Rate based on Check-in: May 10, 2013 Check-out: May 13, 2013

West Side YMCA

2 stars
5 West 63rd Street, New York, NY 10023
Hotel Overview
Reviewer score
3.0
out of 5
178 reviews
Perfect No Frills Place To Stay

I initially chose the Y because of the price. I was thinking about the locations in the South and... See full review

  • PlusSizeTravelGuy
  • Jun 18, 2012
Location and Value

The location, Central Park and Lincoln Center, is great. The price is low. The rooms are minimal,... See full review

  • Edtravel
  • Apr 29, 2013
Competitive prices for visitors on the move in New York
The West Side YMCA a hostel favorite for backpackers, travelers, a family sticking to a budget (or, really, anyone who is traveling on a budget). Located just off Central Park West and a short walk from the Columbus Circle Travel Hub, the Y is great for guests who want to be close to Central Park, Times Square, Lincoln Center, the Museum of Natural History and Carnegie Hall. Tecumseh Playground, the Museum of Modern Art and the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum are also within walking distance. The West Side YMCA has a 65,000 square foot fitness center that is perfect for guests who are interested in working out. The West Side WMCA is a great hostel option for back packers and visitors to New York who want to enjoy the very best of the Big Apple on a budget.
Reasons to stay
  • Competitive prices for travelers on a budget
  • Superb location near major New York City attractions
  • Clean, well-maintained rooms
  • Large fitness center for guests who want to work out
  • A television in every room
West Side YMCA rooms
The West Side YMCA has 360 rooms that are a mixture of single bedrooms and bunks. The interior is practical, clean and well maintained, and designed for guests who are planning to be on the move and use the rooms simply as a stop off point to sleep or rest. The New York Tourist Board awarded the West Side YMCA with the accolade of best elder hostel in 1997, and that level of quality has been meticulously maintained ever since. All of the West Side YMCA's comfortable air-conditioned rooms are supplied with a color television. The bathroom facilities are shared but private, and a private bath is available on request.
Things to do nearby
  • Central Park (0.5 mi/0.8 km)
  • American Museum of Natural History (0.8 mi/1.2 km)
  • Tecumseh Playground (0.8 mi/1.2 km)
  • Museum of Modern Art (1.3 mi/2.09 km)
  • Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum (1.4 mi/2.3 km)

West Side YMCA Rooms

Single
The room offers 1 Twin Bed with shared bathrooms, color TV and air conditioning.
Bunk
The room offers 1 Bunk Bed with upper and lower berth, with shared bathrooms, color TV and air conditioning.

Amenities

  • Pool
Activities
Pool
Health club
Dining
Restaurant

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Hotel Map

40.7708 -73.9808
Area served
New York.
Nearby airports
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Area description
YMCA West Side is located just off Central Park West and steps from Lincoln Center.

Nearby points of interest

  • Broadway: 0.1 mi
  • Metropolitan Opera: 0.3 mi
  • Lincoln Square: 0.3 mi
  • Carnegie Hall: 0.4 mi
  • Tuscan Square: 0.5 mi
  • Roseland: 0.5 mi
  • Henry Luce Nature Observatory: 0.5 mi
  • Knickerbocker Club: 0.6 mi
  • Fifth Avenue: 0.6 mi
  • Metropolitan Club: 0.6 mi
  • Bloomingdale's: 0.6 mi
  • FAO Schwarz: 0.6 mi
  • Harmonie Club: 0.6 mi
  • New Amsterdam Theater: 0.6 mi
  • Equitable Center: 0.6 mi
  • Broadway: 0.1 mi
  • Metropolitan Opera: 0.3 mi
  • Lincoln Square: 0.3 mi
  • Carnegie Hall: 0.4 mi
  • Tuscan Square: 0.5 mi
  • Roseland: 0.5 mi
  • Henry Luce Nature Observatory: 0.5 mi
  • Knickerbocker Club: 0.6 mi
  • Fifth Avenue: 0.6 mi
  • Metropolitan Club: 0.6 mi
  • Bloomingdale's: 0.6 mi
  • FAO Schwarz: 0.6 mi
  • Harmonie Club: 0.6 mi
  • New Amsterdam Theater: 0.6 mi
  • Equitable Center: 0.6 mi
  • Museum of American Folk Art: 0.7 mi
  • American Craft Museum: 0.7 mi
  • Henri Bendel: 0.7 mi
  • CBS Building: 0.7 mi
  • Trump Tower: 0.7 mi
  • Paine Webber Art Gallery: 0.7 mi
  • University Club: 0.7 mi
  • Frick Collection: 0.7 mi
  • Wollman Memorial Rink: 0.7 mi
  • Museum of Modern Art (MOMA): 0.7 mi
  • Park Avenue: 0.7 mi
  • Sony Building: 0.8 mi
  • Radio City Music Hall: 0.8 mi
  • Council On Foreign Relations: 0.8 mi
  • American Museum of Natural History: 0.8 mi
  • Duffy Square: 0.8 mi
  • GE Building: 0.8 mi
  • Americas Society: 0.8 mi
  • Rockefeller Center: 0.8 mi
  • Belvedere Castle: 0.9 mi
  • NBC Studios: 0.9 mi
  • International Building: 0.9 mi
  • Shakespeare Gardens: 0.9 mi
  • Lever House: 0.9 mi
  • Whitney Museum of American Art: 0.9 mi
  • Diamond District: 0.9 mi
  • Saks Fifth Avenue: 0.9 mi
  • Beresford: 0.9 mi
  • Ford Foundation Building: 1 mi
  • Citicorp Center: 1 mi

