I am planning a trip to NYC in late Oct / Nov 2011 with my mum for her birthday. It will be the first visit for both of us. I had always wanted to rent an apartment when I visited however I have discovered that Vacation Rentals in NY are illegal (very disappointed) so I am now searching for a hotel for our stay.
I have spent many, many hours on the internet trying to find the right hotel at the right price. My budget just keeps on going up as I don't want to end up in some lousy hotel. Also I am finding alot of hotels are already booked for the dates I want.
So at the moment I am considering the 'New York Palace' but I am open to other suggestions.
To give you an idea of what I am looking for:
- No more than $500 USD a night (including all taxes etc)
- 4 stars +
- Good location but not so noisy at night that we cannot sleep (we are both light sleepers)
- Good service

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I want this trip to be great!!!!

Thanks

Virtually any hotel in Manhattan will meet your requirements in terms of price, location, and service (particularly at that level). However, it would help to know more precisely what you mean by "4 stars +". I can't imagine you'll have a problem finding something for this price. What I'd suggest is that you tell us the kinds of things you plan on doing, then we can recommend a hotel in most convenient area. There will be many, many choices.

A nice new hotel is the Intercontinental in Times Square, and it's a pretty good, convenient location, far enough away from the crush of the crowds that you don't feel too hemmed in. But I prefer staying elsewhere, and there are alot of new, shiny hotels in NYC to choose from. Some hotels even have full kitchens (1 1-bedroom suite at one of the Affinia properties usually has a kitchen); these are good, full-service hotels but aren't really that fancy.

Always get best deals on www.betterbidding.com

Priceline for 4* midtowns like Hyatt Hilton Millineum

from $110-120/nt check calender of winning bids.

Always get a great deal for up to 70% off...

Forgot also you can win the Sheratons like

4* NYC (MTW) Sheraton New York Hotel And Towers - $125

3.5* NYC (Times Square-Theatre District) Sheraton Manhattan - $115

recently join www.spg.com get a suite upgrade at no cost.

works great for me...

I did Priceline Times Square and got the Royalton Hotel 4* for 135$ a night for next week.

"I did Priceline Times Square and got the Royalton Hotel 4* for 135$ a night for next week."

Mid-January will look very different than Mid-October for rate.

As stated, there are plenty of options at the higher end level.

If by chance the price runs up on you, I think both the Dylan Hotel and the FitzPatrick Grand Central are nice options for a smaller hotel in Mid-town.

Both are within a block of Grand Central on reasonably quiet streets.

I've stayed at both and think they are really good value, but not lacking in terms of service.

Just in terms of scale, Manhattan isn't that big. So while it might seem to be "outside" of Midtown to stay at say the Gramercy Park Hotel on 23rd, the reality is that it's about two miles to Times Square and there are numerous places to dine in all parts of town.

Th OP is going in high season next year - so prices now are meaningless. Also the chance of getting Priceline at that time of year are not great and even at 4* there aer risks.

For 4* plus - as in 5* - $500 is simply not enough - the top hotels then will be %800 or so per night - so you need to stick with 4* and hope for the best. The Palace has a good location - but I cant speak to decor, amenities etc.

Have you looked at reviews on tripadvisor.com?

Also the chance of getting Priceline at that time of year are not great

Definitely difficult. We did Priceline in October 2008 and paid over $300 a night for the W New York -- we loved it, both the hotel and the location, but I acknowledge the room was very small. Over Thanksgiving 2007, we paid over $400 a night for the Residence Inn - the Residence Inn!!! Point is, October/November is very high season.

Sorry but I completely disagree. Except for the really expensive luxury hotels like the Mandarin Oriental, hotels under $400 per night are easy to find. The highest prices typically do not kick in until mid to late November, after the OPs visit. Yes, more expensive than January but nothing like Thanksgiving. Four star does not designate a luxury hotel but rather something like the Intercontinental.

Well, since the OP mentioned the Palace I just checked, and wanted to point out to her one very important point -- weekends are less expensive (by $100 a night) than weekdays, so Oct. 13-16 is $529/nt, but Oct. 15-18 is $429 a night (plus tax of course).

