Marriott Brand Hotel in New York day before the Cruise

[Cruise831]

Does any one have a recommendation for a Marriott brand hotel in New York..  I have some points and we are flying in the night before the cruise.  When I looked a the Marriott website there were a lot of listings.

[megr1125]

What do you want to do while you're there and are you sailing from NJ or NYC?  And what airport are you flying into?  Transportation costs need to be figured in as well.  There are more Marriott properties in NYC than I can count.  I'm a huge Marriott fan but I'd been staying at Ink48 (ex-Kimpton/IHG as of 2/1/20) so I haven't stayed in any of them recently.

 

The Marquis is always cool, right on Times Square and it can be a zoo, but it's fun to stay there.  Essex House is another option as is the Lexington.  Just a few ideas.  Again, it depends on what you want to do and how much time you'll have.  Transportation to and from is something to consider.  It took me almost 30 minutes by Lyft to get from Ink48 to Penn Station last week due to traffic, and it's about 2 miles.

[George C]

I have not stayed at either but had drinks at Marquis which is in Times Square area with a cool revolving bar , huge hotel. Alqonquin is a cool historic much smaller hotel also in Times Square area. Prefer Alquonquin location. 

[mskaufman]

Renaissance in Times Square was nice.  Also, there is a Courtyard a few blocks south of Times Square that we have used. 

[princeton123211]

If you are going with Marriott points you can also make them stretch by staying at the St Regis. Normally $700-900 a night so the redemption value per point can be better than a lower priced hotel in their portfolio. 

[markeb]

What's your Bonvoy status? What do you want to do in NYC? How many points are you looking at using? Do you want a modern hotel or something historic? What airport and what cruise terminal?

 

If you're Platinum or Titanium, look for a hotel with a lounge that's open when you're there. Some aren't. And I don't know that the St Regis has one at all (I agree with the notion of getting maximum $$/points; we usually use our points in London).

 

Marriott has a huge presence in Manhattan, so there are choices all over the city. Hard to make recommendations without knowing more about your travel plans and what you plan to do in Manhattan.

[princeton123211]

2 hours ago, markeb said:

If you're Platinum or Titanium, look for a hotel with a lounge that's open when you're there. Some aren't. And I don't know that the St Regis has one at all

The St Regis doesn't (they have complimentary butler service to bring things like tea, coffee, etc on a comp basis and large fruit plates are refreshed in the rooms daily). The Ritz Carlton does have a club lounge, but you don't get access to it as a Bonvoy elite so you aren't going be able to play the lounge game at their top properties in NYC. 

 

The Algonquin was mentioned before-- its public spaces are charming and the location is great but the rooms are TINY, even by New York standards. Also doesn't have a lounge. 

[George C]

Algonquin is only hotel that has a official cat greeter and has had one for decades. We almost always stop for a drink there.

[Nitemare]

We stay at the Sheraton TriBeCa on most of our visits to NYC.  Very friendly staff, close to subway, but in a quieter part of the city

[Cruise831]

Does any one have a recommendation for a Marriott brand hotel in New York..  I have some points and we are flying in the night before the cruise.  When I looked a the Marriott website there were a lot of listings. I only have Silver status.  We will fly in to LaGuardia the day before the cruise and leave out of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

[markeb]

You have some replies to your initial post that was moved over here. Ideally a moderator will merge the threads, but we'll see...

 

What time are you getting in town and do you have any specific sightseeing plans? Any dinner plans or thoughts? Do you just need a place to sleep with no real plans?

 

One thing that can be both good and frustrating in Manhattan is that a wide variety of hotels (Courtyard to Westin) can be in the same category. And some have "destination fees" that may be added on to your point rate. Most frustrating is the "destination fee" may include internet access, which you get free as a Bonvoy member... So picking a place is complicated. At Silver, you won't get lounge access, so that's irrelevant, but it means a location where you can grab breakfast at a bodega may be important, unless you want to pay for the onsite restaurant.

 

I would tend to look near but not necessarily in Times Square. If you can get a good point rate at the Marquis, even though it's in Times Square, I might do that as you have lots of options in the area; you just have to deal with the zoo that is Times Square, but there is everything from Michelin 3-star restaurants to reasonably well-priced (NOT Texas priced) places in and near the Theater District. You're most of the way to the west side to get to the cruise terminal, and cross-town is much worse traffic (usually) than uptown/downtown. There is a Renaissance, a W, and a Westin nearby. The Algonquin is historic, but has a rep of very small rooms. You have crazy options potentially like the St Regis, right in the middle of some of the most expensive real estate and shopping in the US, but not a lot of practical options for dining, breakfast, etc. unless you really know the area. A little bit south of Times Square is the Renaissance Midtown (very modern and nice) as well as Courtyard, Fairfield, and Residence Inns. Those are all going to still be close to things to do and close to the cruise terminal. Really, from 60th to 34th and west of 6th Avenue will give you options. I'd pull up Google maps and the Marriott web page side by side and look at your redemption options and locations. 

 

If you're thinking Statue of LIberty and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, Downtown/Financial District is in play. More expensive ride from LGA (definitely car service, not cab on that one, IMHO), but can be a surprisingly easy ride up the west side to the cruise terminal.

 

Maybe not much help! There are a LOT of choices...

[waterbug123]

11 hours ago, markeb said:

 from 60th to 34th and west of 6th Avenue will give you options. I'd pull up Google maps and the Marriott web page side by side and look at your redemption options and locations. 

 

 

 

This^^^.   Flying into LGA, and cruising out of Manhattan, midtwon Manhattan will be most convenient overall.  Which also means you are right in the heart of much of the tourist stuff.  Much will depend on how many points you want to use, i.e. whether you choose a higher end Marriott property, or a more economic property like a Courtyard or Fairfield.

What time do you arrive the day before and have you ever been to NYC before?  In other words, are you also trying to sightsee, or simply find a pillow for the night?

[Cruise831]

We arrive Sunday June 14 at 3:40pm.  We will want to get dinner somewhere close then come to the terminal Monday morning.

We are flying into LGA and cruising out of the Manhattan terminal.  There were a lot of Marriott options.  Have been to New York before just looking for a place to kick back and relax before the cruise.

 

 

[markeb]

So the zone above still applies. I probably wouldn't do Midtown East as crosstown on a Monday could be interesting. It's really going to come  down to what kind of deal you can get on points. There's a cluster of Marriott properties in Times Square, and another cluster down around Penn Station. I really like the Renaissance Midtown. It's modern, has a couple of nice bars, and even a decent onsight restaurant if you just want to grab something at the hotel. It's around 34th/35th, and should be a straight shot to the west side and the cruise terminal. But if one of the Times Square properties is giving you a good points deal, you're equally close. I've only stayed at the Marquis, and liked it, but don't know that I'd stay there again. No real reason for that.

 

If points are tight, there's a Courtyard, Residence Inn, and Fairfield also close to Penn Station, around 37th if memory serves.

[AF-1]

Affordable is the Courtyard Marriott at Herald Square.  Right now they have a special for those reserving with points.  27,500.  Hope this helps

Edited February 5, 2020 by AF-1