meeting friends we met on another trip in NYC - looking for accommodations in the heart of all the fun and night life - would love any recommendations for a nice place to stay (somewhat top notch) any suggestions?

Before you get seriously flamed for not doing any research, let me suggest that you search this site -- there are dozens upon dozens of threads about New York hotels.

My one suggestion: Don't stay in Times Square.

Good luck with your research.

Gekko - thanks for the warning - the research of the trip is half the fun - i just wanted suggestions so i would have somewhere to start and have always felt that the fellow traveler is the best place to start

W Hotels are ultrahip! Try the one in Soho! Next to great restaurants and never ending nightlife

powamom,

I don't really don't like staying in Times Square but we stayed at the Doubletree Suites in May and loved it. All the rooms are suites with a den and a bedroom. The den has a sofa sleeper which comes in handy when traveling with friends and you need more space.

There is no W hotel in Soho. There is the Soho Grand which is very nice. There is also the Tribeca Grand. The closet W to Soho is the one in Union Square. That would be a good choice.

sorry powamom, i meant the soho grand, not the W in the soho area. but the W hotel in union square is great as well.

thanks for answering my question - now i have an idea of what places to start to look at -

I recommend the Michelangelo Hotel. It's on the corner of 7th Ave and W 51st so it's near everything (Central Park, 5th Ave., Rockefeller Center, Times Square, several subways) but not right in the middle of Times Square. Lovely, spacious rooms. You can search this site for other comments (mine included).

Words of warning...the hipper the hotel, the smaller the rooms. And most of the rooms are not just small, but tiny.