Need hotels - San Fran, New York, Paris

[candyflip]

This one should be easy pickings for most of you here!

As part of a RTW (non-Business) holiday, I need double bed rooms in the three cities I mentioned in July 09 (already have Las Vegas and Tokyo dialed in) for 3 nights in each town.

A. do you have personal recommendations for non-Business hotels (or inexpensive Business ones) in the three cities, and

B. Would you book now, or wait, considering rooms generally are getting harder to fill in 09 and further sales may be on the way?

cheers

 

[Alanslegal]

Hi Candy,

What is your price range roughly per night? This could give us a few leads....and I would assume you would want to be in the "heart of the action" given its a leisure trip.

 

[candyflip]

Hi Candy,

What is your price range roughly per night? This could give us a few leads....and I would assume you would want to be in the "heart of the action" given its a leisure trip.

Obviously that varies depending on the city - I know Paris will cost me at least double what I'll get in San Fran for the same class of room.

Let's say at least US$100 per night.

and yes, heart of the action would be great - I have no use for conference centres, fax maxhines, airport hotels and the like here..

thanks

 

[NM]

I would be booking something now, but using flexible rates and not pre-paid rates. Then continuing to check for better deals as the trip draws closer. Then using some of the last minute booking sites in the week or two before arriving to see if I can find anything better. That way I have a backup plan (the flexible booking) if nothing better comes along. And if I find a better deal I can cancel the flexible booking at no penalty.

As for actual hotel recommendations, you probably need to be a little more specific about you requirements. For example, we stayed at the Novotel at Gare de Lyon as it was adjacent to the train station we would use to depart Paris. Similarly we stayed at the New Yorker hotel in NY because it was a few blocks from Penn Station which we used to arrive and depart from NY. Our choice was based on proximity to transport (walking distance from train stations) for easy connections rather than proximity to sight-seeing which we figured we could use public transport to get to.

You need to decide if you want to stay close to attractions, close to transport, or a little out of the city and use public transport to get around.

 

[candyflip]

As for actual hotel recommendations, you probably need to be a little more specific about you requirements..

OK, fair enough, more specificity follows....

Location is everything. I've stayed in $90 dives that my fiance would barely have considered otherwise, except that the cities finest locations were no more than a few hundred metres away and we could sleep at night. Everything else is secondary (we find our own fun, meals, shopping, other needs)

So, in San Fran, Financial district/Chinatown and Marina are all fine (as long as the rooms are quiet)

New York : anything downtown would be great, although something funky and/or unusual in SOHO etal., or with a clear view across to Lady Liberty, would be fine.

Paris: something quaint and 'of the city' (architecturally) would be nice. Central, not suburbia, unless right on the train lines.

thanks for your help

 

[Batesy]

• In San Francisco. The Mosser
• In NYC Hotel 373 in 5th Ave.

Both have small rooms and no real hotel facilities, but are clean, modern and centrally located so no need for hotel to have restaurant, concierge, etc.

We were on our RTW and found them both to be great. Have stayed at the Mosser again since.

 

[Keith009]

OK, fair enough, more specificity follows....

Location is everything. I've stayed in $90 dives that my fiance would barely have considered otherwise, except that the cities finest locations were no more than a few hundred metres away and we could sleep at night. Everything else is secondary (we find our own fun, meals, shopping, other needs)

So, in San Fran, Financial district/Chinatown and Marina are all fine (as long as the rooms are quiet)

New York : anything downtown would be great, although something funky and/or unusual in SOHO etal., or with a clear view across to Lady Liberty, would be fine.

Paris: something quaint and 'of the city' (architecturally) would be nice. Central, not suburbia, unless right on the train lines.

thanks for your help

You said "at least $100" but is there an upper limit?

If not, I highly recommend the Soho Grand in NYC. Rates are $300-400ish, quite moderate by NYC standards especially given what you get. It's very trendy and happening. Great place for star spotting. Was invited to a party hosted by JLo there once. The W Broadway location means you're right in the middle of lots of shops, cafes, bars and restos in SoHo.

Another one I like is Hotel Gansevoort, right in the middle of MePa. Lots of interesting coffee shops and bars around.

For something truly edgy, try Soho House NYC, also located in MePa. They only have 24 bedrooms, really intimate. Gothic style, sited in an old warehouse.

As a big fan of Ws, I'd also throw in the W Union Square as a suggestion, though this isn't exactly DT. Great social scene, and the concierge service there is excellent. Union Square is a great neighbourhood. The rates for this W is a bit on the high side, but Starwood is running some great promos (stay x nights get x nights free etc) across all brands atm. Great thing about Ws is they combine the interesting elements of boutique hotels, with the functionality associated with big chains - some boutique hotels can be rather understaffed or lack the resources/bargaining power to provide decent concierge services.

