The Lobby of the Muse New York

Manhattan during the holiday season is truly a site to see.  With the gorgeous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and ice skating rink, the beautiful department store window displays, and the holiday lights and decorations throughout the city, I think every family needs to visit at least once in December.  This holiday season, Kimpton’s The Muse New York is offering a charitable package called the “Pajama Rama Package.” Enjoy a fabulous stay at the hotel, see the sites of the city, and give back.

Families booking the The Muse’s “Pajama-Rama” package, will receive the following:

• $10 donation from each room night booked, donated to The Pajama Program – a nonprofit organization that provides new  pajamas and books to children in need in the United States
• Milk and cookies at turndown
• Cozy slipper socks upon arrival

This package is available now through December 30, 2011, rates starting at $349. The package is based on availability, rates are based on double occupancy and do not include tax.  Call 1-877-692-6873 and mention rate code PPJR, or book online.

The Muse Hotel New York
130 West 46th Street, New York, NY  10036
(877) 692-6873

Photo credit: The Muse New York

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade is one of the most popular parades in the country, watched by millions on TV. But wouldn’t it be great to see it live and in person from New York City?

All you have to do is make your way to NYC and get up at the crack of dawn to get yourself a spot along the parade route, then stand for hours elbow to elbow with a crowd of restless strangers. Want the live experience without the pre-dawn wake-up call? Head to a Manhattan hotel.

As of this posting, Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers on 7th Avenue and 53rd Street still has rooms available along the parade route for November 24th, with standard guestrooms starting at $750 (hey, a tradition like this is going to cost you!). To book a room for the parade, call 212-581-1000and make sure to ask for a room facing 7th Avenue.

The W Times Square also had parade view rooms available, but there’s only one person in the hotel who can handle these specific reservations. Call 212-930-7441 and request to speak with Sherry. (Rumor has it that next year’s parade won’t go by Times Square, so this could be your last chance to see the parade from here.) Check out a few less expensive options over at the Lodging blog.

When the parade has passed you by, take advantage of some of the best shopping in the world on 5th Avenue, or head down to Chinatown for something a little more unique. Other holiday favorites in the city include visits to Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center.

Photo courtesy Sheraton New York

A trip to New York City is a never-ending choose-your-own adventure opportunity. Everything from your ride into Manhattan to your choice between street cart or world-famous restaurant is a a chance to enjoy a uniquely Big Apple experience. Your hotel is the backdrop that sets the tone for your New York story. Should you begin your tale in a chic boutique or at a respected chain?

Be a Native New Yorker at New Boutiques

If my inbox is any indication, developers are snapping up abandoned retail and office spaces and converting them into guestrooms faster than you can say “late checkout, please.” New hotels with amenities as hip as their names (you can borrow a skateboard from The Nolitan) appeal to a wannabe-urban clientele and provide a chance to live like a New Yorker for a weekend without any risk or roommate hunting.

The decor tends to be contemporary to the extreme, as much a design decision as an attempt to disguise the painfully small size of a typical room; tiny rooms seem to add authenticity to the New Yorker experience. Instead of offering state-of-the-art fitness centers, boutiques like The Library in Midtown provide guests with complimentary day passes to nearby private fitness clubs where tourists can break a sweat next to real live Manhattanites.  You won’t find a boutique hotel within 2 blocks of Central Park, but you can find properties like Hotel Giraffe boasting easy access to Chelsea. If your must-do list for your next NYC vacation includes deli bagels for breakfast and an afternoon of people watching in Union Square, check into a Manhattan boutique hotel to set the scene.

Stay as a Welcomed Guest with Familiar Names

Do your big city fantasies involve a show on Broadway and a carriage ride through Central Park? Are you more interested in Barney’s than bagels? New York City welcomes more than 40 million tourists each year, and there’s no shame in happily being one of them. Be pampered like a guest at hotel chains that long ago secured the best locations in town.

The Ritz-Carlton Central Park sits directly across the street from Central Park and a few short blocks from the most popular Midtown tourist attractions. You can’t rent a skateboard here, but you will have room to spread out in large guest rooms and views worthy of a postcard mailed home. While you certainly can grab a bagel from a deli around the corner, you can also indulge in a gourmet snack in the Club Lounge at any time of day. No one here is new to the game, so expect expert touches like a crystal ring holder beside the bathroom sink. Similarly, The Hilton New York won’t get you into the NY Sports Club, but you can host a meeting onsite; you can also hit the in-house fitness center without traveling farther than the fifth floor.

When you visit a boutique hotel in New York City, you get the feeling that you’re staying with a friend who’s showing off their new Manhattan apartment. If you’re lucky, you can imagine yourself moving in with that friend after a night or two. The big chain hotels don’t have the hip edge or the competitive pricing of the new kids on the island. Instead, they offer a sense of security that comes from staying with the people who set the standards for New York luxury in the first place.

Would you forgo housekeeping in a hotel to save money?

I recently came across this article from The New York Times, and it got me to thinking. How far am I willing to go to save money on a hotel stay? Part of me says that if I am constantly thinking about how I can save money on a hotel stay, then perhaps I shouldn’t be staying in a hotel at all. But another part of me, the “I love a good deal” part, is willing to do a lot of things to save money on a hotel stay. Maybe even make my own bed (gasp!) Interestingly, this “make your own bed” deal is not advertised on the Marmara’s website (from what I can tell, at least), so perhaps it is no longer available. Or perhaps this is something that they advertise only in the rooms like most hotels do about saving water with towels. In my opinion, this is the sort of thing that should not be kept a secret – advertising this option would snag more customers, including myself.

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