Recently I stayed a few nights in New York City (Manhattan) on a daddy / daughter trip. We picked the Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Times Square South for its central location as well as for the fact that I had 3 expiring IHG free night certificates that I needed to use. In this Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Times Square South hotel review, we’ll take a look at the cost, location, food options, wifi and amenities. I’ll share my experience at the hotel – hopefully that can help you decide if the Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Times Square South Review makes sense for you for your next stay in midtown Manhattan New York City.
Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Times Square South Location
The Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Times Square South is located at 60 W 36th St, New York, NY 10018 in midtown Manhattan. The Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Times Square South is in an excellent location central to several subway lines and convenient to just about everything.
(image credit from ihg.com)
The hotel is on W 36th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. We had arrived at Penn Station after taking the best and cheapest way from Newark Airport / EWR to Manhattan and exited by taking the best and cheapest way from Manhattan to LaGuardia Airport LGA, and in both cases the hotel was very conveniently located. I do not believe there is parking at the hotel, so if you have a car you will need to make other arrangements. There is a pet fee of USD$50 for up to 7 days, with a 2 dog maximum as well as a deposit per stay of USD@150 USD.
Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Times Square South Review hotel review – Cost
As I mentioned earlier, one of the main reasons that we booked this Holiday Inn Express in Midtown Manhattan was because I had several IHG credit card free night certificates to burn. With COVID, they had been extended a couple of times and 1 of my certificates was expiring at the end of April. I originally thought that you just had to BOOK your free night by then but then I realized that you actually had to STAY by the expiration date. My daughter and I were already planning on going to New York City for a couple of days, so it seemed like a good opportunity to use them.
I actually had 3 different certificates that I combined into one trip, one of mine and two of my wife’s. Annoyingly, IHG makes you book each free night certificate as a separate reservation. That meant that I had 3 different reservations, including 2 in my wife’s name (who wasn’t even on the trip). It didn’t end up being a huge problem (i.e. we kept the same room all 3 nights), but housekeeping did try to walk in on us one day thinking we had checked out.
I took advantage of both the 20% off award sale that IHG was running a few weeks ago as well as the recent change where you can top off free night certificates with extra points
- One night was completely covered in the 40,000 point maximum
- One night required 6,400 extra points
- One night required 7,200 extra points
But cash rates were pushing $400 / night after taxes for some of the nights I was looking at, so I feel like the value was pretty good using points (and especially certificates that were about to expire)
Holiday Inn Express Times Square South Review – Room
I booked a 1 King bed room at the Holiday Inn Express Times Square South even though I was staying with my daughter. I think there was only the option to get “random room” when I booked. And then when I checked in, I forgot to ask about getting 2 beds. The bed was okay but shorter than a normal king bed – I’m about 6′ tall and unless I was right u against the headboard my feet slightly hung off the end. The pillows were flat like most hotel pillows.
The bathroom was small but the shower was good and the hot water and water pressure were excellent. The bathroom mildly smelled of smoke which is weird since the entire hotel is supposedly smoke-free.
Like many IHG hotels, there are not single-use toiletries, but instead the big bottles of shampoo, conditioner and “shower gel”
Maybe I missed it, but I did not even see a bar of soap for washing your hands at the bathroom. It was a bit awkward to have to reach into the shower to get “shower gel” to wash your hands in the bathroom. I did go down and ask for a bar of soap from the front desk, which they provided, so I’m not sure if it was a situation where they only provide them on request or if it was missed by housekeeping when they turned the room.
One thing I enjoy about the Holiday Inn Express brand is that they offer complimentary toiletries, unlike the Hyatt Place “charge you for everything” model.
Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Times Square South WiFi and Amenities
WiFi at the Holiday Inn Express Times Square South was decent, but the upload speed was super slow. I didn’t have a problem streaming videos or doing email / blog work, but I did try to do a voice call (via Discord) and it was super choppy. I’m not sure if that’s related to the upload speed or not.
There apparently used to be a small business center (basically a computer on a table) in the lobby. but that was no longer there – the front desk said they were getting a new computer. There is also a small fitness center on the lower level, which my daughter and I used a couple of times, but there is no indoor pool or outdoor pool.
Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Times Square South Review – Food
Breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Times Square South is complimentary for all guests, and when I was there (April 2022), there was no difference from what I would expect pre-COVID. There were a variety of hot dishes that rotated each different day that we were there (my daughter was bummed that the French Toast sticks from the first day were not there all 3 days)
There were also cold items, cereal, fruit and of course Holiday Inn Express cinnamon rolls!
When I first saw the seating area for breakfast, I thought that it was quite small, but there is another room that they open up during breakfast hour that provides much more seating. It was mostly full during the breakfast hours that we were there.
There is also a Grab and Go section if you don’t want to eat in the breakfast area.
My Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Times Square South hotel review is that it was a great stay and the location is superb. If you can find a good deal (especially on points), it makes for a great base for seeing the sights of Manhattan.
Have you stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Times Square South? What did you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
I stayed twice last year at this hotel. The location is indeed a very good one. I found rooms with good space. Will probably stayed here again if in NYC. Your review remind me of both stays.
Yes – rates were good, the rooms were fine and the location was outstanding. There is another Holiday Inn Express up on 39th that would also be pretty convenient
would you recommend this ?, honestly looks very fine to me.
We have stayed there twice as I visit NYC frequently for concerts. Pack your earplugs! If you are so fortunate to be stuck street side on a weekend you get the joy of listening to pounding club music until daybreak. Other than that the review is spot on. It’s not the Park Hyatt but an ok place to crash after a show or concert. This is a one night max property for me if nothing else is available.