Travelling in March, around the St Patrick's Day festival.
Any suggestions re accomodation for five singles, some willing to share twin rooms.
Staying seven nights so both hotel and apartment options are being considered.
Budget? Ideally well under $100 per night per person as, being Irish, there might be a bar bill to be factored into the expenses mix as well.......

Forget the apartment options. Short term rentals for privately owned apartments are for the most part illegal. There are apartment style hotels which you might like.

I would start by checking hotels.com, orbitz.com etc. to see if you are even in the ballpark price-wise. I think taxes come to 15% or so and some sites show post-tax prices and some show pre-tax prices.

You might be able to get your price range at the Pod Hotel (www.podhotel.com). They have singles and bunkbed rooms - share baths, though.

March is still fairly low season - so you have a chance of getting a double room for $200 and a triple for $300 - if you shop carefully. Priceline is probably not a great idea because it's hard to get so many nights in a row. I would start now looking for hotels to see if anyone is offering advance internet specials (which may require prepay). then when you're about 3 months out have a look at hotwire or travelzoo to see what specials are being offered.

If you're all willing to stay together you may want to look at the affinia group of hotels. They have some one bedroom suites with 2 queen beds in the bedroom and a pull-out sofa in the living room. And you would probably be able to get it for less than $500 per night. Plus they all have some kitchen facilities - so you can save some money by eating breakfast in and having snacks/beverages there - rather than paying for room service. Just be aware that the rates you are quoted will have tax - about 18% - added on top.

The largest suites you'll find in suite hotels are 2 bedroom/2baths which usually accomodate 4 people sleeping in the bedrooms and 1 would have to sleep on a sofabed. In addition to the Affinia.com group (their Affinia Manhattan and Eastgate Towers have these) some other hotels that have them are Beaconhotel.com, Nycsalisbury.com, but I think you have to phone them for availability on 2 bedroom suites.

radiocityapartments.com has 2 bedrooms (1 queen bed in one and 2 twins in the other and then a sofabed in the living room) and looks to be well within budget. Those suites only have 1 bathroom though.

The Fitzpatrick hotels (there are 2) may also have some suites and both have pubs in the hotels. Many of the other listed here don't have a bar-they're more like serviced apartments (but legal with daily maid service). For the most part drinking in hotel bars tends to be very pricey.

If by "some willing to share twin rooms" what you're really saying is no one is prepared to share beds and some don't even want to share a room, a hostel or hotel with shared bathrooms (like the Pod) is your best bet. Chelsealodge.com is another idea. I think you really have to clarify exactly what sleeping arrangements and price you're looking for.

The Comfort Inn Chelsea and the Wolcott both have rooms with 3 single beds (a rarity here) so if everyone is prepared to at least share a room, you could get 2 rooms at either of those for 5 people.

I also recommend the Affinia group. We hosted a 21st birthday party for our daughter, and put up some of the girls overnight in the Affinia Gardens, on the Upper East side. Service there was impeccable. We rented a two-bedroom suite, with two bathrooms (essential!). It was about $625 three years ago, in May.

http://www.affinia.com/New-York-City...ffinia-Gardens