A W is also going to be opening Downtown. But not sure if it'd be in time for you.

I'd also be in NYC in July btw. Currently booked at the W on Lexington (a bit too midtown for me, but the rates are great and the new decor is fab!) but hoping to check out the new W DT.

 

[candyflip]

Thanks QF009 .. some great recommendations there!

I agree on the W's - they look *exactly* like what we are after, but are tracking just a little higher in price (currently) than we would wish... still, as a SPG member, perhaps I can get wheel a deal in the next few months. I'm also interested to see what deals might be created for the 4 Points Sheraton Midtown once it opens in a few weeks time - could be some opening specials there?

I'll check out the Soho House NYC in MePa - sounds terrific!

Thinking about the St.Francis in San Fran - very reasonable at the moment.

cheers

jon

 

[Keith009]

There's also the 4Pts Soho, but it's not exactly in Soho.

As for the Ws, Times Sq, Lexington and the Court were all going for USD269 when I was booking for a friend who'd be there in 2 weeks. Union Sq was slightly higher. Plus this rate is eligible for the '3 nights for 2' deal. Bargain! Perhaps rates go down closer to date of stay.

If you're not ruling out Midtown, can I also suggest Dream Hotel NYC? Located at Broadway and 55th, near shopping on Madison and 5th. It's a most fun hotel with a fantastic bar.

Westin St Francis in SF is a bit dated. Have you looked at Westin Market St? They usually have rather good rates. It's been renovated when it was reflagged as a Westin. It's near Union Square, around where the St Regis and W are also located.

PS, the ongoing SPG promos based on length of stay are here:
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/promotions/promo_landing.html?category=GENDRE_H

You can also find a list of property specific ones by going to the Starwood forum on Flyertalk.

Be warned though that the promos are non refundable, advanced purchase rates. I'd do what NM suggests - book flexible rates now, and only settle on a restrictive rate when your stay is imminent.

 

[Flying Fox]

In NY you could try the Best Western Presidential (Corner of West 48th and 8th Ave). Its very convenient, simple, clean and price is OK.

 

[Alanslegal]

Apart from SPG's promo link which QF009's provided the link to, if you search around such as the Hilton or Marriott site you could also find some good deals for NYC.

For example, the Waldorf Astoria NY for USD$168 per night but prepaid. Also I have seen the Millenium Hilton and Hilton New York for around that price as well - again prepaid and non refundable. It's just a matter of spending a couple of hours playing around, and doing so frequently as prices go up and down, sales come and go etc.

I haven't checked San Francisco but I assume there could be specials as well given the current economic environment, however the last time I was in San Fran I stayed at The Donatello hotel - which was just behind the Westin St Francis. Nice comfortable place.


Also another suggeston if you're not particularly worried about staying at a particular hotel chain, could be to use hotwire.com or priceline.com - where you bid/buy for hotels without their names. In conjunction, you use the site betterbidding.com where there is so much information about the likely hotel you are going to end up with. However I would book something fully flexible now, but closer to the dates, loook at hotwire / priceline as the prices can drop substantially a week or two from the date of travel.

 

[Alanslegal]

The Millenium Hilton (room on a high floor) is $139 for the dates I will be in NYC. The view might be overlooking the WTC construction site but am tempted to consider this hotel in lieu of a SPG stay. Seriously $220AUD per night in a Hilton in NYC is a bargain IMO. Location is towards the Financial District but subways are efficient and safe at any time of day/night.

 

[notzac]

Personal recommendation for San Francisco - stay at the Hotel Palomar, on the corner of 4th and Market. Great location, great rooms, great amenities, I stayed there on my last trip and had a really good time.

Hotel Palomar San Francisco: A Luxury Boutique Hotel By Moscone Center

 

[drron]

Just some general advice on New York.Having spent 6 months on and off there over the last 6 years I can say there is no one area that can be called truly Central to all tourist destinations.The major thing is to be close to transport particularly the subway.We however dont mind using the busses as you see what you are passing and so where you might want to go.
Seeing you are SPG I would echo the advice off NM and QF009.Book a cancellable rate now that you would be happy to pay(not neccessarily at a SPG property) and then keep watching regularly-I would reccomend at least once a week.Snap up any great deal that becomes available-and personally i think it will happen.NYC is hurting badly with the collapse of Wall street.Even last September we could get into restaurants that previously had been impossible to book.
So to SPG properties.Often reccomended are W Court and W Tuscany.These are both slighly south of Grand Central station so very good for subway access.Close to the UN.Not that far from ESB or TOTR and Macys.6th ave is close.Lots of good restaurants not far away.Even an airport bus service from 42nd and Park.
W Union Square is also a good area.Union sqare has lots of subway lines in close proximity.Good shopping there with Filenes,DSW(shoes) as well as favourites of mine The Strand bookstore,ABC furniture(name doesnt do it justice).Not far to walk to Soho and the village or to the Chelsea Markets.The real attraction for me here are the Farmers markets-great.
Then the Millenium Hilton has been mentioned.A lot of people rule this area out but you are not far from Chinatown,wall st,Brooklyn bridge and the tours to lady Liberty and Ellis island.Again good proximity to the subway.As a bonus you are virtually next door to Century 21-discount shopping.
When there get a $10 metrocard-gives you 6 $2 rides(though I think Mayor bloomberg was trying to increase the price).This is good for trains and busses.
Good sites to find out whats on-
Visit New York Guide - A comprehensive guide to all you need to know about Visiting New York City, shopping, sightseeing, Dining, Theater and more.
NYCtourist.com - City Guide to New York City Hotels & Tourism
New York Travel Guide and Visitor Information | NYC.com - Official Site - New York City Information
That should be enough to keep you busy.

