The Muse Hotel, a Kimpton Hotel

Eh, I’ve stayed in better… There is nothing horribly wrong with The Muse, but there is nothing exceptional about it either. I was expecting much more from this place (particularly because of the price) and was disappointed with my stay. I’m not sure when this hotel was remodeled, but whoever handled the renovations did a poor job. I would look elsewhere for a nicer stay at a better rate in Midtown.

I’ve been dying to stay at this hotel for years now, we love the Kimpton brand. We live only 40 minutes away on long island but decided on a little staycation to NYC for our 2 year anniversary. For anniversary’s, birthdays, any special occasion we stay at a Kimpton if we can, and almost always do. Anyway I guess I was hoping as usual we’d get upgraded like they’ve done at all the others and being our home state blah blah… I mean come on… but yeah no upgrade. It’s not like we’re owed it but was sorta sad/​disappointed when we’ve literally always been upgraded at other Kimptons. We kept joking before our trip a NYC Kimpton would probably be the one Kimpton to not upgrade us too… so that’s the minus 1 star just because well we were saddies lol. Hopefully the 2^nd part of our anniversary we get upgraded in San fran… Anyway besides that though we did get champagne which was nice, at least they didn’t totally forget about us… and we will continue to stay at Kimptons anytime we can… we love the brand and seriously we almost plan trips around where their hotels are :) and I’m only half kidding on that… so after our disappointment in no awesome suite upgrade we got over it and loved our room anyway, the beds are so comfortable! plus it’s in times square but not right there so that was cool…
I wish we had brought our dog but hey maybe next time… because Kimpton loves and lets you bring dogs for free! We plan on staying at all the Kimptons in NYC eventually: P this hotel is great for tourists if you are like us who doesn’t like just staying at a Hilton/​Marriott. The lobby was cute and the bathrooms off the lobby are amazing, we took pictures and yeah check out the lobby bathrooms! We also had breakfast this morning before we left and Nios was amazing, so go there too :) Really no complaints or problems with this hotel. I wish we could have stayed longer and I hope to stay here again one day… I hope they open more Kimptons too in NYC, like in Soho! We’re staying at the Eventi next, we’re on a Kimpton mission! I’m happy we stayed here first before the others in the city, I’ve literally wanted to stay here for like 3 years now lol… I also love the new rooms, the headboards are amazing. We actually had booked the Eventi which was just redone before seeing the new rooms here and I loved them so much I changed it to this one instead. then decided we’d just come back next month to the other… because like I said we love Kimpton and wanna stay at them all lol :) plus nights out are great in the winter in the city. yes it’s cold but it’s so pretty, and more affordable lol.
so anyone looking for a good hotel and a good location stay here! oh and they have a wine hour every night but we missed it…

Stayed 2 nights. Great friendly service. Serving you a glass of wine while waiting
to check in. Bar area is fine. Again bartender friendly and polite. Great location for meeting.

These guys are the best!
I booked the Muse for my casual wedding last year, using their restaurant for both the ceremony and reception for 50 – 60 people. Their larger conference room would have been perfect for the ceremony first, but it was unavailable (what can you do)?. They were very flexible with letting us use the smaller conference rooms and back room of the restaurant to get ready.
The wedding prep in the months leading up to the wedding were great thanks to the wonderful event coordinators. Our first coordinator actually changed jobs and relocated to London in the middle of the process, but her replacement jumped in immediately and was as good if not better. The kitchen staff and front desk staff were all great during the planning and actual event, and they handled all the extras on their end (like bringing in AV equipment) without causing us any extra worry. Everyone was pleasant, professional, helpful, and very patient with all our questions and requests. We also had a free food tasting and meeting with the chef and wine expert to decide our menu, and an invitation to a clients-​only cocktail party with a huge variety of appetizers and open bar.
On the wedding day, our guests were invited for the free wine tasting that the hotel holds in the lobby for hotel guests, and we were allowed to take over the lobby for pictures. The Muse is so beautifully decorated that we had to do very little in terms of our own decoration. The food was amazing, and they were able to accommodate some guests with allergies and food restrictions.
We got a free upgrade and bottle of sparking wine in our hotel room that night. There were a few small items that went missing at the end of the evening and we figured they were lost or accidentally thrown out. The kept an eye out for them and actually found everything and returned them to us a few months later along with a wine bottle accessory gift for our troubles.
I should also point out that the guest bathrooms lobby are all individually themed and big hit with our guests :)
My in-​laws also stayed at the Muse as regular guests at other times and had great experiences with their room, the décor, service, and food in the restaurant.
The spaces are somewhat small and the prices are high, but it’s a fancy hotel right off Times Square, so that’s to be expected. The great thing about holding an event at a hotel that does its own catering is that there were no extra charge for all the dinnerware, glassware, and furniture. The food and drink costs per person were higher than what we’d originally planned, but with practically everything included, we actually came in a little under budget.
Great hotel overall and absolutely wonderful venue for events!