The Palace is a great hotel. If you plan on actually Leaving the hotel and spending most of your day walking about, I'd suggest you might not need all that hotel. Have you considered staying in a hotel that provides a sitting room and a small kitchenette? Take a look at The Hotel Beacon on the Upper West Side. It's perfectly situated close to subway stations, restaurants, Central Park, etc. and you'll be able to pick up goodies at the Fairway Market right across the street to enjoy late night and in the morning. This is a quiet hotel in a quiet residential neighborhood. You'll feel like a local.

http://www.beaconhotel.com/

Have a look at The Manhattan Club. This is a timeshare condo, but it is rented out like a hotel. We've seen the units and they are beautiful. You'll really have that "apartment" feel for your stay. The one-bedrooms have a separate sleeping and living room with a nice table and 4 chairs in a cute little kitchenette. I think they have two baths and the sofa is also a sleeper. The building is in a great location right across the street from Carnegie Hall. Easy access to everywhere via subway or walking. Expedia has the property listed for $409 per night for a one-bedroom in November. Smaller units are less expensive.


http://www.expedia.com/New-York-Hote...oomsAndRates&#

Here are a few more "suite style" hotels in NY that might be to your liking. I've stayed at The Benjamin, The Doubletree and The Kimberly -- all nice.

http://www.hotelrooms.com/Suite_Hote...k_New_York.htm

If you decide against a suite style hotel, I would recommend as "something special" The Muse. It is located on 46th Street in another good location for theater, subway, dining, etc. While not a suite, the rooms are spacious and the baths are big. (Ask for an "03" room with two beds and a huge bath and vanity. Or an "04" on the 18th floor with a stunning view of Times Square all lit at night -- those are king rooms though). They have complimentary coffee each morning, in the winter its complimentary cocoa and cider all afternoon -- summer's its lemonade or ice tea in the afternoons. Each evening from 5-6 there is free wine in the lobby. The staff is just marvelous. They will make your stay very special. The hotel restaurant is good. There is a very good deli on the corner for breakfast and a subway stop only one block away. Phone the hotel direct to see if they are offering any "deals" during your dates. The staff is quite good at working with guests.

The Muse fits your rates if you book in advance- even for a double double (2 double beds) room. However, if you wait the standard rates listed are above your budget - some quite a bit above - for late October.

As for not noisy - your best bet is a high floor of a high rise hotel - since most of the city can be noisy at night - between ambulances, police cars, fire engines and trash collection (commercial carters are requied to pick up at night to avoid blocking traffic during the day).

Hi All,

Thanks for all the suggestions.
When planning the trip I actually thought I was choosing a good time in NYC as Peak Summer Season would be over and Thanksgiving still a few weeks away. We are also going to Europe and prices actually decrease significantly once you hit November.
Everything else is booked so we our dates in the US are set - 29th Oct to 2nd Nov.
NYTraveler is quite correct that $500 a night is not enough for a luxury hotel at this time of the year which is why I am looking at the 4* level. I have found that many of the more average hotels seem to be at a similar price to the NY Palace.
I want a room with 2 beds and have found that alot of hotels do not offer this option or they are already booked.
I must say I am hesitant to stay in Times Square even though it is a great location for sightseeing as noise seems to be a big factor in many of the reviews I have read of hotels in this area.
I did look at the Muse previously so will take another look. I will also review the other suggestions made above and see what I think.

Thanks,

Just to put a bit of an exclamation point on it: The Hotel Beacon is newly remodeled (2008 or 09) and has rooms with 2 double beds. Their rates don't change with the season: $205 for a room with a King bed or 2 Double beds and $255.00 for a one bedroom suite with a King bed or 2 Doubles. Every room and suite has a kitchenette and the Upper West Side is the antithesis of the Times Square area. I'm not so sure your Mom would appreciate the Muse but of course I have no way of knowing her preferences. Good luck in your search.

If the lively bold colors and design are appealing to you, the Hotel Roger Williams gets excellent reviews and is at a great price on booking.com
The fine print seems to note that cancellation is allowed with no penalty etc. You might consider booking while you continue to look around.

Also consider the Affinia Dumont over by the Chrysler Building, about a 10 min walk to Times Square. Nice 400sq ft studio suites have 2 beds and a kitchenette area/ apartment-like feel. www.affinia.com $319 plus taxes on your dates.

Affinia Dumont is almost half a mile from the Chrysler Building, but the Dumont is on the east side of Manhattan in a more residential area.