So NY is very expensive for accommodation. Step up broadway hotel and hostel. Pros of this place include:
pretty good location, short subway ride to major attractions Times Square etc, 10 minutes walk to central park, plenty of shops bars and restaurants near hotel, fridge and kitchen available to use in common area, cheap!

Cons: lift is extremely slow, staff are a mix of friendly but unprofessional - quite often the male staff seemed to be 'hanging' with the young ones which is irritating when you're waiting to be seen at the desk, rooms are noisy and a tad shabby ( although I wouldn't have expected different for the price), air con works but is very noisy so didn't use at night thus room was very hot, wifi was not great in common area but may have been due to the volume of ppl crammed in there trying to use it!

All in all this place was fine, and good for a base to explore NY. Expect it to be a tad tough and ready as you're getting it cheap for NY and you'll be fine. I thought it was mostly good just a few minor gripes that would happen anywhere. Last point to make is that whilst I am sure the hotel style rooms are lovely, the rest of the place definitely has a hostel feel. So if you're booking a hotel room and expecting the rest of the place to feel like a hotel, don't. You're going to get noisy corridors and teenagers drinking in the common room, and a crappy lift!

Enjoy your stay!

I stayed in a 2 bed dorm for 9 nights.
Linen and towel are changed every day, the shared bathrooms are clean and plenty.
The staff was always very helpful and friendly.
A good hostel!
No washing machine, but a laundromat just around the corner.
No bar, but grocerie stores just across the street.
Subway is close and you get everywhere, fast.
Walking is also possible (i did most of the times). It takes about an hour to get to times square.

Stayed there a week in July/August 2012.

Me and my family were looking for a nice, not too expensive place to stay in NYC, which is practically impossible. Since I had stayed at the HI Hostel (nearby) before, I figured I might as well stay at the Upper West Side again. I'm glad I did.

The hostel is at 101st Street, and there is a Subway station at 103rd, which made it easy to move around - it took us maybe 15 minutes by subway to go downtown). The best thing to me about staying away from the buzz at Times Square is that you actually feel like you "live" in NYC.
We ate in the local restaurants (great vegetarian pizza place a couple blocks away, and the bagel place across the street was nice and cheap, had breakfast there every single day), went to the grocery stores, and even got to see Peter Jacobson (Dr. Taub on House M.D) twice, as he was walking his dog. It was pretty cool.

Regarding our room, we booked a 4-people private room, with two double beds, and a shared bathroom. The room is on the small side, but there's a TV, a sink, and it is cleaned daily. The room was quiet, and the AC worked fine. We stayed in the 5th floor, and the one thing that irritated us was the ridiculously slow and tiny elevator, which annoyed us to a point we mostly used the stairs. The bathroom was always clean, and never had to wait to use it at all.

Didn't really make use of the kitchen or the internet, or any of the common areas in general.

All in all, I think it is a good choice for people who are looking for a place to shower and crash, and don't mind riding the subway to get to the "main attractions". No luxuries, no breakfast, no fancy stuff, and the elevator truly sucks, but clean, quiet and comfortable.

Would stay there again.