tikigoddess

I've stayed in NYC a few times. Once with my brother in his dorm room on Staten Island, and another time with both my brothers in the city- the Hilton (I got a great deal through Priceline).

My brother is graduating college in May, and our family is going to be going there. There will be my parents, then my brother and I. I think my other brother will be staying at his own place...so probably just four of us.

There are so many search engines and tons of hotels, so I thought I'd post this here for some input. I know how small, and how pricey so many are.

We would like to stay in Manhattan, probably in Midtown. My mom can't do a lot of walking so I want to make sure we're in a good location for transportation/activities.

The date of his graduation is May 20th, 2005. We are flexible going the previous week, or the week after, as long as we are there that weekend. We figured we might as well make a little vacation out of it, but we can't afford to stay in a expensive hotel. Afterall we are not there for the hotel. Nothing fancy, inexpensive, and comfortable for 4 adults.

If you have any experience with any hotels that you would recommend, or NOT recommend, please let me know! Thanks in advance!

wantsomesun

Have you tried www.hotels.com for info on hotel availability? It lists all kinds of info about each hotel, including rates, so you can really compare based on your dates of travel.

I can also suggest the Travel Inn on W 42nd St. My cousin and her family stayed there last summer and really enjoyed the stay there. You get free parking and there is a pool.

Have a great time and enjoy the city.

Anonymous

Why not use Priceline again? With the money you save, mom can take taxis everywhere.

tikigoddess

I have checked out hotels.com but wanted some personal input first- I will check out the Travel Inn- thanks!

We might go with Priceline again, but that's usually a last resort for me.

BudgetQueen

Myself I would never consider the Travel Inn, poor location that is all "industrial" I stay on ave 4xper year, and go between, Days Inn and HOJO on 8th or the Super 8. Excellent locations, 1 long block to Times Square, at public transportation, walkable to most shows, or short cab ride.

mclaurie

Hope you realize if you use Priceline, you must get 2 rooms (they won't guarantee a room in NYC for more than 2)and they don't guarantee 2 separate beds. That said, I'd chance it and get 2 rooms. Otherwise, 4 of you are sharing 1 bath. The Marriott Courtyard midtown east has been won in the past for $65-95/night. I gather their rooms are a good size. Have a look on biddingfortravel.com for recent prices "wins" and advice.

Other ideas, get a 2 bed/2bath suite. Some hotels in midtown that offer that at reasonable prices are the Salisbury and the Best Western Hospitality (also listed under just Hospitality on tripadvisor). The Beacon, the Milburn and the Belleclaire are all apt style hotels on the upper west side that get good reviews and are affordable. I saw a 2 bed listed on easyclicktravel.com the other day for $179 at the Belleclaire.

You could also consider renting an apt. Plenty of websites. If you're interested post back.

tikigoddess

Great suggestions- thank you!

I have thought about renting an apartment. www.craigslist.org lists some, I'll look into that. I think it might be our best option. Thanks for bringing the two rooms with Priceline to my attention.

MFNYC

Check out the Affinia hotels. They have a 'special offers' area on their website which has some very good deals. We had several families stay at the Shelburne Murray Hill (an Affinia hotel)last May for a family event here. They have very roomy 1 bedroom suites. The bedroom either has 2 queens or 1 king, and the living room has a sofa bed. It also has a small kitchen. EVeryone was delighted with this hotel. We got a rate of $178 at that time for the 1 bedrooms (stuido suites were $158). We booked the 'grandparent special' on affinia.com and also found the same rates on travelhero.com when they were no longer avilable on the affinia site.

lisettemac

I would suggest you look at suite hotels. In addition to the Affinia group, there is the Kimberly (which I *think* is a suite hotel), the Doubletree Suites in Times Square, the Embassy Suites in Battery Park City (won't meet your "near everything" criteria, but is likely to be less expensive than others and include breakfast).

CAPH52

We were very happy with the Super8 Times Square when we stayed there in July of '03. It's a great location, we were happy with our room--not huge but big enough and clean. And they have a good continental breakfast. They have a seniors rate which your parents can take advantage of if they're 50 or over. With the senior rate we got our room for 2 adults, a 17 year old and a 13 year old for $89 a night. I know rates have gone up considerably since then. But you should still be able to get a decent rate.

atilla

tlkigoddess, I would also recommend the Super 8 Times Square. Excellent location, not right in Times Square but a couple of blocks away. Very close to Rockefeller Plaza. The convenience of this location can't be beat.

Decent, free continental breakfast, and the room rates are very reasonable for New York.

Have a great time.

TC

Tiki: Check out Express Reservations www.express-res.com In the find a hotel section, there is a selection for "extended stay". This gives several choices (with a nice map showing locations) for suite style hotels in midtown. You might want to compare the hotel finder map to a NY subway map to see if you are conveniently located to use public transportation. Look to see which lines run near your hotel. There are times when you can be near a subway stop, but not on a line that goes anywhere you want. This makes for lots of underground walking to make line changes. I like staying in the Times Square vicinity because so many different subway lines are easily accessable.

turn_it_on

Okay, we haven't stayed there yet, but we're in the same situation--my sister is graduating in May from NYU.

We're staying at the Rihga Royal, a Marriott all-suites hotel, with one bedroom and a sofa bed, 500 SF, which is huge for NYC. Right now we have it for a AAA rate of $333/nt, I am watching to see if the rates change, although I think that's pretty good for three people in such a big room in a nice hotel (it's been highly recommended many places online, tripadvisor, fodors, etc). It's near Broadway and 54th.

http://www.rihgaroyalny.com/welcome.cfm

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roxy