New York hotels

[cruiseluvva]

Although we have been to NYC before, we have never stayed there. Do members have recommendations of very good standard hotels in the middle of the action? It’s for my husband’s special birthday so somewhere fairly decent.  There are so many to choose from, I have no idea where to start.

 

Thank you.

[Bell Boy]

I always use 'Fitzpatrick Grand Central Hotel', a very nice cosy boutique hotel  (charming Irish/American staff) just off Lexington avenue and  close to Grand Central Station which is very useful for the 'Airport Bus' to/from JFK 

 

There is also another Fitzpatrick Hotel  (same chain) a few blocks away on Lexington avenue.   

Edited April 16, 2019 by Bell Boy

[LadyL1]

We have stayed in a lot of NY hotels, but favourite was the Essex House right opposite Central Park. Another is the Millennium UN Plaza,  across the way from the United Nations building. There are some lovely suites here with fabulous views up the river, and more affordable than the Essex! Also the swimming pool is on some ridiculously high floor and you seem to be eye level or higher with the planes coming in to land; quite surreal!

It will be interesting reading the recommendations in this thread.

Have fun: it is a great city for a celebration.

[babs135]

We've stayed at the Sheraton Times Square which is in a good location.  Can't fault it and a lot of flight crews stay here which DH and I always take as a good sign.

[Pennbank]

1 hour ago, babs135 said:

We've stayed at the Sheraton Times Square which is in a good location.  Can't fault it and a lot of flight crews stay here which DH and I always take as a good sign.

 

Fitzpatrick Grand Central Hotel also have Aircraft Crews staying. 

[orchestrapal]

Hard to beat the London which we have stayed at since it was

first built under a different name.

IT is a high class 5 star hotel with great professional service.perfect for ay special occasion.

Phone to GB are free or at least they always were.

[cruiseluvva]

Thanks for the suggestions. I shall start looking at them.

[myjillian]

4 hours ago, babs135 said:

We've stayed at the Sheraton Times Square which is in a good location.  Can't fault it and a lot of flight crews stay here which DH and I always take as a good sign.

We stay there every time we are in nyc

[MarkBearSF]

Personally, for that class hotel, I find FItzpatrick's and the 7th Ave Sheraton to be a bit lackluster, but like most others in the midtown area, certainly fine and a great location. That's pretty much true for all of them. There are literally over a hundred hotels in midtown Manhattan. Mostly old, big business hotels, new big business hotels, both of which have the expected amenities, decent service level, and lack a lot of personality, and finally, small hotels which have usually been remodeled with tiny, but nice rooms, slow cranky elevators, and limited extras (like room service). All of which provide a nice stay for their category.

Whatever search and booking aids you may wish to use, you'll probably get a decent deal (which will NOT be inexpensive) at a great location. Whatever prices you find will still be about 35-40% cheaper than Cunard. Check out Yelp and TripAdvisor. Be aware that the hotel sites (especially blind bidding sites like Priceline and Hotwire) tend to inflate their star ratings by about a half star. (look for an inflated 4* minimum).  Also beware that there will be a lot of additional fees, charges and taxes added, so the initial rate you see will be lower than your final bill.

Also look at location. While we got an excellent deal at the Millennium United Nations some years ago, beware that it's at the far East side (near the UN) - and was a bit of a walk to Times Square, where all the Broadway shows are located for which we had tickets. (And it was a very cold December and there was a transit strike). Close to the UN, of course, and not far from Grand Central Terminal, though. Likewise, there are often good deals "downtown" - near Wall Street and the 9/11 memorial and museum. But that part of town is mostly quiet at night. Some of the better deals we've had in recent years in Midtown near Times Square and Penn Station respectively are the Millennium Broadway (4*) and the New Yorker (not as nice but cheaper at 3.5* - 4*).

The good news is that for 25 or so visits over as many years (we're Broadway fans) - I've only had two disappointing rooms. (And one was so cheap, it still was a decent choice for that visit). So there are a lot of decent choices. And very few really bad ones (EXCEPT for the Hotel Carter. Avoid the Hotel Carter.) Take a look at the online sites, find one that has good ratings and a competitively good price and you're likely to be satisfied with the result. And it will be cheaper than Cunard offerings.

Edited April 16, 2019 by MarkBearSF

[Jimbo59]

Try several of the Hampton Inns or Comfort Inn Midtown. These usually include breakfast.

Also there are several In the Marriott chains in midtown.

 

New York hotels quote high prices, but usually drop prices 2-3 days prior to check-in. Kind of like cruise ships.

[cruiseluvva]

6 hours ago, MarkBearSF said:

Personally, for that class hotel, I find FItzpatrick's and the 7th Ave Sheraton to be a bit lackluster, but like most others in the midtown area, certainly fine and a great location. That's pretty much true for all of them. There are literally over a hundred hotels in midtown Manhattan. Mostly old, big business hotels, new big business hotels, both of which have the expected amenities, decent service level, and lack a lot of personality, and finally, small hotels which have usually been remodeled with tiny, but nice rooms, slow cranky elevators, and limited extras (like room service). All of which provide a nice stay for their category.

Whatever search and booking aids you may wish to use, you'll probably get a decent deal (which will NOT be inexpensive) at a great location. Whatever prices you find will still be about 35-40% cheaper than Cunard. Check out Yelp and TripAdvisor. Be aware that the hotel sites (especially blind bidding sites like Priceline and Hotwire) tend to inflate their star ratings by about a half star. (look for an inflated 4* minimum).  Also beware that there will be a lot of additional fees, charges and taxes added, so the initial rate you see will be lower than your final bill.

