We (my husband and myself) shall be in NYC in June 2010.This will be our second time in NY, the first was 15 years ago with an organized tour, and we stayed then at Pennsylvania hotel. We want to visit the most touristic sights, to see one or two shows on Broadway, to walk in Central Park, to visit some art museums.
We are looking for a hotel (3 stars or more)in a safe area, close to the points of interest for us, and if it possible, less than 200 $ / night.

I am looking for the hotels in Theatre District, Upper East Side and Upper West Side. But I do not know really what differences are between these zone, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. Can you please advise?

I never used Priceline or Hotwire sites., but I think that maybe I can get a better price with them. Is it too early to look now there for hotels?

You have plenty of time to shop like the dickens for the best rate possible. It's never to early to check Hotwire or bid on Priceline. Many advise that the best Priceline/Hotwire deals come just ahead of their stay, but I've had great luck way ahead. Just don't get caught up in winning...keep rebidding your preferred area at what you consider to be the lowest reasonable rate. But, before using Priceline or Hotwire, study the resources available on www.biddingfortravel.com and www.betterbidding.com (see the Calendar of Wins, for your dates last year). And, also heed the advice to book something you can cancel.

If your dates are flexible, it's best to find out what's going on in NYC in June, so you don't inadvertently select dates when fill rates are likely to be higher.

It's also a good idea to print a one-page map of Manhattan and highlight the places you plan to visit during your stay, then select a neighborhood for sleeping.

If you're planning to attend one or more Broadway shows, it's always nice to be within walking distance of the theater(s). Taxis are not plentiful at dinner/show time, or when the weather is hot/rainy. And, you may not want to rely on the subway when you're all dressed up for the theater or dinner. It's also nice to be closer to the theaters if you plan to return to your hotel before heading out for dinner/theater.

For Broadway show tickets, consider purchasing tickets for shows that sell out and are never discounted ASAP. And, sign up at Playbill.com, Broadwaybox.com, Theatermania.com, etc., for promo codes.

And, keep an eye on TravelZoo.com

As long as you stay in Manhattan and not in the Financial District or on the far West side (west of 9th Avenue) or on the Upper East Side, it doesn't really matter where your hotel is located. All the other areas of Manhattan are easily reached by foot or public transit, and you'll be able to get around easily enough.

It's not too early to start shopping for a hotel, but your budget is pretty low. Not sure you'll find something then. Definitely use (and study how to use) Priceline to get a good deal. Right now, people are getting fabulous deals.

Finally, people tend to throw around the idea of "stars" too broadly; learn what stars really mean. They do not denote quality. A 3-star hotel has a restaurant that serves room service. Is that what you are really looking for? I doubt it. I think I can deduce what you want, but it has little if anything to do with "stars." You want a nice but not too nice (nor too expensive) hotel with a reasonably sized room. The hotel you are describing typically goes for about $239 a night in Manhattan (in June, at any rate). But with the recession, those hotel rooms are often going for well under $200 per night on Priceline and sometimes even on Hotels.com.

But not all so-called 3-star hotels in Manhattan will serve your needs, and plenty of 2-star hotels will. Learn what the stars mean on Priceline, but just realize that you'll probably get a chain. I think that's actually what you will want: a Holiday Inn Express or Hilton Garden Inn or Hampton Inn. There are plenty of those in Manhattan now, and they might (or might not) be in your price range, but they will be close.

Sign up to get emails from quikbook.com--they have occasional sales where you can get some really great rates. I booked a few nights in mid-October--typically a very busy, expensive time--through them during one such sale and got the On the Ave hotel on the UWS for under $200.

Ditto the recommendation for travelzoo specials. I stayed at the very nice new Hampton Inn near Herald Square last summer for $139/night.

Thank you so much for the advices!
Djk, thank you for the idea of typing a map and for the addresses for tickets.
Doug, thanks for the explanations about stars. You understood very well what type of hotel I really want.
NW, I shall sign at quikbook.com, thank you.
I shall check the hotel recommended by azzure.

After I shall try to find some hotels I shall come here again to show you my complete itinerary, the list of things to see & to do and the hotels that we consider.

Meantime, thanks again.

Val...I can highly recommend a charming boutique hotel on the upper westside, corner of 77th and Broadway..."On the Avenue"..we stayed there for my wife's birthday last year and loved the location, the convenience and the great looking hotel, excellent service. They do not (or did not) serve breakfast, but across he street there is a very fine deli, and a few doors down there are a couple of other choices for breakfast.

Zabar's famous store is just across Broadway...fun place to visit...and a large grocery market is also across Broadway.

www.ontheave-nyc.com/

Stu Tower

The subway stop is half a block away, get to anywhere in town

We stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel in October for 4 nights. We booked it through Priceline for $150 per night and we had a wonderful stay. the Roosevelt is an elegant, historical hotel. Some people complain that the rooms are small but we asked to be upgraded to a king bedded room and they granted our request.

It is located within a block or 2 to the Grand Central Station so you can either walk or take the subway anywhere.

We booked a cancelable hotel and kept trying priceline. My bid was accepted about 3 weeks before our stay.

Have a great time! Laurie

It's not difficult to book a cancelable reservation as a back up and then try Priceline closer to your trip as Laurie says. While it's possible to get a PL win this far in advance, what you win may not be the best value as hotels usually give rooms to PL when they're sure they can't sell them themselves.

Hotel rates fluctuate in NYC based on supply and demand. Demand is very high in June with graduations and weddings (vs. other months) so you won't see as many bargains as at other times. You will probably need to find a good sale in order to keep the price under $200/night and remember hotel tax adds ~ 15% to the price you see on a US website like quikbook or hotels.com or the hotels' own websites. I also like using kayak.com for hotel shopping. Travelzoo.com and Travel-ticker.com get sales 1-3 months in advance of stays.

Midtown (34-59 st.) is considered the central area of Manhattan and many tourists like to stay there but there are also good hotels on the upper west side (like On the Avenue and the Beacon) as well as further downtown in Chelsea, Gramercy and even Soho.

The Excelsior is often available in your price range and is a fine choice. It is located across from the Museum of Natural History and 1 block from Central Park. There are both subway and bus stops within a block.

June is midseaspn and yuo will have a lot of options for deals" Priceline, Travelzoo, etc. Upper east side doesn;t have a lot of choices and most f this ar quite big budget. Upper west side has many more moderate options. Both are primarily residential - many major museums are right on Fifth Ave - dividing line between east and west - but Central Park is west. Wet has more choices for inexpensive.moderate good local dininig and two subway lines - for easier access to the rest of the city.

Midtown is primarily a business district - theater district in the west 40's - plus tradiiotinal department store shopping - but many restaurants are more upscale and bigger $.

I would decide based on 1) the sights most importnat to you (may be uptown, midtown, downtown or on islands in the harbor) and 2) where you can get the best hotel deals. Remember prices quoted will be plus 18% tax)