Great budget hotel in an excellent location
The newly refurbished rooms and lobby have made all the difference to this hotel. 
Our room (a "large new queen room") was very tastefully decorated,clean and bright with timber floor and an extremely comfortable bed.There was free wi-fi and HBO on the flat screen tv plus an in-room safe at no extra charge.The room was cleaned daily and the size was adequate for our needs and but I've learned not to expect large rooms in popular tourist destinations.
We had a window but only overlooked rooftops, however another of our group had no window which made it feel claustrophobic.But this is New York and how much time will you spend in your room anyway!
The lobby area can get busy with people checking in and out but there's a free coffee/tea/hot chocolate machine which is excellent and a lovely seating area with comfertable leather armchairs.You can store your luggage at check-out in a secure area controlled by the porter. The service is free unless you feel you would like to give him a tip, but it is not asked for.
I found the staff on reception to be courteous and helpful with any questions we had.
The location is great (just off 5th Ave) with the Empire State Building just 5 mins walk away.
The room rates were reasonable for all that you get and I would happily return.