I was unimpressed with this hotel.
Two stars but the bar in Nios got it to three.
I stayed at 70 Park Avenue in Murray Hill a few weeks ago and loved it so when I heard back to the City, I decided to stay with Kimpton again. The rate was high but after staying in 70 Park Ave, I thought ‘ehh, it’s worth paying the extra to have a great stay.‘
The lobby was fabulous. I had to push my way through hordes of tourists to get here so it was a welcome sight to see a classy lobby. The front desk employees were professional and friendly.
After I got to my floor (5), things went down hill. The set up of the floors is weird. Doors are in clusters and in corners unlike most hotels where doors are opposite each other in hallways. There are signs to navigate you to your room but when you head back towards the elevator, there are no signs so you have to try around all the corners.
The room was dark and kind of dingy. One light comes on with a switch and the rest are lamps. Totally okay except that it was dark when I checked in and my window overlooked a brick wall that had no light coming through so I’m dropping my bags on the floor to be able to flip on a lamp and find my way around the room.
The room itself is less than impressive. Nothing that stood out to me. One small window that like I said was facing a brick wall about four feet away so literally no sunlight, coming through.
The lamps by the bed had no plug in ports for phone chargers. The only lamp with plug ports was the lamp across the room from the bed. Wasn’t able to charge my phone or iPad that night while I was sleeping.
Let’s revisit the comment about the hotel room doors being clustered together. The hotel was rather quiet until 6am. My neighbor closed their door and BAM it rattled through my room. I am not a light sleeper in NY. I used to have a street level apartment with my room at the front of the building and I never woke up from street noise. I put in ear plugs and went back to sleep. BAM! Another door in my cluster shuts. Absurd the amount of noise inside the rooms. The air conditioner was louder than I had expected it to be but it still wasn’t enough to drown out other people’s showers and doors. Never fell back asleep after that. I paid a ton of money for a room at that hotel so it was a major disappointment to not be able to get more than 5.5hrs of sleep.
Other than that, I didn’t dislike the room. The bed was comfy and the mattress + pillows were perfect. The bathroom was larger than any other one in Manhattan. The lobby was very upscale and the elevators were quick.
I will not stay here again regardless of price. The rates they charge are absurd for older rooms, thinner walls, and no charging ports near the bed. Waste of my time and money. Two stars. Bar was nice and bartender was good which is the third star. Very unimpressed.

