New York City hotels for elderly companions
 

I am planning a trip to NY City with an 85-year old aunt & 90-year-old mother. Although some of the smaller hotels look pleasant, I need a good hotel location & amenities for my family. What hotels would you recommend? We will need access to taxi rather than bus or subway. Thanks for your thoughts

Your budget is going to play a huge role in this decision. If you can give us an idea of what you can spend and whether you prefer two rooms, a suite or a room with two beds, that would help.

What is your budget?

I would stay on the Upper East Side and out of Times Square because of the sheer mass of people that would jostle your mother and Aunt around.

The Carlyle, The Pierre, and Plaza-Athenee are all good choices with good doorman who will hail cabs for you.

Would also help immensely to know what you plan to do while you're there. No matter how good the hotel or the doorman is, being near what you want to see/do is always a help.

The upper west side is another good choice. It is a mid/upscale residential area with several moderately priced hotels with full services, it is generally easy to get a cab or a car service - and there are a lot of good, inexpensive neighborhood restaurants - usually on every block.

The Lucerne is often mentioned as a good choice.

Thanks for the responses. Budget is a difficult matter, as these women often remind me they lived through the GREAT Depression & bring frugality to level of saintliness. I am considering $300-350/night, remembering taxes in New York. I have looked at The Lucerne, The Belvedere, & Affinia Gardens & Affinia 50. The Affinia Suite Collection offers a nice option for several family members to join us. We plan to taxi to see a show, take the ferry to Ellis Island, where my Aunt's sisters & parents came into the US, Central Park, & shopping. Avoiding jostling crowds is appreciated.
Your assistance is so appreciated.

All of the hotels you mention are good. Your instincts about the Affinia hotel suites and a suite hotel in general are good, not just for visiting family, but if the 3 of you are sharing, it's nice to have a separate living room and bedroom. The Rihga Royal and the Blakely are also all suite hotels a bit closer to the theater district than the Affinias, that might work too.

The Salisbury is a budget all suite hotel near Central Park and they even have 2 bedroom 2 bathroom suites (the others may too). The service there is spotty though.

Thanks, mclaurie, for confirming these suggestions. It is difficult to sift through all of the options.
Do you know if the double-decker bus tours would be too difficult for the elders? They are healthy & ambulatory, but need a little more time & assistance.

The Blakely is not all suites - but has some lovely suites. That is a very small hotel, with a calm lobby, so you might get more personal attention there.

You might have to brace yourself for a little jostling on the Ellis Island trip. When we did it the line to get ont he ferry was very long, the ferry was crowded (but it was raining and everyone was jammed inside) and getting back was crowded. Still worth the trip though, but it will be an exhausting day for them.

How about The Regency Hotel on the east side? That is nice and would have a good doorman for sure.

You've gotten some good hotel tips.

As for Ellis Island, it is wonderful and you shouldn't miss it. But, the line can be very long and I don't know how well mom and aunt could stand. I suggest you get there first thing and try to get on the first boat so you don't stand in line for too long.

I think the bus tour would be fine, you could probably call and ask about accommodations for the handicapped. Most people I see taking the bus tours around my office in the Financial District are on the top level, but there is no reason you can't sit below.

The Greyline double decker tour bus is an excellent choice for the infirm and elderly.

They can see the city in complete comfort.

One piece of advice, only get off the bus in Times Square or downtown. On the other stops, you'll have a hard time finding seats together because the on/off traffic is sporadic.

When we visited Ellis Island several years ago in April, there was a huge crowd that was herded through a long security screening process and then put on a ferry to the island. The visit involved quite a bit of walking, since you had to walk through Battery Park to get to the docks for the ferry and then there is walking on the Island and inside the facility. Perhaps the screening has stopped?

I don't agree about the double decker tour being a good idea. The only decent views are upstairs so you do have to climb up and once up there, it gets either cold and windy or hot and steamy depending on time of year.

I would do one of the other tours (either Marvelous Manhattan or NY Party Shuttle) that use smaller closed climate controlled buses. They don't have the benefit of flexibility of getting on and off, but I think it would be better for them overall.

nypartyshuttle.com
kingofnyc.com

I do think there's a lot of walking and standing for security for getting on the ferry to Ellis Island. What about investing in those portable seats that fold like a cane.

http://www.comforthouse.com/porseat.html

http://www.relaxtheback.com/portable...t-6367945-1894

https://secure.pzinternet.com/sportseat/index.html

Thanks to all for your thoughts. mclaurie's suggestion about the folding seats is excellent - THANKS.
Regency does look nice. The smaller tours are more what I need for this trip.