Never again!
Several guidebooks mentioned the Pickwick Arms as a great budget hotel, so we decided to give it a try. We ended up being sorely disappointed. First of all, we had to wait to be checked in because the staff were busy dealing with an unsavory character who apparently walked in off the street and was being very belligerent. That gave us an uneasy feeling right off the bat, but we ignored it because we figured it wasn't the hotel's fault.
Afterwards, I gave our names and our reservations were pulled up. I mentioned that we had requested a cot for our 7- and 10-year-old. The individual, who appeared to be a manager, became very, very upset. He said that their "standard" rooms do not have enough space for a cot or even enough room for 2 small children to sleep on the floor, period. I tried to tell him that I mentioned we had 2 children when I made the reservations, but he kept berating me, becoming louder and louder. He told me I should have mentioned we had kids, the rooms were small, etc. He wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise. Finally, my husband walked over and the guy finally stopped his tirade. He told my husband that the room they gave us was too small for us and the kids and the only other room they had that would fit us was three times the price. At this point, my mother walked over and we explained the situation. She told the man we'd take it and generously offered her credit card to pay the sizeable difference in price. The room ended up being decent, but it was not worth the price.
My parents, however, weren't so lucky. Their "standard" room was the size of a broom closet and had about as much ambiance. The bathroom was painfully tiny and the fixtures and furnishings seemed to be as old as the hotel. We felt really bad and offered to let them stay in our room with the kids, but they wouldn't hear of it.
Lucky for all of us, we didn't spend much time in our rooms anyway. Unlucky for us, however, we did sleep there, which wasn't easy due to all the noise from outside. All through the night, we could hear traffic, sirens, car doors, people, and assorted other noises. One night, someone broke the large mirror hanging on the wall in the hallway near our room. We told the front desk the next morning, but the broken pieces stayed on the floor for more than a day.
All in all, we were pretty disappointed with this experience, which is a shame, since it was my parents' first (and probably only) visit to NYC. Fortunately, they had a great time in spite of the hotel issue. And when my husband and I go back, we will definitely stay somewhere else. It might cost a little more, but it will be well worth it!