Critique my NYC hotel options
 

Hotel Elysee vs. Sheraton or Marriot in Midtown?

I'm traveling to NYC for the first time over Thanksgiving weekend. I've made reservations at the Hotel Elysee which came highly recommended on this site, as well as a few others. Unfortunately for that time frame, prices are very high.... I'm spending almost $400 a night to stay there. I recently noticed that I could stay at the Sheraton (there are two in midtown) for about $50 less a night, and the Marriot Courtyard at 5th ave for $100 less a night! Is it worth it to switch? If the Elysee is that much better, I will be willing to pay for it. Just want to know what you think.....

I stayed at the Marriott Courtyard on 5th Avenue during the summer shortly after Marriott took over this property. This was some other hotel prior to the takeover by Marriott and it is not anywhere near the quality of a Courtyard. My room was not particularly clean and the drapes and bedspread were pretty tacky looking. There were no hook ups for laptops available during my stay and this was a problem because I was on a business trip. The "restaurant" is next door and it is very basic for breakfast. The desk clerk was not helpful. I called Marriott directly to switch over to another property but there were no rooms available anywhere (it was about 7 PM)... They did explain that this property was to be re-done later this year.... This property is not worth whatever they are charging until it is redone!!

If it's worth it or not depends on what you want from a hotel. the Elysee and the Sheraton are both full service hotels in good locations. IMHO the Elyseee is much more charming and the service is better.

Any Marriott Courtyard is a basic motel-type place - not a full service hotel. This one sounds particularly disappointing - but in any case you are comparing apples and oranges.

It is apples, oranges and kiwi.

The Sheratons are huge, convention/business type hotels. They are on the west side nearer the theaters though and closer to Rockefeller Center.

That Marriott Courtyard is in a great location (40th & fifth Ave.) right near the main library. It's unfortunate the rooms and service aren't good b/c the location sure is.

The Elysee is a small, European style hotel off Madison Ave. It's an old building so I think some of the regular rooms are small. I wouldn't spend $400/night to stay there in a regular room. A suite maybe yes.

At the same time I wouldn't <i>consider</i> paying $350 to stay at the Sheratons because I hate those big hotels. So...I wouldn't choose any of your options.

The Giraffe which gets rave reviews on tripadvisor is available (giraffehotel.com) for $329-~$359 depending on room/bed size or $429 for a one bedroom suite! That's just one better option imo. They are probably others.

How many nights? For two, stay at the Elysee. As mclaurie stated, apples and oranges.

If it is four nights or more, that's $400 I'm spending in Bloomingdales.

Also, good advice to check the Giraffe.

Also check Affina.com and their hotels. They usually have better prices for charming hotels.

boy, maybe its just me, but have New York hotel prices jumped a bit this fall? I'm in the same boat as you, nikkilou, having a hard time finding a nice hotel under $350 in October. I'm just wondering, has everybody else found that the prices have gone up?

nikki, if the Michelangelo has any rooms available, they have an internet special which claims to be $250. This would be great (but they had no availability for my dates). The other place I'm considering is the Hampton Inn Time Square which is not too bad at $339 and seems to get good reviews hereabouts, I've never stayed there.

mclaurie, the Giraffe sounds nice. but I checked, at least in October, their basic rate was $379 (and unavailable) and suites were $575! everything has gone up, up, up!

good luck with it!

China Cat, NYC tourism levels has met &amp; exceeded pre 9/11 days (good for the NYC economy, bad for us bargain hunters!) add that to the convention business and you're faced with some amazingly high hotel prices. I now start searching for a hotel months in advance for our trips there. Try sites such as quikbook.com etc., and if you find a price you can live with - book it before it's gone. Also, be sure to call the hotels direct sometimes they meet or beat internet rates and you never know if there is cancellation on a hotel that reads as booked on the internet sites. Good luck!

china cut I checked Nov 23-28, Thanksgiving weekend when nikkilou said she was going and those were the rates I got at the Giraffe on their own website. I did also check the Michelangelo for nikki and it was either too high or not available, can't remember.

Awesome feedback. I'm going to check out the giraffe, definitely. I know, $400 for a tiny room? Craziness. I was considering the sheraton b/c my hubby is into the bigger hotels... I don't know. I do think it's important we have a hotel known for good service, since its our first time and we don't want to be snubbed when we ask for directions to the subway or something. But agreed, I'd rather spend the money on a hot new pair of boots or something, heh. Lots to consider. I really appreciate your opinions...

Yes - hotel rates are generaly higher - and late October through christmas is the busiest/most expensive time of year.

Prices were artificially depressed for a couple of years after 9/11 and have now come back up to pre 9/11 levels.

Combined with the weakness of the dollar against the euro/pound (and all the extra european tourists) as well as the hotels being turned into condos (because they're much more profitable due to the balooning real estate market - again partly due to those pesky rich europeans) and you have a shortage of decent rooms and a surfeit of guests.

Don;t expect prices to go down anytime soon. At busy time look early and grab anything that looks decent.

you might try The Envoy Club. it's on 30th and 1st. not a glamour locale, but the rooms are full apartments with a kitchen, and they are much bigger than the normal hotel. very nicely appointed, usually not too expensive...

China Cat, we have reservations at the Hotel Giraffe on Friday and Saturday night of Thanksgiving weekend at $329 for a deluxe queen. Nikkilou, if you are at all interested in this hotel, there are still rooms available at this rate, at least as of today.

nikkilou, you'll find that New Yorkers are some of the nicest people on the planet and many hotel staff will go out of their way to help you.

I would not be worried about the service at any of the hotels you've mentioned.

The one bad thing about New York that time of year are the overwhelming crowds. In some places, it is hard to walk on the street especially around Times Square, Rockefeller Center, CPS/Central Park, and Fifth Avenue/Rock Center.

Just go prepared for crowds.

One really good tip is to watch the parade from the Upper West Side. You get out earlier than everyone in Midtown and as a result, can get better reservations for dinner/lunch.

Also, DO NOT MISS blowing up the parade balloons the night before the parade on the Upper West Side.