Also look at location. While we got an excellent deal at the Millennium United Nations some years ago, beware that it's at the far East side (near the UN) - and was a bit of a walk to Times Square, where all the Broadway shows are located for which we had tickets. (And it was a very cold December and there was a transit strike). Close to the UN, of course, and not far from Grand Central Terminal, though. Likewise, there are often good deals "downtown" - near Wall Street and the 9/11 memorial and museum. But that part of town is mostly quiet at night. Some of the better deals we've had in recent years in Midtown near Times Square and Penn Station respectively are the Millennium Broadway (4*) and the New Yorker (not as nice but cheaper at 3.5* - 4*).

The good news is that for 25 or so visits over as many years (we're Broadway fans) - I've only had two disappointing rooms. (And one was so cheap, it still was a decent choice for that visit). So there are a lot of decent choices. And very few really bad ones (EXCEPT for the Hotel Carter. Avoid the Hotel Carter.) Take a look at the online sites, find one that has good ratings and a competitively good price and you're likely to be satisfied with the result. And it will be cheaper than Cunard offerings.

That sounds like great advice. Thank you.

[cruiseluvva]

Does anyone have any knowledge of the Knickerbocker Times Square? This has been flagged elsewhere....

[orchestrapal]

9 hours ago, cruiseluvva said:

Does anyone have any knowledge of the Knickerbocker Times Square? This has been flagged elsewhere....

 

It is a very old hotel, 1904 in what I would not  consider  due to it being right on Times Square which is well rated. BUT only if you love noise and crowds it would be the perfect location, otherwise not. 

[cruiseluvva]

It looks beautifully appointed, very modern inside and gets extremely good reviews and has a fabulous roof top bar. Tempted.

[Scarlett W]

We always stay at the Mandarin Oriental, fabulous hotel.

[cruiseluvva]

18 minutes ago, Scarlett W said:

We always stay at the Mandarin Oriental, fabulous hotel.

We like the MO brand too, but just a bit beyond me on this occasion.

[Tommart]

Another vote for the UN Plaza.  Good sized rooms and a nice location.

[Tonopah]

We stayed at the Millennium Hilton Downtown.  Lovely rooms. Lots to do in the area. Directly across from the 9-11 Memorial and the One World Trade building. It is walking distance to the Staten Island Ferry and Liberty Island Ferry. We spent a lovely afternoon on Governors Island (also within walking distance). Directly across the street is the Oculus shopping center. It’s also a transportation hub. We found it affordable and accessible. There are delis and small takeaways nearby if you prefer that to restaurants.

 

Attached is a view from our room from our most recent stay.

 

 

[wripro]

On 4/17/2019 at 8:21 AM, orchestrapal said:

 

It is a very old hotel, 1904 in what I would not  consider  due to it being right on Times Square which is well rated. BUT only if you love noise and crowds it would be the perfect location, otherwise not. 

It was completely redone several years ago. It's a beautifully appointed hotel right at Times Square.

[Titch77]

On 4/17/2019 at 4:44 PM, cruiseluvva said:

It looks beautifully appointed, very modern inside and gets extremely good reviews and has a fabulous roof top bar. Tempted.

Stayed here 2 years ago for my 40th

 

perfect location to be central to most things

didn't hear any outside noise from the room

roof bar was lovely albeit freezing (and they stop serving around midnight)

 

[cruiseluvva]

On 4/21/2019 at 6:54 PM, Titch77 said:

Stayed here 2 years ago for my 40th

 

perfect location to be central to most things

didn't hear any outside noise from the room

roof bar was lovely albeit freezing (and they stop serving around midnight)

 

Will be booking as soon as the bookings open next month. Thank you.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

I think it is important for you to define what " the middle of the action" means for you.  Like all major cities NYC has many different areas with very different vibes and activities.  It would be easier to help you if I knew that.  I am a native NYer that now lives in Ca but often returns to see family.  My MO is to get in a few days early before letting them know so I can spend some time in the city revisiting my old haunts.  

My idea of where all the action is would be the upper west side.....Museum of Natural History, NY Historical Society, just wonderful neighborhood restaurants, bars, several comedy clubs, weekend craft fairs, walking distance to the free Shakespeare in the Park and other Central Park actives, convenient bus on 79th that takes you across the Park to the upper east side and Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim, The Frick Museum, iconic NY delis.  Ok now I'm homesick.  

I do go to the other neighborhoods and use the subway to get there or if it is at night and I am returning from a show I will use a taxi or one of the private cars that are waiting outside.  I enjoy the quieter neighbor feel when I am tucking in for the night.  

Anyway if this is your cup of tea, I stay at the Lucerne Hotel.  

Edited April 25, 2019 by HaveDogWillTravel

[NavyPanda]

If you're either departing on or arriving from the Queen Mary 2 then Andaz on Wall Street would be a good choice for convenience. It is literally a 2-3 minute walk from Pier 11 where the ferry takes you to/from Red Hook, where Queen Mary 2 docks. The Holiday Inn Express Wall Street is almost right to it, across the road, if you're not looking for something quite as pricey. 

[Calliope]

On ‎4‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 7:18 AM, Tonopah said:

We stayed at the Millennium Hilton Downtown.  Lovely rooms. Lots to do in the area. Directly across from the 9-11 Memorial and the One World Trade building. It is walking distance to the Staten Island Ferry and Liberty Island Ferry. We spent a lovely afternoon on Governors Island (also within walking distance). Directly across the street is the Oculus shopping center. It’s also a transportation hub. We found it affordable and accessible. There are delis and small takeaways nearby if you prefer that to restaurants.

 

I have reservation for next July  at the Hilton Millennium before my husband and I leave on the QE. I have stayed there several times before and think it's a great place for the price. And now that the Hornblower Ferry runs from Manhattan over to Red Hook it's even more convenient .

 

[cruiseluvva]

Thanks very much everyone. We are all booked now.