New York City Hotel advice

You’d probably get better advice if you provide a price range and also desired location(s) within the city.

We stayed at the Even Hotel and were happy with our choice. The modern hotel had very efficiently, well-designed compact rooms and a gathering place on the first floor.

If you are first-timers, I am assuming you want something in Manhattan? Easier to make a rec with some idea of location and budget - but my general advice is to get a hotel not too far from what you plan to be doing. Midtown location is great for most things - Empire State building, Times Sq, Central Park, museums. Don't try to save money on a hotel in, say, Newark, thinking you can just take the train into the city. You will waste loads of time that way.

If you don't need anything fancy, check the Arlo Hotel locations. Pod Hotels are great if you are OK with tiny rooms (some shared baths, some private, some "bunk pods" for more people). I just stayed at the Freehand Hotel (Flatiron District, 23 and Lexington) in January, and that was a good spot for access to midtown and "down downtown" as we call it (SoHo, village, lower east side etc).

This google map will show the location of midtown hotels . Its a starting point , and prices will reflect what days , months and seasons you are considering . The area roughly outlined by Central Park on the north to 23rd Street on the south and 3rd avenue on the east side to 8th avenue on the west side are prime locations for a practical place to stay . There are other options , but this is a good start https://www.google.com/maps/search/Manhattan,+New+York,+NY+hotels/@40.753664,-73.988768,14.5z

Without your price range it's hard to know what to recommend. The suggestion to look in the midtown area is good. Here are a few moderately priced suggestions for midtown and the Upper West Side. I stayed at the Park Central about 5 years ago and it was fine. It's right near Carnegie Hall, so there were a lot of students staying there for an event, but I don't think that's usual. I've also stayed at least 8 times at the Hotel Lucerne on the Upper West Side just a few blocks from Central Park, although I haven't stayed since COVID. Traveling alone for work and also with family for vacation, I always felt safe walking near there at night. It's less than two blocks from the subway. I know two couples who like the Hotel Beacon, also on the Upper West Side. I'd look at booking.com for other options in your preferred location and price range for your dates.

A year ago January we stayed at the Club Quarters Hotel near Times Square. It's centrally located and was a good value. It's older but nicely maintained. Have also stayed at their hotel in Houston, TX a few times.

We had a great week last fall staying at the Lucerne on the Upper West Side, a couple of blocks each way from different subway lines, crosstown bus right at the corner, close to Central and Riverside Parks, lots of places to eat nearby, very friendly and helpful staff. Midtown will cost more and might be more convenient for sightseeing, depending on your choices.

I haven't stayed at the Beacon but have heard recommendations on this board and elsewhere. Another good choice in that area would be the Arthouse Hotel a few blocks south of the Lucerne. When I stayed there a few years ago (it had a different name then) they charged an "urban fee" on top of the advertised rate -- a common scam that I hate. Check to make sure you know about any such "junk fee" anywhere you're considering.

Thank you everyone for your advice. I am sorry I did not think to do the obvious and add location and price range. Honestly, I am a bit lost on location as I don't know exactly what we all plan to do yet. There are some great flight deals to New York right now and since my family and I would like to take a summer trip, and have never been to New York, I want to take advantage of them. Since we are first timers, I am thinking we are going to try to do a lot of the "traditional" first time touristy things. I can say we are going to want to hit the museums: art, natural history, etc. I'd like to see the public library. I am actually off today to grab a travel guide and get a much more precise itinerary. We'd also like to see a Broadway show possibly. My husband requested hotels in Manhattan. As far as price, we have two other trips planned for this year (Disney and Germany) so I was thinking in the range of $300-350 a night. Again, thanks everyone, I appreciate your insight and time!

mikelsey33, we've been to NYC twice in the last three years. We stayed in midtown, visiting the usual tourist places and five Broadway shows. We got everywhere easily by subway. I will suggest that you take a look at vacation flight/hotel packages from the airlines and you might find a better deal than putting it together yourselves. You just have to read through the reviews and look at the map to see what hotel works best in your budget. We did this via Southwest (to LGA) and were satisfied with our rates, although nothing was cheap.