WORST Hotel Stay of my Life!
I booked a room at the Muse for 4 nights, the first 2 on business by myself, the second 2 with my wife on vacation. It was a complete and utter disaster.
My room was an upgraded suite and very nice. Large, 2 TVs, whirlpool back (more on that later). My only comment was that for such a big room it had only a few small rooms for storage and there was plenty of room for a bureau. But still, especially for NYC it was quite a room.
If only looks were everything.
My first night at the Muse was lovely — quiet, peaceful, comfortable bed. If I’d have only stayed that one night this would be my go-​to hotel in Manhattan. My second night I was awakened around 2 am by a repeated noise I couldn’t quite identify. Turns out water was running through the ceiling in my bathroom, coming out of a light socket, and splashing all over the floor. It seemed strange because it was spurting out intermittently, not steadily. I quickly called the front desk and said, «you have to send someone up right away — there is water coming out of my ceiling!»
I waited a number of minutes and no one came. No one called. Nada. So I went down to the front desk and spoke with the manager on duty. Turns out they went to the room above mine to resolve the leak — a sensible approach — but never offered to come to my room to clean the mess. So there I was, around 3 am, on my hands and knees cleaning up someone else’s dirty bath water from my floor. When I complained about that later, the manager on duty claimed that I turned down his offer to send someone up to clean, and that I told him, «no, that would wake up my wife.» The problem is that (a) they didn’t send someone up when I called, (b) he never offered at the front desk, and © my wife wasn’t even in town yet! That would be a rather absurd thing of me to say.
I thought that was about as bad as it gets. Turns out I was wrong.
My wife woke me up Saturday morning with news that she couldn’t shower because our room had no water. I called the front desk and they said much of the hotel had no water. I spoke with the general manager, who was not aware that he had hotel guests who couldn’t bathe or brush their teeth.
I think the general manager had enough of my complaining from the water-​coming-​thru-​the-​ceiling incident and didn’t want a repeat, so he moved us to another hotel. That was good of him, but really not much more than should be expected.
The next day I called the hotel about something and spoke with the assistant GM. He said the problem happened «because the city turned off our water.» I told him that wasn’t true and he insisted it was. Finally I revealed that I ran into one of the plumbers working on the problem — he was carrying a 3-​foot pipe wrench — and he told me there was a clog in the hotel’s pipes and they were having a hard time clearing it. The Assistant GM said, «well…okay…the city was doing work a few blocks away and something broke loose and got stuck in our pipes.» I asked him, «why do you shade things like that… something breaking loose and getting stuck in your pipes is NOT the same thing as the city turning off your water.»
The Assistant GM also told me that, later that weekend after we left, one of their elevators broke. Wow.
This hotel looks lovely, but it seems to me the good stuff is on the surface and that there must be problems with the underlying physical plant.
In all fairness to them, they didn’t charge me the two nights I was there on business (the weekend was on gift certificates). I didn’t ask them to comp those two nights; the GM did that of his own accord, which shows he did take the multiple problems seriously. My hat’s off to him for that.
Some Kimptons are awesome. This is not one of them.

I enjoyed my stay at the Muse, the room was clean, the staff was professional. My only complaint is that the room had a slight musty odor. Everything else was great.

So far this is my favorite Kimpton Hotel in NYC, I have not stayed at Eventi.
When I checked in it was wine hour. The desk clerk pointed that out and I gave my standard answer — «when i can get a scotch there i am IN!» that I give at all Kimpton’s and to my utter surprise I was given a coupon for a free cocktail at the in-​house bar. That has never happened to me at ANY Kimpton — so I have to give them a shout out for that.
What I remember mostly about this location is that it is in a great neighborhood with a lot of fun places to eat and drink very conveniently located. I also had a really good experience at the hotel bar/​restaurant. What I will also say — perhaps to their detriment, is that I felt inclined to try other Kimpton properties since staying at The Muse because the room didn’t really knock my socks off. After trips to Park70 and Ink48 I’m thinking maybe I had it right the first time. But I am surprised, because I thought that Kimpton’s in NYC would be the best of the best, but they just kind of aren’t.

Had a wonderful stay! Celebrated my birthday and the Muse staff helped me feel special during my stay. Upon arrival my room on the top floor had a balloon, card, and bottle of champagne! Would if given it 5 stars except that housekeeping came knocking on the door at 9am when checkout wasn’t until noon!

