Excellent location and superior staff
I booked this hotel through hotwire for a cultural trip for our 10th grade class. We booked five rooms for our class and chaperones and stayed five nights. Because our hotwire booking included complimentary breakfast, the hotel honored that commitment for our group even though their policy had changed. The breakfast was just right for us. We had the kids eat an hour before we left for the day and they were good to go until lunch. The location was great for us to execute our itinerary which included sites as far north as The Cloisters and as far south as Battery Park. 
The rooms we booked were junior suites with two beds and a pullout couch in each room. Our room was always clean when we came back from our sightseeing excursions. The view from our window was a hoot -- someone in the building across the way had the torso of a mannequin on their patio. For many of the kids and myself, this was our first New York experience and it was a smashing success. Thank you, Avalon hotel for giving us a great home base for our trip!