Vanderbilt YMCA

If you are not picky and just want a place to stay in beautiful NYC this is a great choice. Rooms are nice and clean and so are bathrooms (although latter ones are shared I must say). The place has common-use spaces such as a dining room, kitchen, etc. For the quality/price I found the YMCA to be a perfect choice! You also have access to gym and all the amenities. People at the entrance desk were super friendly and courteous.
One critique would have to be the wifi, could not get it working on my room which was on third floor I think.
Will definitely return when in NYC!

This is a tough one to judge - How do you judge a 1 star hotel?

I would expect a 1-star hotel to be not filthy, not too noisy, cheap and with not too unfriendly staff. The Vanderbilt has tiny rooms (with a big fridge), the mattress was better than expected. Shared bathrooms. Everyrhing is clean, the roo gets cleaned daily.

I stayed here for 5 nights.

Plus: Central location. Free internet. Indoor swimming pool (which is well hidden in a labyrinth, and always seems to be busy. Do remember to bring swimming caps), steam bath. TV in room. Supports a good cause. Bubbly clientele. Plenty of power outlets. 24hr access.

Minus: The rooms are making no attempt at being cozy (but who comes to NYC to stay in the hotel?) The wifi randomly blocks internet traffic (some foreign news sites get flagged as porn, the same goes for editing a wordpress blog. No access to Apples app store.) No view.

Bottom line: totally fine place, as long as you manage your expectations.