A friend of mine is planning to visit NYC in shortly and asked me to help her find a cheap hotel or hostel.

Any recommendations? She's willing to pay about $40 max per night. We're looking for a hostel that's relatively close to the sights and in a safe neighbourhood.


Thanks for your help.

I could benefit from this as well, I am looking to go sometime in late march.
Ive researched the hell out of the hostels there, but I wondered if anyone has some firsthand experience with something there.

In this city, that's a tough call.
Look into the YMCAs. (It came up in jehosephat's thread about nyc)
Or, if you're travelling with 2 people, try Second Home, a great little hotel that would work out to less the $40 per person, per night, if you share. (also, it's in the east village which is a very cool, fun, safe neighborhood)

Other then that, I can't be of much help. I know there's a few 'hostels' but I can't recomend them, and they're not less then $40 a night at most of them...and if they are they can be pretty gross.

Hope this helps...somewhat.

HI-AYH HOstel in NYC is the biggest HI hostel on earth. it takes up an entire city block and used to be a home for unwed mothers. they're a self-contained unit...cafe, peaceful courtyard, etc. price is less than 40 per night. easy walk to the subway. I've stayed there many times, though not in several years. i would recommend it.
use the bna site to help find other hostels.

Try this one guys

http://www.timessquareroommates.com/BedandRooms_index.html

Just found it then, looks alright

There's one called the Chelsea Star Hotel opposite Penn Station that's $35 a night. The HI is nice, comes with a free breakfast and costs $33 a night - the only problem is it's up on 103rd, near the top of Central Park.

From what I hear the whitehousehostel is the best in nyc. An english friend of mine stayed there and said that it was fine. I havent been on the website for a couple of years, but last I checked it was under 30 dollars a night, and it is right in the center of greenwich village.

I stayed at the Pennslyvannia hotel across from Penn station at an internet rate of $79/double. BTW, the famous Penn Station is on 33rd st between 7th and 8th AVe. Close to Times square, etc. They want $150 if you walk up to desk.

Funny - I was just writing this kind of thing up for a travel info piece for this website. You should know that $40 a night for a private hotel room is just about impossible. I haven't seen it in Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens. But I have had a bunch of friends come to town and stay at the hostels and I would have to recommend these, expecially with your budget:

First, try the Chelsea International Hostel - it's in a great location and may come close to your price. As hostels go, it's really nice, clean and safe. It's on 20th Street on the West Side. Chelsea is a great neighorhood & very one of the city's biggest gay neighborhoods. It's beautiful, there's good food and it's very convenient.

I've heard good things about Jazz on the Park on 106th Street on the West Side. It's right up by Columbia and it's in a beautiful area of Morningside Heights. Your friend can walk to Central Park, the Riverside Park and is close to subway lines to get anywhere else.

Hotel 17 is in Gramercy and is a great deal for the money. It has been steadily rated as the best value hotel in city. Worth checking out. This is on the east side at 17th street and is very convenient to a lot as well.

Look these up on: http://newyork.citysearch.com

Good luck & welcome!

Hotel 17...I just wanna say I'd try other options first. I've had several friends check it out and find it to be a bit...lacking. I had one friend who wouldn't stay after seeing the room. Apparently not the cleanest space.
(All of this feedback comes from people who have visited in the last year)

really? Wow.

What about the Carlton Arms over on 25th St?

I've just came back from NYC and I stayed in probably the best hostel I've enountered. It was in a mixed dorm with 10 beds, but it was off-season and there was no one there.

It was 26/night/bed. Clean comfy beds, showers and bathrooms, bring your towels though. They give you everyting like sheets and stuff. The place is probably crouded in the summer, but we stayed in the mixed dorm and there was one other Swiss guys who was very friendly there. There seemed to be people in private rooms, but they didn't bothers us.
The thing is like 30 second walk from the train station. In a nice neighborhood and has 24 hour stores a block away. Residential area right next to Central Park.
I loved it.

What was the name of the place?

I agree with the guy who stayed in the White House Hostel. I travelled NYC a couple of times recently, each time staying in a different place. And the the White House is definitely my favourite!

Here's the deal: 30 bucks per night, single or double rooms only (yeah, they're less than tiny, but hey - you don't wanna stay in when you're in New York, do you?!), really nice and helpful staff, no curfew, internet and there's always someone sitting in the lobby to tell you some weird stories or at least gives you a cigarette. And that's all in NoHo, just round the corner from the buzzing Lower East Side. HI and the others are nice, too. But after getting back to 103rd Street from Brooklyn or SoHo at 4am for a couple of times (which means either paying little fortune to the guys with the yellow cars or falling asleep on the subway and getting woken up by an MTA employee somewhere in North Bronx), you will see the difference! )

I heard of a place called the Leo House, somewhere central in the Big Apple. Its a converted convent or monastary or some sort of religious sect that runs this multi room place that rents out singles and doubles starting at $60. I had friends from Toronto stay there and its pretty basic amenities and great on budget. Close to everything. They book 6 weeks in advance. Maybe someone else on BNA knows of this place and can post the information. Cuz I lost the ph # and address myself. cheers.