Hotel 17

About Hotel 17

Hotel 17 suits travelers who want a simple, well-placed base in Gramercy and plan to spend their days out in the city. The address on East 17th Street puts Midtown, Union Square and the Village within easy reach, so mornings start with a short walk or a ride on the subway. Couples on a city break, solo visitors and friends traveling together tend to fit here best, and anyone who values a central location over lobby space will settle in quickly.

Hotel 17 is a 2-star hotel, and it presents itself that way: an uncomplicated place to sleep in a part of Manhattan where location does most of the work. The booking supplier gives it a guest score of 3.9 out of 5 from 267 reviews, which points to a stay that meets expectations without pretending to be more than it is. Read that score as a summary of other guests' experiences, and check the total price with taxes and fees in the IMPT app before you book.

Rooms and listed facilities

Facilities listed by the supplier are a 24-hour reception, air conditioning, a concierge, free internet access in the lounge and a safe. Late arrivals can rely on a staffed desk at any hour, which matters if a flight lands near midnight. Couples and solo travelers get the essentials without extra layers, while business travelers can use the lounge connection for email and the concierge for directions. Families should confirm the room configuration and bed setup with Hotel 17 directly, and ask about anything a stay depends on before booking.

The setting

Hotel 17 sits on East 17th Street in Gramercy, a low-rise pocket of Midtown Manhattan on the blocks between Union Square and the East River. Measured in straight lines, Grand Central Terminal is about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) away, Penn Station about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) and Times Square about 1.6 miles (2.6 km). Central Park at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street is about 2.1 miles (3.4 km), the 9/11 Memorial about 2.2 miles (3.5 km), and the observation decks about 1.3 miles (2.1 km). Walking times run longer than those figures suggest.

Location and neighborhood

Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town occupy the east side of Manhattan, a short walk south of Midtown and north of the East Village. The blocks are quieter than the avenues a few streets west: brownstones, small apartment buildings, churches and a private park ringed by iron fencing. Irving Place runs south from Gramercy Park toward Union Square and holds most of the neighborhood's restaurant life. Stuyvesant Square, farther east, has two fenced gardens and a line of older row houses. Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue carry the buses and the everyday shopping.

The neighborhood suits travelers who want a residential base within walking distance of the sights. Union Square, a short walk south of Gramercy Park, is the main subway interchange for the area, and from there the rest of the island is easy to reach. Evenings are calm: the park gates close, the side streets empty early, and the louder nightlife sits south in the East Village or west toward the Theater District. Several hotels face the wide avenues rather than the garden blocks, so check which side of the neighborhood your address falls on.

Getting there and around

Subway stations on the avenues to the east, and the crosstown stops at 23rd Street and Union Square, put the rest of Manhattan within easy reach, and trains run around the clock. Grand Central Terminal is 1.3 miles (2.1 km) from Hotel 17, and Penn Station is a short ride west. Midtown's center is 1.6 miles (2.6 km) away. JFK and Newark Liberty are 13 miles (20.3 km) from Hotel 17, about 45 to 75 minutes by road or rail depending on traffic and connections; LaGuardia is closest by road. Tap a contactless card or phone at the turnstile to pay, and check current details and any service changes with the transit authority before you travel.

Nearby sights and food

Most of the headline sights sit within a walk or a short ride. The Empire State Building, with its open-air deck, is west of the neighborhood along 34th Street, and the other observation decks, at Rockefeller Center, at Hudson Yards and beside Grand Central, are within a few subway stops. Grand Central Terminal is worth a look for the main concourse alone. The High Line, Little Island and Hudson River Park line the west side, with Hudson Yards and the Vessel at the High Line's northern end. Broadway theaters cluster around Times Square, a short ride uptown.

The eating is low-key and varied. Irving Place and the blocks around Union Square carry most of it: Italian, Japanese, Thai, Indian and Mexican kitchens, a few old-school steakhouses and seafood rooms, and casual counters for noodles, dumplings and tacos. Bakeries and coffee bars open early for the commuter crowd, and the Union Square farmers market brings farm stands and prepared food several days a week, with days and hours set seasonally, so check with the market before you go. South toward the East Village the choices turn more casual; north toward Murray Hill they are quieter.

A day from Hotel 17

A day from Hotel 17 begins on foot: walk the fenced perimeter of Gramercy Park, since the garden itself opens only to key holders, then follow Irving Place south for coffee near Union Square. Ride the subway uptown to Grand Central Terminal and look at the main concourse before the crowds build. Walk west to the High Line and follow it north to Hudson Yards, where the Vessel and the observation deck sit. Break for lunch around Chelsea or return east. In the afternoon, choose one museum or one observation deck rather than two. In the evening, head to the Theater District, where curtains are usually at 7 or 8 pm, so check the show and book ahead.

Distances

Facilities listed by the supplier

As listed by the booking supplier; a facility not listed here may still exist. Confirm anything important with the property.

• 24-hour reception
• Air conditioning
• Concierge
• Free Internet access (Lounge)
• Hairdryer
• Iron and board
• Non smoking rooms
• Safe
• TV