Millenium Hilton
The Millenium Hilton is located at WTC Side. The hotel is a small tower with 57 floors and 565 rooms, including 463 rooms and 102 suites. Behind the hotel is another building. If you are on a lower floor (I think up to 40 floor) your room view is limited.
As written the hotel is located at WTC side and therefore easy reachable by public transportation. From JFK one can take subway A to WTC Side (app. 45 minutes) or with subway R and W to Cortland Street. The Path Station World Trade Center Side is also opposite the hotel and therefore it is not that difficult to reach from EWR, though you have to change trains in Newark Penn Station.
The lobby of the hotel is small. There are two entrances, a entrance to Church Street at the front of the street and on to Vesey Street. The lobby is modern with a mixture of wooden elements and black stone and looks very nice. Unfortunately it is small and therefore become really fast crowed, especially in peak times and if larger groups meet in the lobby. At the side entrance is an overpriced souvenir shop and the desk of the concierge located, while the main check-in desk is located opposite the main entrance.
Right hand side is the “Chic” Lobby bar which serves Cocktails but also some sacks from 11.00 till midnight.
The only real restaurant of the hotel called “Church & Dey” is located on the third floor and open from 6.30 till 22.30. It offers nice views to ground zero (if you can talk about “nice views” in this context) and is also decorated modern with some stone and wooden accent in interior design.
Meeting rooms are available.
On the fifth floor is the hotel’s business center, which is some sort of self service center. At the corner to Church Street is the gym with treadmills, steppers, bicycles, etc. You can exercise with view on Ground Zero. On top of the garage of the hotel is the heated indoor pool with some deck chairs and a small sauna. A changing room with lockers and showers are also available. Unfortunately two of the three showers were not in good condition as the shower heads were broken. Towels are available. Gym and Pool
are open from 5.30 till 21.45 weekday and 7.00 till 21.45 on weekends.
In the public areas and the meetings rooms as well as in the business centre W-LAN is offered.
Stays: 14 January 2006
Visited on New York and Chicago Trip 2006
Arrival Date: 14 January 2006
Departure Date: 15 January 2006
Room type booked: Standard Room (got Corner Room ?)
Rate Plan: Net Direct Rate
Room Number: 4314
Room Rate: 170.00 USD (excl. taxes)
Status of HH: Gold
I had called the hotel in advance and asked if I could arrive early and store my luggage. To my surprise, the hotel answered I could already check-in as my room was ready and they would let me check in early due to my Gold Status. So I arrived at 10.20 in the morning and was checked in quite fast.
Check In informed me about an upgrade and explained location of pool, gym and restaurant for breakfast. They also offered me an additional breakfast voucher free of charge for this morning. I did not take it, as I have had breakfast but thanked for this friendly offer.
I got a room on the 42nd floor facing Brooklyn Bridge. I was first a little bit disappointed but after a quick look on the map and a quick look in two other room on this floor (housekeeping was working and rooms were open) I discovered that my room was one of the largest if not the largest room on this floor. Also the rooms on the corner seems to be of a smaller size, but offer more and as I think better views. I asked during check-out which room type this was and they told me it was a corner room. Hm, I thought
a corner room is at the corner, but it seems to be a matter of size than of location.
The room was not a typical hotel room. You are right in the room if you enter it, no entrance area or corridor as in the most hotels. Left hand side is the bathroom and the cupboard (with ironing board, safe and umbrella in it). The bathroom is of bigger size with bathtub with wall mounted shower head and a separate to use shower, washbasin and toilet. There were plenty of bathroom amenities and towels for two persons, I only missed the bathrobe. Especially in the early morning and the afternoon water became
warm after two minutes wait.
In the room was right of the entrance door a lounge chair. The grand-lit with two bedside tables with wall mounted reading lamps and a telephone on one of the two bedsize tables. Opposite the bed at the wall to the bathroom was the working desk. It was of smaller size but you could work there without problem. A high-speed internet connection was available for a fee. Beside the working desk was the minibar, but no tea- and coffee facilities. The price of the minibar was expensive as usual (Evian 4.00 USD, beer
7.25 USD, wine 21.00 USD, peanuts 3.50 USD). A large plasma screen was wall mounted. There was an on demand CD system (AVOD) available for 9.95 USD for 120 minutes and also a multi media system for internet. I did not use it, as it seems to have a malfunction, at least I was not able to get view to the Hilton Homepage, which should available for free.
I got two bottles of water with turndown service and some small chocolates.
The views to Brooklyn Bridge were nice.
Breakfast was served as American Buffet in the restaurant. I was in the restaurant early at 7.45 on a Sunday morning. There were only a few guests in the restaurant at this time of the day and I got a table at the window overlooking ground zero. There was only an American Buffet available which choices of potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, different sort of fruits including strawberries and slices of mango, cornflakes, bagels and muffins. Tea was brought in a teapot, coffee was available in small pots.
I got a glass of orange juice, which was refilled without asking. Restaurant staff was friendly.
The interior of the room was nice and very modern. The bathroom seems to be older and not refurbished after the renovation which was necessary after September 2001. The hotel treated me well. The room was nice, though I am not quite sure what type of room it was. The location is nice and I enjoyed to have a pool and relaxed there after a long day in the evening. Breakfast was one of the best I had during this holiday. The location is good (and you are able to shop at “Century 21” before breakfast if you like)
and especially at the weekend there are good rates available, but it is expensive on weekdays. If I am able to get a rate for 170 USD I will stay there again for a night, especially as it is in a good location for hotel hopping.