Hotel Policies

Check-in:
1500
Check-out:
1100

Terms and conditions

Rates quoted in currencies other than the hotel's base currency are subject to the rate of the international exchange. Rate may change throughout stay. Rate may reflect average nightly rate. Extra charges may apply. Incidental charges, such as room service, are not included in the rate.

The amenities and/or facilities may not be located at the hotel, but within a reasonable distance, and additional charges may apply for use.

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Guest Reviews (178)

Ratings and reviews for West Side YMCA

Overall score

3 / 5
178 out of 178
Amenities:
2.7
Room cleanliness:
3.2
Hotel staff:
3.4
Room comfort:
2.5
Location:
4.6
Value:
3.6

71% would recommend to a friend.

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Review this hotel
Review of West Side YMCA

Reviewer score

1
Anonymous
Uruguay
May 5, 2013

Very bad experience

The hotel is reallly bad, very dirty, rooms with out bathroom,

Hotel features (5 = best, 1 = worst):
Amenities:
1
Room cleanliness:
1
Hotel staff:
1
Room comfort:
1
Location:
3
Value:
1
Review of West Side YMCA

Reviewer score

2
pm12
Business
philadelphia
Apr 29, 2013

it performs

I needed a cheap place to crash for about 9 hrs and was willing to settle for a clean, safe place with decent bathrooms in a suitable location. That it did, but truly no more. By clean I mean the sheets, the room was just OK. All in all it fit the bill,given the location and the city, a good deal at about $100.

Hotel features (5 = best, 1 = worst):
Amenities:
3
Room cleanliness:
2
Hotel staff:
2
Room comfort:
2
Location:
4
Value:
4
Trip purpose:

Business

Dining tip: Short walk from hotel

espresso at Zibetto, Fika

Review of West Side YMCA

Reviewer score

4
Edtravel
Business
Jackson, MS
Apr 29, 2013

Location and Value

The location, Central Park and Lincoln Center, is great. The price is low. The rooms are minimal, clean bed, TV, dresser, closet.

Hotel features (5 = best, 1 = worst):
Amenities:
3
Room cleanliness:
5
Hotel staff:
4
Room comfort:
3
Location:
5
Value:
5
Trip purpose:

Business

Entertainment tip: Short walk from hotel

Lincoln Center: Met Opera; NY Philharmonic and other orchestras, theater, ballet, and chamber music, etc., at Juillard.

Review of West Side YMCA

Reviewer score

1
travelsnow
New York, NY
Apr 22, 2013

Failed

Because we reserved thru an online website, we were unable to upgrade to a room with a bath. Because we reserved thru an online website, we were stuck in a room that has never been updated - imagine a cell in a prison abandoned 40 years ago. The windows were so dirty we could not see out of them. The television did not work and the maintenance person was unable to fix it. There was no light switch in the wall socket only the motion sensor. Two minutes after we switched out the lights, they would turn back on again. It was nearly midnite when the maintenance person returned to our room and installed a light switch. Shared baths were filthy.

Hotel features (5 = best, 1 = worst):
Amenities:
1
Room cleanliness:
1
Hotel staff:
3
Room comfort:
1
Location:
5
Value:
1
Review of West Side YMCA

Reviewer score

2
Pausa5
Business
Mexico
Apr 9, 2013

Its OK for one night ands if you are not spending a lot of time there

The bathrooms were not clean, not in a good shape. The room was OK but the bed is not comfortable.

