Can you give me a new idea for a hotel for Labor Day- 2 nights- father and 2 kids, one of whom is an adult. Have previously stayed at the Warwick and Hampton Inn Times Sq North. Not looking to spend much time in Times Sq-will see a show, but would like to do some new things. Have seen a few museums, but not Guggenheim. Would like to spend about $250 per night. Am I too early to book? I've seen Novotel and Roosevelt at decent rates.

It's never too early to book. Rates for NYC tend to go up and up as your date approaches and the hotels fill.

Shop like the dickens and book something ASAP, taking careful note of the cancellation policy. Then, keep shopping.

What kind of accommodation are you looking for? Do you need a two bed room plus a sofabed? If so, you might check the Afinia hotels, the Salisbury, the Metro and the Beacon (all hotels I have recently researched) and do a search here for other suite-type hotels.

It is not too early to book something totally refundable and to continue to research for deals as your dates get closer.

Don't worry too much; Labor Day is very slow in NYC since family summer vacations are over and it's not a popular time for business trips.

Our group wanted to do something different after a few trips to mid-town and the Upper West Side, so last year we stayed at the Solita Soho Hotel:

http://www.clarionhotel.com/ires/en-...fo?hotel=NY288

It's sort of stuck between Soho and Little Italy/Chinatown, and a reasonable walk to the Brooklyn Bridge, the Lower East Side (check out the Tenement Museum), the East Village and even Washington Square. And a couple of subway stops nearby to choose from to go anywhere else in the city.

Really gives you a different perspective on the city from mid-town.

Get an upper floor room; there is a club adjacent that rocks into the night; I was up a few floors and never noticed it.

Also, if you haven't stayed in the Upper West Side, there are several hotels there to choose from. Lots of restaurants, local flavor like Zabars and H&H Bagels, the Natural History Museum and Rose Planetarium, the Dakota, Central Park (Strawberry Fields, Bow Bridge, etc.); walk across the park to the Metropolitan Museum; take the bus all the way up to the Cloisters....

The Novotel is not that far from where you've stayed in the past. The Roosevelt is midtown on the east side, decent older classic NYC hotel a bit more like the Warwick but bigger.

Since it sounds like you'd ideally like 3 beds, what about a suite hotel and maybe something in more of a residential neighborhood? The Surrey Hotel is nearish the Guggenheim (and the Met) and part of the Affinia.com group. Their other hotels are also good. The upper west side is also a nice idea. The Excelsior is opposite the Mus. of Nat. History and has some 1 bedroom suites. On the Ave. is another nice hotel in that area but I think 2 double beds is as much as you'd get there.

Another idea is to stay downtown. The Embassy Suites in the financial district is often very good value, has 1 bedroom suites, includes free breakfast and is right near a stop of the nywatertaxi.com a fun way to get around the city in the summer.

As previously mentioned, Labor Day weekend is a very slow time in NYC. So, you should be able to get an room at a fairly decent price. That being the case, common sense dictates that you can certainly wait and get a good price. Further, I wouldn think that goingn the priceline or a similar route as the date gets closer is definitely the way to go.

I haven't stayed there myself but friends recently stayed at the Belleclaire Hotel and thought it was reasonably-priced, well-located and very pleasant. It looks good on the website.

http://www.belleclairehotel.com/

There is a Hampton Inn in the Financial District that could be a good deal over the Labor Day weekend (prices are high during the work week). The Financial District is dead in the evenings (I live down there), but there are a lot of tourist sights to see nearby and there is a concentration of subway stops so it's easy to get around. You might find prices are better than in midtown. There is also an Embassy Suites hotel on North End avenue on the border of Battery Park and Tribeca.

The newly reopened Museum of the American Indian (in the Customs House building at Bowling Green) is a great, small museum with interesting displays. There's also a skyscraper museum in nearby Battery Park.

We recently visited the Frick for the first time and loved it. It's smaller in scale than some museums, which fits my attention span. The house in which the museum is located is gorgeous. It is interesting to look at the collection and get a strong sense of an individual collector's tastes. I really liked the portraits (especially because Mr. Frick liked to reunite related portraits).

Priceline is not a great idea for you since they only guarantee 1 bed for 2 people in NYC. I'd book something cancelable now and keep looking at travelzoo.com and elsewhere for "deals."

Thanks, DancingBearMD. That was just the kind of advice I was looking for. On tv the other night, I saw a program that mentioned both H&H and Zabars. I'll check out your suggestions.

Another alternative occurred to me--the Blue Moon is right next to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. We met a guy who was staying there during our tour of the Museum and he said it was very comfortable:

http://www.bluemoon-nyc.com/

In addition to the Museum, this would be an easy walk to Katz's Delicatessan, Chintown and Little Italy and the East Village, and a quick cab ride across the Williamsburg Bridge to Peter Luger's, Bon Appetit's choice for best steaks in the country.

Also, although the last time I checked their prices had risen considerably (along with most NYC hotels), the Excelsior is located in the Upper West Side right across from the Natural History Museum, and has triples.

I went to NYC in July with my family and we stayed at the Grand Hyatt NY. It was wonderful. Perfect location- straight shot to Times Square but far enough so you are not on top of it, also! Grand Central station was linked to the hotel and if you went through the annex you came out to all the shops and many breakfast places. Really great pastries. We hit that every morning. Plus the convenience of the subway being there also helped. It was a fantastic central spot for everything we wanted to do. We booked it through Travelocity and got a pretty good deal but we booked it with a flight. I do believe it is in your price range. Check it out!

I stayed in the Grand Hyatt recently for 110 dollars per night with priceline.

It's not the four seasons but it was fine and very central.