Two of us stayed a week and enjoyed the hotel immensely. We had spent a fair amount of time reading reviews and learning about NYC before selecting the Lucerne for: (1) suite with the kitchenette (so we could spend all day out without having to go hunting for a restaurant every evening), (2) location - residential not touristy, near subway, bus, Central Park, museum mile, Zabar's deli. A bonus was to discover that the Upper West Side has become more fashionable lately and there are lots of lively restaurants/bars on Amsterdam, right round the corner. The a/c was fine and it was a bonus to be able to open room windows. There was very little traffic noise on 12th floor. The toilet did block twice but they cleared it promptly.

Zabar's deli on 80th and Broadway is a delight. You can buy very good quality food here (for self-preparation as well as made dishes) - enough for your stay. But there's also plenty of nearby places for all meal types. We went mainly for the art galleries - the Met Museum is very good value - we spent two days there; MoMA is also very good but the Guggenheim is over-rated for its content.

We found the staff to be pleasant, efficient and courteous without being overbearing.

Altogether an excellent place to stay in NYC!

We stayed in Lucerne for three days. Experience and service was very good and we can warmly recommend the hotel for families that are visiting New York.

This is a great hotel on the Upper West Side, and excellent value for money. It's within easy reach of the main attractions as there's a metro stop a block away, and Central Park and the Museum of Natural History are just a couple of blocks away. The Hotel is clean and beautifully furnished, we stayed in the smallest/cheapest grade of room (queen) and it was still a very reasonable size for a city. I couldn't fault anything about this hotel, and I would highly recommend staying here on a trip to NYC!

I just came back from a 5 day stay from NYC and I must say that all the positive reviews about the Lucerne are absolutely correct! The front desk staff are very polite and efficient at their job. They answered our questions about travelling around the city very quickly and had great recommendations for diners and restaurants nearby.
Knowing that Manhattan hotel rooms can be on the smallish side I was happily surprised with the size of the Queen superior room. The whole room was tidy and the bathroom was super clean. The room even has an umbrella that you can borrow (just don't lose it or you'll have to pay $25). The only minor negative things about the room is the noise of the air conditioner and the bright light of the clock on the night stand (which I covered with a magazine).
The location is also fantastic because it's away from the hustle and bustle of Times Square, close to the subway (1 block west is 79th station on the red line), Central Park and numerous affordable and name brand shops, grocery stores (Fairways, Zabars) and restaurants (Ruby Foo's, Beard Papa, Manhattan Diner). As well I felt quite safe walking back to the hotel late at night.
From now on I'll definitely stay at the Lucerne every time I go to NYC!