Carlton on Madison or Sofitel?

My husband and I are planning our first trip to NYC and we can%26#39;t decide between these two hotels. The reviews for both are good. And the prices are not too different for the time we are looking at going (June 07). We are afraid that the Carlton may be out of walking distance for a lot of the sights (times sqare area), is this true? We are in our mid 20%26#39;s and want this to be a fantastic trip. The Sofitel was about $150 more for the entire stay, but if it%26#39;s worth it, we are willing to pay that. ANY tips would be very helpful!!

THANKS!!

Carlton on Madison or Sofitel?

You shouldn%26#39;t limit yourself to being within walking distance of anything in NYC. The subway is cheap, safe, and fast along with being interesting and a lot of fun! Time Square is just a small part of this wonderful city so be sure to be adventurous and check out as much of it as you can. If you want to be around real New Yorkers give TS a look (it%26#39;s packed with tourists and the only place I felt uneasy) then head out to other neighborhoods. We stayed at the Affinia Dumont in Murray Hill, an area with a more residential feel to it but with plenty of nice restaurants and bars. I%26#39;ll link some pictures to the hotel if you%26#39;re interested.

Have a great trip!

Carlton on Madison or Sofitel?

They are very different hotels. The Carlton is an older hotel that has been renovated and has a pretty wide variety of rooms in terms of size, appeal, etc. Reviews indicate some people have been unhappy with room/bath size and street noise. The Sofitel is a newish, modern high-rise hotel with more standardized room and bath sizes and probably better soundproofing. Unless there is a particular reason for your interest in the Carlton (you like architecture of that period, want to stay in that neighborhood, etc.) I recommend the Sofitel, as I think it is less likely to disappoint.

Thanks for the advice, there%26#39;s nothing worse (to me) than being dissappointed in the hotel. There are so many great places to choose from, but it looks like we are going to go with the Sofitel, it seems like the safest choice! thanks again for the help!

I agree with QQ. Curious why you picked the Carlton as the other option though? There are other places I%26#39;d consider with the Sofitel though. Since you%26#39;re young, you might prefer staying a bit further downtown (W Union Square?) or in Soho (the Mercer or 60 Thompson) or some place trendier (Bryant Park).

Thanks nywhiz! I was just going by pictures of the hotels and reviews. I think I will check into the areas you suggested. The place I stay is important to me, it sets the mood of my trip. Thanks again for the suggestions. Are there any specific hotels in Soho you would suggest?

We stayed at the Carlton and had no problems with the hotel. Our room was small but very nicely decorated and kept very clean. We had no problem walking to times square or to our theater for a Broadway show, or even to Grand Central the first couple of days, but the last couple of days of our trip our feet were pretty tired by the end of the day from all the walking we did. We found the area the hotel was in was very quiet at night and it was hard to get a cab as not that many went by the hotel. There is a subway stop quite close but just be aware about the taxi issue. One night we also took the bus back from the east village and only had a couple of blocks to walk to the hotel from the stop. We did leave for the airport mid afternoon and again the doorman had trouble getting us a cab, we ended up taking a car service for a bit more money. I also should mention that although the area was quiet at night we felt perfectly safe walking back to our hotel around midnight, we were 2 females. Enjoy your trip.

The only hotels in Soho are the 2 I mentioned (the Mercer and 60 Thompson) plus the Soho Grand which I think is not as good but larger.

Don%26#39;t want to dissuade you from the Sofitel which is very centrally located and good for theater, mainstream shopping and usual first time sightseeing. But it%26#39;s more a typical tourist location whereas staying further downtown puts you closer to trendier shopping, restaurants and nightlife. The Bryant Park hotel is right near the Sofitel but attracts a younger trendier crowd.

NYWhiz -

I took your suggestion and looked into The Bryant Park, your right, it is much trendier and looks like more of our style. I am only a little concerned about so many negative reviews. I know this style of hotel is not for everyone. Many complained of poor service , that the hotel has more of a nightclub feel, and that some rooms are noisey. Do you have comments on any of these. I truely do like the feel of the rooms better and the area, but I don%26#39;t want to sacrifice good service or a quiet(er) night.

On location b/w the Bryant Park and the Sofitel, they%26#39;re only 2 blocks apart so location is really the same. The only difference is the Sofitel is on a typical street (with lots of other hotels btw) with buildings lining both sides of the block while the Bryant Park sits across from an actual park (Bryant by chance ;) and the NY Public library, so the front of the hotel faces the park so it feels more open.

Many of the trendy hotels seem to have a problem with attitude among staff. Of the 10 reviews on the first page for BP, only one or two are negative. I do think some of their rooms are noisy and the place has a destination bar/restaurant (by destination I mean people not staying in the hotel go there b/c it%26#39;s cool/trendy). I personally don%26#39;t think I%26#39;d like to stay there vs. the Sofitel BUT I%26#39;m much older than you. I%26#39;ve recommended the BP to others on the board and to my recollection, they were all happy. I was a bit stunned when I saw some photos of the room one couple had (I thought it was pretty basic) but they loved it and saw a bunch of celebs there. Jagwood is the name of one poster who stayed there and loved it. He%26#39;s posted a trip report here

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k780558-鈥?/a>

and there%26#39;s a link to his photos here

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k829636-鈥?/a>

I believe they got a junior suite though.

Something else to consider is there are 2-3 very trendy hotels on the same block as the Sofitel that have trendy bars.

Have a look also at the Chambers hotel, another midtown place that%26#39;s trendy. In fact, look on hipguide.com at their list of hotels.