Located at 164 East 87th Street (between 3rd and Lexington) The Franklin Hotel is an Upper East Side boutique hotel with tiny rooms, but terrific service, a great location, and amazing amenities including a complimentary breakfast and wine hour in the evening.

When summer hits Manhattan, rooms are at a premium due to summer vacations and popular events. Trying a new property isn’t always ideal; we all appreciate predictability during business travel. But if prices are high, you may need to venture into uncharted territory and find something new, even just to find something decent and around $300 per night. After the usual initial internet search, the best way to check out properties unknown to you is to search for them on TripAdvisor.com. If the majority of reviews are between good and excellent, it’s likely a worthy alternative to paying a premium for your usual spot. I was pleasantly surprised with my stay at The Franklin, and under the circumstances, would stay there again.

The Location of the Franklin Hotel Offers Subways, Museums, and Central Park

This Upper East Side location is a bit “out of the way” for the Manhattan business traveler, but it is less than a block from the “6” train which allows for connections in Midtown to get anywhere you could possibly need to be in the city. If public transportation isn’t your cup of tea, the corner of 87th and Lexington is prime real estate for hailing cabs.

If you have some down time, or would like to get some exercise, Central Park is only four blocks from the hotel. Of course that also means that “Museum Mile” is also only four blocks from the hotel as well. There is also something very charming about the neighborhood. No over-commercialized chain stores, but a CVS around the corner for last minute or forgotten items. The streets are tree-lined and somewhat quiet….it’s Manhattan, there will never be complete silence, but this area borders on delightful.

Rooms and Amenities at the Franklin Hotel

There are only 50 rooms at the Franklin hotel. No need to ignore reality. The rooms are very, very small. Your choices are “petite queen”, “superior queen”, “deluxe queen”, and the “executive king”. I stayed in the deluxe queen and it was tiny – about 200 square feet. As the saying goes, in a room that small you have to step out into the hallway to change your mind, much less your clothes.

But it must be said, the room was clean, and the décor was straight out of a (small) classy European hotel, complete with chandelier and one of the comfiest beds I have ever slept in after 10 years of business travel. It was so pleasant, the size became unimportant, especially when the service was so impeccable.

Each guest receives a complimentary European breakfast each morning with cured meats, yogurts, bread and pastries, juice and coffee. It was perfect for grabbing a croissant on the way out the door. There is also a complimentary wine and cheese hour from 5-6:30pm each night. No need to describe how nice that is. Free wine? C’mon.

Besides the small room, the only other downfall I found that might not be appealing to travelers in the summertime is that there is no central air-conditioning. However, there was a very effective window unit that hummed me to sleep, and kept me as cold as I could stand. Again, many travelers may not find these aspects appealing, but for the competitive price, this hotel has more up-sides than down, and I would certainly stay there again under similar circumstances.

Travel safely.