Choosing a Hotel in New York City

Most visitors to New York City prefer to stay in Midtown Manhattan. Midtown accommodations are within walking distance of many major sites and attractions, as well as shopping, dining and theatre. We highly recommend Midtown since it is safe and convenient. We also recommend that you park your car in a garage and leave it there until it's time to go home -- Midtown Manhattan is very walkable and offers easy access to the rest of the City by subway and taxi.

We consider Midtown Manhattan as the area bordered on the south by 31st St. and on the north by 59th St.

East Side, West Side, All Around the Town

Midtown Manhattan can be further divided into East Side and West Side. Generally speaking, the East Side of Midtown Manhattan is quieter, and appeals to more experienced New York visitors who want to be closer to 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue shopping. As a rule East Side hotels are more upscale (translation: pricier) than their West Side counterparts.

Midtown's West Side, by contrast, is always lively. It's the home of Times Square, Broadway theaters, Restaurant Row, Carnegie Hall and street vendors (we've bought $5 Oakley sunglasses and $15 Rolex watches, "genuine" of course). It's got charming 9th Avenue restaurants, boisterous 8th Avenue bars, and a revolving restaurant perched high atop Broadway. West Side hotels range from boarding-house cheap to 5* Deluxe.

5th Avenue separates East Side from West Side.

Most first-time visitors to New York City stay in Midtown West Side hotels, where they can walk to theaters, 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, Central Park and famous Department stores like Macy's and Saks.

Lower Manhattan, Financial Capitol of the World

Lower Manhattan can be quiet and peaceful (Saturday and Sunday) or overcrowded and frenetic (Monday through Friday). It's home to Wall Street, the former site of the World Trade Center Twin Towers (now known as Ground Zero) and lovely Battery Park. It was the location of the original Dutch colony Nieuw Amsterdam and is perhaps the most historic place in the US -- and its first capital city.

Guests in Lower Manhattan hotels can get to Midtown Manhattan any time of the day or night by subway or cab, or they can walk to Chinatown, Little Italy, Greenwich Village, SoHo and South Street Seaport. Hotels tend to be less expensive than Midtown, particularly on weekends.

Lower Manhattan is the southernmost tip of Manhattan Island. From Battery Park, visitors can get an excellent view of the Statue of Liberty.

Other Areas
Upper West Side

The Upper West Side is a residential area of Manhattan that contains a few moderately priced accommodations. Hotels along Central Park West tend to be higher priced than those further away from the Park.

Upper East Side

Also a residential area, but the Upper East side includes the City's Museum Mile, featuring the largest concentration of museums and galleries in the Big Apple. Hotels near Museum Mile are very upscale.

Other Boroughs

New York City is more than Manhattan -- it also includes the boroughs of Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens and the Bronx. There are accommodations available everywhere. Most visitors come to New York City to experience the attractions of Manhattan, so guests staying elsewhere will spend time and money commuting back and forth. Unless you have a specific reason for staying in Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens or the Bronx, we highly recommend spending the few dollars more to stay in Manhattan.

New Jersey

• Here's what you'll find: 3-, 4- and 5-Star hotels in Manhattan.
• Here's what you won't find: Hotels we wouldn't stay in ourselves.
• Here's what you'll get: With every NYCVP hotel package you'll get
• FREE ADMISSION to the Empire State Building Observatory, Museum of the City of New York or NY Water Taxi Statue of Liberty Flex Pass
• FREE ADMISSION to the American Museum of Natural History, Metropolitan Museum of Art or Top of the Rock Observation Deck
• ALL TAXES included
• 24-hour EMERGENCY TRAVEL ASSISTANCE
• NYCVP's exclusive INSIDER TIPS
• SHOPPING DISCOUNTS at Macy's, South Street Seaport and Bloomingdale's and FREE GIFTS with purchase at Bloomingdale's
• DISCOUNT off a future New York City vacation
• 3 FREE ISSUES of TravelSmart, America's leading consumer travel newsletter
• Services of a professional NEW YORK CITY VACATION PLANNER

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Generally speaking, hotels in the popular Theatre District are somewhat more expensive than, say, a local John’s Notell Motel in another part of the US. Consider however that a Sheraton, Marriott or Hilton in midtown Manhattan is going to be within walking distance of the best live entertainment in the world (Broadway), the best shopping avenue in the country (5th Avenue), the most famous park in the world (Central Park), the most famous skyscraper in the world (Empire State Building), the largest department store in the world (Macy’s) and the 24-hour neon glamour of Times Square.

So can you get a cheap hotel room in New York? Sure. Just beware. There are several factors that determine why a hotel room is cheap:

• Location. If you want to be in the middle of all that New York City has to offer, your cheap hotel room probably won’t put you there. Instead you’ll be spending money on taxis, parking and tunnel or bridge tolls. Wouldn’t you rather have a conveniently-located hotel so you can get an early start – or a late night – and still have a place to relax in between?
• Features and amenities. Don’t need your own private bathroom? Don’t need a doorman or security guard to make sure your temporary residence is off-limits to intruders? Don’t need someone to ask directions or get you a taxi? Don’t need heat or air conditioning? Don’t need a wake up call? Don’t need a quick cup of coffee or tea in the morning? Aha! C’mon, live it up. Spring for the private bathroom. Feel safe and secure when you finally turn in at night. Treat yourself to a good hotel. You deserve it.
• Age and cleanliness. These two factors don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand, but they’re both important. When was the hotel last remodeled? Shag carpeting is a giveaway.

"But really," you might ask, "how much time will I spend in the room anyway?" "Well," we might answer, "at least a third of your vacation!"

So how does the novice New York-bound traveler know where to stay? Here’s good advice:

THE GREAT STATE OF TAXES

As you can well imagine, hotel taxes in New York City can be rather steep. Local and state tax on accommodations is 14.25% 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. When comparing prices, it's very important to know whether all taxes and surcharges are included in the price. When you receive a price quote from NYCVP, you are assured that ALL TAXES are included.

JUST THE RIGHT SEASONING

Hotel rates in New York City fluctuate a great deal depending upon the season. Generally, rates are highest from September through mid-December, and lowest in January, February, July and August.

• January-February - Lowest Prices
• March-June - Moderately High Prices
• July-August - Low Prices
• September-November - High Prices
• December 1-15 - Highest Prices
• December 16-28 - Low Prices

SPECIAL EVENTS

Some special events in the City cause hotels to increase their rates for brief periods of time:

• City-wide conventions
• NY Marathon (1st weekend in Nov.)
• New Years Eve

HOLIDAYS