NYC Hotel Advice

[RTR]

Tentatively planning a NYC trip in Sep 2016. I'm going to need 4 rooms for 3 nights. I'm a member of IHG, Carlson & SPG. I probably have 100k points in each of these programs. My UR balance right now stands north of 700K. I know the simple approach is just to pay for the rooms outright with UR points but not sure this is the best way to go. I tentatively budgeted $400 per room per night.

My question is what hotel/chain should I concentrate on to build points since I've got a few months to build points? The folks I'm bringing along, most have never been to NYC so a central location is a must for them to visit all the iconic sites.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions.

 

[projectx]

Tentatively planning a NYC trip in Sep 2016. I'm going to need 4 rooms for 3 nights. I'm a member of IHG, Carlson & SPG. I probably have 100k points in each of these programs. My UR balance right now stands north of 700K. I know the simple approach is just to pay for the rooms outright with UR points but not sure this is the best way to go. I tentatively budgeted $400 per room per night.

My question is what hotel/chain should I concentrate on to build points since I've got a few months to build points? The folks I'm bringing along, most have never been to NYC so a central location is a must for them to visit all the iconic sites.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions.

My wife and I stayed at the Andaz 5th Avenue on our recent and first ever trip to NYC. It's a Hyatt property which I see you're not a member of, but if you have that many UR points (holy smokes!) you can transfer and book it now. 25k points/night. It wouldn't even eat up half of your stash. If you decide to pay cash, rooms there typically run about $400/night.

Rooms were nice, though they lacked enough drawers for our clothing. No biggie though, there are some funky glass shelves as you enter. Regardless, if you're only there three nights, it's a non issue. Anyway, it's situated across from the NYC library so if you request and are granted a room facing 5th Ave you'll get a great unobstructed view of the city. As I understand it, the rooms are large for NYC. And by large I mean average size for anywhere else. But in NY, that's uncommon. As a bonus the rooms have 12 foot ceilings, and the bathrooms in the room are large and stunning.

As far as centrally located, I can't imagine a better spot. It was fantastic. Located in midtown, you're a short walk to popular sites such as Times Square, Central Park, 30 Rock, Radio City Music Hall, Empire State Building, and Grand Central Station. Getting to the financial district by subway was a snap once you figure out the system.

 

[Barefootwoman]

My preferred hotel in the NYC area is the Sheraton Lincoln Harbor on the river at Weehawken, a very short walk to the ferry that drops you off in midtown Manhattan. I don't recall off hand how many SPG points are required, I've been paying cash during my last couple visits since they had great bargain rate promotions going at the time.....but you might want to look it up as it's probably a great value for the points.

Pros: very convenient to Manhattan, free parking, area appears safe and clean, hotel is very nice for a mid range property, easily accessed from major highways, nice restaurants in walking distance and outstanding skyline views. Those familiar with NYC will understand why some of these features are quite valuable.

Cons - have yet to find any.

 

[smittytabb]

Tentatively planning a NYC trip in Sep 2016. I'm going to need 4 rooms for 3 nights. I'm a member of IHG, Carlson & SPG. I probably have 100k points in each of these programs. My UR balance right now stands north of 700K. I know the simple approach is just to pay for the rooms outright with UR points but not sure this is the best way to go. I tentatively budgeted $400 per room per night.

My question is what hotel/chain should I concentrate on to build points since I've got a few months to build points? The folks I'm bringing along, most have never been to NYC so a central location is a must for them to visit all the iconic sites.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions.

There are so many options. I go to New York City a lot as I have family there in Manhattan. In fact I just got back from a trip there last night. So, my favorites are the Andaz properties, because of the point options. I have stayed at the Andaz Wall Street more than any other property there and really like it. My last stay was cash and points and only cost $150 a night out of pocket. I like the UR transfer to Hyatt option. Andaz Fifth is lovely but harder to get and always more expensive.

In terms of property chains you mention, there is an Intercontinental New York Times Square and with Carlson I have seen good reports especially about what a good value the Radisson Martinique is, but that was when two for one nights were a part of that equation. I also like the Conrad New York which is not on your list but is all suites and usually is not as expensive as some others for what you get.

Bottom line is there is no real "central" location in the city. It is huge and you just need to use cabs, uber and the subway. There are things all over the place.

 

[Jung Lee]

My previous two stays in NYC have been at the IC Times Square using the free night certificate for having the IC Chase card. That would be a horrible use of your UR points, but just another thought.

One other thought is to wait for the Daily Getaways that typically come around every March. They tend to have discounted points/miles for sale. I bought 100K IC points for ~$400, don't remember the exact amount, but that could be used for two nights at the IC Times Square. Just another option to think about.

 

[Max]

Manhattan is so compact that there isn't really a location that isn't just a short subway/cab ride away from wherever you want to go. You're probably just best off picking the property that you either think looks the best or has the best redemption value. Any of the good hotels in Manhattan will be easily accessible with mass transit.

Times Square remains popular with tourists because it's a massive hub for subways in the city, it's very tourist friendly, and it's right next to the theatres. Not much local flavor there though.

I lived in NYC way back when, and I learned to dislike Times Square. However, if they have never been to NYC, they'll probably love staying there. Good for subway access, plus they can brag to their friends that they "stayed in Times Square." Hard to beat that.

 

[RTR]

Thanks for the advice. I've been to NYC only a few times and it has been several years ago. I knew that this group would have much better and timely info.

 

[smittytabb]

Times Square remains popular with tourists because it's a massive hub for subways in the city, it's very tourist friendly, and it's right next to the theatres. Not much local flavor there though.

I lived in NYC way back when, and I learned to dislike Times Square. However, if they have never been to NYC, they'll probably love staying there. Good for subway access, plus they can brag to their friends that they "stayed in Times Square." Hard to beat that.

Been to NYC countless times and never stayed near Times Square, so I agree.