I'm looking at Hotel 31 on 31st between Lexington and Park avenues and wondered if anyone has stayed there. It's only $85/night for a room with a shared bath. My daughter and I would only be there one night. Anyone out there who knows about Hotel 31???? Thanks.

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Guessing you are referring to NYC, I'd rather spend a little more money for a 2.5 star on priceline than share a bathroom with strangers.

I had never heard of this place before you posted. Reviews on tripadvisor here are surprisingly good.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._New_York.html

I must say I agree with GoTravel though. You could get a room through Priceline for the same or less (!) and have a private bath. If you don't know how to bid on Priceline, read biddingfortravel.com and/or betterbidding.com.

One "trick" people have reported is bidding 2.5 star in midtown east. You usually get the Courtyard by Marriottt midtown east. I've just checked and people are getting it for $65!!! There is a small chance you would get the Metropolitan which is not a great hotel but IMO it's still better than sharing a bathroom.

I also noticed when looking at biddingfortravel (they have a list of PL hotels as the first post under NYC) that the Excelsior is now a PL hotel and would be the only 2.5 star hotel in the upper west side section. It's a nice place right across from the museum of Natural History if that location would work for you.

Thanks for the input. Perhaps some more detail about our trip would help: my daughter and I are coming from the West Coast to check out schools in mid-September. We'll be taking the train from New Haven to Penn Station and then looking at NYU (Washington Square area)for a day, so we only need a hotel room for one night, but I'd like it near either Penn Station or NYU. I'm willing to try bidding on Priceline if I had some names of hotels nearby. Thanks for any help.

If the idea of a shared bathroom doesn't put you off, I'd say based on the reviews on tripadvisor, go for it. For me, personally, if I could get the Courtyard Marriott with a private bath for even less, I'd rather spend the money on transport to where I want to go and have my own bath. I'm also not crazy about the area near Penn station for dining choices and esthetics, but I guess for one night, it doesn't matter.

There are no other "easy" Priceline bargains in the areas you want to be. (I mean no other hotels that are always gotten for under $100 in an area with only 1 or 2 PL hotels).

Other hotels that have gotten good reviews in the area you want are the Avalon (near Penn Station)
applecorehotels.com have a few hotels in the general area of Times Square/Penn Station. Their Red Roof Inn is, I think the closest to Penn Station.

Not too much near NYU. The Larchmont also has shared baths. Check reviews on tripadvisor to see how they compare to Hotel 31.

There's a new Sheraton Four Points in Chelsea which would be a very good location for you. I don't know whether the additional cost would be worth it to you.

Hope this helps.

BTW, just wanted to point out if the Hotel 31 is between Park & Lex you're on the east side and Penn Station is on the west side. You'd still need some transport to/from Penn station. This location is actually just 11 (short) blocks south of the Courtyard Marriott which is on 42nd and 3rd.

AND I've just realized trains from New Haven go to Grand Central NOT Penn station so the Marriott Courtyard is an even better option. Grand Central is on Lexington and 42.

mclaurie--They might be taking Amtrak from New Haven.

oops. You're right. But metro north is cheaper, no?

You should check out the Ramada Inn East side also. I stayed there earlier this year and really liked the place. I paid about 90 $/night for a great room with a clean private bath which was in a good condition. Breakfast is also included. The lobby isn't anything special, the elevator is slow and the building is narrow and tall, but for the price it really was a great place. The hotel is at 30th st/Lexington.

Ramada Inn is near the Empire state building, and on my way there I walked by the Hotel 31, and took a look around in the lobby. It looked ok to me, nothing fancy, but ok. But if you can get a similar deal at the Ramada, it's definitely worth checking out.