Big expectations, even bigger disappointment
Charmed by many historical references of Belleclaire posted on the hotel's website I booked a Deluxe Queen room with Expedia.com. 
Having asked (and paid extra) for the "city view room" I got a tiny room adapted for guests with disabilities (I have none) with a sliver of view of the building on a second floor. The bathroom was spacious, but with almost no existent floor slope to allow for the shower water to go to the drain. That caused a bit of floor flooding. A high toilet without a seat cover has been installed above the one lonely shelf for the cosmetics which we did not use fearing the "fishing expeditions" of the items that could easily fall to the toilet.
The ironing board did not have a clean, smooth surface to iron.
But hey, one does not visit NYC to look through the window and iron continuously!
The drama started when we retired and tried to sleep... The "in window" airco unit was so noisy that we ended up turning it off. Did it help? NO! The noise was replaced by a rhythmic ticking sound that couldn't be eliminated. The maintenance worker answered our call after midnight and placed some rags/ towels on the unit outside the window. It damped the sound a bit untill the dripping, defective unit a floor above soaked those towels. 
I didn't even mentioned the lobby under construction and tiny, slow elevators as other reviewers pointed out. These come with construction and improvement territory one might say. But if you can't sleep a wink and have no functioning air conditioner in your hotel room, that's bad business. 
I challenge the owners of the hotel to spend a night in room 211 and continue our discussion about about the "comfort" provided in one of the "finest" NYC hotels.
I really felt for the nice and helpful staff!
We ended up crossing the street, abondoning the prepaid room and booking the following night at the Beacon Hotel. Now, that's a hotel to be in Upper West Side!
Maybe it simply does not pay to book through Expedia, because at the Belleclaire they would give you the worst room available? 
It is important to add, that I had called the hotel a day before and informed them about my late arrival and the city view room I expected. 
For my next visit to NYC I have already booked with the Beacon Hotel and do not intend to set my foot at Belleclaire any time soon, if ever!
G. Orlemans, August 6, 2012