Updated: Jan 1
New York is a city that everyone wants to experience at least once, but the high prices can be intimidating. In this guide, we’ll help you navigate the thousands of different accommodation options and narrow them down to a select few. We’ll cover everything you need to know to confidently book your accommodation for your trip, including the different neighborhoods, the pros and cons of different types of accommodations, and how to find the best deals. By doing your research and knowing what to look for, you can find the perfect accommodation for your trip to New York. Let’s get started!
Airbnb VS Hotel
When considering accommodation options in New York, it’s common to compare hotels to Airbnb rentals. In general, Airbnb rentals are often cheaper than hotels, but they can also be more basic and may not be in the best locations. You can certainly find a nice Airbnb rental in New York, but be sure to check the check-in and check-out times, as arriving late at night or very early in the morning can be an issue.
In our experience, hotels are generally the better option for staying in New York. While Airbnb rentals can be great in other cities, like Queenstown or Tasmania, they don’t quite measure up in New York. Our preference is to choose a nice hotel that offers the amenities and location we want. By doing your research and considering all of your options, you can find the perfect accommodation for your trip to New York.
How do we choose the right hotel in New York?
We have sat through Tripadvisor searching through hundreds of hotel options in this city and even that is not making a dent given there are thousands of hotels. So what are we looking for?
- Location is so important – New York has people everywhere so we want to try to reduce commuting as much as possible. Picking a central location close to where the majority of your itinerary is going to take place is ideal. Given a lot of the commuting will either be via walking, you will want to place a lot of decision on the location of your accomodation.
- Cost – New York is expensive, the cost matters in a big way.
- Room size – New York accomodation is famous for its cozy interiors. Make sure you consider the size of the rooms as some rooms can be 19m2. If it is just 1 person it may be fine but if you are settling in for 5 nights with 2x people means you will basically be falling over each other.
- Room interior & view – New York hotel room interiors are all fairly up to date so it is not too important but it definitely plays a part in picking the right hotel. Most rooms have little or no view but if it has one it is an added bonus.
- Tripadvisor reviews & reputation- We want to make sure that the reviews the hotel is getting are positive, recent and consistent. This is more important than most realise.
Location:
When planning your trip to New York, it’s important to have an idea of the activities you want to do and the places you want to visit. This will help you choose the best location for your accommodation. For example, if you plan to visit Central Park regularly and do activities in the lower Manhattan/Financial District area, you might want to choose a location near Times Square/Central Park, which is centrally located and convenient for both of these areas. By thinking about your itinerary and what you want to do in New York, you can choose the best location for your accommodation and make the most of your trip.
The Shortlist:
Now that we have a good idea of where we want our hotel located the next step is to head to trip advisor and refine the search results to those areas. You’ll be able to create your own shortlist but we narrowed our accomodation down to a select few. Note our rating system is not purely on how nice the hotel is but it also takes value for money into consideration.
Sofitel New York
The Sofitel New York has a lot going for it… Right location, moderate price, good quality interior, good hotel brand, nice room size, good reviews. The Sofitel New York is a great option and we have previously stayed at this property so know first hand. Ultimately it came down to price compared to our favourite option which is why we didn’t book this hotel this time however it was a strong second.
Location: ★★★★★★★★★★
Price: ★★★★★★★★★☆
Room Size & Interior: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Reputation & Reviews: ★★★★★★★★★☆
Overall: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Westhouse Hotel New York
Westhouse New York is another great pick! Amazing location, nice interiors, great reviews, good pricing the only thing that stopped us booking this hotel was the room size & price compared to our favourite.
Location: ★★★★★★★★★★
Price: ★★★★★★★★★☆
Room Size & Interior: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Reputation & Reviews: ★★★★★★★★★☆
Overall: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Mandarin Oriental New York
One of New Yorks most premier properties was always going to make the short list. Breathtaking views, stunning interiors, a world class brand and an amazing location! The only problem… you guessed it… the price. You get what you pay for, if you want the best, New York has plenty of people who have deep pockets who will pay whatever the Mandarin Oriental is asking. If you have the money it is worth it!
Location: ★★★★★★★★★★
Price: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Room Size & Interior: ★★★★★★★★★★
Reputation & Reviews: ★★★★★★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
If you are after the best views of New York skyline/Brooklyn Bridge it is hard to argue with 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge! The rooms are stunning and the views are worth every penny! Our only problem is the location is a bit out the way if this is your first time in New York and want to explore Central Park/Manhattan. The value for money for the views is worth it but it will certainly add up if you plan to stay there for a week. Maybe this is one of those places you go just for the night?
Location: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Price: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Room Size & Interior: ★★★★★★★★★★
Reputation & Reviews: ★★★★★★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Our Favourite – Intercontinental Times Square
This hotel is a gem. Located right in the heart of the tourist area it is the perfect distance from lower Manhattan & the tourist areas of Central Park. It’s price is very reasonable and the rooms are a good size with nice interiors and some rooms have glimpses of Times Square. The only fault with this hotel is the occasional bad review on Tripadvisor but saying this EVERY hotel has bad reviews. If you serve enough people, you are not going to please everyone but apart from that this is our favourite pick!
Location: ★★★★★★★★★★
Price: ★★★★★★★★★★
Room Size & Interior: ★★★★★★★★★★
Reputation & Reviews: ★★★★★★★★★☆
Overall: ★★★★★★★★★☆
