You’ve probably seen the neon glow of Times Square a thousand times, but tucked away on West 43rd Street, there was a building that looked like a regular hotel from the outside while hiding a reality that was anything but. The Carter Hotel Times Square wasn't just another budget lodging option in Midtown. It was a phenomenon of urban grit, a 25-story relic that somehow managed to be voted the "Dirtiest Hotel in America" by TripAdvisor not once, not twice, but three separate times. Honestly, it’s hard to wrap your head around how a place that close to the "Center of the Universe" could fall so far into disrepair while staying open for decades.
It was originally the Hotel Dixie when it opened back in 1930. Back then, it was actually kind of a big deal. It had a bus terminal in the basement—the Central Union Bus Terminal—and it was part of the roaring energy of a pre-war Manhattan. But by the time the late 20th century rolled around, the Dixie had become the Carter, and the glamour was long gone. What remained was a 600-room labyrinth that became a lightning rod for lawsuits, health code violations, and some of the most bizarre guest reviews ever posted on the internet.
People stayed there because it was cheap. In a city where a shoebox costs $400 a night, the Carter was often under $100. But that discount came with a heavy price.
The Reality Behind the Carter Hotel Times Square Reputation
When people talk about the "old New York," they usually mean the dangerous, grime-covered city of the 1970s. The Carter Hotel Times Square felt like a piece of that era that simply refused to leave. While the rest of Times Square was being "Disneyfied" in the 90s and early 2000s, the Carter stayed weird. It stayed dirty. It stayed dangerous.
If you walked into the lobby, you might have been greeted by peeling wallpaper or an elevator that felt like it was making its final trip. The stories from guests weren't just about bad service; they were about survival. We’re talking about bedbug infestations so severe they made headlines. We're talking about rooms where the windows didn't lock and the carpets looked like they hadn't seen a vacuum since the Nixon administration.
The hotel was owned for a long time by Tran Dinh Truong, a Vietnamese businessman who was as controversial as the building itself. Under his management, the hotel faced constant pressure from the city. In the early 2010s, the New York City Department of Buildings and the Fire Department were practically on speed dial for that address. There were thousands of outstanding violations. Some were minor, like missing signage, but others were terrifying—non-functioning fire alarms and broken sprinkler systems.
Why People Kept Booking It Anyway
It sounds crazy, right? Why would anyone stay in a place that the internet collectively agreed was a nightmare?
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Location. That’s the only answer.
You could walk out the front door and be at the TKTS booth in three minutes. You could see the New Year's Eve ball drop without taking a subway. For international tourists on a shoestring budget, the Carter Hotel Times Square was a gamble they were willing to take. They figured, "I'm only sleeping there, how bad can it be?"
Then they’d find out.
I remember reading one review where a guest found a literal hole in their floor that looked down into the room below. Another guest reported that the "white" towels were actually a distinct shade of grey. It wasn't just a hotel; it was a test of endurance. But there’s a certain subset of travelers who almost wore a stay at the Carter as a badge of honor. It was the ultimate "I survived New York" story.
The Darker Side of 250 West 43rd Street
Beyond the filth, the hotel had a genuine dark history. It wasn't just a place for cheap beds; it was a place where things went wrong. In 1999, a housekeeper found the body of a young woman hidden under a bed. It took days for the staff to find her, even though guests had been complaining about a smell. That kind of thing doesn't just happen at a Hilton.
Then there was the 2007 incident involving a 24-year-old woman who was murdered in one of the rooms. The Carter Hotel Times Square seemed to attract trouble because it was so easy to disappear there. With 600 rooms and a staff that was spread way too thin, oversight was a luxury the hotel didn't have.
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Crime was a recurring theme. The hotel was frequently used as temporary housing for the homeless or for those receiving city assistance, which created a volatile mix of tourists and people in desperate situations. It was a microcosm of the city’s social issues, all contained within a crumbling Art Deco shell.
A Turning Point and the End of an Era
Everything changed around 2014. Tran Dinh Truong had passed away a few years prior, and his estate finally sold the property. The buyer was GF Hotels & Resorts (then known as GF Management), and they paid a staggering $190 million for it.
Think about that.
A building that was widely considered the worst hotel in the country sold for nearly $200 million. That tells you everything you need to know about New York City real estate. The value wasn't in the "Carter" name—it was in the dirt the building sat on. The new owners immediately announced plans for a massive, multi-million dollar renovation. They knew they couldn't just slap a coat of paint on it. They had to gut the place.
The Carter Hotel Times Square as we knew it officially died then. It was rebranded, cleaned up, and dragged kicking and screaming into the modern era. The violations were addressed. The bedbugs were (hopefully) evicted. The "Dirtiest Hotel" title was finally passed on to some other unfortunate establishment.
What Travelers Should Learn From the Carter Saga
The story of this hotel is basically a cautionary tale about "too good to be true" pricing in major metros. If you're looking at a hotel in Midtown Manhattan today and the price is significantly lower than everything else around it, you need to do your homework.
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- Check the recent photos, not the stock ones. The Carter used to show photos from 1985 in its brochures. Always look at user-submitted photos from the last three months.
- The "Vibe" check. If a hotel has a history of major safety violations, that information is public record. In NYC, you can look up any building on the DOB (Department of Buildings) website.
- Don't ignore the "smell" mentions. If multiple reviews mention a weird odor, run. That's usually a sign of mold or poor ventilation that a quick cleaning won't fix.
The Carter Hotel Times Square is now a memory, a ghost story that old-school travelers tell newbies. It represents a time when Times Square still had its teeth—when you could find a den of chaos right next to the bright lights of Broadway.
Honestly, the city is probably safer and cleaner without the old Carter, but a little bit of that gritty history vanished when those rooms were renovated. It was a place that shouldn't have existed in the 21st century, yet it thrived on the desperation and budgets of thousands.
If you're heading to NYC now, you’ll find plenty of sleek, glass-walled hotels with rooftop bars and $15 lattes. They're nice. They're safe. But they’ll never have the sheer, unadulterated notoriety of the Carter. It was a one-of-a-kind disaster.
Practical Steps for Finding a Safe Midtown Hotel Today
- Avoid the "Bottom-Feeder" Prices: If the average rate in Times Square is $350 and you find a place for $120, stop. There is a reason. Usually, it's ongoing construction, lack of elevators, or a history of "maintenance issues."
- Verify the Brand: Stick to known hospitality groups if you're worried about basic hygiene. Even budget brands like Pod Hotels or Moxy offer consistency that independent, older buildings often struggle to maintain.
- Use Street View: Look at the entrance of the hotel on Google Street View. Is there trash piled up? Are the windows cracked? The exterior usually reflects the interior management's attention to detail.
- Read the 2-Star Reviews: Don't read the 1-stars (they're often just angry people) or the 5-stars (they might be fake). The 2 and 3-star reviews are where the honest truth about "leaky faucets" and "loud hallways" usually lives.
The era of the "dirtiest hotel" might be over for this specific address, but the lessons about New York tourism remain. You get what you pay for, and sometimes, you get a little bit more than you bargained for. Stay smart out there.
Actionable Insight: If you are curious about the current status of the building, it has been significantly renovated and operates under new management with strict adherence to modern NYC building codes. Always verify current TripAdvisor ratings rather than relying on historical notoriety when booking. For those interested in the architecture, the exterior still retains some of its original 1930s Gothic-inspired elements, making it a great spot for a quick photo—just maybe don't look for the "Carter" sign anymore.