NYC Hotel Advice Needed - $200-250/night
 

We are a family of 4 with 8.5 and 5 yr old sons and we are taking Amtrak from DC to NYC March 31 - April 2. Plan to do the Met, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Natural History, FAO, Toys R Us, etc. and take the subway or walk everywhere we go. No Broadway plays or expensive fancy meals...

I need hotel advice. I have done a search through the threads and it is a tad overwhelming. We are looking for a room for $200 - $250 a night. Last time we were in NY, we stayed at the Embassy Suites in the Financial District. Interested in staying closer to Central Park or Times Square.

Any advice would be appreciated!

You realize that is Easter Week correct? That means prices will reflect that.

I would start with Hotwire and make sure you put 4 people in a room on the initial reservations.

Have you checked rates at the Courtyard Marriott or the Embassy Suites?

Spring Break - yup. We prefer to travel when everyone else is traveling. :)

You should check out affinia hotels. They are suite hotels with kitchens. The website is affinia.com and sometimes they have very good special offers on the website. We had several visitors (families of 3 & 4) stay at their Shelburne Murray Hill hotel in 1 bedroom suites. They were very roomy, and the location is convenient (Lexington av & 37th st).

Doubletree suites in the times sq area would also work well for a family of 4.

ALso check on travelhero.com. I booked rooms here with no problem. I checked the shelburne for your dates. They have the 1 bedroom suite with 2 queen beds (and there's a sofa bed in the living room) for $229. That's a good price for that week.

There are so many new hotels in the city that you should be able to find something in your price range, or even better pricing.

The Travel Inn on W 42nd St I can recommend. My cousin stayed there with hubby and 3 kids last summer and liked it.

Also the Hotel Grand Union is very nice and well within your price range. I think they also have suites. The hotel is right off Madison Ave in the low 30's.

Try www.hotels.com it is the best site I have found and I have used it several times. You can get rates for your dates of travel and all amenities the hotel offers.

Book quickly, since Easter Break is high season here, and hotels get filled up quickly.

Have a great time while you are here, and let us know if you have any other questions.

WHen pricing hotels, check several sources, including booking sites (expedia, hotesl.com, etc), the hotel's own website and call the hotel. From my experience, hotels.com and expedia has had higher or = rates to dealing directly with the hotel in most cases. All things being equal, I prefer to deal directly with the hotel. Also, carefully check cancellation policies on the booking sites.

Check out Marriott's site, marriott.com.
Their Courtyard in Times Sq, and the Marriot East Side, both have rooms for 200/night. (I just checked and both sitll have availability at those prices for when you need--so far!! The East Side is in a gorgeous old renovated building, in a great part of Manhattan. I 'm not familiar with the Courtyard. The Marriott East Side gets great reviews Tripadvisor.com

The Beacon and the Milburn are hotels like those in the Affinia group with suites and kitchens. They're both located on the upper west side, a nice residential area right near the Museum of Natural History and the Children's museum (check that out). B/c it's not midtown, their prices tend to be more affordable. A really good area/option IMO. The Lucerne and the Excelsior are also nice affordable places in the same area but w/o kitchens.

We have had success at good rates with express-res.com

Thanks to all!

Now, what do we wear and is it safe to walk at 3 a.m.? (Just kidding!)