Great location...nice accomodations...good service...but
Great location...nice accomodations...good service...but there were enough small annoyances that added up to spoil the overall experience for me. Here's the good and the bad.
Good: 
1. You really can't beat the location...you're close to Grand Central Station, Time Square, the UN. Walking distance to everything. Great shopping, theater, restaurants.
2. The rooms are very nicely appointed and decent size for NYC. I had a Junior Suite on the 13th floor. Furnishings are nice. Bed/mattress are good. Bathrooms are a very good size. Wasn't expecting a bidet (but maybe that should be expected in a international destination like NYC?). 
3. And the employees were solid...but that takes us to the bad. Because I depended on the Hilton people to give me their very best because I had a couple issues as you'll see.
BAD:
1. You need to do some research and look into parking options before you arrive. Parking is over $50 a night with no in/out priviledges. Find a parking lot before you come. The bellman was very nice and I appreciated him making sure that I had all the facts on cost before leaving my car with him at the curb. I get the impression that overnight parking in the neighborhood lots was probably about $30.
2. When I checked in, the front desk clerk verbally confirmed that I was there for two nights. But when I came back to the room after breakfast the next day, my room key wouldn't work. I supposed it was just demagnetized but was surprised when hotel security met me at the front desk and informed me that no -- he had locked me out of my room because he didn't show a second night's reservation. I showed them both my email confirmation from Hilton and my company travel agency showing two nights and relayed my previous conversation with the front desk clerk and they corrected it -- BUT why did it take four Hilton employees, and 15 minutes and why was the only explanation I received that there was a "glitch" in the system.
3. I'm here on business. My time is precious to me. As a Diamond member, you're given a breakfast coupon. It's your typical Hilton buffet breakfast which is fine, but I was in a bit of a hurry. No time for a true sit down breakfast. I wanted to just grab a couple things and a cup of coffee and head back to my room to finish getting ready but was told that if I wanted to do that, I needed to call room service?? Are you kidding? You won't let me take my danish, my fruit and a cup of coffee and be on my way? That was ridiculous. 
3. Room wasn't cleaned until close to 3pm but perhaps that was due to the reservation snafu. It was eventually cleaned and cleaned well. 
4. Business Center -- Huh? 35 cents a minute to use the PC to check into my flight? Printing out a boarding pass costs what per page? (I haven't seen something like that in years. Good hotels recognize budgeting the expense of operating a business center as a cost of courting business travelers. The Hilton Manhattan East should eliminate this kind of nickle and diming. I certainly don't see it at their other properties so it surprised me. 
5. Older hotel -- okay so the elevator never lines up exactly with the floor you land on and you have a tiny speed bump to manuever over coming in and out of the elevator. No biggee. 
6. Old pipes -- okay, so I have to hold the handle down on the toilet and it doesn't so much flush with a whoosh! but rather it drains (to be clear and fair -- it works, just not as well and as fast as one would hope)
So those negative things are all small but combine them all over one stay and it results in me writing a very rare semi-negative review for Hilton. I love the Hilton family. I'll certainly give the Hilton Manhattan East another chance. The things they did well are truly the important things. Maybe it was a fluke. I'd be happy to provide an update after my next stay.