Also the CityMapper app on our phone was an excellent way to navigate, even telling us the arrival time of each subway train, and which street corner entrance to take to get to our train.

TripAdvisor NYC newsboard can be helpful for research. I haven't had a hotel room in NYC for many decades, but I think it may be unusual to find a room with two King beds, or even two Doubles. I've been in US hotels that limited room occupancy to 3.

Have you started some dummy reservations online yet, to collect information?

As others noted, you will take the subway every day, wherever you stay.

Regardless of where you stay , the sites worth seeing are all easily accessible . Here is one museum that never gets much attention and is well worth a visit - The New York Historical Society . In addition to the permanent collection which includes paintings of The Hudson River School , there is a current exhibition that is a real winner . At the turn of the 20th century , one of the most prominent visual art mediums was that of Illustration ." The Golden Age of American Illustration " produced many fine painters ,like N.C. Wyeth , and Howard Pyle . One of the best known , was, of course, Norman Rockwell . While somewhat relegated to the past , one of the most recognized at the time was J.C, Leyendecker . He was a true master and his work is immediately recognizable to this day . Across the street from the American Museum of Natural History , this shouldn't be missed - Through August 13 - ( Allow this page to scroll from left to right for details ) https://www.nyhistory.org/ EDIT - I almost forgot , there is also an extensive collection of the finest examples of original turn of the century Tiffany glass lamps and shades .

We stayed in the San Carlos earlier this year and were quiet happy. It was an easy walk from daughter’s apartment, had good service, comfortable room and quiet. We booked via Chase travel, and if my middle age memory is accurate it was around $250/night. Before booking, we always check both TripAdvisor and Booking.com reviews and comments. We tend to pay more attention to booking.com as only people that have stayed at facility can post a review.

I also enjoyed a visit to the NY Historical Society.

I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn on W. 42nd near Times Square recently with my 15 y.o. Great location for shows and wandering around TS.

I cannot recommend the Best Western Hospitality House enough! It used to be a condo building that they converted into a hotel, so all the rooms have separate bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms with sofa beds, and balconies. It’s in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, very close to Rockefeller Center and a block from the subway, but very quiet (for NYC). Grocery store within a few blocks.

We've stayed at the Warwick a couple of times. It's across the street from MOMA, and an easy walk to most of the first-time visitor attractions in Midtown. The rooms are big by NYC standards, as I've been told.

https://www.warwickhotels.com/warwick-new-york

I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn on 42nd in February 2020. I would have no issue with staying there again, but overall I prefer the Warwick.

$350/night for two rooms is not enough. Many rooms in Manhattan are only one bed, and you are in high tourist season. This is a relatively expensive market.

The attractions in NYC are so widely separated that you will be taking the subway or busses almost every single day. You can concentrate more on price and reviews, than on location. You also need to seek enough fact-based reporting to assure yourself that public transportation is safe (as it indeed is) for all your possible destinations, at virtually all hours of the day. I came back to Manhattan from the Brooklyn Academy of Music last Tuesday, at 11PM, and I could barely get a seat on the train.

We stayed (about 6 or so years ago) at The Beekman, which is nicely located for the Brooklyn Bridge (for walking over), 9/11 Memorial, a really tall building (that I do not recall the name of that you can go up and see the sites from up high) and many other things to do. It is a lovely renovated historic hotel, and, at the time we were there, one of the staff (when I called in advance and asked where he/she would have breakfast/lunch, etc.) recommended a deli around the corner that was just perfect for our needs.

Do ask about any booking specials, as you might snag a special offer vs. full price on-line.

If we were to go to NYC again, we would select the exact same hotel.

I’ve stayed several times at the Hyatt House New York/Chelsea, which is on 6th Avenue at 28th St. You can choose a room that has a kitchen (stove top, fridge, microwave, dishwasher), or one with just a microwave and small fridge. Breakfast is free, and the staff are terrific. The hotel also has a roof deck with a fantastic view of the Empire State Building, which is a couple of blocks away. Chelsea is an ideal part of the city to stay because almost every subway line runs through it. Enjoy planning your trip!

The OP was asking in May about a trip that occurred in June. I hope they found a good hotel and enjoyed their visit.