The Bryant Park Hotel

About The Bryant Park Hotel

The Bryant Park Hotel suits travelers who want Midtown on foot. The address on West 40th Street puts Grand Central Terminal about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) away in a straight line and Times Square about 0.4 miles (0.6 km), so a short trip needs little subway travel. Couples can pair it with theaters and evening dining nearby, business travelers with meetings in the surrounding office district, and families with Midtown sights. The 24-hour front desk listed by the supplier helps anyone arriving on a late flight or train.

The Bryant Park Hotel carries a 4-star official rating, and the booking supplier gives it a guest score of 4.5 out of 5 from 785 reviews. That score is the supplier's own figure, so read a few recent comments before you commit. The hotel is a full-service Midtown address rather than a small guesthouse: a restaurant, bars, a fitness center and a 24-hour front desk all appear on the supplier's facilities list. Expect a working city hotel that serves both leisure and business guests.

Rooms and listed facilities

The supplier's listed facilities cover the practical side of a city stay: air conditioning, a minibar, a safe and free Wi-Fi. Couples can ask about carpeted rooms, families about cribs and family rooms, and business travelers about the fitness center, the restaurant and the laundry service. Parking and valet parking are listed, which matters if you drive into Midtown. Late arrivals should note the 24-hour front desk and luggage storage. Confirm room size, bed type and extra bedding directly with the property, and check the total price with taxes and fees.

The setting

The Bryant Park Hotel stands at 40 West 40th Street, in the Midtown grid where numbered cross streets meet the avenues and Fifth Avenue sets the east-west numbering. Grand Central Terminal is about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) away in a straight line and Times Square about 0.4 miles (0.6 km), with Penn Station about 0.6 miles (0.9 km). Central Park, at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, is about 1 mile (1.6 km) north. The 9/11 Memorial is about 3.2 miles (5.2 km) downtown. Broadway runs diagonally across this grid, so blocks near it sit at an angle to the rest.

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. The Bryant Park Hotel 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. 13 miles (21.3 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. 0.3 miles (0.5 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. 0.4 miles (0.6 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 The Bryant Park Hotel

A day from The Bryant Park Hotel: 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 The Bryant Park Hotel 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 The Bryant Park Hotel.

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
• Air conditioning
• Alarm clock
• Babysitting service
• Banquet
• Bars
• Bath
• Bathrobe
• Bathroom
• CD Player
• Carpeted
• Cleaning
• Concierge
• Crib
• Desk
• Dry cleaning service
• Express check in
• Family rooms
• First aid
• Fitness Center
• Free Wi-Fi
• Garage
• Hairdryer
• Housekeeping
• Internet access
• Iron and board
• Laundry Service
• Elevators
• Luggage storage
• Minibar
• Non smoking rooms
• Parking
• Pay per view
• Radio
• Restaurant
• Safe
• Security Features
• Shower
• Sink
• Slippers