Among my worst NYC hotel experiences
This place was so unpleasant I'm not sure where to start. The one good thing about this hotel is the lobby. It's gorgeous, but you have to drag you luggage up two sets of stairs to get there. It's also miserably crowded.
I then got to check in, where the front dest staff seemed annoyed by my presence. I guess I was lucky. They were downright rude to the family next to me. 
I then got to my room where I was greeted by a dirty pair of socks on the floor. (Gross!) This place can claim "renovations" and "updates" all they want. Here's what they don't tell you: they've moved a couple of pieces of new-ish furniture into the room and hung new curtains. They never bothered to patch the holes in the wall from where they replaced the headboard. The AC unit was covered in dust (awesome for people with allergies) and it was old and noisy. The duvet and pillows were lumpy. There must have been 15 coats of paint on all the old doors and moldings. Oh, and the room was dark and humid. 
Then I found the bathroom. Tiny. Chipped bathtub and sink. Peeling wallpaper. Toilet barely flushed. 
Glad this was only a one night stay for a meeting at the hotel. When I tried to store my luggage the next morning, there was a line of 20+ people at the understaffed bell stand. I didn't have time to wait so I had to haul my luggage around town all day. Nice. 
I travel to NYC a good bit on business. Here's my advice to those who are spending their hard earned vacation dollars there: skip these independently owned hotels. They are hit and miss in terms of quality. Stick with the chains. I've never had a bad experience at a Marriott, Hilton, etc property. Even their mid-price properties are good in NYC. The Roosevelt, unfortunately, doesn't live up to the hype its created.