Hotel features (5 = best, 1 = worst):
Amenities:
2
Room cleanliness:
1
Hotel staff:
2
Room comfort:
1
Location:
4
Value:
2
Trip purpose:

Business

Review of West Side YMCA

Reviewer score

2
FrancoAmericanCPL
Business
Mpls/France
Mar 26, 2013

Good location and price, but too noisy

PROS: For the price in Manhattan, this works. It is very near Columbus Circle, so it is very easy to get to a number of train lines. It is across the street from central park, which makes for a nice morning run or day strolling through the park. Lincoln Center and shopping (although mostly your chain franchises) are just down Broadway. In fact, friends of mine who are locals said that it was a good value for the location. CONS: Internet connection is horrible. It barely works in the rooms. Further, the Y has content blockers that randomly block webpages, even if they aren't illicit (I couldn't read a page in Timeout magazine--a website that gives you info on all the things to do in the city during your stay; The Times things-to-do section was also blocked). Mobile phone connection: Tmobile coverage was spotty in the room and the lounge. Needless to say, data coverage was random. Bathrooms: I've stayed in many hotels/hostels with shared facilities. These are the most inconvenient. (1) The showers are super small and tight, (2) there is only one hook to hang your towel, so you either have to walk down the hall wrapped in a towel or be ok with possible getting your clothes wet, (3) the bathroom itself is small. In fact, the door to one of the stalls is over half blocked by a structural post. Some of the latches don't lock on stall doors, too. Noise: It's on a quiet street, so there is no noise from that. But inside! Every night I was there over half the rooms on my floor were taken up by teenagers on school trips. Slamming doors, screaming down the halls, congregating in front of random rooms happened at all hours of the night. I did not get a single night's sleep without being woken up once. The problem is that there is no surveillance of the kids by either the chaperones or the staff. Location: It's a very residential type neighborhood. Most of the stores there are the same ones that you can find in your local mall--a few exceptions. As for dining: there isn't anything special around. Plenty of Starbucks and a cafe or two for breakfast, but if you are looking for a very New York dinner you will have to go downtown. Sum up: Ok for a night or two, or if you are on a very tight budget and can sleep through anything. I've stayed at the Y on the westside, too, and preferred that. It was newer, quieter, cleaner. A little further out of the way, but perhaps a better alternative. On the other hand, if I were only going to be in town for one or two nights, and could secure a room in a proper hotel for $50-$75 more per night, I might do that instead.

Hotel features (5 = best, 1 = worst):
Amenities:
1
Room cleanliness:
3
Hotel staff:
4
Room comfort:
2
Location:
4
Value:
3
Trip purpose:

Business

Review of West Side YMCA

Reviewer score

3
Danupstate ny
Ny
Mar 18, 2013

Good location, uncomfortable bed

For the price, location is unbeatable, but the bed gave me quite a back ache the next morning.

Hotel features (5 = best, 1 = worst):
Amenities:
3
Room cleanliness:
4
Hotel staff:
3
Room comfort:
2
Location:
4
Value:
4
Review of West Side YMCA

Reviewer score

3
Danupstate ny
Ny
Mar 18, 2013

Good loc, uncomfortable bed

Good location for the price, but bed is quite incomfortable

Hotel features (5 = best, 1 = worst):
Amenities:
3
Room cleanliness:
3
Hotel staff:
3
Room comfort:
2
Location:
4
Value:
4
Review of West Side YMCA

Reviewer score

2
time drifter
Pittsburgh
Mar 4, 2013

Didn't realize it was a hospice

Didn't check-in had a family emergency & had no symapthy for refunding payment. Paid BUT did NOT stay.

Hotel features (5 = best, 1 = worst):
Amenities:
2
Room cleanliness:
2
Hotel staff:
1
Room comfort:
2
Location:
4
Value:
1
Money-saving tip: Not Applicable

cheap but not compassionate

Review of West Side YMCA

Reviewer score

4
Nick88888888
Oakland, NJ
Jan 8, 2013

Great place to stay for the night

This Ymca is in the perfect location. It's near Central Park, on a safe and quiet side street, and near Columbus Cirlce and the subway. It's the cheapest place to stay in Manhattan and the best value for the night. The room was clean and simple but comfortable. The check in process was simple. Overall, I would stay here again and anytime I stay in Manhattan I will be staying at this Ymca.

Hotel features (5 = best, 1 = worst):
Amenities:
3
Room cleanliness:
4
Hotel staff:
3
Room comfort:
4
Location:
5
Value:
5
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