shooshy

We are a couple of Australians in our late 30's thinking of visiting New York in August.A friend of ours(an ex-new yorker)has suggested we stay in Soho for the restaurants,shopping,vibe etc.I've checked rates and both the Soho Grand and 60 thompson are within our budget.The Mercer is too expensive.Can anyone comment on these hotels?
If we don't stay in Soho The Benjamin in Midtown has a great deal and the W hotels also appeal to us.Would we be better off staying at one of them?
There are so many wonderful choices I feel a little overwhelmed!We don't get to go to New York too often so we would like to get the hotel right.
Thanks!

Lola

Hello, sooshy!
They are both very hip/cool hotels, I would prefer 60 Thompson, myself. Soho Grand is very nice *inside* but I don't love the location, inches away from Canal St. You can still go to the Mercer for a nice breakfast.
For accessability to more of NYC, the Benjamin might be good, Soho is great, but you are limited to the Village/Little Italy/Chinatown area and need to travel to see the rest of the sights.
IMHO of course!

4travel

I think Soho is too far from NYC attractions (Broadway, Times Square, Statue of Liberty). There are nice hotels near Times Square. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza, and loved it. Never had to take the subway or a taxi. We bought a sight-seeing bus pass that took you everywhere!

karebear4567

i think you should stay more in Midtown and not in Soho. definitely visit Soho, but I agree with 4travel that it is too far from the NYC attractions. for a true new york experience, i would recommend one of the W hotels. i just wouldn't stay in the one in Times Square because it is overloaded with tourists.

mclaurie

To me, the answer depends on what you want to see and do in NYC, how many times you've been before & where you stayed before. While most people think of midtown as being most central, the truth is many of the places tourists most want to go-Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho, Tribeca, Staten Island ferry, Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, the tenement museum are all downtown! Midtown is the theater district, mainstream shopping at department stores (Macy's, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Ave.) , designer boutiques like Louis Vuitton etc. Most of the museums are uptown.

Sooo, I guess I would say if you've been to NYC before & stayed midtown, if you want to do the downtown tourist stuff- Soho is a good choice. If you're a theater buff & plan on going to the theater a few times, midtown might be better.

I think from what's been posted here (read Rants & Raves) 60 Thompson sounds better than the Soho Grand. The Benjamin has gotten rave reviews. The W hotels seem not to be consistent in NY. The one on the east side near the Waldorf is terrible-very small rooms. The one at Union Square is I think the newest & might be a good compromise for you. It's downtown in a fun area but not as far downtown as Soho. I hope I've helped and not confused you more!

Veronica

I was just in NY for 5 days and stayed at The Larchmont in Grenwich Village and loved it. For me the Greenwich Village/Soho area is the only place to stay. Times Square is o.k. for a visit but I would never want to stay there.

JungleCat

Among your choices and the ones suggested by others, you can't go wrong with any of them. They're all very swanky and hip.

As a New Yorker, I would favor something in a slightly less-touristy like the Soho or Tribeca Grand but for a first timer, I agree with the others that the Midtown hotels like The W or even The Westin would be a little more convenient.