LOCATION On Madison Avenue, minutes from Times Square and Grand Central Station. This is as central as it gets for Manhattan.

AMBIENCE Comfortably plush rather than intimidatingly so, this is the sort of slightly faded grand New York hotel where floral displays and hair are high but Fifth Avenue heels in the lobby are heavily outnumbered by sneakers.

GUESTROOMS The larger suites are entire Cole Porter numbers in themselves but the Tower Rooms are particularly spacious, with art deco furnishing and Midtown views. Beds are exceptionally comfortable. Bathrooms are outsized and black-and-white marble; bath towels could dry the Statue of Liberty; Acqua di Parma toiletries are as eye-catching and welcome as yellow cabs.

SERVICE On the whole, attentive: room and breakfast service bothefficient, the latter served in the slightly too-twee Istana brasserie. The concierge was not exactly chatty but maybe he’d had one Hair enquiry too many.

CAN I WORK HERE? Rooms feature huge desks and free Wi-Fi. Executive room guests get access to the Executive Lounge, which is great if you need an early breakfast (it opens 6:30am), snacks, or to print documents or use the computers. The Villard Mansion, onto which the rest of the hotel has been grafted, has 17 meeting rooms and boardrooms. There are also four elegant Triplex Suites, should you need a place to score your own Broadway show.

CAN I LIVE HERE? Although Gilt, the two-Michelin Star restaurant and bar inside the Villard Mansion, has some buzz, as does the “outdoor lounge”, which serves up classic cocktails and “creative cuisine”, this is not exactly a destination hotel. It could also use a makeover, particularly the gym and spa, which manages to seem overlit and gloomy at the same time.

WORTH NOTING It is worth requesting a room with a view. There is little to choose between Deluxe and Executive rooms, so if you don’t need constant access to computers and baby Beef Wellingtons, don’t bother. If you’re jittery about elevators, the one from the spa to the 41st floor is a white-knuckle ride.

+1 212 888 7000; www.newyorkpalace.com