Perfect Location... Good Value for $$ and Great Hotel Staffs
I am a Singaporean who has been to New York 3 times (Apr 2008, Apr 2010 and Feb 2012) as a tourist with my wife. My wife and i simply love New York and the current hotel we recently stayed at.
We had stayed:
1st trip, 2008, at Sheraton Newark Airport (1 night), went on a tour package before ending up at Comfort Inn JFK Airport (1 night) after our tour package ends and the next day we transferred and stayed at New York City: Comfort Inn Midtown West Convention Center (5 nights) for a self tour, shopping and touristy adventures.
2nd trip, 2010, at Best Western Convention Center Hotel (11 nights) self tour & shopping.
3rd trip, 2012, at The Hotel @ Times Square (15 nights) self tour, shopping and eating.(10th February 2012 to 25th Feb 2012)
The current hotel (The Hotel @ Times Square) we had stayed in Feb 2012, full review below:
The Hotel @ Times Square (3rd trip to NY) was chosen as it was the cheapest and competently positively reviewed hotel to stay at in NYC in 2012 Tripadvisor reviews, we made a decision in mid Jan 2012 for our trip and arrival to NYC on the 10th Feb 2012 (such confidence we had on our familiarity to that place). Comfort Inn and Best Western which were our previous hotels cost more now in 2012, more expensive than The Hotel @ Times Square currently.
Upon arrival to JFK airport, we again took the bus (www.nycairporter.com/) from JFK to Port Authority and walk from there to the hotel. We arrived in Port Authority before noon and walk to our hotel with our two 28" hard case luggage & one 14" canvass luggage through the packed and busy streets of Manhattan. Initial reaction we had was that the walk was long and hard especially under cold and windy conditions through packed crowds but during our 15 nights stay there, we realised the distance wasn't that bad, just that we shouldn't walk in noon time with our two 28" hard case luggage & one 14" canvass luggage through a packed and busy streets of Manhattan with jetlag dragging on our heels after an almost 24hrs flight journey from Singapore to NY .... 8)
During reservation, we requested for a higher floor, street facing room. Upon arrival to our hotel, we requested for an early checkin but the check-in lady clerk informed that our rooms were not ready for early check in but if we want to we could get another non-street facing room else, we need to wait till after 2pm. We opted to wait for our rooms and had our bags kept in hotel storage while we walk around the nearby areas.
(For the record among all the staffs we encountered during our stay there, this 1st person we had contact with in the hotel is the only person we very much dislike talking to with as she just mumbled and shows disinterest during our conversations. She was not doing anything at that time except talking to us hence we can't excuse her attitude as being stressed or busy entertaining other customers. Her forced/uninterested replies was tersed and short which only results in 2 unhappy customers who had just walked through 5 blocks of busy Manhattan streets with jetlag on their heels. We made sure to have no contact with her during our stay there but the rest of the hotel staffs were wonderful to talk and banter with)
Upon return after 2pm, we checked in and got a 14th floor (the highest) but the room (room 1401) faced the hotel rear. Not much of a view except for dirty roof of another building. This was not the room that we requested and waited for. If we had known, we would had just opted for early check in instead of waiting. This is the 2nd bad impression we have within the few hours of arrival in this hotel now. 
But we let that slide because the room we got was big and spacious, better than all the previous rooms we had in our previous stay's (except for the room at Sheraton Newark Airport). We got a big closet and bathroom but we did pay more for it as compared to the prices we paid in 2008 and 2010. But the big room makes all the irritation we had up to that point go away forgotten and forgiven. I simply love the room spaciousness.
The housekeeping staff doing the room service was competent but they can be better. Once they forgot to replenish the toilet roll, once forgot to replenish the emptied tissue box, a few times didn't take away the used towels (but they always ensured we get new towels daily) and forgot twice to take the $2 tips we left for them. In fact one of the cleaning lady (so far i see only the same two cleaning ladies intervally doing our rooms) tells us that we tip too much. On the tips, i rather err on the side of caution. Overall i have no complaints about them, they were constantly busy cleaning so many rooms in a hotel that has a high turnover with so many guest checking in and out and they were cleaning even after 2pm (we once leave the room late after 2pm). No complaints about them at all for me.
On the 1st night there, we couldn't turn on the telly but a guy (i guess he was the hotel night security) settled that for us immediately.
The bed is King Size, high and comfortable for me but wife think it's too soft. Pillow is comfortable to rest our head. There is a radio/iPod/iPad docking station which is great. The WiFi signal is strong and works fine up on the 14th floor as well as in the lobby and breakfast room. If you do not have a wireless card installed you can always bring along your UTP cable as each room has a UTP port as well. 
