The Marmara Manhattan

Stayed at the end of October for 4 nights. Hotel staff couldn’t have been more helpful to make our stay as comfortable as possible. Gave us a high floor room as requested and changed sofa bed to a proper single bed for my daughter who suffers from a bad back. Left an expensive scarf behind and Matt the front desk manager arranged for it to be sent back to England for us. Great location, virtually on top of the subway station, restaurants, shops nearby (go to Barking Dog for breakfast). Room was a little outdated but fully equipped. Self service launderette in basement. Good gym. Used the subway all week on travel,card, super easy and cheap. If you need a self cater suite, this is definitely a good option Read less

We made plans to be in NYC for a wedding but the hotel with the wedding room block (Courtyard Marriott) was sold out when we called for reservations. They recommended a "sister hotel," The Marmara, so we booked the only available room, a junior, one bedroom suite, figuring it would be a slightly larger bedroom with a couch and a chair instead of the standard one chair. We were surprised and frankly delighted to find instead a one-bedroom apartment, complete with a small, but fully equipped kitchen and a bedroom separate from the living/dining area. We were in town for a long weekend and it was nice to have the extra room. My husband likes to relax with the TV on, while I prefer quiet, so we both got what we wanted. I can see this suite being very nice for extended stays. The kitchen had a full size refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, and microwave, and came equipped with plates, cups, mugs, water glasses, wine glasses, cutlery, a set of Calphalon pans, a spaghetti drainer, and cooking utensils. There was also a toaster, coffee pot, and electric kettle along with a small box of coffee, creamers, and sugar. There was a small bottle of dish soap and small box of dishwasher powder. The hall closet held an iron, ironing board, and a full-size umbrella. The bathroom included a hand held hair dryer, a small basket of shampoos, conditioners, and body lotions as well as a shower cap and amenities packet that contained a couple of band-aids, cue tips, and a sewing kit. There was also small porcelain vase to hold toothbrushes and toothpaste. Another thoughtful touch. The combo living/dining room had a couch, side chair, coffee table, couple of end tables, a desk with chair, a small dining table with two chairs and a TV with a DVD player . There was a second, smaller TV in the bedroom. Space to spread out and store stuff and lovely views looking toward the East River. The whole space was homey and welcoming. Staff at the Marmara are also very friendly and accommodating. We dealt mostly with Matt at the front desk who answered all our questions about nearby services and restaurants (lots!) and also let us know that the water in the faucets might come out tan at first as there had been some work on the water lines. It did, but we followed Matt's advice and let it run for a bit to clear and then we had lovely hot water for showering. At the front desk you can also get a very good area map and a typed list of restaurants and shops organized by type. In this day of smartphones and apps, it's kind of nice to have all of this information instantly available on a couple of pieces of paper. This hotel is located in a very nice neighborhood within walking distance of subway stops (there's one right one the corner), lots of restaurants and a few grocery stores for those who might want to self cater. Central Park as well as small neighborhood parks are also nearby for the jogging minded. Yes, there are only two, smallish elevators and yes you might be there with the cleaning staff sometimes. This happened only once for us. Staffers cheerfully made room for us on the elevator and when they saw we were headed out for a party wished us a good time and safe travels. By the time we made it to the lobby, we felt we had made new friends! How often does that happen in a larger hotel? Getting a cab from this location is also easy. You just have to walk a few feet to the corner, but there was always a staff member ready to run out and flag one down. It was pretty cold and windy out, and we appreciated this thoughtfulness. Yes, the furnishings are a bit banged up and the hallway rugs are probably ready to be swapped out having acquired those marks of lots of traffic that diligent cleaning only manages to fade. I'd also like to see some sort of art on the walls, even if it comes from the local IKEA, because they feel kind of stark. But the apartment was spotlessly clean. The bathroom held fluffy white towels and washcloths, and there were pristine white sheets on the oh, so comfy bed. There's a small safe on the floor of the bedroom closet. There's no coffee shop or restaurant on the premises, but as my English friends would say, you are spoiled for choice within a few minutes walk for all types of cuisines. There's a small gym and pool in the cellar and a small laundry area (you'll need to bring your own soap for that). The lobby has a big table with a computer and printer on it--not a "business center," but certainly enough to print a boarding pass or take care of small matters. These days, when everyone has a device and access to e-tickets, business centers and frankly even room phones are starting to seem superfluous to me! You'll also find the New York Times each morning on that table, though I expect they get a limited supply of these. As with most hotels, the early birds get the paper :) Our room on floor 15 had a great view down the street toward the East River. As with most rooms in NYC, you'll hear traffic, but in this quiet upper East Side location, that dies down around 8:00 or so. And this neighborhood was free of sirens and honking, which seems to be more prevalent in downtown Manhattan. We enjoyed our stay here very much and if business or family brings us to this part of New York, we will gladly stay here again. Read less

Myself and my wife travelled to NYC in November 19 to run the Marathon. We stayed at the Marmara Manhatten on 94th Street and really enjoyed our stay. Upon arriving in NYC we found the hotel really easy to find and was situated right outside the local subway station. We stayed in the hotel for a total of 7 nights and the staff were always friendly and helpful. The room was perfect for our requirements and had a cooker, microwave & fridge providing us with lots of options. Really enjoyable relaxing stay and would recommend anyone to stay here as the location is perfect for being a little bit out of the way from the hustle 7 bustle but the easy transport links made it perfect. Read less

Me and my boyfriend landed at Heathrow this morning after spending a week here. We loved it! We loved how the room was so big, we had a lovely view, all of the the staff were amazing - so friendly and so helpful. The bed was comfortable and huge - I never wanted to get up in the morning but obviously had an incredible city to explore. We were lucky enough to stay in a deluxe double room with a balcony. The balcony did have a lock on it so we couldn’t open it much however the hotel staff were happy to unlock this for us so that we could use it which was great. The only problem we had was that the builders working across the road could see directly into our room however this isn’t the hotels fault. The subway is conveniently located at the front of the hotel and the people on reception kindly told us which trains we needed to get which was very helpful for first timers. We didn’t use the kitchen as we ate out however it was nice to have a fridge to keep drinks and snacks in and also to have a living room to sit in rather than just being trapped in a room with a bed. All in all we had a great week and we loved the hotel. 100% would recommend and would love to return here. It would make a great hotel for families with children or just people who like a more homely environment to stay in whilst on holiday. Read less

We were here as a family of four with two teenagers. We were in a one bedroom apartment on the 6th floor. Plenty of room with a very comfortable sofa bed in the living room. No balcony but this was just unlucky as most apartments clearly have one. It didn’t detract from the view anyway. The apartment was spotlessly clean and relatively spacious. The kitchen area was great with a huge oven, fridge and microwave. The ice making compartment was a nice surprise. The only small criticism is it is looking a little faded and could use a lick of paint. This really didn’t bother us much given all the plus points. The staff were lovely (special mention to Matt) and endlessly helpful and the location couldn’t be nicer. Two subway stations (Q and 6) within easy stroll and a great restaurant (Nicks) across the road for that first night, too tired to search, meal and a pharmacy and convenience store 2 minutes walk away.The upper east side is full of old brownstone buildings which whilst we were there were tastefully decorated for Halloween and were great for an evening walk to Central Park. All in all we will certainly be making the Marmara our base on trips to come. Read less