We spent a week at the Muse with our teenage daughters for Spring Break. All in all, it was a very good experience.
The rooms were clean and comfortable except that we could not control the temperature and it kept getting too warm in the evenings. This was disappointing, and the only real complaint that I have. I asked for them to turn down the heat 3 – 4 times over the week, and sometimes it would seem to make a difference, but by the next evening it was warm again.
The staff were all very helpful, accommodating and friendly. The front desk had very good recommendations for transportation and dining.
We enjoyed complimentary hot chocolate at 4 and wine at 5 each day, which was generally the time we returned from our daily excursions and rested up before heading back out on the town.
Which brings me to the final comment on the hotel: it’s excellent location. It is right off Times Square and not more than a ten-​minute walk to the nearest metro. Very convenient for seeing the heart of NYC and still easy to get in and out.

Valentine’s Day getaway trip to NYC and I must say the bf picked the right hotel. Service was great! Very attentive to their guests.
Best parts– 1. Cocktail hour 2. Great room (nicely and eclectically decorated) 3. The cheetah print bathrobes were EVERYTHING. All in all, I’m glad we switched to this hotel.

We made a trip to NYC on one of the last nice weather weekends last fall and stayed a The Muse.
The Spa Suite is well worth the money. It’s a boutique hotel in NYC, so even this suite was a bit small, but we enjoyed it immensely. We felt is was cozy while keeping that same luxury feeling. The tub, which I like to call a human sink was fantastic and a great way to relax after exploring around NYC all day. We love the his and her leopard print and zebra print robes. Funky and cool! This room also had rooftop access and it was nice to enjoy the lights of New York up there while having some wine. Perfect Autumn Night!
Barbara L. and Espirit (sp) and the front desk staff went out of their way and were very accomodating to any request. They even gave us complimentary chardonnay on ice.
I love all the different themes that Kimpton hotels have. The Muse is Greek inspired in it’s aesthetics and décor. We are Kimpton fans all the way!
Note: Kimpton properties are all pet friendly for those with furry friends they like to travel with.

Stayed here for a couple of nights when we were in town for a show. Excellent choice, if I do say so myself. Our 7^th floor King Deluxe room was comfortable, clean, and quiet, the staff were great, and the location was perfect. We also spent a good deal of time in the bar throwing back whiskey and beer, as well as having breakfast on the day we left the city.
The amazing staff were the cherry on top of the sundae — from check-​in to bellman to bartender to the guy who brought us room service three times in a two-​day period (does he ever sleep?), we were blown away by the hard-​working folks at the Muse.
We’ll be back!

My wife and I love going to boutique hotels when traveling. We always look for Kimpton Hotels because of their service and prices. Seriously it’s like getting a 5 Star hotel at 3 star prices. We really liked, not loved the Muse. Don’t get me wrong, the hotel is great. Staff is outstanding. Their prices are reasonable except for parking which is outrageous but understandable… it’s NYC!
We happened to stay during the coldest weekend of the year. I mean brutally cold. No fault of The Muse, they were a byproduct of cold weather. Lack of hot water and heat was devastating. We slept with hats and sweaters on. We couldn’t shower but that’s ok, we stayed one night and headed back home anyway.
We did notify the staff but what can they do. They can’t control the weather.
There are some advantages of staying here:
*stones throw from Times Square
*staff is always outstanding
*prices are great
*comfy beds and being a Karma member you get a $ 15 credit to «raid the bar».
***side note, the GM did reach out to me after I filled out the survey. Seriously Kimpton does it right. We will be returning soon…

I loved everything about the muse. Only spent one night with my fiancé. We stayed in the spa suite. The bathtub was amazing, bed was super comfortable, great selection in the mini bar. They brought us a bottle of wine (nothing fancy) and a tray of assorted fruit (delicious).
We also parked valet. It was about $ 50 for the night. Room was perfectly clean, towels were a little rough but not a big deal. Over all I enjoyed my stay and would definitely return. Best hotel I have been to so far.

