Buzzing hotel
My teenage daughter picked the Empire because of its connection to Gossip GIrl and while I initially had my doubts, the hotel has a very exciting feel. The lobby area is buzzing with activity: it has a bar, lots of comfy sofas and free wifi, so it's always filled with people having coffee, using laptops/ipads, gossiping with friends. At night, people queue up outside the hotel, glittering, sparkling in their finery, waiting to get into the rooftop club. It all adds to the sense of being someplace special.
The room itself was on the small side and the bathroom was minuscule, but it was beautifully decorated and my daughter was in heaven with the assortment of Empire-branded items available to buy in-room. A small housekeeping problem we had was quickly and efficiently sorted out by a lovely British chap and a couple of the front desk folks were extremely helpful.
The Lincoln Center location is ideal for us. Normally, we stay a bit further up the West Side when we come to NYC, but from now on, it will definitely be the Empire for us, with or without a teenage daughter. While not a luxury hotel, it is trendy and fun and good value for the cost.