OK, so this is asked often but the posts I could find were kind of old. Maybe I'm being unrealistic, but any advice will be much appreciated.

3 nights, see a show, probably midtown, Times Sq. area.

We haven't been to NY in years and want to go at the end of Oct.---it will follow a very expensive French vacation so trying to keep the hotel cost down a bit. Doesn't have to be fancy, but in a good location. Room size? Well, anything will seem large after European hotels. Just like it to be up to date and clean.

Unfortunately, the end of October is very high-priced in Manhattan. Are you amenable to trying Hotwire or Priceline? I just checked randomly for 3 days midweek the last week of October and there's a 4* Times Square hotel for $302 on Hotwire (very likely the Doubletree Suites, where we stayed in May for one night - very nice hotel).

If it's the weekend that you'll be there, the prices are lower.

In the less crazy side of the theater district area I like the Hampton Inn Times Square North, the Hilton Garden Inn and the Staybridge Suites. I have no idea what the rates are for your 3 nights, but I'd book one of those three if I were going back and paying for a hotel room (just got back but stayed free in a friend's apartment).

Not sure of your exact dates, but when I looked at my favorite hotel, On the Ave, they have a king room room available towards the last of October for $260 - that's before taxes. It's located on the Upper West Side with easy access to subway and Central Park is only a couple of blocks over. Love the neighborhood atmosphere - so much more relaxed than the Times Square area!

It will be Fri. 10/19, departing Mon. 10/22.
I am going to check out the suggestions.

We have done Priceline in Chicago, so that's a good suggestion. Never tried Hotwire---which site do you like better?

We would like a place where we can walk out the front door and not have to take a lot of cabs or subways. However, I do agree about the upper west side being more relaxed.

How many are "we"? For a couple who can share one double bed there should be some options around the $300 point if you search carefully - and esp if you will move away from Times Square (which many people think is awful anyway).

But if you're asking for anything significantly below that - I don;t think you wll find much in Manhattan.

(Agree to have a look at the moderate places on upper west side - but do so now - since prepay rates are lower: Lucern, On the Ave, Beacon, Milburn etc) They are an 30 minute easy stroll or 5 minutes on the subway from Times Square.

The Holiday Inn Express Times Sq. currently has some rooms for $270 ($313 tx incl) for your dates. Good location, small rooms.

http://www.hiexpress.com/hotels/us/e...ws/hoteldetail

I agree with the UWS being more relaxed. Having said that, I missed the start of a show last week. I rushed in a few minutes after the show started. I was mortified to be late - and it was a small theater. My tix were at Will Call and the ticket agent was literally leaning forward with two ticket envelopes in his hand. I rushed across the lobby and he and I said my name at the same time - and he gave me my tickets without any ID/CC etc. The ushers were nice and hurried me to my seat. When I'm there for pure sight-seeing/show trips, I much prefer in the TS AREA. Not in the middle of it, but in hotels on or off 8th - where you are still steps away but in a much less crowded area. It's where I used to stay in the 90s (when peep shows still abounded) and it's where a friend still lives. My apologies to the locals but it's a great place to be and saves a lot of time spent in back and forth trips. Yes, I'd live elsewhere if I LIVED there...but it's still my favorite place to stay if I'm paying for a hotel room.

Fodorites have stayed at the Hotel Mela in the last year and their reviews were good. Check it out as an option.

When we go to NYC, it's for a theater weekend, and we also like to stay in/near Times Square. It makes going back to the hotel between shows a breeze.

We've had good luick using Priceline--got the Marriott Marquis for $170. Our room was high, so there wasn't any noise, and the location was perfect for us.

I haven't used Priceline as often as I've used Hotwire - there's a small premium for Hotwire over Priceline, because you can almost always figure out what hotel you're going to get on Hotwire by comparing lists of amenities with the hotel lists on better bidding dot com. i actually have never been wring figuring out what Hotwire hotel I was going to gotten "win".

Prices are crazy for those dates. Theres a 4.5* hotel in Times Square area on Hotwire for $306/night plus tax that's likely the Intercontinental Times Square. Very nice.

Hotwire prices can be a bit higher than Priceline but I like it better. As sf said, you can pretty much figure out which hotel you are going to get - if you use betterbidding.com for their list. Better yet, you can indicate that there are 3 people in your party (even if there aren't) and then ensures you will get 2 beds. I stopped using Priceline when the hotel put us in the tiniest room imaginable at the Georgian Terrace - in a double bed, not queen - when the HUGE hotel was mostly empty and a lot of the rooms are suites (former apartments). The bid process gets to be a pain too. I just like Hotwire a lot better.

Try applecorehotels.com, I just did a search for late October (assuming 2 people) and rooms start at $224 + tax and all rooms are under $300 bar one. They have 5 properties and 2 are in the Times Square area. We just stayed at La Quinta for 6 nights (2 rooms/7 people) and had 2 queens in each room, very spacious too, even the bathroom.

Forgot to add that they also give AAA/CAA discount.

Try the Beacon on the upper west side. We got it for $250 a while back-- large room with two beds, fridge and microwave, safe in closet, right across the street from a grocery store and near a subway stop. We loved it.

jayne1973----who did you book The Beacon through for that price?

We booked direct.

I just saw in another post that the former Helmsley on East 42nd is becoming a Westin and has rooms for $279 (before tax). That's a good location, not Times Square but convenient to it and out of the crush of tourists.

You are going at the end of Oct. Many people here will tell you they got this or that hotel for $200 or $250 or whatever. But if you check you will find out it was in the spring - or the moderate rate summer season. Prices for late Oct are completely different.

Sorry - this is just a fact of life - and you need to plan around it.