The Empire Hotel
4-star hotel · Lincoln Square, New York
Long Weekend score
Weak7 serious reports in 293 reviews: a physical hazard (7)
Guests rate nearly every hotel highly: half the hotels in New York are rated 8.4 out of 10 or more. So our score shows how a hotel compares with the rest, not how luxurious it is.
- Rated higher than 19% of New York hotels
- 57% of guest comments are praise
- 42% of guest photos show no damage
How this score is made
- Rated higher than 19% of New York hotels. Compared with 819 hotels in New York. Counts for 50% of the score.
- 57% of guest comments are praise. 402 praise, 299 complain. Counts for 30% of the score.
- 42% of guest photos show no damage. 25 of 60 photos. Counts for 20% of the score.
- Serious reports are never counted in. They are flagged beside the score, because one matters even when everything else is good.
- $223 a nighttypical for two, before tax · from $119
- 2 min walkto the nearest station
- 293 guest reviewsfrom the last 2 years
- 60 guest photostheirs, not the hotel's
At a glance
For
- A station within walking distanceA station is 157 m away
- Location127 praise · 0 complain
- Food8 praise · 1 complain
Against
- On a main road: Columbus Avenue33 m from the building
- Guest photos show wear and dirt35 of the 60 photos guests took, and 0 of the hotel's 40
- Room condition111 complain · 3 praise
- Something broken in the roomcomplaints rising: 14.7 in 100 a year ago, 21.2 now60 of 293 guests
- Valuecomplaints rising: 5.9 in 100 a year ago, 9.7 now27 complain · 11 praise
What guests reported
What guests say
293 reviews from the last 2 years. Most praised: staff (166 guests). Weakest: room condition, where 111 of the 114 who mention it complain.
Location1270Strength
Not totally perfect but the location and the overall atmosphere made it a cool place to stay.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Fantastic staff, great location, free water bottles from the front desk.
Google, July 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Food81Strength
Great location and restaurant.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
I tried the Gossip girl drink and it was fantastic!
Google, August 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Staffcomplaints rising: 0.0 in 100 a year ago, 15.8 now16641Mostly good
Staff are friendly, honest and responsive.
Booking network, October 2025, rated 10/10 by this guest
When we first arrived, Hailey and Adrik were extremely helpful and friendly.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The reception staff is generally rude.
Google, July 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Cleanlinesscomplaints rising: 0.0 in 100 a year ago, 14.7 now4638Split
DIRTY Hotel was awful burnt out bulbs dirty hallways bathrooms had mildew couldn’t see out the window with the film of grime beds where terrible cheap lumpy pillow it’s a glorified motel six also our room was extremely hot no working air lobby bathrooms had poop in the toilet
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
The AC wasn’t working, the washroom was dirty and the room had a terrible smell to it.
Google, July 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
The room was not clean, the service was poor, and the overall atmosphere was not pleasant.
Google, August 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Viewscomplaints rising: 0.0 in 100 a year ago, 3.5 now119Split
The first room was tiny and faced a wall.
Google, August 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
I must point out that our first assigned room was not what we hoped for - a view toward a brick wall, a shower that did not drain quickly, and an AC that tripped a breaker.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
My first room also had a very unpleasant odor and a disappointing view directly over the A/C units.
Google, August 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Bedscomplaints falling: 8.8 in 100 a year ago, 3.5 now1012Split
Had to put a comforter under the sheet or else my back hurt.
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Bed was not very comfortable, especially the pillows.
Google, August 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
They gave us 3 for 2 people and they were either thin as paper or as lumpy as a sack of potatoes.
Google, August 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Quiet at nightcomplaints falling: 11.8 in 100 a year ago, 6.9 now1022Weak spot
The chests’ drawers did not stay closed, and the room’s heating/AC unit was so loud that I was unable to sleep while it was running.
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
So much noise in the room from outside and from other rooms (e.g.
Google, August 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Room was very noisy with outside air conditioner noise all day and all night.
Booking network, October 2025, rated 4/10 by this guest
Valuecomplaints rising: 5.9 in 100 a year ago, 9.7 now1127Weak spot
Hard to understand how they get away with such terrible customer service and such decrepit room.
Google, July 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
For this price, stay somewhere else.
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
For the price and location, we expected a much better standard.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Room sizecomplaints rising: 2.9 in 100 a year ago, 8.1 now822Weak spot
Hotel rooms are a bit small unless you're paying up
Google, July 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
The room with the full bed is teeny tiny, but the king superior was comfortable.
Booking network, October 2025, rated 8/10 by this guest
My room was fairly small but the space was used well.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Poolcomplaints rising: 2.9 in 100 a year ago, 5.8 now216Weak spot
Pool is not pool but little plunge.
Google, August 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
The pool is small, and don't plan on swimming unless your the only one in.
Google, August 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
The rooftop pool was a major disappointment: you have to climb two flights of sweltering stairs from the 11th floor just to reach a cramped deck with a tiny, overcrowded "people soup" pool and zero available lounge chairs.
Google, August 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Room condition3111Weak spot
Nothing works in the room, everything is very dated and run down.
Google, July 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Old and outdated structure...
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
However, the hotel rooms need to be renovated.
Google, August 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
Too few mentions to judge: breakfast.
Who stays, and their score out of 10
From every review of the last two years that gives a score and says who travelled, including those with no words.
All 5,777 Google ratings
Problems guests raised
Raised most: something broken in the room, in 60 of 293 reviews.
Something broken in the roomcomplaints rising: 14.7 in 100 a year ago, 21.2 now60 of 2931 in 5 reviews
The AC in our original room was not working, so they accommodated a new room for us.
