Salisbury vs New York Helmsley
 

Which hotel is higher quality in terms of the room size, decor, bed comfort, shower, Plasma TV, views, how worn the carpet is and the overall service of the staff and which is a better location for three twenty year old college students touring the city for two days-The Salisbury Hotel or the New York Helmsley Hotel?

Much better :-) Now people who know those hotels will actually be able to help. Good idea adding something about yourselves!

The Salisbury has better steak.

The Salisbury has bigger rooms and I think a better location (west 57th st) but it's got very dated decor. Plasma tv, no, I don't think so. Many of the rooms at the Salisbury are suites with kitchens. Rooms are huge. The NY Helmsley is near Grand Central terminal on the east side. A bit more modern, but I don't think you'll find plasma tv there either. Go to tripadvisor.com and look for the reviews page for both. On that page there will be travelers photos showing the rooms as they are (not as they appear on the hotel website). I think for 3 people, they'll find more room at the Salisbury and a better location. Check quikbook.com and hotels.com for best prices. You might also check the Hilton Garden Inn Times Square, the Hampton Inn Times Square and the Courtyard Midtown East. All of these have rooms with 2 queen beds and might be about the same price.

For 3 20 year olds you may also want to be sure the hotel has no problem renting them a room - or that there won;t be a large hold put on their credit cards. Some hotels don;t want groups of young people - unless they look pretty spiffy.

Good point. Many hotels have age minimums for insurance purposes.

We stayed at the New York Helmsley last weekend and our room did have a plasma (or lcd) flat screen tv on the wall. The room was nice, very much like a Marriott, Westin, etc. We had a room with 2 double beds and thought it was fairly spacious by NYC standards (it's one room, not a suite). We (2 young kids in tow) were able to walk to Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building, 5th Ave area.

If they are going to be in Manhattan, they will not be watching TV in a hotel room.

Le Parker Meridian will rent to 18 year olds and the location is excellent across the street from the Salisbury (which I love).

Plus, they can afford to eat in one of the hotel's restaurants, The Burger Joint.

The Le Parker Meridian looks great and so does the location but it's more than we can pay. The rate needs to be below $180 per night.

You can forget about any view except one of a brick wall for $180 per night.

The ADR for Manhattan hotels is an amazing $340 per night.

You can probably forget about anything other than one double bed for that budget.

In Manhattan, a hotel room with two double/queen beds is considered an upgrade and not a standard room.

I would go with The Salisbury Hotel.

Forgot to add that local and state tax on accommodations is 13.375% plus a bed tax of between $2 and $6 per night and another tax of $1.50 per unit. Some hotels may even add additional surcharges for various reasons.

http://www.nycvp.com/hotel/format_New.htm

I found the New York Helmsley for 171.50 per night plus 30.00 total per night in taxes and fees and I found the Salisbury for $154.00 per night plus $25.00 total in taxes and fees per night. The Salisbury seems like a better location for us but I,m not sure that the quality of the hotel equals the New York Helmsley. I am judging by photos on trip advisor.

Quality is the same unless the Helmsly has been redone in the last several years.

Carnegie Hall puts many of the musicians up at The Salisbury.

I had a room at the Salisbury 3 years ago from it's recommendation by UK travel agents. The windows where alarmingly loose that a child could open one & fall out. The decor was drab and grubby. The street noise at night was terrible - skidding, racing, trucks rumbling through - my family had trouble sleeping. Breakfast is a free for all which is added on to your bill & if you stay there I would recommend eating out for breakfast.
I would recommend from the places I have stayed Radio City Apartments or the Belvedere.

When they're coming (month and day of the week) will make a big difference. Have you checked the specials on travelzoo.com ? The Hampton Inn Soho is brand new, a fun location for college kids and a price of $149 plus tax. (tax adds ~ 15%) Don't forget to put the discount code in the reservation form to get the $149 rate.