Budget NYC hotel
 

Looking for a budget hotel for somme English friends in Manhattan next April. Anybody got any ideas?? or send me to a trip report that might help them? many thanks.

How budget? I stay here:

http://www.thejanenyc.com/

But the rooms are tiny and the bathroom is down the hall (rarely had to wait and they're clean), unless you spring for the Captain's Cabin, and then it's not really budget.

Larchmont Hotel

The cheapest hotels in NYC are typically in Queens, a couple of stops from Manhattan at the convergence of all the subway lines at Queen's Plaza. The Country Inn & Suites Long Island City ($75 in January) will be more expensive in April, probably over $100, but it will be about half the cost of a typical hotel in Manhattan and offers free breakfast and Wi-Fi. It's a typical chain, 1 block from the subway. That's the hotel I generally recommend to people, including my own relatives.

Having said that, you have to be on the lookout for sales and good prices in Manhattan. On occasion, you can find quite well priced hotels right in the heart of the city for under $200 a night. Many people would prefer to pay a bit more and stay in one of those.

The Jane's cheapest rooms have shared baths, so that's not one of the hotels I'd recommend, but the Newton is in a good location a block from a major subway station on the Upper West Side.

<Having said that, you have to be on the lookout for sales and good prices in Manhattan.>
Absolutely! I have found good rates--for me--even on a holiday weekend in Manhattan.

But what do you mean when you say "budget"? Rock bottom prices, or...??

Really need to know:

Specific $ amount per night they can spend

How many people are in the group - is one double bed enough or do they need an upgraded/larger room for more people?

The info above is good. You can also have a look at a couple of the discount sites to see what is available: booking.com etc.

If they see some options there they want info on they can give us the names.

IMHO the most important factor is proximity to a subway so they can easily get around the city.

Check Travelzoo.com NYC offerings as it gets closer to the stay dates, like 3 months out.

Check the Triumph Hotels, esp. The Cosmopolitan in Tribeca. I scored rates under 200 there in March and April last spring.

Check the La Quinta Manhattan. Three weeks ago, October in Manhattan, I stayed in a King rm there, next to the Empire State bldg, for a total of $166 including all taxes and fees. awesome stay.

Check all of the Choice.com Hotels in Manhattan. The Clarion Park Ave. in particular has smallish rooms but is a nice stay and has rates that are also small.

"The Jane's cheapest rooms have shared baths, so that's not one of the hotels I'd recommend"

Yes, I said so when I recommended it, it's why I asked "how budget"? It also has an excellent location, next to the Hudson, walking distance to the High Line and Greenwich village and near the subway and bus lines, along with great rates. A single is $79 in January and $105 in June.

I have stayed at the Jane three times and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I'm an ex-pat Brit, the prospective visitors are Brits, they may be as willing as I am to trade an en-suite bathroom for the Jane's location and price. My concern would be the size of the rooms - OK for a single, but I'd have doubts about a double.

Thank you all for your help. Doug Stallings had some very good ideas, as did all you others.
This family has two boys, 13 and 11, who have never been to the states at all.
They are somewhat undecided what area they want to stay in, and their budget is not as restricted as I had originally been given to believe.

From the info given to me, above, I have done some research and sent them ideas and possibles. So thanks for making that possible.

I think they are now trying out several sites to see if there is availability for their trip next April. They'll spend one week, all of it in NYC.

As usual, Fodor's comes thru with good ideas and a few cautions. The places I would want to stay and the sites I would want to see vary a lot from what these parents might want (a lawyer and an architect.) However, when it comes to 11 and 13 year old boys, I'm not so sure.

I have told them that the High Line would be a must for me, but beyond that, I guess I would say the Museum of Natural History, and then the "usual."

Many thanks again.

Be sure to aim them at:

Staten Island ferry
Central Park
Top of the Rock
Intrepid/Space Shuttle
The Met (arms & armor and Temple of Dendur/Egyptian Department if nothing else)

Also they should have a look at one of the broadway shows for kids.

If they want to see the Statue of Liberty they should go to the web site of the National Park Service as soon as their dates are fixed, since tickets to the crown - or even the pedestal - sell out months in advance.

There is a very reasonable Hampton Inn in SoHo (on Watts Street)...lots close by within walking distance. Maybe not budget and it certainly depends on what else is going on at the same time.

If they can afford it the Standard Hotel Downtown straddles the Highline and is very unique architecturally. But it's also probably over $400 per night.