Ugh
I made a mistake. I was attending an event at the Natural History Museum and chose to stay nearby rather than with my colleagues who were all upper east side. I concur with some of the other reviews that the website for Park 79 oversells it and gives it a veneer of sophistication versus the reality of the situation.
I had a "deluxe" room which was small, dark, overpriced and lacking in facilities. Really cramped. No desk for the computer at all.The alarm clock did not have the correct time - 15 minues late (imagine relying on that to get to your important meeting on time). The clock/cd player had an MP3 input but did not have the cable to connect your MP3. One of the electrical sockets was hanging off the wall, The room did not have a minibar, in fact the hotel does not have a bar! What hotel does not have a bar?? Overall, "shabby" is the adjective.
I had the nerve to arrive at noon and when I made the enquiry to the gentleman on the front desk as to whether my room may be ready, I was summarily and condescendingly dismissed with the line "Check in time is 3pm... Sir." When I asked if he could e-mail me when my room was ready, he could barely supress his disgust at my audacity to even suggest it. I got the impression that my presence as a "paying guest" was an inconvenience for him. I checked my bags and returned at 2pm. My room was ready. He had not e-mailed me! When I asked if there was any chance I could have a late check out (12pm) he said straight out NO - not unless you want to pay for another day!
There was no effort to make me (the guest) to feel special or considered.
Overall, pretty dismal. I would rather pay slightly more (even at Manhattan's ludicrous prices) than risk this again. 
The one plus is that they did not charge for their patchy wireless. Fortunately, it held up long enough for me to write this.