montereybob

We are planning our first trip to NYC and would like to get recommendations for hotels to stay in that would be good locations for first time tourists.

sf7307

Bob, give us a hint what type of hotel you like and your nightly budget (as I'm sure you know or suspect, hotels in Manhattan are very expensive, but especially for your first trip there, you should definitely try to stay in Manhattan).

montereybob

We like hotels that are in the quality range of Westin or Marriott, but not of course limited to those two brands. We have no idea what to expect for nightly rates in NYC, having never stayed there. Please enlighten us.

5alive

I am planning my first family trip there too (although I've visited in the far past). Google your Marriott chain, Hilton chain etc and put in your dates, number in your party etc and click through. Be sure you're sitting down when you get the results.

sf7307

Oh, one more question - what time of year? Starting in October, rates tend to go up up and more up through the holidays. January and February are the most inexpensive months (but the worst weather).

Bowsprit

Although I never think of a successful city vacation as dependent upon the weather, a cold, raw day in New York City isn't the most pleasant, that's for sure. The subway system in NYC is fantastic, so if the weather gets awful above ground, you can get some respite down below. The winter months are windy, the buildings acting as wind tunnels. Hotel discounts are deep during the late winter months. The week right before Christmas has hotel discount too, oddly enough.

Check orbitz, expedia, travelocity, quikbook for hotel deals. Check travelzoo.com about a month before your trip for discounts. Take a look at photos of many NYC hotels with very objective reviews on oyster.com.

How many in your group?

Midtown, but not directly in Times Square, is a good place for the first time visitor but I prefer staying almost anywhere else. Look outside of midtown for deeper hotel discounts. The size of your group (number of beds needed) will also drive your decision.

nytraveler

You say "we" but don;t say how many people that is. Many hotels in NYC have one double bed and are suitable only for a couple - or two people comfortable sharing a single bed.

So - for recos, you need to tell us:

Dates
How many people/how many beds
Budget (you may not know exactly - but are you looking for $200 or $500 per night?

starrs

5alive offers good advice. It's my starting point when checking hotel rates in NYC. Any location in Manhattan will work for you if you are comfortable using the subway. My preference is to stay in Midtown West or the larger Times Square area. I like the location (and the hotel) of the Hampton Inn Times Square North because I go to a lot of Broadway shows and like to see a lot of things in Midtown. We stayed at the Muse for a trip in the winter (a Kimpton Group hotel) and LOVED the hotel and its location. We could walk to everything which was very nice in November.

doug_stallings

NYC hotels are the most expensive in the U.S.

As long as you stay in Manhattan between Lexington and 8th Avenues and between 14th and 59th Street, you will be in the heart of Manhattan and within easy reach of transit. Other places in Manhattan can also be convenient for tourist, but I dislike staying west of 9th Avenue or east of 3rd Avenue, though there are some hotels in those areas.

The Westin in Times Square is a nice, newish hotel in the heart of the theater district, and it often has decent rates. The Hilton is not so nice, but the Hilton Garden Inn on 8th Avenue is one of the city's best. If you are looking for a Marriott, look at the Courtyard hotels. They are almost uniformly better than the regular Marriotts. But there are literally hundreds of good hotels in NYC depending on what you want to pay. The Marriott in Brooklyn is almost consistently horrendously overpriced and not at all worth it.

After October 1, you can expect a decent hotel to cost no less than $300 per night without tax. Sometimes there are deals, but rates at mediocre hotels usually double starting in mid-November. The closer you get to Thanksgiving, the more expensive things get, reaching their highest point between Thanksgiving week and Christmas. Then prices start to fall, most precipitously after Jan. 1.

Manhattan hotel rooms can be extremely smaller---much smaller than the typical hotel room anywhere else, but there are certainly good, serviceable hotels in many price ranges, though it's hard to find a good room in Manhattan for much under $200 per night anytime of the year except in January and February.

There are several decent, if not luxurious hotels in Long Island City Queens, as well as a few in Brooklyn. And you can book on Priceline, but if you do that, do it about 1 to 2 months out rather than at the last minute. It can be hard to find a good deal fewer than 3 weeks out.

montereybob

Thanks for all the great advice. We will be going sometime in the fall. Just two of us needing only one bed. If you were choosing between sept., oct., or first week of nov., which would you choose?

nytraveler

I would choose late Sept or early Oct for better weather and longer days. By Nov it can be really chilly and rainy (last year we even had a snowstorm around Halloween).

doug_stallings

September has the best weather, but if you want to come in October, come before October 15 before prices start to rise dramatically. The weather can be nice and brisk in November, but it's much more expensive. You'll get the best prices and (arguably) the best weather of the entire year in September, but we've had such a crazy year weather-wise, that it's hard to really know.

Bowsprit

Definitely plan your visit before the clocks change. It'll change your trip dramatically.

Bowsprit

And since it's just the 2 of you, you might consider bidding on a hotel room on Priceline or booking a quikbook 'Secret Sale Hotel'.