If you want to stay in the heart of Times Square; this is the place. On 46^th and 7^th just a half a block from the square. Nice hotel. Staff was super friendly. Nios restaurant was good for room service but just ok for dining in the restaurant. No coffee in the room which was a bit annoying. The rooms are starting to show there age, but it was comfortable and clean.

I am from NY and love the city. This hotel is a half block from Times Square and the new giant TV screen etc. (Not my preference in location). That combined with the street being no left from Broadway makes taxis by the hotel very difficult to come by although the bellmen will do the work for you. (Über drivers took extra time to arrive with the no left turn so I advise to let them know ahead of time about that so they can take a different route)
My family and I recently stayed here during thanksgiving. The Muse was offering a special for thanksgiving and had cookies, milk and fruit sent to the room when we got there. We had a king suite with separate living room that closed with a sliding door which is where we put the kids. The space was all quite small but it’s NYC.
I loved the happy hour in the lobby daily with wine for the adults and juice for the kids. There is flavored water in the lobby all day like a spa which is a refreshing touch.
The staff was very responsive when called for assistance to the room for whatever issues. They have a lot extras such as chargers, nail care, hair irons etc at no extra cost that can be brought to your room.
We also brought our dog. There was no extra charge for the dog which was a big plus.

I have stayed at Kipton Hotels countless times when I do media hits because it is so central to the major news networks. This time, I brought my entire team and they all stayed there. We were on my book tour and had to be all over NYC so we could have stayed anywhere.
But when I asked if we could switch out one night because we ended up being called to DC for a hit, there was «nothing they could do because of policy.»
I am outraged. What does loyalty mean to this company? It would have cost them nothing to do this for us, but it wasn’t policy. So we literally had to leave our rooms all empty for a night, go to DC, find rooms there, then come back and check out and get another NYC hotel because there was no way I was staying there another night after they demonstrated their complete lack of regard for their loyal customers.
I never liked that they don’t have coffee in the rooms, either. I do early morning media hits and they don’t even offer coffee until 7 (after I am long gone). I also don’t like that there are no good views and you can’t see out of the windows (they can’t help that, but it is just an observation).
I am sad to part ways with this hotel after so many great times there, but loyalty should mean something, I think. If I wanted to be treated like a number, I could stay at the Marriott. Better views.

I stayed in one of their middle-​teir rooms, not the most expensive, not the cheapest. It felt luxurious. Plenty of space, nicely appointed, clean, and well maintained. The lights all had dimmers and the windows could all be opened. What little contact I had with the staff was excellent.
The hotel is quiet and a great refuge from the insanity of Times Square. You walk thorough the front doors and — ahhh.
My NYC office is on the same block so I stay in the neighborhood a lot — this is my new favorite. I worked most nights and really appreciated the excellent desk chair and good work-​desk with lamp.
For the folks who wrote about the neighborhood feeling seedy and complained about garbage on the sidewalks: Welcome to New York. For the first-​time visitor those things can be disconcerting, but this is a good neighborhood by NYC standards. Hey, there’s a high-​end high-​school next door! (Former High School for the Performing Arts of «Fame» fame.)
Minor negatives: No refrigerator, just one of those electronic mini-​bars where you’re automatically charged.
P. S. Don’t miss the lobby restrooms.

I am only reviewing Muse for the bar. This is a sexy spot, great design but a little stuffy for my taste. Came in on a Wed evening for a drink and it was very light in terms of patrons. This was fine as a friend and I wanted to actually hear each other speak.
The bartender was cute and friendly. It’s a pricey spot so don’t expect happy hour specials. There seemed to be a few business meetings going on and folks with white hair having dinner.
The popcorn here is delicious! It’s made with sea salt and truffle oil and melts in your mouth. There are muted tv’s hanging in front of the bar if you happen to need to a visual distraction.
I was mistaken by another patron as someone who works there as I wandered to find the bathroom. I won’t judge Muse on that just a typical pompous nyker.
Overall it will do for grabbing drinks alongside a beautiful atmosphere.