New York is filled with a dazzling number of hotels, but if you don’t know your uptown from downtown, you’re probably confused as to where to rest your head in the city that never sleeps. Location is key in New York. While the bus system is fully accessible, and we love the subway, it’s great to be able to walk, or wheel, out the hotel door and be within easy access of New York’s major attractions. The Stewart Hotel was recommended to us by a friend and we had a fantastic stay. For some people a hotel is just a place to sleep at night, but we usually find the right choice of hotel has us feeling quite at home and rather sad to leave at the end of a stay.
As with most hotels, the accessibility won’t be right for everyone, and if you need a fully accessible room to use a hoist, then I’d suggest this isn’t the hotel for you. But, knowing there’s such a variance in accessibility needs, I’m sharing the Stewart Hotel’s accessible accommodation for those it may suit.
As with everywhere in New York, the Stewart Hotel delivered with a warm and festive holiday season vibe in the lobby. A welcome sight at 3am when we arrived after a delayed flight.
STEWART HOTEL – ACCESSIBLE HOTEL NEW YORK
Hotel rooms in New York are compact, which means it’s hard to find an overly spacious accessible room. The Stewart Hotel provides an accessible room with two double beds but this does mean the circulation space within the room is limited.
Transferring from a wheelchair with two beds in the room is really restricted to the area between the beds.
The bed has a solid base meaning there is no under bed clearance for a hoist. Bed height is 68cm.
Although tight on space between the beds, there is a good amount of space in the room.
STEWART HOTEL – ACCESSIBLE BATHROOM
The accessible bathroom in the room I inspected had a bathroom door clearance of 88cm, rails throughout and large buttoned light switches.
A large step-free shower with a height adjustable shower head makes for easy access to the shower, though there is no shower bench. The toilet has hand rails and room to transfer on one side. Height of the toilet is 41cm to the pan and 43cm to the seat.
One of the features that sold us on the Stewart Hotel was the kitchenette. It helped us save money during our stay with the ability to make breakfast, basic food or pack a lunch to take out with us on our travels.
The kitchenette in the accessible room is equipped with a mini-fridge, microwave, kettle, 2 burner stove top and an accessible sink.
ONE BEDROOM SUITE
We stayed at the Stewart Hotel for our girl only getaway. AJ and I stayed in two rooms during our stay but by far the one bedroom studio was our favourite. It was our home away from home for the week. It was so spacious it allowed us to pretend, just for a second, that we were living in New York rather than being tourists.
We get on extremely well and often share a bed when we travel if need be, but it was so lovely to have a pull out sofa in the lounge room and a bedroom so we both had our space at the end of the day. It meant I could leave AJ to sleep in some mornings while I got organised for the day which was much appreciated by my teen traveller.
We both had our own televisions and a bathroom is attached to the bedroom. The bathroom continues to be true to the compact nature of New York accommodation.
We could make this one bedroom suite work for us even as a family, simply because it’s so spacious. The bathroom size would be the biggest challenge with BJ just because he prefers a bath to a shower.
I love having a break from the daily cooking routine at home but I have to say I much prefer having kitchen facilities when I travel. We had very busy travel days in New York and it was wonderful to grab some cereal and toast and make a wrap to take with us so we weren’t searching for cafes and paying a lot for food. The exchange rate meant food wasn’t as cheap as it had been on previous visits and having a kitchenette certainly helped our travel budget.
Although it was winter we absolutely loved our wrap around terrace which we could step out on from our studio. Being in the heart of the city we enjoyed watching the craziness of the traffic from such an amazing vantage point. And the sunsets weren’t bad either. (There is a large step up to the terrace from the room).
Being located in such a central location means this isn’t a quiet spot and ear plugs are thoughtfully provided. AJ and I got a kick out of being so close to the action and didn’t need the ear plugs at all. We slept like babies (the babies that sleep soundly – not the BJ babies of the world!)
LOCATION OF STEWART HOTEL
As I previously mentioned, we liked the central location of the Stewart Hotel. It’s across the road from Penn Station, Madison Square Garden and an easy walk/roll to Times Square. We also appreciated the shopping nearby and found it quick and easy to grab groceries from the Target which was a couple of blocks away.
STEWART HOTEL FACILITIES
I always appreciate having the option of washing facilities within a hotel when I travel. The Stewart Hotel delivers in this area with a laundry on the premises.
A mini-mart located near the reception desk is handy for that midnight snack or forgotten item.
We didn’t use the restaurant and bar but it’s handy to have on site for those that prefer to linger over a meal.
We have very fond memories of the Stewart Hotel, our home away from home in New York. We’d stay again in a heartbeat.
We received a discounted rate for our stay but really loved the convenience of this hotel and our one bedroom suite.
You can read more about the Stewart Hotel on their website.
We’ve shared our experience with transport in New York here.
We have another hotel review if you prefer to stay in the Upper West Side here.
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