Review of Casablanca Hotel, by Jenny Pidgeon

The Casablanca Hotel is a small, friendly boutique hotel located steps from Times Square, making it easy for visitors to cram in as many Broadway shows as possible. The staff are extremely helpful and informative; guests appear happy and well-looked after.

Refreshments are available at all times, day and night, for a revitalising boost or post-theatre munchies. Other advantages include high-speed internet access and a free pass to a nearby healthclub for anyone who wants to burn off the complimentary muffins and bagels.

Complementing the hotel name, a Moroccan theme runs throughout the hotel. Rick’s Café, is an informal hangout with piped music, live piano on Friday nights, and a large television screen. Guests lounge on wicker seats and enjoy the painted Moroccan roofscape, or sit in the outside courtyard on summer evenings. The roof-top garden is the best place to be on New Year’s Eve - guests get a private show of the ball drop.

The rooms are decorated in oranges, browns, and greens with basketwork chairs and carved pieces that continue the theme. The rooms aren’t huge, but the enormous bathrooms make up for any lack of space. The suites have a sitting area with a sofa bed, ideal for families. The double thick windows keep out the Times Square sounds.

Bathrooms have Moroccan tiling, oversize showers, and Swedish ‘Natura’ products. If the Times Square hustle gets too much, you can watch a video from the library downstairs or enjoy the complimentary copy of Casablanca which is provided in every room.