I'm considering the Westin times square, the Affinia 50 or the Hilton Garden Inn times square.

There will be 3 of us traveling, my 2 parents in their 60's and me (I'm 34.) So we need a hotel room with 2 beds. We will be there thanksgiving week and also plan to see the parade. $350-ish is our limit per night and I can get any of those rooms around that price. Any thoughts?

the westin is right in the heart of the tourist crowd. their lobby is not at the street level. their rooms are regular size unless you get a club room that is larger and also give you access to their lounge that offers free bkfast and evening appetizer.
the affinia 50 is right across from penn station/madison square gardens. all their rooms are suites and have 2 bathrooms.
this in itself is a selling point for me. i stayed with dh and dd and we were so glad to have two bathrooms.
also, on wednesdays they have drinks and substantial appetizers.
i have not stayed at the holiday inn so can't comment.
so unless you are looking for starwood points, i would recommend affinia 50.

Pianogirl - I just returned from staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Time Square.

I stayed there on Hilton Points. I was very concerned about the location as I was not intersted in Timesquare (hate it actually) and as per everyone here - they were right on the money and the location was great for the shows we were seeing - it is around the corner from the "middle" of time square - it is very close to the subways we needed to take (not sure that anyone is far from a subway in NYC but this was nice and close) there was a CVS or a drug store up a block or so and that was nice for picking up a few snacks etc.
The hotel staff was above board. They were really great.

I felt very safe there - there were always a few LARGE doorman by the elevators checking for room keys.

One thing - if you do stay there - please ask for a floor high up - The subway is right under you and I was on the 3rd floor and could hear it in the middle of the night.

There is free coffee (good coffee) in the lobby every morning - several free computer stations in the lobby with printers and the concierge was fabulous.

The breakfast in the resturant attached could be passed on...

No room service I believe because it is not a full service hotel.

The carpet could be replaced. There is fridge in the room so you can bring snacks etc.

I would stay there again on points... esp. if seeing theater.

They're all good hotels. But if you are getting a suite at the Affinia 50, that's going to be your best choice by far. And, frankly, I always like to be away from Times Square (but not too far away). But of the other two, I really like the location of the Hilton Garden Inn. It's far enough north to be a little out of fray but also really convenient to everything. The Westin is a nice hotel, but it's smack dab in the middle of 42nd Street, and that's a turn-off for me.

I thought the Affinia 50 was on 50th and 3rd. I think there is another Affinia near Penn station that you all are thinking of. At the Affinia we would only be getting a room with 2 beds, not a suite.

Thanks for the replies so far!

there are several affinia s and i may have confused the locations.
the one by penn is the one i am referring to.

Affinia 50 is at 50th and Third - the east side not the west. So not as close to Times Square - if that's what you want - god knows why unless you're doing a ton of theater.

What do you plan on doing/seeing besides the parade?

I don't mind being in Times Square. I know a lot of folks here hate it, but since I'm traveling with my parents that is a location where I can get out and walk on my own and feel safe(because there are so many people and I'm familiar with the area.)

We haven't really worked on the itinerary yet because we've been before. We may see a play, go to the Today show and Rockefeller to see the tree, check out Chinatown.

Also, we are only considering hotels with 2 queens, not 2 doubles. That has narrowed down the search considerably (esp. with a $350/night limit.)

pianogirl - I found the Hilton Garden inn to be a spacious room; esp. for NYC standards. We stayed at the Waldorf over the summer and while I prefer the location the rooms were TINY and had two doubles - we had two rooms and in my room I had myself and my two daughters, 11 and 15 and it was crammed.
I felt that the Hilton Garden Inn was far more spacious inside the rooms. More family friendly in that aspect.

Thanks for all the help everyone. I decided on the Hilton Garden because of what you said and the location (Affinia 50 was further from the theater district) but when I called the 2 bed rooms had just sold out! Argh! Luckily, they were able to grab the last room at hampton inn times square for me, which is just 2 blocks north of the hilton garden. It is rated #13 on tripadvisor so should hopefully be nice.