Square Hotel at Times Square

About Square Hotel at Times Square

Square Hotel at Times Square suits travelers who want to sleep in the middle of Midtown and spend their days on foot. The Theater District, Times Square and the Museum of Modern Art are within a short walk, so evening curtains and museum mornings need little planning. Couples on a city break, solo travelers and small groups of friends fit well here. Business travelers also gain from a Midtown address close to Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station, with the trade-off being constant street energy outside.

Square Hotel at Times Square is a 3-star hotel with a straightforward, practical character. The booking supplier's guest score is 3.3 out of 5 from 1,098 reviews, which points to a stay that guests treat as a base rather than a destination in itself. Expect a busy Midtown setting where the address does much of the work. Read recent reviews for current impressions, and confirm room details with the property before booking, since a Times Square location draws very different expectations from different travelers.

Rooms and listed facilities

The facilities listed by the supplier cover the practical side of a city stay: a 24 hour front desk, free Wi-Fi, a fitness center, a restaurant and bars, a terrace, a spa, meeting room, laundry service, luggage storage, elevators, concierge, safe, shuttle service and parking, with wheelchair accessible access listed. Late arrivals can rely on the desk at any hour. Couples may want to confirm which room categories face away from the street, families should ask about space for extra guests, and business travelers should confirm meeting room capacity and parking terms directly with the property.

Rooms at Square Hotel at Times Square are best treated as a functional base for a sightseeing trip, with the Midtown address doing much of the work. Couples and solo travelers should confirm bed type and room size with the property, and families should ask how many guests a room takes. Anyone arriving late can use the listed 24 hour front desk. Ask the property about the safe, luggage storage and laundry service, and check the total price with taxes and fees.

The setting

Square Hotel at Times Square stands at 226 W 50th St, a Midtown address an easy walk from the Theater District. The 9/11 Memorial is about 3.8 miles (6.1 km) to the south.

Location and neighborhood

Traveling with children, the street grid works in your favor. Numbered streets run east to west and avenues run north to south, so a wrong turn costs a block rather than an afternoon. Fifth Avenue divides East from West, and Broadway cuts across on the diagonal. Square Hotel at Times Square sits inside the Midtown and Times Square area, which runs from the Garment District blocks north of 34th Street down through the Theater District, Bryant Park and Rockefeller Center to Central Park South. Sidewalks are wide but crowded when the theaters empty. A stroller moves more easily before the evening rush.

Families use the area in two modes: daytime errands and evening spectacle. Fifth Avenue between Rockefeller Center and Central Park South holds the flagship stores, and those blocks fill quickly on weekends. Quieter ground exists. The Garment District north of 34th Street is calmer, and Bryant Park gives children room to move and a lawn to cross. Treat Times Square as a crossing rather than a destination at midday; the light show reads better after dark from a little farther back. Mornings are the calmest window for a walk east to west, and the grid keeps the route simple.

Getting there and around

Arriving is straightforward. 14 miles (22 km) is roughly the distance to the nearest airport, and the ride in from JFK or Newark typically takes 45 to 75 minutes depending on traffic and connections, so check the current options before setting out. 0.7 miles (1.2 km) covers the run to Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station, both connected to the subway. Penn Station occupies 34th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. 0.2 miles (0.4 km) places you at the middle of the district. The subway runs 24 hours; tap a contactless card or phone at the turnstile. Check service changes with the MTA on the day.

Nearby sights and food

The sights cluster tightly. The Museum of Modern Art stands on West 53rd Street, and Broadway's theaters, about 40 houses, fill the blocks around Times Square. Grand Central Terminal is worth a stop for the concourse ceiling alone. Hudson Yards, on the West Side, holds the Vessel and the Edge observation deck. Several decks lift families above the streets: Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt beside Grand Central, and One World Observatory downtown. The American Museum of Natural History sits on Central Park West at 79th Street, an easy run north. Timed entries cut the waiting.

Food in Midtown is built for a crowd. Expect diners, pizza counters, delis, ramen shops, taquerias and bakeries along Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Garment District, where tables turn fast. The Theater District leans toward grills and Italian places that fill before curtain. Near Bryant Park, sandwich shops and coffee bars suit a quick lunch, and the food halls around Rockefeller Center give children several cuisines under one roof, which helps when tastes differ. Children's menus are common. Reservations help at 7 pm. Ask about allergies before ordering.

A day from Square Hotel at Times Square

A day from Square Hotel at Times Square: start early, before the crowds gather. A walk north along Fifth Avenue reaches Central Park South, where the park opens its 843 acres of paths, lawns and playgrounds. Carry water. Come back down through Rockefeller Center and cross to Bryant Park for a sit and a run around the lawn. Lunch in the Garment District, then an afternoon at the Museum of Modern Art, where the upper floors move fastest with children. Return to Square Hotel at Times Square to rest before an early dinner. Evening curtains run at 7 or 8 pm; check the show. Finish with the lights of Times Square from a little farther back, then walk to Square Hotel at Times Square.

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 Front Desk
• Bars
• Bell boy
• Car parking
• Cleaning
• Coffee
• Concierge
• Dry cleaning service
• Entertainment activities
• Express check out
• Fitness Center
• Free Wi-Fi
• Laundry Service
• Elevators
• Luggage storage
• Meeting room
• Multilingual staff
• Parking
• Restaurant
• Safe
• Self Parking
• Shuttle service
• Spa
• Terrace
• Towels
• Wedding services
• Wheelchair accessible