Are these bad hotel choices??

Ok, so we are still not sure where we are going to stay...and we are ready to book today, so I want to decide very very soon. To save a little money, I%26#39;ve been looking at the Econo Lodge Times Square and the Best Western President Hotel. Really, we only plan on sleeping in the hotel...so why spend a whole lot, right? We plan to arrive in NYC between 10am and noon on April 14th. We know we can%26#39;t check in to the hotel yet...so we need a good parking garage close to the hotel that we would be able to leave our bags in the van and go back when it%26#39;s time to check in. Anyway....once we get there...we want to go to Central Park...possibly by Taxi, maybe walk, I don%26#39;t know yet. Then, we will spend some time there, Horse Carriage ride is part of the plan...anything other suggestions would be great. We also want to eat at the Carnegie Deli at some point...so we%26#39;ll probably walk back to the hotel and stop there on the way. Then we can check in, spend some time around Time Square, eat supper and then go back to the hotel and get ready for Wicked at 8. Then my husband wants to go to Hard Rock Cafe after the show, get something to eat before going back to the hotel for sleep. Which one of these, or any other hotel close to Gershwin Theatre and Times Square, would be best...should we pay more for a better hotel? I%26#39;m giving our plans so someone with a little more experience and knowledge of the city can help us pick a good choice. Thanks!

Are these bad hotel choices??

Have you read the reviews of these hotels that are posted here under ';hotels';? If not, I suggest you do so--it will help you come to an informed decision. As to whether or not you should pay more for a better hotel--it%26#39;s up to you. I would go for a better hotel, but that%26#39;s me. Again, read the reviews and see what you think.

Are these bad hotel choices??

The Best Western President is an old hotel and people have complained about noise there. So when you say you%26#39;re ';only'; going to sleep there, you want to be able to sleep and you want a clean place with a decent shower. I wouldn%26#39;t pick either of the ones you mention.

I%26#39;m unclear how many nights you%26#39;ll be here, but for just the 2 of you, I%26#39;d try bidding on Priceline. Bid only 4* hotels, bid only areas with the word ';midtown'; in the description. For 1-2 nights, you should be able to get a room for under $150/night plus tax.

Read biddingfortravel.com and/or betterbidding.com if you don%26#39;t know about Priceline.

The other option is to wait a bit for some travelzoo.com specials for April.

Meantime, there%26#39;s a decent rate for the Affinia Manhattan on affinia.com.

Thanks nywhiz...I was waiting for you to comment, lol. What about Warwick? They are supposedly going under construction, hoping to be completed by the end of March....and I am still a considering the Affinia 50...but is it too far away from where we want to be?

The Affinia 50 is on the east side so not as close as your other picks. It%26#39;s certainly walkable but not everyone is used to walking. There%26#39;s also a bus that goes crosstown on 49/50 st. that would be convenient to get to/from the theater. Curious to know the price of the Aff. 50 that you%26#39;re considering vs. the Warwick and others. Is it just 1 night? 2? More?

I really can%26#39;t advise about the Warwick construction. I%26#39;d hate to be responsible for a bad stay. Construction never goes as planned. But if this is just for a weekend, they usually don%26#39;t do construction work on weekends.

Yeah, we are just staying the one night...and the affinia has a deal where with taxes, the room is only $220. The Warwick is $285 with taxes, and the budget hotels are around $230-$240 with taxes. So the Affinia is the cheapest, and it is nicer than the budget...but it%26#39;s night right in the middle of where we want to be. Our budget will allow up to, and a little over the $300 a night....but I really don%26#39;t WANT to spend that much, lol. My husband is already twisting my arm, because he wants us to stay in a nice hotel...he wants me to really enjoy this little getaway. Being at home 24/7 with 3 little girls, ages 2, 4 and 5...I am in much need of a break! I just hate dishing out so much money for one night in a hotel that we are basically just going to be sleeping in! But, I still want to be comfortable and stay in a nice, clean hotel. So,I am open to suggestions from the expert!

That is a great price for the Affinia 50! Here%26#39;s my 2 cents... were this a well-deserved mini-getaway for me as a young mother, I%26#39;d very much appreciate coming back to the far more pleasant accommodations at the Affinia and a neighborhood which isn%26#39;t nearly so zoo-y.

It%26#39;s really quite do-able to walk to Times Square from there; we wallked to/from , e.g., TS, Central Park %26amp; the Met this past April when we stayed at the San Carlos, which is across the street from the Affinia 50. The one thing you%26#39;d want to change from your anticipated itinerary is the idea of having supper in Times Square, but that%26#39;s no biggie in my book. You may be so stuffed from your lunch at the Carnegie Deli that you won%26#39;t be hungry enough for a sit-down meal at the early-enough-to-get-to-the-theatre time, so a light pre-theatre ';snack'; could very well tide you over %26#39;til after the show.

And even if you do wish to more greatly fortify yourselves before heading off to Wicked, there is an abundance of restaurants in the immediate environs of the Affinia 50 -- more variety for all tastes %26amp; budgets than in Times Square :-)

The Affina 50 would be wonderful.. What is your travel date? Just two of you...definitely consider bidding 4* priceline midtown west or east.

Look at what people are paying for hotels on the New York board at betterbidding.com. You will see folks getting 4* hotels for as little as $100.

Would that be owrth your wile?

Thank you so much for all your help. I think we are going to go with the Affinia 50. It was my first choice, but then we started looking at closer hotels to time square. But, after much review...I think Affinia will be best suited to us. Thanks again!

we just got the crowne plaze for $130/night on pricleine. It was a fabulous location and a great hotel.