mclaurie

Amelie! Get 2 rooms and have some privacy and 2 bathrooms. Why not try bidding on Priceline for 2 rooms at the same hotel? You could wind up paying only $150/couple or less. If you don't know about Priceline, read up on betterbidding.com or biddingfortravel.com

Anonymous

I agree that this sounds like a good time to use Priceline. You can bid for two rooms smilultaneously, so they'l both be in the same hotel.

Unless there's some reason you need to share (such as an elderly person needing help that the spouse can't handle), I would recommend that you book something cancellable and then try PL.

The earlier you check in, the more likely that you'll be able to get rooms near each other (same floor, etc.).

mclaurie

Amelie. Now I remember you and your in-laws from your previous thread. First, you should know many of these 1 bedroom room suites have 2 big (double or queen) beds in the bedroom plus the sofabed. So no one would have to sleep on the sofabed, but you wouldn't have any privacy.

I'll also say, $400/night for the 4 of you should certainly be "doable."

If you want to stay in a regular hotel, 2 separate rooms, I looked on quikbook.com for your travel dates and found The Park South Hotel for $172 or $182 (plus tax)/night for a room for 2. The Millennium UN Plaza is $209/$189/night. Both of these are really nice hotels in good locations. I especially like the location of the Park South just below midtown but still walkable to the Empire State building.

The UN Plaza is a bit out of the way, but in a lovely area near the UN building and the hotel has many rooms with great views and a rooftop enclosed swimming pool.

Neither of these require prepayment. I would consider booking one of these which is cancellable. Then you might bid on Priceline for 2 rooms (you can get a 4* hotel often for $100-150/night). Start reading on biddingfortravel.com and/or betterbidding.com under the FAQ (frequently asked questions) under hotels.

There's an English website I've heard of

www.apartments2book.com

You might want to contact them (even maybe phone) and see what they can offer in a 2 bedroom apt. Some of their apts. are in apt/hotels that we've already mentioned (like the Beacon) and their prices are usually better than the hotel offers themselves. I'd be curious to see what they'd charge for a 2 bed/2 bath in their #11 which is the Beacon. Here's the link for their #11

http://www.apartments2book.com/newyork11.htm

Here's the photo of a room from the Beacon's own website

http://beaconhotel.com/suite.html

You'll see it's the same.

You could also consider renting a regular (not a hotel) apartment. nyhabitat.com and citylightsnewyork.com are 2 rental agent websites. It doesn't cost anything to register with them and see what they have. The only problem there is very often they may prefer to take someone else who's staying longer. You're coming on a holiday weekend but not staying for the holiday.

cabovacation

I was asking this same question a couple of months ago. We stayed at the Rihga Royal. It was fantastic! It was a hard decision because we didn't have any really first hand feedback, so we had no idea what to expect. It was very close to being as good as any five star hotel. The room is huge...at least 600 square feet. Separate large, beautiful, luxurious bedroom with a lovely bathroom and walk-in closet, and a nice seating area. Separate half-bath,very nice. Plenty of seating in the living room for several people. Also a dining table great for games or the junk that accumulates. The sofa bed was very comfortable, and even better was the "cot" they brought in - perhaps the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in.

You can spot some famous people in the bar sometimes.

When I told my jet-set sister where we stayed, she said "Omygod! That's my hotel! I must have stayed there a thousand times!" funny. we talk all the time, but i never thought of asking which hotel she stayed at - always thinking she was in some way too hip boutique.

I highly recommend Rihga Royal for anyone - but especially for larger groups. This room could have slept 7 people, if they would permit that. Two in each bed, two on couch, and one on cot. there is a little kitchenette, too, but I have no interest in "eating in" while staying in Midtown.

amelie

mclaurie -
yes I know some of these suites come with two beds in the bedroom! No way would I want to be in the same bedroom with my in-laws though, lol. I think some have missed my earlier post in this thread where I realized I was delusional for thinking my husband and I could sleep on a couch bed.

I have been debating suites with two bedrooms, versus our own room each now for a few weeks. I think we've settled on our own rooms. Couldn't find many deals on suites with two bedrooms, except at the Best Western Hospitality House. However, I now think I have my mind set on staying in a more residential area like the upper west side.

And yes, I know all about priceline, but I've yet to be brave enough to use it.

Decisions, decisions!

mclaurie

I like the upper westside a lot. There appear to be good prices on quikbook for the Excelsior. It's not as nice a hotel as the Park South or the Mill. UN Plaza though imo. Both of those are in more residential areas but still midtown or almost midtown.

There are some "inns" in that neighborhood. You might have a look at wymanhouse.com if you're all non-smokers. Jacksbandb.com is another "funky" inexpensive b & b.

I would not continue to be afraid of Priceline. You have plenty of time to read up on it and if done properly, there are no downsides. The Excelsior is actually a Priceline hotel. That said, if you don't want to stay midtown, I think Priceline is less ideal as their areas/hotels in the more residential neighborhoods are more limited.

amelie

Ok if you had to choose between the Excelsior, The Beacon and The Milburn, which would you pick?

The Excelsior seems the nicest to me from their website, but websites can be deceiving. I've read about bad service there, but the rooms look nicer. The Beacon seems nicer than The Milburn by website alone. All three are the same price, so it's really just about making a choice.

GoTravel

None of them and get two rooms.

Go with the Salisbury. Much better located than the Milburn, Beacon or Excelsior.

Are you meeting family on the UWS or heading to a particular location (Lincoln Center, Museum of NH??).

amelie

We are getting two rooms at this point. The question between the Execelsior, Beacon or Milburn is for 2 rooms. Leaving location out of it, which would you pick (mclaurie?).

The Salisbury is $279 a night, which is $100 more a night than the three I mentioned. We need to keep it under $200 a night.

mclaurie

Of those 3, I'd say the Excelsior is maybe a bit nicer than the other 2, although the rooms may not be as large or with kitchenettes as they would be at the other 2. But the hotels are all of a similar vein, a bit grandmotherly looking in older buildings. For that matter, so is the Salisbury which, btw, is no more expensive on quikbook for your dates. The Salisbury is listed for a std. queen or 2 doubles, at $203 for the Thurs./Fri/ and then $172 for Sat/Sun.

While I understand staying on the upper west side, esp. with the in-laws, I do agree with GoTravel that the Salisbury has both the benefit of being near the park and also being in midtown. Not as much neighborhood feel as the UWS, but maybe more convenient to typical tourist stuff so less walking/subway.

amelie

Thank you so much! It's all been very helpful. His parents should be ok, they are used to walking a lot while traveling (his Mum is 54, Dad is 62).

I'm going to plan on booking something this week.