Planning on being in NY for 3 days in September and looking at bidding on a 4* hotel in MTE --- meaning that, if successful, we would probably get the Grand Hyatt or Intercontinental The Barclay. The reviews on those hotels is mixed --- consensus seems to be 'great location' with various concerns over the room or staff. Questions are ... how much importance should we be placing on the location given that the subways are safe and efficient (enabling us to stay at a quality hotel out of town and still easily get to/from tourist attractions)? Would we still require a require a 1-day Fun Pass (or MetroCard) if we stayed in MTE?

MTE is a good location to walk to alot of attractions, from 34th St (Empire State Building and lots of shopping) up to 66th ST ( several museums, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Central Park)

Yes you will need a metro card to get on the subway, as they do not accept change at the turnstyles. The buses do take change and metrocards.

I'd suggest getting a map of the city so you have some ideas of what you want to see in reference to the location of your hotel.

Enroh, although I haven;t stayed at any of the hotels you've mentioned (I live here!) I can address some of your questions

"Enabling us to stay at a quality hotel out of town and still easily get to/from tourist attractions?"
I don't THINK you mean "out of town"
Anywhere in NYC (especially Manhattan) is IN town. Really "out of town" would involve more time consuming and complicated travel, and would probably be a lower quality hotel than the ones you've mentioned.
If you mean "out of MIDTOWN"--well that still covers a big area.(Midtown east, midtown west, aetc) Most 4* hotels are in midtown, so if you're looking at that level of hotel, that's most likely where you;ll end up!

"Would we still require a require a 1-day Fun Pass (or MetroCard) if we stayed in MTE?"
Manhattan is 12 miles long(by about 3 miles wide), and the major tourist sites cover at least 6 miles of those 12.
Assuming you want to see many of these, and not walk miles each day, yes you will want to be using subways and buses and use a Metrocard
Hope this clarifies the situtation somewhat

Thanks for the quick replies.

Instead of 'out of town', I should have been more specific as we have booked a 'back-up' hotel in Flushing, NY, near public transport.

Thanks for the clarification on the MetroCard. We like walking, but would rather see more sights. So ... even if we end up staying in MTE, we would probably take more than 4 daily trips on public transport (1 day Fun Pass is $7.50 and 1 trip is $2).

Actually, when you buy a Metrocard, you automatically get a 15% bonus. Eg. a 4-ride metrocard only costs $7 to buy instead of $8; so do your math.

Once we finalize where we are staying, it may make a difference between buying the Metrocard (pay as you go) or the 1-day Fun Pass (unlimited rides up until 3am).

The subways will not let you stay "out of town". The subways don't go "out of town" - they operate only in the city.

And I don't reco stying in the outer boroughs unless you must - since the ride in can be 15 minutes or an hour.

If you mean staying elsewhere than midtown east - there are lots of other good optins: central park south, midtown west (away from Time Square) upper west side or downtown - all of which are still in town - not "out".

Depending on what you want to see do - some of the other areas are more convenient than midtown east.

And since the major sights in Manhattan are spread out over an area 8 miles long and 2 wide - plus islands in the harbor - you definitely will need the subway if you want to see more than a few things.

Imo a 4* hotel in ANY location in Manhattan is preferable to staying in Flushing. The ability to go back to the hotel midday to rest, change clothes, drop packages etc. is worth a lot imo. While Flushing is not another country, it's not very convenient.

Why limit yourselves to MTE when Times Square, Midtown South, even Soho/Financial district all have excellent 4* Priceline options. The issue is are you being reasonable about what price you're willing to pay (in Sept) for staying in Manhattan. The only area I wouldn't bid is mtw b/c of the Sheraton which is not so great.

Btw, there are no "quality" hotels I'm aware of in Flushing. The nicest "out of town" hotel that's within a short train ride that I know is the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City. It's one stop on a PATH train (like a subway) to the WTC stop in Manhattan. It happens to be a PL hotel and people win it, sometimes for under $100/night. But if you go that route, it's not cancelable and you have no option for trying in Manhattan.

As for the question on the metrocard, whether you will need a 1 day fun pass or a regular metrocard depends on how much you intend on walking and what you plan to do. MTW is actually closer to many of the typical midtown tourist venues.

Thank you ... great advice.