We needed a central place to stay in New York City. Erin was speaking at the New York Times Travel Show and attending functions leaving the kids and I free to explore the city for a few days.

If you’ve been to New York City before, you’ll know that sensibly priced mid-town accommodation can be a challenge to find during peak seasons – especially in a convenient location.

So when I was recommended to the new Cambria® hotel & suites in Chelsea, New York, I was cautiously optimistic. Fortunately this hotel turned out to be the perfect base for us – central, friendly, modern and reasonably priced.

Hotel lobby

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If you’re considering a hotel in Chelsea, New York, here are 7 things to look for:

1) Central location… but not too central

Relatives of ours recently stayed in a hotel directly opposite Penn Station on 7th Ave and the noise was unbearable. I won’t mention the hotel name (there’s only 1 anyway), other than to say you should avoid that one like the plague.

Thankfully Cambria® hotel & suites in Chelsea is located on a quiet stretch of W 28th St, half way between 7th and 8th Ave. So we slept peacefully at night – in fact, I wouldn’t have even guessed we were in New York City considering how quiet it was.



2) Modern rooms

Our hotel was very new; in fact it only opened 6 months ago. The suites are tastefully decorated with lush trimmings like padded leather headboards and wooden floors. But what flicked my switch was literally a switch… power points to be precise, and lots of them. There’s nothing worse than getting to a new hotel room and having to contort oneself to reach out-of-the-way power points that deliver life-giving juice to those oh-so-essential devices. Or even worse, having to choose whether to charge your laptop or leave the lamp plugged in. These sorts of heart-wrenching decisions belong in a hospital emergency room or game show, not a hotel room. Cambria understands. And above the bedside table was a surge-protected set of 4 power points plus 1 USB port for easy charging. Ah, bliss!

The only downside of the suite was the smallish size. But that is something to be expected in Manhattan.



3) Decent facilities

We know when a hotel claims they offer “free Wi-Fi” that it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be fast enough to load your favourite travel blog, let alone make a Skype call or even watch a Netflix movie. But the Wi-Fi speed at Cambria® hotel & suites in Chelsea, New York was zippy and consistent.

The hotel also offered other facilities you’d expect from an upscale business-orientated hotel like well-equipped fitness centre, meeting spaces, on-site bar and bistro and business centre.



4) Good food

There’s no shortage of dining options around Chelsea. We ate at Friedman's, Brgr, Garden gourmet deli & grocery, and Cavallo's Pizzeria. But there are times when you don’t feel like going out so it helps if your hotel plates up delicious dishes at reasonable prices. We ate breakfast in the hotel bistro on our last morning before checking out. The food quality and presentation was excellent and garnered thumbs up ratings from all 4 of us.



5) Room to relax

All work and no play makes for a dull stay. So make sure your hotel in Chelsea offers space to relax and unwind. My favourite feature of the Cambria® hotel & suites in Chelsea, New York was the rooftop lounge. The views over Chelsea towards Downtown were magnificent during the day and spectacular at night. It felt liberating to above all the bustle of the street, yet it was surprisingly peaceful and quiet too. One World Trade twinkled in the moonlight while I sipped a drink on the plush lounge – the perfect way to finish off a busy day.

View from the rooftop lounge

Outdoor lounge downstairs



6) Friendly

This might sound like an unusual factor for a hotel, but smiles are in short supply in New York City. From the moment I walked into Cambria® hotel & suites in Chelsea, New York, the staff were genuinely friendly and warm. It felt more like coming home than staying amongst a group of strangers. Their dialog didn’t sound rehearsed like they’d said it one thousand times before. But something more like what I have experienced in only the top 5-star luxury hotels – but a lot less uptight.

After getting settled into our suite, I received a knock on the door with an unexpected welcome gift which included a hand-written card, bottled water, candy, chocolate and a pair of gadget-friendly gloves. What a pleasant surprise!



7) Get rewarded

You need somewhere to stay in Chelsea, so you may as well get rewarded for it. Guests at Cambria® hotels & suites can earn Choice Privileges reward points to redeem for free nights and other rewards. Win-win!



Final Thoughts

There’s a lot of options when deciding where to stay in Chelsea but hopefully my checklist has made your life (and stay in New York) a little easier. Or if you just want the best hotel rooftop views in the area, you’ll know where to go. Enjoy a drink for me.

Hotel details:

Address: 123 W 28th St, New York, NY 10001 Website: click here Phone: (212) 244-4477 Email: [email protected]

Your chance to win... $100 Choice Hotels gift card

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Choice Hotels. The opinions and text are all mine.