Hey folks, finally decided on the days I'm going to NYC. Now I need some help deciding between a couple of hotels I checked out. I know they're not the most expensive and/or the classiest but they're in the price range I'm looking for. The hotels I'm trying to decide between are the Milford Plaza, the Hotel Pennsylvania, the Quality Hotel-Times square and the Club Quarters Midtown-Times Square. Please help out this first time traveler to NYC. TIA.

I posted on your other thread - whatever you do avoid the Pennsylvania like the plague! I was in NY at this time last year with someone whose idea was "how bad can it be? The price is ok & the website looks fine." We found out - it's absolutely disgusting.

I can be pretty bolshy and when I got there (my friend had been there for 2 days by then), I refused to move my gear into the room, called the General Manager, demanded an upgrade immediately and had us moved .... but what we moved to was still revolting.

Had it been my call, I would not have spent more than 5 minutes in the dive.
Luckily, I only had to spend 2 or 3 nights there & my friend went home & I moved into an apartment.

I'm not a "precious" traveller by any means but this place is beyond unacceptable by even the most generous measurement.

WHat are your price range and dates? It is quite likley that there could be other, and possibly better hotels in your range and hints on how to get them.

For instance, travelzoo.com (which I recently discovered thanks to mclaurie, a poster here) has great specials. If they don't have something in your price range now, keep checking back as their specials change all of the time. They are legit- I am staying at the Muse and the reservations people at that hotel and the front desk people told me they book a lot of rooms through travelzoo when they run promotions on that site. You could reserve somewhere else but keep checking travelzoo to see if something better comes up. Right now, travelzoo has a special on the Mansfield (44th btwn 5th and 6th) for $159 w/free breakfast.

A very good friend of mine visited me in D.C. recently and then went on w/her family (2 teens, 2 adults) to NYC. They stayed at Milford Plaza. I was concerned about what it would be like, but saw that there are generally good reviews on tripadvisor.com. She said it was fine and they liked the location, but that they "could have used a second room for our luggage."

Dave Barry wrote a classic column about the "Hotel Shpennsylvania." Wish I could find the link, because it covered it all: dirt, noise, teeny-tiny rooms, unhappy staff.

I stayed there a few years ago when it was the only thing left for a last minute trip - my experience was pretty much like Bokhara's.

I think the Club Quarters is probably your best bet. These are usually of pretty good quality. I would NOT stay at the Milford Plaza or the Hotel Pennsylvania.

lisettemac, I thought the same thing about the Milford until my freind stayed there and I saw the good reviews on tripadvisor, and the friend liked it. What exactly is it that makes you recommend against it? I am not an advocate for the hotel, but just trying to understand what is so bad about it since I had this close friend stay there 3 wks ago.

Thanks everyone for posting up. I guess I will definately(sp?) avoid the Pennsylvania. As far as my price range, I really want to stay under $250 avg./night (tax and all). The dates I'm travelling are Aug. 30 - Sep. 3. Thanks.

I think at that range and those dates, you can do better than the hotels you list. Travelzoo has several deals at less than $250 for that time period, including a newly updated superior room at the Millenium for $179, the mansfield specail mentioned above, etc.

Good luck!

Actually, though travelzoo shows those specials, many hotels are sold out for that Saturday night, so they're not actually available at all. Still, check quikbook.com I see the Park South there, and I think it gets reasonable reviews.

Take a look at www.redweek.com Owners post rentals for their units at The Manhattan Club. It is a timeshare condo near Carnegie Hall. There are listings for 2-7 days rentals, some for as low as $200 per night. (I also think you save a good bit on tax if you rent a condo) You might get lucky and find just the right deal there. The units are beautiful. We considered purchasing once, but the ownership is much too expensive. Good for last minute rentals though.

Do NOT touch the Hotel Pensylvania- which is ismplu a dump - there have been numerous reports of serious unclenliness and infestation with Vermin.

Similarly I would not touch the Milford. It use to be known as the Mildew Plaza - don;t know if that issue has been resolved, but there were also reports of security issues - as in none. And more than one woman reported (can;t vouch for this but it has appeared in several places) being accosted in the hallways by a strange man.

Look at Quikbook, HotWire and check out the applecore group of budget hotels - which get generally good reviews.

travelisgood -- like nytraveler, I've always heard (here and elsewhere) that it is dirty and unsafe.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. Another question though, I found a good deal for the Millennium Broadway Hotel-Times Square, it seems like a nice hotel (but then again looks can be deceiving-Hotel Pennsylvania) but does anyone have any info on this one. Thanks again.

Has anyone stayed at the Paramount near Times Square? I got a Deluxe room on Travelzoo.

Haven't been to these places in a while, but here are a couple of suggestions to check out: Hotel Edison, Thirty Thirty, Marriott Brooklyn Bridge (not in the Times Square area but might be worth checking out).

I've stayed at the Paramount. The rooms are tiny, but its a very good location for theater. A real "see and be seen" attitude prevails.

My reply is in your other thread.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...e=travelisgood

Sorry for all the questions but I just found another website with some good prices. What would be better, the Millenium Broadway or the Affinia Dumont? And why? Location, cleanliness, service? Again sorry for all the questions but I just don't want to come back home unhappy from my first trip to the Big Apple. Thanks.

I like the location of the Affinia Dumont better, but I prefer a quieter location than Times Square. The Affinia gets routinely excellent reviews on tripadvisor.

Is location the biggest difference between the two? Does one have that much better rooms than the other? Thanks.