 

[candyflip]

Thanks drron, notzac, Alanslegal and Flying Fox - all noted down and will be researched.

P.S I've been to NYC twice before, but never used a hotel when there.

cheers all

 

[Keith009]

W Tuscany has large rooms but doesn't have a bar. W The Court does have a bar but it's rather small and quiet, and attracts more of a post-work drinks crowd (ie v corporate). They're right next door to each other btw, so perfect for mattress runs. The W with the best social scene in NYC is actually the original W on Lexington; it's recently had a refurb and the new decor looks amazing. There's also more to do in the immediate vicinity of W on Lex. Plus W on Lex is also consistently cheaper than the others. My all round favourite is actually the W Union Square (amazing team manning Whatever/Whenever - got me great seats at Mercedes Fashion Week) but that's currently a lot more expensive than Lex for my dates.

Oh and latest intel on the W Downtown suggests that it'd not be open till Feb 2010.

Regardless of where you stay, you have to pop down to the SoHo Grand for a drink or 5.

 

[candyflip]

W Tuscany has large rooms .. LARGE SNIP ..... Regardless of where you stay, you have to pop down to the SoHo Grand for a drink or 5.

Will do - thanks QF!

(its like having my own Australian concierge online!..)

P.S. Had a look at Hotel Gansevoort, Soho House and Dream - all I can say for each is *WOW* :shock:, but again, all too exxy for me. At US$250+ night, with the exchange rate the way it is presently, nahhhh... I think we'd rather keep the powder dry for some spending money at Century 21 each day. But if I worked there, or was on the company ticket?.. hell yes!

See you at the Grand! (actually, you're in NYC and Tokyo the weeks immediately before us, but still, a nice thought)...

 

[docjames]

Well, we stayed at Hyatt Grand Central Station last September and I'll throw it into the ring - would be worth it if you can get a good rate (we paid USD$220/nt) as it's on top of Grand Central Station (literally!), there's heaps of restaurants nearby (Oyster Bar in GCC was great!), obviously easy train access, and the airport bus stops across the road.

Of course, when we booked, AUD$1 = USD$0.92 (when we paid, =USD$0.86 :-|)

 

[UP4014]

This one should be easy pickings for most of you here!

As part of a RTW (non-Business) holiday, I need double bed rooms in the three cities I mentioned in July 09 (already have Las Vegas and Tokyo dialed in) for 3 nights in each town.

A. do you have personal recommendations for non-Business hotels (or inexpensive Business ones) in the three cities, and

B. Would you book now, or wait, considering rooms generally are getting harder to fill in 09 and further sales may be on the way?

cheers

San Fran - Villa Florence in Union Square, mid price (for SF) but excellent location with no car needed. I always ask for a low room at the front so I can here the late night hum of the cable car cable running under the road which is very soothing after a Fishermans Whalf dinner with a few wines, followed by a cable car trip hanging on the outside front talking to the gripman of an emtpy late night service back to the hotel. Also only a few doors away from the Gold Dust (I think its called) old fashioned (read unrenovated) coughtail bar.

 

[Keith009]

Will do - thanks QF!

(its like having my own Australian concierge online!..)

P.S. Had a look at Hotel Gansevoort, Soho House and Dream - all I can say for each is *WOW* :shock:, but again, all too exxy for me. At US$250+ night, with the exchange rate the way it is presently, nahhhh... I think we'd rather keep the powder dry for some spending money at Century 21 each day. But if I worked there, or was on the company ticket?.. hell yes!

See you at the Grand! (actually, you're in NYC and Tokyo the weeks immediately before us, but still, a nice thought)...

Dream is also a rather glamourous place to hang out for a drink too. DJs there are fab, better than some W Hotel bars I have to admit. Lines could be quite long on busy nights if you're not staying there though.