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Hotels Overview

Prices are for a standard double room, excluding 13.625% city and state taxes.

Staying at a hotel in New York is symbolic of what it's like to live in New York. It's a competitive market and price is dictated by high demand. Rooms, like apartments, are on the whole smaller than you would have ever thought possible, noise is sometimes a nuisance, and what New Yorkers call "quality-of-life issues" -- pollution, crowding -- are often a problem. Why put up with it? Easy. There's no equivalent experience to being in the city that never sleeps. To truly get the center-of-the-universe energy and excitement that New York is famous for, you have to live here, even if it's only for one night.

To get the most out of your hotel experience, it pays to research and ask questions. If size is important to you, ask the reservationist how many square feet a room has, not just if it's big. A hotel room in New York is considered quite large if it's 500 square feet. Very large rooms, such as those at the Four Seasons, are 600 square feet. To stay anywhere larger you'll have to get a multiroom suite. Small rooms are a tight 150 to 200 square feet. Very small rooms are under 100 square feet; you'll find these at inns and lodges and they're sold as a single for only one person. There are studio apartments in the city that are 250 square feet and include a kitchen; 1,000 square feet is considered a huge abode in this very compact and crowded urban playland.

Now you need to consider price. For top-tier hotels in prime locations, such as the Ritz-Carlton Central Park or Mandarin-Oriental, in high season from September to December, prices start at $750. That's without a park view. Special events, such as the New York City Marathon in November, leave prime hotel areas without a single room, as hard as it to believe when you see prices hovering around $1,000. The least expensive time to book a hotel room in New York is January and February. If you're flexible, ask reservations if there's a cheaper time to stay during your preferred traveling month; that way you can avoid crowded weeks, such as Fashion Week and the marathon.

What can you expect for your very inflated dime? At almost all the top- and middle-ranking hotels you'll be pampered with 300-plus thread count sheets and goose-down duvets; you may also find plush robes, terry slippers, and designer toiletries. High-tech electronics such as plasma-screen TVs and wireless phones are often available; and more noticeably, service includes evening turndown, fine dining, room service, and a concierge who's at your beck and call.

Remember the Realtor's adage "location, location, location," and bear in mind that you'll pay prime prices for your prime piece of real estate. Many visitors to New York cram themselves into hotels in the hectic Midtown area, but it's worth noting that Manhattan is so small and dense that other neighborhoods are often just as convenient for travelers. Several less-touristed areas, such as Gramercy, Murray Hill, and the Upper East Side, offer a far more accurate sense of the pace and feel of New York life. If space is important to you, consider a suite at a smaller hotel such as the Kitano. You'll receive great service since you're staying in a suite, and get an extra room or two for the same price as a regular room at a more expensive property.

Deals do exist if you know where to look. Weekdays in the Financial District are full price, but weekends, when most businesspeople have vacated, is a great time to get a discounted spot at the Millennium Hilton or Ritz-Carlton Battery Park. Many chains have started to call New York home and offer well-priced options; in addition to old favorites such as Sheraton, Hilton, and Hyatt, there are Best Westerns, and Days, Hampton, and Comfort inns. However, don't expect the same low rates you'll find in nonurban areas; on a busy November evening the Hampton Inn in Chelsea was charging as much as $350.

Finally, remember to enjoy your little piece of New York. Live like a local, stroll the neighborhood, visit the corner deli, and you'll remember fondly the time you were able to call New York home.