You’ve probably seen the headlines. For years, one name haunted the budget travel forums of the internet like a persistent bad dream. The Hotel Carter New York. It wasn’t just a bad hotel; it was legendary for being the worst. Located at 250 West 43rd Street, just steps away from the neon glow of Times Square, it stood as a 25-story monument to urban decay and bafflingly low prices.
Honestly, it’s hard to wrap your head around how a place this centrally located—sitting on some of the most expensive real estate on the planet—could become a three-time winner of TripAdvisor’s "Dirtiest Hotel in America" award. We’re talking 2006, 2008, and 2009. It was a place where "luxury" meant the lightbulb in the hallway wasn't flickering, and "amenities" meant you might actually get a roll of toilet paper if you walked down to the front desk yourself.
But as of 2026, the story has shifted from cockroaches to courtrooms.
The Grime and the Glory: A Bizarre History
The Carter didn't start out as a punchline. When it opened in 1930, it was the Hotel Dixie. It was a sleek, Emery Roth-designed building. Think Art Deco elegance. It even had a massive bus terminal in the basement—the Central Union Bus Terminal—where buses would pull in and be turned around on a giant motorized turntable.
By the time the Carter Hotel chain took over in 1942, things were already sliding. The bus terminal closed in 1957, unable to compete with the shiny new Port Authority. Then came the 70s and 80s, and the hotel turned into a "welfare hotel." It became a place where the city stashed the homeless and the desperate. By 1984, it was so dangerous that even the city stopped sending people there.
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What guests actually found inside
If you were brave (or broke) enough to book a room in the 2000s, you weren't just getting a bed. You were getting a story. Reviewers frequently described:
- The "Carter Smell": A mix of stale cigarettes, industrial-strength bleach, and something unidentifiable.
- The Wildlife: Not just bed bugs, but mice that supposedly ate through children's snacks.
- The Decor: Faux-marble columns in the lobby that looked okay from a distance but were peeling up close.
- The Infrastructure: Elevators that felt like a coin toss every time you stepped inside.
One reviewer famously wrote that they cried real tears upon entering their room on the 11th floor. Others spoke of "black mold" in the showers and holes in the walls where the AC units were supposed to be. It was a trip.
The Murder and the Macabre
It wasn't just the dirt. The Hotel Carter New York had a dark streak that went beyond hygiene. In 2007, a 22-year-old woman was found dead, wrapped in a plastic bag and stuffed under a bed. The kicker? Guests had been sleeping in that room for days before the body was discovered.
There were suicides. There were leaps from the upper floors. There was a sense of "anything goes" that attracted a specific kind of chaos. It’s the kind of lore that makes a building feel haunted, even if you don't believe in ghosts.
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The Current State of 250 West 43rd Street
So, where are we now? The hotel officially closed its doors to the public in 2015 after being sold to Joseph Chetrit and the Chetrit Group for roughly $190 million. The plan was a massive overhaul. A total gut job. People expected a high-end luxury boutique to rise from the ashes.
But New York real estate is never that simple.
As of early 2026, the building remains a silent, scaffolding-wrapped shell. It’s vacant. If you walk past it today, you’ll see the famous vertical "Hotel Carter" sign still peeking through the metal bars, a relic of a Times Square that doesn't really exist anymore.
The Legal Battle
The renovation has been plagued by delays. In early 2025, reports surfaced that the Chetrit Group was facing a lawsuit from Mack Real Estate Credit Strategies. They were essentially at risk of losing the property to their lenders. By January 2026, the situation remains in a sort of "foreclosure limbo."
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The property is worth a fortune. But the cost of bringing a building with that much baggage—and that many building code violations—up to modern NYC standards is astronomical.
Why People Still Talk About It
The Carter represents the "Old Times Square." Before the Disneyfication and the $20 salads. It was the last piece of the "Deuce" (42nd Street) that refused to change.
Some people actually loved it. Not because it was good, but because it was $80 a night in a neighborhood where everywhere else was $400. There’s a certain subset of travelers who wear a stay at the Carter like a badge of honor. "I survived the Carter," they’d say. It was a rite of passage for backpackers and theater-goers on a shoestring budget.
Actionable Insights for the Curious
If you’re looking for the Hotel Carter experience today, you won’t find it. The doors are locked. But if you’re interested in the history or the site, here’s how to engage with it:
- The Sidewalk Search: Look for the "Hotel Carter" script logo embedded in the concrete on 43rd Street. It's a small piece of history that hasn't been ripped up yet.
- The Architecture: Stand across the street and look up. Despite the grime, the Emery Roth bones of the building are still visible. It’s a classic New York skyscraper that deserves a better second act.
- The Documentary Trail: There are several short documentaries and "vlogs" on YouTube from the final years of the hotel (2012-2014). They provide a visceral look at what the interior actually looked like before the lights went out for good.
- Real Estate Watching: Keep an eye on the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) filings for 250 West 43rd Street. If work starts again, that's where the first permits will appear.
The Hotel Carter New York is currently a ghost. It's a 700-room void in the heart of the city. Whether it becomes a Hyatt, a Marriott, or remains a boarded-up eyesore depends entirely on who wins the current legal tug-of-war. For now, it remains the most famous hotel in New York that you absolutely cannot stay in.