i'm lost in translation

Supposed to be studying for midterms but......

I really wanted to add on this topic. Fortunately, the one topic I happen to know just a little about is where the hell to stay whilst in New York if you are on a MONDO budget. Let's face it, not too many people have more than $200.00 a night to spend on a hotel room - in fact - most people don't have more to spend than $99.00 a night. And that is going to get you into some seedy areas. Why, do you ask, do I know about cheapie hotels in NYC? Well, I used to be an entertainment travel agent - and it seemed like all the bands and entertainers I moved around wanted the most luxury for the least dollars (i.e. Champagne taste on a beer budget)

So - where would I put the parents (or people I care about but really don't want to have staying with me)? **UPDATE** While these aren't the "hippest" hotels out there - they are really decent for those who want to stay at a somewhat decent hotel but can't afford the W Union Square.

1. Ameritania, Amsterdam Court or Bentley Hotel - All of these hotels are part of a hotel group called the Amsterdam Hospitality Group. The Ameritania and Amsterdam Court are in the midtown area and the Bentley is on the Upper (WAY) East Side. Some of the advertised rates on the website are as low as $135.00 a night - sometimes cheaper in the summer when the city is dead and hotels are willing to go rock bottom to sell some rooms. At one point, some of the hotels in the hotel group have tried a hip and trendy lounge or restaurant....but things didn't quite work out. The minor issues that have been reported to me from these hotels are - "sometimes the rooms can be too hot", "the front desk staff annoys me", " the rooms are tiny" and "the walls are paper thin". On the other hand - it's clean, the staff is not entirely incompetent, the decor is familiar (it's IKEA chic) and the hotels have a 24 hour coffee bar ( at least they give you something).

2. Hotel Cosmopolitian - This hotel is very stripped down and very cheesy looking on it's website BUT it's in a decent neighborhood and VERY affordable. Once again - it's cheap, it's clean and the staff is friendly.

3. Southgate Tower- CONS: This hotel is in the hellish midtown area right across from Penn Station/Madison Square Garden PROS: This hotel has recently been remodelled and it's rooms are bigger than most hotels (it's an all suite property). It is an extended stay hotel but they do accept reservations for one or two nights. Sometimes has rates at around $169.00 for a studio suite.

I'll expand more on this topic but I've got to get back to studying!

***Update*** - see these other posts for more hotel info in NYC - where not to stay and update on NYC hotels

posted by Jin @ 7:07 PM