I am coming to New York with a group of friends for my 30th and want to stay in a fun/hip hotel, preferably with a good bar and close (walking distance) to lots of nightlife. Dont mind where we stay in Manhattan, price no more than say $200 a night. Any advice would be useful.

One of the "coolest, hippest" hotels and bars is the Hudson Hotel on West 58th St. Very trendy, and the bar is a true scene--celebs, "beautiful people" etc. Rooms are very reasonably priced, very modern, etc., quite small, however. Check it out at hudsonhotel.com.
While it may not be particularly close to the best nightlife, you can easily get where you want to go by taxi.

When are you going? Hudson has a great "courtyard" in the middle of the hotel, nice place to relax with a drink in the warmer weather (but bring your $, the drinks are not cheap). Don't let the negative remarks on the forum scare you; yes, the rooms are small (but they are EXTREMELEY clean), yes there are a lot of "beautiful people", yes the lighting is dim, and yes the staff is dressed all in black - (but they treat everyone VERY nicely). Depending on when you are visiting you should be able to stay here for around $150-$165 per night. Easy to walk or cab to the places you'll want to see. We stayed here when they opened on a "deal" and had a ball (and I would hardly consider us "the hip & beautiful"). Since they have never repeated the opeing special rates, we have taken to booking via Priceline. Have a great time!

Thanks for your advice - hoping to go Easter weekend in April.

That's a great time to come--weather should be getting nice by then. I checked Hudson Hotel web site, and rooms range from $195 for standard, going up from there for larger rooms/suites. The standard room is small, but very nice, and probably won't be in the room that much anyway. Next price is $205 for slightly bigger room. Won't find a hotel of that quality for that price, imo. Enjoy.

Sorry, rooms start at 190, then 195, 205, etc.

First choice, Hudson Hotel; second choice, Tribeca Grand; third choice, 60 Thompson Hotel (actually tide with second).

That should have been "tied" not "tide".

There is no such thing as a "hip" hotel. Hip people are hep to cool hotels or to happening places.

Try looking at the Hudson rates on Travelocity, Hotelkingdom.com, Expedia, or quickbook.com - normally you should be able to beat the $195 price, but the Easter weekend might be a differnt story.