hobobeen

We are a couple in our 40's looking for accommodation in new york for may next year.
We are looking for something in a good location and nice enough to enjoy a week ambling around to restaurants/ galleries /shops etc as well as some of the tourist destinations.
We are happy to spend up to $400 including tax or less. Any suggestions on where we should stay?
Thankyou

Aduchamp1

Please note the area is called Greenwich Village, The Village, or the West Village. There is a toney bedroom community in CT called Greenwich.

Both are wonderful neighborhoods in which to stay. There are many more galleries in the area of north of The Village in Chelsea and many, many more restuarants in the East Village.

But both are expensive residential areas with a great deal of charm.

mclaurie

It's extremely early to be looking for prices for next May. Many hotels' computers won't take a reservation more than 6 months away, esp. when it's the following calendar year. Even when you see prices, they're likely to just be "rack rates" (ratecard). Hotel prices do fluctuate based on supply and demand. Hotel rates have been very high in NYC given the weak dollar so it's hard to say where you'll find prices below $400 in May which is a busy, therefore pricey time of year.

There aren't many hotels in the village and May is graduation time at NYU, located in the village so hotels get heavily booked. Cooper Square and the W Union Square are the nicer options in the village. wshotel.com is a great location but very basic (and overpriced imo). But there are also some b & b's in the village which are really more like renting an apt. in a smaller building (no elevators). The rates at those don't change as much and they do get booked far in advance. west-eleventh.com and gvhabitue.com are 2 of the nicer ones in the village.

In Soho, there are loads of nice hotels, but most are showing rates above $400/night in May (if they're showing rates at all). Trump Soho, the James, Mondrian Soho, Crosby St. (likely over $400) and the Soho Grand are some of the nicer ones. There are some chains in Soho now like the Courtyard and the Four Points Sheraton, but I think it would be a shame to pay high prices for those. You might broaden your geographic area and look at something like the Gansevoort Park in the Gramercy/Flatiron area. kayak.com is one good place to check pricing.

Most of the galleries in Manhattan are in Chelsea now, btw.

mclaurie

The Nolitan is a new hotel just opening now that might be another option. http://nolitanhotel.com/index.cfm

MFNYC

As mentioned, lots of new hotels are opening in the Soho area, but still not too many in the Village. The Union Sq W is a great location (walkable to lots, and across the street from a main subway hub). There are also many new hotels in the Chelsea area, which would be a good location as well.

Definitely put your dates in Kayak and see what comes up. Sometimes with early booking, you can get a good deal. You can always books something that is cancel-able then if something better comes along, just cancel and re-book. Also read reviews on Kayak and Tripadvisor and check hotel websites for special deals, or discounts you may qualify for (like AAA).

doug_stallings

I'd recommend the W Union Square for its central location. But as several others have said, it's a little early for that. SoHo isn't really my favorite place to stay. But without knowing more about you, it's hard for me to know for sure whether you'd like it or not. But as others have said, there are some nice hotels downtown in SoHo and Tibeca, though many of them are pretty expensive.

I wonder if you might enjoy the Cooper Square Hotel. It's on the edge of the East Village, one of my favorite areas for good inexpensive (and sometimes trendy) restaurants, but it's an easy walk over to the West Village from there, or down to SoHo. Not sure if you can get a room for $400 though.

Bowsprit

Marriott SoHo, Hampton Inn SoHo will both have rooms within your budget, both are fairly new (Varick St. Marriott just opened Sept. 2010) and both are often discounted on quikbook, travelocity, expedia, travelzoo, etc. Check closer to your travel dates for these kinds of discounts. We've stayed in both of these hotels for under $200.00; once in the autumn and once this spring.

MFNYC

The Marriott Soho is on a very busy street. It's the entrance into the Holland tunnel which is a high volume traffic area, especially during rush hour. If you stay there, avoid rooms facing Varick, and the higher the better.

Bowsprit

The Hampton Inn SoHo is also near the Holland Tunnel. Our room on the 17th floor faced the ESB and the Chrysler Bldg. It was as quiet as a tomb. We never experienced any noise and the proximity to 6th Ave made it a breeze to get a cab.

The Marriott SoHo is on Varick. Our room facing Varick was also quiet and its windows and walls very well insulated against NYC street noise (which I happen to like...if a bit muffled!)