Google, August 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Cannot call front desk from room phone
Booking network, October 2025, rated 2/10 by this guest
Heating and air conditioning47 of 2931 in 6 reviews
They said there was but room was 75 degrees while set at 64 degrees.
Google, August 2026, rated 3/5 by this guest
AC didn't work, wallpaper falling off the walls, furniture is worn and falling apart, bathrooms are tiny with missing grout, I had a suite and it was one of the worst rooms I've had in NYC.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Problems in the bathroomcomplaints rising: 0.0 in 100 a year ago, 13.5 now35 of 2931 in 8 reviews
Bathroom door ruined and peeling off
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
shower dirty, shower fixtures broken, no vanity kits..
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Complaints the hotel left unresolvedcomplaints rising: 5.9 in 100 a year ago, 12.0 now33 of 2931 in 9 reviews
An Amazon spirometer arrived late, and despite more than 10 emails and several phone calls, the hotel never properly responded or helped me locate the package.
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
There were plenty of staff working in the hotel, but after requests to get basic necessities for the bathroom (soap) we were told they would get back to us and we never heard anything back.
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Not as shown or booked17 of 2931 in 17 reviews
The photos online are definitely deceiving and don’t reflect the current condition of the rooms.
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
We expected much more due to its “gossip girl” status and from photos online.
Google, September 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Mould or damp17 of 2931 in 17 reviews
Lots of water damage, a rusty and moldy AC unit that barely worked.
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Btw that hair isn’t mine, there’s mold in the shower, everything is crooked, and the towels have stains.
Google, October 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Serious reports
7 in 293 reviews, most common first. Shown beside the score, never averaged into it.
A physical hazard7 of 293 reviews
The fire alarm was taken out of the ceiling and the wires were hanging out.
Google, October 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
These are guests' own accounts from their reviews. We have not verified them, and the hotel may dispute them. A report is counted only when the guest says it happened at the hotel and holds the hotel responsible.
Photos, checked
35 of the 60 guest photos we checked show damage or dirt (58%).
Guest photos showing damage or dirt35 of 6058%
Of 60 guest photos, 35 show damage or dirt: peeling paint or cracks in 21, stains in 10, broken fittings in 9 and dirty surfaces in 5, and some photos show more than one. Of the hotel's own 40, 0 do.
Guests’ photos confirm: bar (1), bathtub (2).
The hotel says it has no spa or hot tub.
Price, place and rooms
Price
$223 is a typical night, from 305 dates checked in the coming year.
Weekends cost 30% more than weekdays
A typical night, month by month
Cheapest month: Jan 2027, $125Dearest month: Sep 2027, $420
Prices on booking sites, the day we checked
What each seller advertised on the one day we checked, so these sit outside the year-wide figures above and can fall below the typical price.
- Super.com$428
- traveluro.com$433
- luxuryescapes.com$445
- h-en.reserving.com$452
- wego.com$455
- Tripadvisor$458
- Expedia$462
- Hotels.com$462
Lowest advertised nightly rate for two adults; taxes and local fees are not included. Shown in US dollars.
Nearby
The nearest station is 157 m away by road, about 2 minutes on foot. There is 1 bar or club within 200 metres.
- Nearest main road: Columbus Avenue33 m
- Nearest station2 min walk157 m by road
- Nearest shop: Market C5 min walk396 m by road
- Rockefeller Center23 min walk1.7 km by road
- Times Square23 min walk1.7 km by road
- The Empire State Building2.9 km
- The Brooklyn Bridge8.3 km
The lines are 5, 10 and 15 minutes on foot.
Distances follow the streets, not straight lines.
Rooms
11 room types, from 13 to 46 m².
- Room, 1 Double Bed (Express)13 m²Sleeps 1No view
- Standard Room, 1 Queen Bed19 m²Sleeps 2
- Superior Room, 2 Double Beds24 m²Sleeps 4
- Superior Room, 1 King Bed24 m²Sleeps 2
- Superior Room, 2 Queen Beds24 m²Sleeps 4No view
- Superior Room, 1 King Bed, Accessible24 m²Sleeps 2No view
The other 5 room types
- Deluxe Room (2 Double Beds)30 m²Sleeps 6
- Deluxe Room, 1 King Bed33 m²Sleeps 2
- Junior Suite (2 Double Beds)36 m²Sleeps 6No view
- Junior Suite (1 King Bed)36 m²Sleeps 4
- Suite, 1 King Bed with Sofa bed, Corner46 m²Sleeps 4
From the hotel's own room descriptions, checked against each room's photos.
How it compares
How it ranks
Guests who booked rate it 7.6 out of 10. Only 19% of the 819 hotels in New York are rated lower, and a typical one is rated 8.4.
Every review site, out of 100
If room condition matters to you
Here, 111 of the 114 guests who mention room condition complain. These nearby hotels do better on it.
More hotels in New York
The nearest first, with our score for each.
How we know
293 reviews counted · 100 photos checked · updated 10 October 2026
- We collected this hotel's 897 most recent reviews from Google, Tripadvisor and the Booking network. 293 of them describe a stay in the last 2 years and are the ones counted here; the rest were 480 older, 8 in other languages, 112 with a score but no words and 4 about the restaurant rather than a stay.
- The hotel replied to 184 of its 200 newest Google reviews.
- 30 in every 100 reviews thank a staff member by name.
- 8 reviews mention a free upgrade, a cake or a gift.
- We looked at 100 photos: the first 40 of the hotel's own and the 60 newest from guests.
- Every number on this page is counted, not estimated. Anything in quotation marks is a guest's own words.