This was my second stay at Riverside Towers and never again. I was here for a week and twice cockroaches crawled into the bed with me. Maid service most days consisted of throwing the bedspread over the bed. The spotted, dirty carpets and dingy hallways are depressing. Its worth paying a few dollars more a night to stay at one of the nicer hotels on the Upper West Side.

I had read the myriad reviews of this hotel, and had some apprehensions about staying here. However, I decided to take a chance, because I was looking for a place that was easy access from the highway, close to Lincoln Center, and affordable. Riverside Tower met all of these criteria, and turned out to be just fine! It is a simple on-off from the Henry Hudson Parkway, a 25-minute walk from Lincoln Center, very affordable, and in a great location -- two blocks from wonderful shops and restaurants (including Zabars and H&H Bagel) on Broadway. As well, Riverside Tower is close to the subway, allows for easy access to taxis, and is located in a pleasant neighborhood. I had a little trouble finding parking on the street, but with a bit of circling, came up with a space quite close to the hotel. As for the hotel itself....Yes, it is rundown. The carpets were stained; the elevator is small, old, and slow; and the little hallway on the floor where I stayed, off of which were several rooms, was dingy and had a rather bizarre odor. However, I have to say that I enjoyed my room! It was small, but that didn't bother me, and the view of the Hudson River was superb (I was on the 15th floor). The room itself had a desk, chair, cable TV (with a limited number of stations), twin bed (that wasn't terribly comfortable....but I have a back problem and always travel with a twin-sized foam mattress topper, which helped enormously), refrigerator and microwave (great amenities), roomy bathroom, and reading lamp over the bed (nice touch). Again, though a bit dingy, the room was basically clean, and the sheets and towels were obviously very clean. There was plenty of hot water in the shower, along with great water pressure....and I probably lucked out with my neighbors on the floor, but I have to say I spent a quiet night, uninterrupted by sounds from adjoining rooms (also didn't hear any traffic noise from Riverside Drive and the Parkway). I would say this. If you are pretty flexible and don't require anything too spiffy, this is a great deal. I enjoyed being there....the staff was basically friendly (not effusive, but absolutely fine).....the price can't be beat.....and the location is terrific. A few little things of note....be prepared to ask for more soap, or to bring your own (they provide one tiny little bar).....you'll need to bring your own shampoo, etc. (the only toiletry they provide is that small bar of soap).....and you can ask for a hot pot, which is another nice amenity.....

You definitely get what you pay for. I didn't mind the small size, the location was good, I don't mind peeling paint or dingy floors, but I do mind being kept awake all night by radiator noise. Putting on my clothes at 3 am to go downstairs to ask about how to make it stop (apparently you can't, it happens in all of the rooms), and discussing with my husband when the earliest train home was so we could be on it is not my idea of a good hotel. Thank goodness we had a "suite," we ended up sleeping together on the twin bed in the other room (where the noise was less annoying). Bring ear plugs if you intend on being sucked in by the low price. Never again for us.

I stayed for three nights on a trip with my parents because it was hard to find a cheap place that took threes at the time. The price was great. The location was good, our suite overlooked the Hudson River and we were a couple blocks west of Broadway and more importantly, Zabar's where they have great coffee. At that corner there was also a subway station. We had a suite, two bedrooms with a shared bathroom in-between. All that was fine, but the rooms were dingy. I saw a couple roaches at night, and the paint on the walls was desperately overdue for some touch-ups. The bed I had also tilted about five degrees off level. Not enough to make me afraid I would fall out, but enough to bother my sleep a lot on the first night. My parents who are in their early 60s were okay about it but I don't think we'll stay there again unless we have to. Overall, the standard of our room was below even what I would expect from renting a university dorm room over the summer to save some money.