My SIL jumped on a great fare from London to NY for early December without realizing how pricey hotels will be during this time.

She booked herself into the Milford(yuk?) wanting to keep the nightly rate around $400.00 per night(triple). I found that the Beacon prices about the same.

I'm not familiar with either. Any opinions?

She's visiting for 6 days with her mom and 12 year old daughter.

You aren't familiar with either but you're saying "yuk" to one of them...what's that all about?

I agree, unless the Milford Plaza has changed CONSIDERABLY I'd be looking on Priceline...

of course, you could always stay down the street at the Hotel Pennsylvania..even yukier IMO.

Her word not mine.

Can't do Priceline with 3 people.

If it wasn't clear Duke, the less 'yukier' the better so I don't think I'll pass on the Hotel PA suggestion.

Greenhouse, I've never set foot in either of those hotels. But, as you may know, they're in very different neighborhoods. Are you familiar with the different areas of New York? If not, we can certainly fill you in. Me personally, I'd be strongly inclined to pick the Beacon on the basis of location, especially with a three-generation group.

Friends stayed at the Milford Plaza last month and were quite pleased. The room was on the small side, but not more than many NYC hotels. The room was clean and well maintained, the security was good, and breakfast was included.

Beacon is in upper west side, nice location.
Rooms are large(2 very large queenbed);
there are a refrigerator, a microwave, a toaster, a coffeemaker and a space to wash all the items needed to eat.
There is a table and 2 armchairs.
The bathroom is well furnished but smaller in comparaison/rooms.
Try to get a room on the back side/Broadway as there is a very large
food store just across the street(very
usefull for the sejour, but very noisy...).
The rooms are clean, the staff varies a lot with a majority of friendly people, but some not rude but not as nice you
could attempt in an hotel.
They have some suites.
A room in the higher floors would be a must.
In the neighborough, there are a lot of small restaurants and just aside from the Beacon the small diner is nice for breakfast.
The only "negative" point is that you are not in midtown and after a day if you plan to go to a show, you have to plan 1h/1h30(depend how fast you walk...) to come back, let the shopping or change and go to the theater.
But the walk in upperwestside is nice...
Milford plaza is "more convenient" in midtown but the quality is less...
Erik.

I'd suggest the Grand Union www.hotelgrandunion and the Hotel Newton, as being MUCH better choices and MUCH better priced than the Milford, $400 for the Milford is close to HIGWAY ROBBERY.

There are also a couple of cute B&Bs up by me in Washington Heights, that are VERY nice, close to transportation (#1 and the A,B,C,D trains) buses, and even a couple of cute restaurants and a cafes. The B&B will be around $150nt, there is also a suite in the hotel which would be less than $200nt. I saw the rooms and they are LOVELY.

My friend from Montreal came to visit NYC recently and stayed at the Milford Plaza. I went to see her whilst I was in Manhattan on business. This is what I observed about the hotel:

1.Very busy. Long lines at reception.

2. Elevators took FOREVER. You have to know which elevator goes to which floor(s). Some elevators only go from floors 12-20, for example.

3. Room was very small, but clean. The door was metal and wouldn't close all the way. You could see the hallway through a slight crack.

4. Maids were very nice and accomodating.

5. Lots of Europeans and young people stay at this hotel.

6. Hotel is very convenient to Times Sq/5th Ave.--Porno palaces right across the street.

The Great and Powerful Thingorjus

For 6 days, I'd go for more space with 3 to a room and the Beacon will likely have that. Most if not all of their rooms have small kitchens, handy for breakfasts and snacks. The upper west side location will feel more like a "real" neighborhood but won't be as close to the bright lights of Times Square. Just remember prices on US websites (including hotels' own) don't include taxes which add another ~15% to the cost.

Definitely do Beacon versus Milford.

Granted Beacon is fairly simple, but it is clean and reliable and is in a great location. Mid/upscale residential area with great access to subway, Central Park, major museums and a ton of good inexpensive local restaurants.

There is simply no comparison.

Thank You all for your input.

Since I'll be spending a few days visiting her while in NY, I'm glad that she has decided to go with The Beacon.

Put me on the list of those who used to report about the YUK factor of the Milford Plaza (often called the Mildew Plaza). But I too have heard various reports that it has all been redone and people have been very pleased with it. It has a horrible reputation, but it seems to have done a real turnaround.