I know this post is titled 3 cheap hotels in Times Square New York City, but in all fairness that is an impossibility.
The only way that you are going to find hotels in Times Square New York cheap is if your definition of cheap it is completely skewed.
If you are a billionaire, or at the very least a multimillionaire, a few hundred dollars per night for a hotel room in Times Square will seem very reasonable … indeed cheap.
According to a New York Times article dated December 11, 2005, the price of a standard room at the Holiday Inn Manhattan, with views of a “grimy alley” came in at a whopping $299, not including taxes[1].
So, I think if you’re looking for budget accommodation in this area and then a more appropriate search phrase would be cheap hotels near Times Square New York City.
This is going to give you a lot more bang for your buck, although you have to remember that this is New York City and prices are going to reflect that.
So, without further ado, here are 3 choices for cheap hotels in New York City near Times Square.
The Jane Hotel New York
The Jane Hotel[2] New York would be one of our top choices, advertised as what a hotel used to be like.
The hotel is very close to Times Square, “Ground Zero”, the Empire State building, and New York’s Chelsea neighbourhood.
There is a bar and restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The hotel has complimentary bicycles, complimentary Internet access in all public areas, a limo/town car service, concierge desk, and multilingual staff.
There is also a round-trip airport shuttle service available at a surcharge.
The rooms are described as “standard cabins”, each equipped with flatscreen TV, iPod dock, DVD player, free WiFi, in room safe, and telephone with voicemail.
Each room has a river view and/or terrace.
Tripadvisor rates this hotel as 220/430 in New York City.
There are 286 reviews on the website at the time of writing with 86 being excellent, 107 very good, 37 average, 34 poor, and 26 terrible.
Some of the excellent reviews have said “the best hotel I’ve have stayed in”, “staying in the Jane is like being in a train car from the 20s”, and “the bar on the first floor was a wild scene every night, but up on the 5th floor I wouldn’t even know it was there.”
Of course you’re going to get some bad reviews and as usual they were mostly concerning individual grievances, you know the kind…”I wasn’t treated like the King I deserve to be treated like”, “How dare they not serve caviar with my toast, I paid over $50 for this room!!!!”, and “Rant!!Rant!!!Big Fat Kiddie Tantrum Cause I Didn’t Get My Own Way NAAARRRFFF!!!
It’s always good to see the hotel responding to bad reviews, and the Jane management were no exception to this.
Hotel Pennsylvania New York City
Next up is the Hotel Pennsylvania[3] New York City which is located on Seventh Avenue.
This hotel has 1700 rooms each with cable TV, telephone, a drier, baby crib or rollaway bed upon request, and pay-per-view movies.
There is a 24 hour business centre, 24 hour coffee shop, and 24-hour news stand.
There is also a complimentary in-house fitness centre, high-speed Internet access, and valet parking (a small charge).
Tripadvisor ranks this hotel has 345/430 hotels in New York City.
There are 4202 reviews on the site with 206 being excellent, 840 being very good, 1202 average, 723 poor, and 1230 terrible.
The first reviewer said “Just spent a week at Hotel Pennsylvania and was terrified what to expect after reading reviews on here prior to going. Not sure if people expect a whole lot for little money or just like to complain. I found the hotel, clean tidy and really handy to everywhere. Sure it’s an old building so it has a few cracks and bruises around the edges, but the rooms were clean when we arrived and cleaned everyday with fresh towels each day.”
I think that says it all really, the Hotel needs a bit of a refurbishment but it is in a fantastic location and is great value for money… enough said!
The Gershwin Hotel New York City
The Gershwin[4] is located on 7 east 27th Street.
Each room, which is meant to accommodate up to 2 people, is approximately 450 ft.² with an ensuite bathroom, queen size bed, flat screen television in a separate living room with couch, refrigerator, Internet access, and telephone with voicemail.
Tripadvisor ranks this hotel as 261/430 hotels in New York City.
At the time of writing there are 216 reviews of which 84 are excellent, 231 very good, 146 average, 81 poor, and 76 terrible.
One guest described the hotel as having a very “European feeling”, another said that it was a “fantastic place to stay, so central, easy walking distance to everything”, and a further guest said that “you get what you pay for, but worth the money”.
Like some of the other options in New York City, it looks like this hotel could do with a bit of updating but then this is going to be reflected in the price.
Many people expect first class service but really don’t have the check book to pay for it.
This is the centre of New York City, let’s get real here!
There are lots of hotels in New York City that are near Times Square and all the other attractions.
As I said at the beginning of this post, if you’re looking for cheap hotels in Times Square New York City you are going to pay a premium for the privilege.
Much better to find a place just a little bit outside of the main drag, pay a lot less, and have more money to spend on the proper tourist thing.
