Affordable Hotels in NYC

Have you considered couchsurfing or hospitalityweb? Free couchstays! If you're looking for something a little less creepy, craigslist really does have good deals on studio/apartment rentals for approximately the rate you're looking for. As for hotels, St. Mark's Hotel (the one on St. Mark's Place) is a bit downmarket in a hippy/bohemian way, but that's part of its grungy charm!

@uraniumfish wow below $100 is a bit tough to come up with I know of the well regarded Gracie Inn which is a bed and breakfast located on East 81st street between York Avenue and East End Avenue whose rates are $149 upwards but that includes breakfast as well. I know the place since its located in my neighborhood and here's the link if you want to consider it http://www.gracieinnhotel.com/

Friends have also told me about the Abingdon Guest House in Greenwich Village which also has some rooms available for $159-http://www.abingdonguesthouse.com and just this afternoon I came across this article on hotelchatter.com which might be of interest to you if you dont rigidly stick to your criteria of below $100-http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/1/22/94436/6983/hotels/Recession_Luxe_Boutique_NYC_Hotels_for_Under_250

oh Uraniumfish I forgot to add the apple core hotels to my suggestions I have actually had friends stay at their Red Roof Inn in Murray Hill at around $100 a night excluding tax of course.-http://www.applecorehotels.com/red-roof-inn-manhattan/?s=GB061909RR

@ uptowngirl Thanks so much! That's what I was hoping for. @ ajadeidealist I'm not interested in craigslist or couchsurfing sites for this list, but concrete locales where people who don't know the city can stay in a relatively safe and relatively clean place for not too much money. I'm looking for things that are RECOMMENDABLE, since the list of lodgings on the net is huge, and you wouldn't really know what you're getting if you were to book a place sight-unseen. Do you have any experience with St Marks Hotel? I seem to recall knowing about it as a notorious den of sin, though if it's now been cleaned up and is recommendable, would be good to know.

From friends' experiences, the St. Mark Hotel is still a den of sin, but consciously so -it is a gentrified version of its formerly bohemian self, and plays up its aspects for tourism purposes. So for a traveler looking for a "Rent" aesthetic without all the drugs, I imagine it would be quite recommendable.

@uptowngirl That's a great find! I didn't actually think there were any non-roach hotels in this city at the low cost of around $100.

@Uraniumfish, here's a list of some other affordable hotels and inns in NYC-http://blog.besttraveldeals.net/hotel-deals/ten-best-budget-nyc-hotels

Interesting that you found such cheap hotels in NYC, uptowngirl. For a rich city like this one, I can't imagine such low rates, unless the place is trash. Thanks for the link.

Well hhusted I havent stayed in any of them but perhaps you could check them out on tripadvisor.com or any other review site.

Here's a nice option that functions both as a hotel and as an art gallery: http://www.carltonarms.com/ All the rooms were decorated by artists and can be quite imaginative! The building is old and the floors squeak, but it is a really nice alternative place which seemed quite safe. I still can't believe how reasonable the rates are.

I admit I don't have first-hand experience of this place, but it was recommended as the cheapest imaginable sleeping accomodation in Manhattan. From their description it sounds like the drawback is that it would be LOUD, but at least you get a space all to yourself. The Bowery's Whitehouse Hotel http://www.whitehousehotelofny.com/ 340 Bowery

I wish I could add to this forum, but I am highly suspicious of a hotel that is less than $100 in NYC.... Then again, I am picky about hotels. I like a little luxury with my vacation.

@uraniumfish the Carlton Arms looks really cool bet it would appeal to the artsy traveler on a budget.

@uraniumfish Yeah, Carlton Arms does look pretty awesome...except for the lack of comfortable bedding? Hopefully they put more than sheets on those beds in the wintertime.

Hey, if the Carlton Arms is that old, imagine having someone stay in the hotel with you, and pretend the creaks and noises are ghosts. That would really spook them, right. :)

@ uraniumfish I have a friend from France who stayed at the Carlton Arms a few years ago. She said she stayed in the Death of a Salesman room? I'm trying to imagine what that would be but can't come up with a picture for it. Anyways, she said there were a lot of French tourists there, at least the week she was visiting.

There is a Death of a Salesman room? That play made me cry as an adolescent. Why couldn't they pick literature that is more upbeat? Or at least more whimsical. I want to stay in the Alice in Wonderland room.

@BroadwayBK I think they might just have an Alice in Wonderland room. They have a lot of beautiful rooms documented on the website too.

Off SoHo Suites is also recommendable, especially if you're traveling in a group. The rates are better then. Its on 11 Rivington, so the location is great too: http://www.offsoho.com/

@DBlack Off SoHo Suites looks great and the prices are unbelievable for NYC an economy suite for $79 on a week day ! wow! though I think would naturally be higher for the summer months.

@BroadwayBK: Alice in Wonderland. Now that sounds like an adventure.

@DBlack Thanks, that looks like another excellent option!

@BroadwayBK - indeed! Who would want to sleep in a Death of a Salesman room?

@DBlack Off Soho Suites looks like a good one - I like how there are extended stay packages, it is so old school New York to live in a hotel. @ajadedidealist Glad I'm not the only one!

I always use priceline.com. Its not unusual for them to offer 3* hotels in the city for $100 or less. Just make sure you bid and don't buy direct.

The Carlton Arms is really cool. I wouldn't want to share a bathroom; and, I, myself, am a little picky about hotels. But, this place is great for students, etc.

I don't mind sharing bathrooms - although I can't stand sharing room-rooms. I'm an extraordinarily light sleeper, and snoring (inevitably, I'm in a hostel dorm with the loudest snorer in the world) renders me incapable of sleeping at all!