You're not paying for luxury so you won't get it!
Riverside Towers was very safe and for it's location a great price - we had Zabar's for breakfast each day and the 79th St Subway took us anywhere we wanted to go. It's also a few blocks down from Central Park for when we just wanted to chill. We felt 100% safe too. We got a double room which even for the two of us was a little crowded but we were there literally to sleep and shower! The rest of the time we were busy exploring NYC. For £80-95 a night in the Upper West Side, you are not going to get luxury, you are paying for basics. As long as you know what to expect, you won't be let down. We were more than happy with our stay - we wanted cheap and we got it! Our room was clean each day and we had hot water. We did have to unplug the mini-fridge as it made a noise but since we had no use for it, it wasn't a problem. We had minimum noise from our neighbours too.
My advice - if you can afford the extra room, book a family suite. My husband and I didn't bother as we left in the morning, arrived back mid-afternoon to nap and change, out again and back in the wee small hours.