Hotel review: Crowne Plaza HY36 Midtown Manhattan, New York City

With a zipcode in the heart of the Big Apple – Central Park, Empire State and Times Square are practically neighbours – and rooms that, although the city never sleeps, guarantee you will, Crowne Plaza HY36 on New York's West 36th Street makes for a top Midtown choice.

Rooms and facilities

Yes, looks do count, and HY36's industrial-esque frontage, all shiny glass and steel, impresses. Step into the lobby and its soaringly high ceiling, bearing a 50-foot explosion of copper pendant lights shining down over bold hexagonal tiles, bags further style points. Sashay past the check-in desk – where the service is smooth and smiley – and your lift awaits. Can someone hit floor 26?

Built back in 2017 on a former parking lot, HY36 was the first of its 400 or so Crowne Plaza siblings to swerve its attentions from conference delegate to modern traveller. And how does that translate? I refer you to the jazzy lobby and a certain Peloton sitting in the corner of my suite. Plus two large tellies. Yep, I've got a sitting room (the Plaza's guest rooms are among Manhattan's biggest in square footage).

As for décor, boring business beige be gone, slick grey rules, while geometric motifs, dashings of dark wood and 20th-century furniture keep the feel fancy. The bed is large, the mattress, 'just fabulous' as Goldilocks would say. For those I-just-need-to-send-an-email types, there's a desk and power points galore, plus plenty of breakout areas for you and your laptop around the hotel. For I-just-need-to-loll types, ignore the Peloton (besides there are more in the 24-hour gym) and enjoy the floor-to-ceiling city views from the sofa. Triple glazed, you'll hear few car honks up here.

Over in the spacious bathroom, white subway tiles and black fittings provide panache and, while a powerful shower is to be expected, the hydrotherapy bath and spa-like toiletries are welcome touches. The very magnifying mirror? Not so much.

Food and drink

Enjoying a prime front-of-house location, under the hotel's showstopping light installation, is Burgerology. It has decent breakfast fare (you'll love the waffles, though maybe not the pounds), plus, of course, burgers – and craft ones, too. One monikered Genius, a hunk of prime beef coupled with braised short rib, Swiss cheese and cabernet gravy rendered my chips forgotten. It also boasts a furlong of bar, just the spot for early-evening drinks.

Of course, this being New York, excellent eateries proliferat. The nearby streets and walkable areas include everything from the legendary (hence the queues) Liberty Bagels on West 35th Street – order its egg, bacon, hash brown and sausage offering and lunch will be shelved – to West 34th Street's Bar Primi. The latter offers casual yet classy Italian eats that could hold their own in any trattoria back home, plus a crowd that feels hip to hang with.

What to do nearby

While the two square hustling, bustling miles of Midtown can, in places, feel more sketchy than sleek, its host of New York gotta-sees more than makes up for it.

Top of the bill, the Empire State, of course, maybe not the world's tallest building any more, but it's a titan nonetheless, dwarfing its rivals with its unmatched 360 degree views of Manhattan from the 102nd floor observation deck. It also has an immersive exhibition, too (hell, you'll feel like a construction worker), which serves as testament to this 94-year-old's celebrity chops – the building isn't just a star of countless films but a magnet for A-listers wanting to either sing from its top or switch on its famous occasion-marking LEDs! (around £34 for adults, esbnyc.com ).

Next buzz? A few (OK eight) streets up, the lights, billboards, shows and, of course, crowds and car horns, of Times Square, followed by an earthing ride around Central Park (Liberty Cycles near West 55th Street has super-duper wheels and service to match; around £12 for two hours; libertycyclesnyc.com ).

Back closer to the hotel, on West 34th Street, is the Highline, a former rail road turned 1.45 mile elevated park full of greenery, art, and spots to soak up the city. Just round the corner from here are the eateries and shops of Hudson Yards, a $12 billion development putting the wow into westside Midtown.

Done with walking, on West 42nd Street you can carry on cruising aboard a Circle Line ship and enjoy not just that famous NY skyline from the water but a certain Ms Liberty up close ( circleline.com ). Alternatively, at the other end of East 36th Street, make like a true New Yorker and take the ferry to Brooklyn, the Insta shot when you land between Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges is not to be missed.

Hotel highlights

OK, so Midtown isn't for Fifth Avenue Princesses but boy is it central and that, coupled with the sleek and airy four-star charm of the HY36 makes this is one des res.

Best for

Those who want to be in the beating heart of the Big Apple.