but at the corner of West 42^nd Street and 10^th Avenue is right in the middle of Manhattan with easy access to just about anywhere in the metropolitan area.

Picture a youth hostel, but a new one – with contemporary design and high-tech features that maximize efficient use of space and respect the guest’s time. The rooms are called cabins – part of an overall “spaceship” theme that is found in other aspects of the hotel’s nomenclature. The term “cabin” may also help to set expectations for anyone who’s sailed on a cruise ship and knows how tiny the staterooms can be.

Yotel New York is part of an international chain based in Great Britain and its concept was reportedly inspired by Japanese capsule hotels. Hallways are narrow – but why pay for wider hallways? Room numbers are large and navigation through the corridors is easy.

Yotel’s most basic and least expensive cabins (the type reviewed on this stay) are called the Premium Queen. They offer just barely enough space for a guest to open their suitcase – too tight for an extended stay or for someone with a lot of extra baggage (though there is room to store bags under the bed) – but they are designed for comfort. “Premium” cabins include convertible beds that have a motor to lift the head of the bed so one can sit upright in bed or lift the head all the way up to convert the bed into a sofa. There’s a wide screen smart TV, of course, and a counter below it with indentations molded to perfectly hold things like smart phones and wallets. A small work desk sits next to the bed – functional enough, but not so comfortable as to encourage one to get lost in their work. There’s free wi-fi, natch, to keep up with your business elsewhere.

Bathrooms are separated from the sleeping area only by a curtain – and the shower stall is transparent floor to ceiling glass, so travelers sharing a Queen room should be on intimate terms. The bathroom also has a stunning floor to ceiling window with views of the streets below, and if you’re high enough – of the skyline above. In another nod to minimizing waste – the body wash and shampoo in the showers are dispensed in full sized bottles secured to the wall to discourage unauthorized take-homes. More economical and greener than the little sample bottles we’ve gotten used to!

For those willing to spend more, Yotel New York also offers cabins with bunks, larger Executive, King, and VIP suites, and even some with private terraces including soaking tubs and corner views.

Main lobby floor “Four” is a gathering spot for guests

While the cabins are a clean, new and cozy place to sleep, clean up and recharge, Yotel encourages use of its public spaces in ways that are quite familiar and comfortable to today’s travelers. There’s a variety of gathering places on the main lobby level, which is called “Four,” as it’s on the fourth floor.

One is a café with free Wi-Fi and plenty of tables that serves a selection of baked goods, sandwiches and drinks. It has a coffee shop vibe and is popular with individual travelers and even work groups. Summertime visitors can enjoy the adjacent 4,000 square foot multi-bar terrace. There’s also a comfortable lounge just off the front desk – with brightly colored contemporary furniture and funky art. The Yotel attracts a crowd that skews young and international but includes hip older travelers as well. Many will enjoy mingling in this scene. There’s also a small gym/exercise room on “Four.” On the opposite end of “Four” is the main restaurant, The Green Fig. It features modern Israeli, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. It’s open for dinner at 5 pm daily, plus weekend brunch and includes the hotel bar.

Automation reduces the tedium of check-in and check-out

In between Yotel’s lobby lounge and the café is the front desk, which guests can completely avoid using if they wish.

There are automated kiosks in the street level lobby for check-in and check-out. The front desk staff and concierge are friendly and ready to answer questions when necessary, but there’s no need to wait in long lines to check in or out. Speaking of check-outs, late checkouts are allowed, subject to availability, for a nominal checkout fee. An email reminder is sent to guests, who can request and pay for the extra time all via automation.

For those arriving early or leaving past their checkout time, even the method of storing bags is automated. The first-floor lobby houses the “Yobot,” a robotic system that picks up your bag after it’s placed on a platform and lifts it into one of the cubicles along the wall. There’s a $2.00 charge per bag, so it’s not necessarily less than one would tip a bellhop to do the same thing, but at least you don’t have to wait for a bellman who may be busy doing other tasks.

Yotel New York is an outpost for theatergoers

Situated on the corner of 10^th Avenue and 42^nd street, Yotel is just about ¼ mile from the Times Square intersection of 42^nd, Broadway and 7^th Avenue. That puts it within a mile’s walk of any of the 41 Broadway theatres and all the other Times Square attractions. Serious theatergoers, though, don’t even need to leave the building, as the Yotel sits atop the Pershing Square Signature Center – a three stage complex that is home to Signature Theatre Company and The New Group, two of the city’s most prestigious non-profit theaters (analogous to Chicago’s Steppenwolf, Goodman and others). Just a block farther east on 42^nd Street, between Yotel and Times Square, one will find Theatre Row, a four-theatre complex that houses a variety of off-Broadway shows.

Theater fans – especially lovers of musical theatre – can satisfy their show tune fixes at Yotel’s cabaret, Green Room 42. The club’s nearly nightly live entertainment features headliners from Broadway musicals along with up and comers. One of the club’s semi-regular programs is “At This Performance,” a showcase for understudies. Some of the leading ladies and men scheduled at Green Room 42 as of this writing included Alice Ripley, Lillias White, the Genie from Disney’s Aladdin and the men of Jersey Boys.

The cost of a night’s entertainment is modest, compared with other midtown cabarets. Cover charges generally range between $20 and $35, and while food and beverages are served, there is no food or drink minimum. Green Room 42 Entertainment Director Daniel Darlow says the intention is to keep cover charges close to the cost of a rush ticket for a Broadway show, and notes with pride that 100% of cover charge receipts go to the artists. These policies keep the club popular with artists and the general public alike, he boasts.

Accessible to everything

Nearby Times Square is not just a hub of entertainment. Two of the city’s largest subway stations are there as well, meaning the two – to-three block (though long block) walk to the Times Square station on Broadway and 42^nd Street and the Port Authority station on 42^nd and 8^th Avenue will connect travelers with subways lines that reach throughout the city. The Port Authority Bus Terminal, with motor coach connections to New Jersey and other suburbs is right there as well. Penn Station – the hub for Amtrak, New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Railroad - is about ½ mile from Yotel. There’s bus and train service to Newark Airport from those two terminals – and those arriving by private vehicles will fine Yotel’s location just a few blocks from the Lincoln Tunnel most convenient.

About the Author:

John Olson is an arts carnivore who is particularly a love of music, theatre and film. He studied piano, trombone and string bass into his college years, performing in bands and orchestras in high school and college, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While working as an advertising agency account manager, he began a second career as an arts journalist and is now principal of John Olson Communications, a marketing and public relations business serving arts and entertainment clients.

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