Like April in Paris, autumn in New York is more than just a wonderful song. The nip in the air brings out the best in fall fashions and restaurants replace their summer salads with hearty soups. The arts come alive, too, with new opera and ballet seasons as well as a host of fresh Broadway productions. Even though the season and the city attract tourists and business travelers from the world over, there are still some great hotel deals at smaller spots nestled between residential buildings in more affordable neighborhoods.
Calling its operation "boutique hotels for the budget minded," New York Inns (tel. 212/545-0879; www.nyinns.com) is a small hotel group with three quaint, no-frills properties. All three hotels -- the downtown Union Square Inn, the Upper West Side's Amsterdam Inn, and Midtown's Murray Hill Inn -- offer low-priced rooms in residential areas. The Union Square Inn, at 209 E. 14th St., between Second and Third avenues (tel. 212/579-7500), has rooms starting at just $99 per night. An internet special knocks off an additional $10 each night at any of the three hotels if you book three or more nights. The Amsterdam and Murray Hill inns have rooms with shared bathrooms for lower nightly rates -- sometimes as low as $79. Rooms tend to be small but clean and comfortable. The Amsterdam Inn is a short walk to the Museum of Natural History and Central Park.
For a Times Square hotel that won't break the bank, the 150-room Portland Square Hotel, 132 W. 47th St., between Broadway and Sixth Ave. (tel. 800/555-7555; www.portlandsquarehotelnewyork.com) has rooms starting at $179 per night. Guests get free wireless internet, a fitness center and lockers for early arrivals or late check-outs. The Portland's proximity to Rockefeller Center and Times Squares also gets you close to restaurants such as Café Un Deux Trois, 123 W. 44th St. (tel. 212/354-4148) for classic French food and a very New York scene. If you have teenagers, MTV's windowed television studios are across the way at 1515 Broadway.
Luxury hotelier Andre Balazs -- owner of the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles and the Mercer Hotel in Soho -- created Hotel QT, 125 W. 45th St. (tel. 212/354-2323; www.hotelqt.com), with the spend-happy budget traveler as its target. The modern rooms are Spartan and small with just the necessities, which for Balazs means wireless internet access and a flat-screen televisions. Hotel QT has rates starting at around $250 for standard rooms with a queen-sized bed. One of the rooms even comes with a set of bunk beds to sleep four. All rooms are pet friendly, so bring your dog or cat, and the hotel has an indoor swimming pool with a swim-up bar. Book in advance: QT has quickly become a New York hotspot known for events and an evening bar scene.
The artsy Gershwin Hotel, 7 E. 27th St., between Madison and Fifth avenues (tel. 212/545-8000; www.gershwinhotel.com), is very popular among European travelers, backpackers and people looking to save a little money without sacrificing cool. The Gershwin practically doubles as an art gallery, with artists-in-residence, Wahrol paintings in the lobby and a slew of not-yet-big time fashion models in residence during runway season. The hotel prides itself on being open-minded, fun, funky and, best of all, affordable. For backpackers, a bunk bed in a big open room of other bunk beds starts at $40 per night. A queen-sized bed in a standard size room starts at $109. The hotel is in walking distance to the shops along lower Fifth Ave. from 23rd St. to 14th St., and Madison Park, a renovated grassy-knoll surrounded by buildings of the Beaux Arts style.
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