If you have plans to travel to New York City you want to read more about how to pick a hotel in New York City to help you enjoy more attractions and get the best deal!
We planned our visit back in July to visit New York City in October. We knew this was one of the most expensive times to visit, but we wanted to stay close to it all so that we wouldn’t’ have any excuse to not go out and explore the city. We knew that if we had to take an Uber or a taxi, we would probably just stay in our room. So because we decided to stay as close as we could to the action, we paid a little bit more for our hotel.
First, you need to pick out a location. We picked Times Square as the place we wanted to be near – but after exploring the city, we now think that the best option would have been to have stayed closer to Rockefeller Plaza. This is a great place to see so many attractions in one spot. Even though it is close to Times Square – picking a hotel that is close to Rockefeller Plaza is a better option.
We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn New York/Midtown Park Ave, and we had to walk about a mile to get to many of the places we wanted to visit. The hotel was beautiful. It was really clean, and the staff was super friendly. And I can’t mention enough how comfortable the beds are!
Some of the places that you will want to visit are the ice skating rink; it’s right next to the plaza where they film the Today Show and many late night shows. Plus you will want to visit Top of the Rock. It’s an observation deck 69 floors above the ground that has an amazing view of the whole city including Central Park, Empire State Building and you can even see the Statue of Liberty in the distance.
My kids were also so excited to visit the only Nintendo Store in the world! We visited that place twice during our 4 days in the city.
How to pick a Hotel In New York City:
I have become loyal to Hilton Hotels. They have the most comfortable beds and pillows. Plus they have bigger rooms to accommodate up to 6 people in some of their hotels. But one of my favorite reasons is that you can usually cancel your hotel room as close as 48 hours before your reservation.
When I originally found our hotel for our stay, it was supposed to be a brand new hotel. But a few weeks before our trip they called to let me know that construction would not be finished before our visit. They offered me another option, but I like to do my research before I book another hotel.
I quickly got on their website and found another Hilton that we liked and booked it. Because I knew we could cancel up to 48 hours before our trip, I got on the app every week to see if I could find a better deal. About 2 weeks before our trip I found a Hilton Garden Inn that was going to save us $400 on our trip – so I booked the new hotel and canceled our other reservation without a penalty.
A few days before our trip, I checked again, and another Hilton Hotel was going to be about $175 less than what we had booked, but I decided I liked what we had and the location of our hotel.
I tell you all that because I love booking through Hilton.com because you can keep searching for better options. And just because you book your hotel a few weeks before your trip, doesn’t mean you got the best deal – so keep looking! If I would have booked the cheapest hotel I found I would have saved about $550 from my original booking!
Make sure you are a member of Hilton Honors. It’s free to join. By being a member, you are earning points to pay for future hotel stays. You can even partially pay with points to bring down the cost of your vacation even more.
You also get the best rate available and free wi-fi when you are a Hilton Honors member.
The Hilton Garden Inn is a fabulous hotel. They have the best cookies in the evening, and in the morning they have freshly brewed coffee available. We also arrived very early so our room wasn’t ready and they held our luggage for us. We also had a late flight out so they held our luggage for the day so we could go out and explore the city without our luggage.
In order for us to maximize our points for our Hilton Honor and Delta Frequent Flier Miles Account, we have a Delta American Express card. It is free the first year and $99 after that. But I really think it pays for itself. The biggest perk was free luggage. This was our first trip we took on Delta since we had our card and we saved $100 on checked luggage.
If you are thinking about getting a Delta American Express Card you can get 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within their first 3 months of Card Membership and a $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first 3 months. You can earn an additional 10,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $1,000 in purchases within their first 6 months. So that is a lot of perks! (Special Offer Expires: 01/31/2018)
We can both get rewarded if you’re approved! Apply for the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card with this link.
There is really so much to do in the city! No matter what you do, you will need to take advantage of the subway and other transportation like Uber and Lyft. We used both options and make sure you check back because I will be sharing more about our trip like:
- What attractions we visited
- Where we ate
- How we got around the city
- How to get the best deals
Please note – this is not sponsored by Hilton. We visited and paid for our stay. I just wanted you all to low what a great hotel it is and how nice it is to book with Hilton and be able to cancel and rebook your hotel. I do receive bonus miles if you get a Delta American Express – but it is also a card that has been very beneficial.