I just made reservations for the Metropolitan but they are due to begin construction at any moment. Would like to avoid the zone.

Would anyone have any other recommendations for a midtown hotel. Coming in September.
Many thanks....Mary

The Metropolitan was looking pretty run-down the last time I got a look at it (last week, from across the street at my firm's Midtown office), so I think you're better off finding something else.

The Inter-Continental is a great old Midtown hotel, a couple of blocks south from there. The caveat: The guest rooms are, to put it politely, "cozy". But the beds are comfy, the public areas are beautiful and you just can't beat the location!

The humungous Marriott Marquis over there in Times Square is another "great-location" choice. The rooms are, frankly, generic mid-80s Marriott in style (well, last time I stayed there anyway), but clean and comfortable. And you're right in the middle of the Theatre District. It's a madhouse at night, but what the hell, it's New York!

I hesitate to recommend the Loews on Lexington; when I stayed there a couple of years ago, the rooms were REALLY run-down. However, the public areas are beautiful, and the room was clean-- just old with bad lighting. The location, again, is almost ideal (basically around the corner from the Metropolitan).

Those are the hotels I know. You should get a wealth of great recommendations from other Fodorites. A colleague of mine swears by the Plaza Athénée (East 64th at Madison, a bit east of Central Park), and she's VERY VERY picky, so there's a good choice a bit farther uptown. So Fodorites-- what are YOUR favorites in Midtown? And Mary, do you care if it's east side or west side?

mary and rjw,

in that area, I would second the recommendation of the Interconti.

The Loews on Lexington is no longer a Loews property to my knowledge- which might explain their run- down condition when you were staying there. Loews only operate the Regency Hotel (if I am not mistaken) in New York nowadays.

I have also good memories regarding the Sheraton Manhattan ( found refuge there after being mugged on Times Square) and the Le Parker Meridien. But those experiences date back a few years- and both hotels are a few blocks from the area around the Interconti and Metropolitan...

I also have heard good reviews of Plaza Athenee- but again no first hand knowledge to pass on.

I'm a moron. Moron, moron, moron!!

The Metropolitan USED TO BE the Loews (when I was looking out our office window, I completely ignored where Lexington was)! So its run-down condition didn't get alleviated by an ownership change. Mary, you lucked out!

I gave the decision of where to stay over to Priceline. I'll be in NYC in a couple weeks and was seeking best price for a Manhattan hotel. If you do opt for Priceline, first carefully read information on www.biddingfortravel.com --- provide you all the nuances of using their website as well as suggestions on appropriate prices.

I'll be staying at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers --- 811 7th Ave (at 52nd St). Reviews for this place on Trip Advisor are mixed. For me, the price is right and neighborhood is fine --- $87 per night --- and with tax, title, license it totals up to $102 / night. Do note there's another Sheraton Hotel catty corner from this one --- I think that's the Sheraton-Manhattan.

I did a lot of research on biddingfortravel and ended up with the Courtyard by Marriot Midtown East (52@Third) for $75 per night. Priceline rates it only 2.5*, but that's probably just because they don't have a restaurant and therefore don't technically meet the requirements for 3*. One of the best features of biddingfortravel is the hotel reviews (the links for them are on the city-basd list of hotels), all the reviews of this hotel are raves and it's the only hotel listed by BFT for that zone and star rating. A similar situation is the Jolly Hotel Madison Towers, a 3* in Midtown South, frequently won for $67 or $72.

If you're not willing to take a chance on Priceline, I can recommend the Comfort Inn MIDTOWN, part of the Apple Core group of recently-renovated budget hotels. It's on 46th between 6 and 7, and is the only all-nonsmoking hotel in Manhattan. The staff are pleasant and competent, the free continental breakfast is above-average, ask for a room on the 7th floor or higher to avoid a view of a brick wall.

Another second-hand recommendation-- this time for the Courtyard on 52nd. My mom stayed there recently and liked it quite a lot. Primarily for location; she's a bit of a city crawler and doesn't like to spend time in hotel rooms except to clean up and sleep (good thing my dad was the same way!). But the property was fine, from what she told me.

Just found that the Metropolitan indeed is the former Loews, but then this was put forward by rjw already.

So the moron applies for myself, too ...
Have a good day and stay, anyway!

hsv: D'oh on both of us!!

Oh well-- everyone have a wonderful weekend, and don't forget now: The Metropolitan in NYC USED TO BE the Loews, and was/is a dump! Yucch.