Excellent 4 star experience!
I stayed at the hotel a couple of weeks ago and it was great. I have no idea why it doesn't seem to hold a 4 star rating, because my experience certainly earned that. The King size beds are amazing, the flatscreen TVs are huge, the bathrooms are clean and spacious, the safe is free and can snugly hold a 13" MacBook (nothing bigger though). The wi-fi is not free though, $12 for a 24-hour period but if you time it wisely you could get everything you need done in one session. My room was clean and serviced every day (but make sure you put a 'do not disturb' sign on the door before you go to bed if you don't want to be waken up by the cleaning lady). The views are great, if you ask for the Landmark view you get a fantastic view of the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building, looking down towards Times Square (although obviously you can't see Times Square). There is also a river view, looking out towards Brooklyn, relatively free of skyscrapers if that's your thing.
The location is very convenient, especially if you want to visit UN Headquarters which are literally down the street. The hotel is located between 1st and 2nd avenue on 44th street, meaning just two streets away is 42nd street which will get you straight to the Chrysler Building, Times Square, the New York Public Library and 5th Avenue in under 20 minutes (on foot!). Breakfast is a generous buffet but pricey - if you don't want to splurge there's a very handy shop just down the street which stocks just about everything from milk to croissants. Mind you, there are actually no fridges in the rooms so you don't exactly have anywhere to put your milk, but you're in Manhattan, who needs milk? The pool at the hotel has an interesting view of the river, and is a nice place to go if you have the time. During my stay, the staff were polite and accommodating and I certainly wouldn't mind staying there again.