NYC Hotel near Columbus Circle?
 

My wife and I plan to be in NYC for 3-4 days in early October (it will be the "good" part of the trip from VCA following an obligatory visit to family in NJ), and our last NYC trip (just after 9/11 when prices were temporarily lowered) we stayed near Columbus Circle. We like that area because of its proximity to Central Park, museums, the upper west side, etc. Can you recommend a hotel? We need clean, quiet, comfortable but don't need concierge services, a business center, or other upscale amenities.

I know Park Central and Holiday Inn Midtown come to mind as being close, but I don't know them personally. The difficulty you may find is that prices vary significantly day by day, so it's difficult to know what price range you will land up with. I would probably use Priceline or Hotwire. Most likely, if you are willing to spend what is necessary to get a decent hotel near Columbus Circle, you could use Priceline or Hotwire and get a nicer hotel for a lesser price -- provided you take into account all the pitfalls. (See www.betterbidding.com if interested, and your preferred zone would probably be Central Park South on Priceline.)

Right near Columbus Circle is the Empire - which sometimes has special online deals.

You might also consider actually being in the Upper West Side - Beacon, Lucerne etc - which are pleasant and moderately priced. Or the Newton (which is further uptown but a reliable budget property right on top of a subway stop).

Agree that you might find something on Hotwire - but also check kayak.com and travelzoo.

We have stayed a couple different times at 6 Columbus. It's a great little boutique hotel. Right on the circle (well, maybe half a block off, but you can walk across the street to subway, Whole Foods, entire Time Warner Center). We have had very good service. But rooms are tiny. Check www.quikbook.com or www.booking.com as good discount booking sites.

You might want to check out the Hudson Hotel which is on 58th and Columbus.

By chance you're willing to expand your search The Hotel Wales on Madison and 92nd might be worth looking into. Nicely decorated rooms, reasonable rates, easy access to Central Park and within walking distance of The Met and Guggenheim.