Hotel aircon/heater could have been better, the heater was not that great running under AUTO, the temperature settings need to be adjusted accordingly to warm up the room at 80 F and when it's too warm, we need to lower it down to 75 F before sleeping but when morning comes the room becomes cold instead. I had no issues with the temperature but my wife does feel cold in the mornings. The blanket is a thin sheet, on top is a wool blanket and then the bed cover. The wool and bed cover is not change daily during turning down of the bed, so we only use the wool blanket but not the bed cover to keep us warm at night. Somehow being hygiene freaks we are, we don't think the bed cover and wool blanket is clean and changed as it could be a leftover from previous guest stay. The hotel should made an effort to communicate to their guest that the wool blanket and bed cover are changed whenever a guest checks out.
Breakfast room was big, can seat more than 30 people and it has 3 telly's. Serves yogurts, donuts of many flavors, croissants, bagels, slice bread, butter & jam, apple or orange juice, coffee, tea, cuppuccino and has bread toasters and slicers for the bagels too and apples+pears+bananas and 3 kinds of cereals and boiled eggs. Opens at 6.30am and ends at 10pm. Do always go there as early as possible before the crowd comes in, on my last morning there, there was a queue coming out from the breakfast room at 9.30am, the hotel is that crowded sometimes.
Hotel has a gym in the basement which i never use, it looks competent enough.
There is also a water machine, ice machine, coffee/hot chocolate/hot water machine at the lobby, open 24/7. 
Lobby is big and spacious with many seats and sofas for guest to relax in front of 2 telly's and a fake fireplace. It has 2 working PC's plus printers for surfing the internet but it's frequently being hogged by guests.
They have 3 elevators there, 2 elevators at the lobby and another 1 further inside the hotel. I am only familiar with the lobby elevators, out of the 2, only one serves from basement to the 14th floor (basement is where the breakfast room and gym are located) and the other serves from the lobby till the 12th floor (they don't have a 13th floor).
Hotel is centrally located, 1 block away from Times Square and it's near and pleasent enough to walk from to the United Nations building too. We feel this hotel is located nicely in the middle to where all the actions are in Manhattan, we do like it very much.
We feel safe as there is security in the hotel. The areas we walked at night are bustling with people (especially towards Times Square). 
For food and drinks, there is Starbucks across the street a block away, they have 4 permanent street carts along the streets in the evenings within a block and more of that in the mornings and afternoons. There is a deli a few units away for breakfast, lunch and dinner (i think it's open 24/7) and a pizza joint 2 Bros Pizza for $1 per slice. There are two 24hrs Duane & Reade's covenience stores within a block walk on other side of the avenues, a Border's Bookstore 1 block away. Walking to Grand Central is much more nearer as compared to walking to Port Authority. Bryant Park aka Public Library is a walking distance away too or a subway station ride distance. Rockfeller Ctr is like 2 streets away. Magnolia Bakery is at the Rockefeller building vicinity. The famous all night halal food supper for the peckish (53rdand6th.com/) is 7 streets away along 6th Ave, a short distance walk really. There is a 24/7 Macdonalds within the same block also.
For transportation, the 47-50 St Rockefeller subway station is a short 1 street away and bus stops are available nearby on both sides of the avenues. Sauntering walking down slowly to the subway stations at 42 St Times Square and Port Authority is also recommended for some needed exercise and access to other subway lines.
On our journey back to JFK airport, we procure the service through a counter available at the hotel, we paid $60 (all inclusive) for a private car ride and the driver was conveniently waiting outside the hotel for an immediate ride. We had to do that as we by now had two 20-23kgs per bag heavy, 28" hard case luggage, one 20-23kgs heavy 28" canvass luggage (bought in NYC) and one 20-23kgs heavy 14" canvass luggage. Also we got 2 carryin backpacks fully loaded too.
Overall this is the BEST hotel stay we had in our experience for New York and we will sure be going there again as long as the price doesn't jump much (fat hope!). We do recommend for others to stay there. Please come before word gets out on how great the hotel is as that can only mean one thing, HIGHER ROOM RATES!!!!!
I am sorry for i did not make an effort to know the staffs names but the ones who were friendly and we like are all the watchmen serving in the morning till evening. (To the one coming to Singapore soon, we hope you enjoy your stay here) To the all counter staffs (except for the older lady working in the morning) who always smiles and greet customers walking through the lobby. Not forgetting the friendly old man who serves in the breakfast room and also to the 2 housekeeping ladies.