<p>I was just about to make a reservation at my favorite New York hotel – the Stanhope – and was told it has been converted into condominiums. This is the second time this has happened to me. Last year it was the Mayflower which was razed. </p>
<p>Any suggestion for the upper east or upper west side. I need reasonable access to a functioning business center. Doesn’t have to be a business hotel but I need to be able to receive messages and faxes (which was never the Mayflower’s strong point).</p>
<p>I have stayed a couple of times at the Excelsior Hotel. It’s nice and comfortable and has a multilingual staff. I believe the room rates range from $119 to $199. It’s convenient to some nice restaurants and to the American Museum of Natural History as well as Central Park.</p>
<p>Excelsior Hotel, 45 WEST 81ST STREET, New York, NY 10024.</p>
<p>I second the Excelsior. The prices are reasonable, the location is fine, and it is actually kind of charming. It’s the “go to” hotel for our family in NYC.</p>
<p>As Mayflower refugees, we stayed at the Buckingham in May. What sealed the deal for us was being able to get a suite for the three of us for significantly less than the cost of two rooms. Their business center is M-F 8-5pm but Internet access at Kinko’s was a two-block walk. And it was still in walking distance to the Cosmic Coffee Shop. :)</p>
<p>For value, we thought it couldn’t be beat. It’s also a building being converted in the other direction, with condos slowly going to hotel rooms.</p>
<p>It’s on the 100 block of W. 58th…down the block from Carnegie Hall, on the opposite side of the street.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for suggestions. I’m going to check them all out. A couple of other ideas: The Lucerne (79th/Amsterdam) or The Surrey (76th/Madison). Both great locations. I lived on the Upper West side for many years so I’m partial to the area, but lately I’ve become used to strolling across the street to the Met. </p>
<p>Anyone have any personal experience with these two?</p>
<p>The Excelsior and The Lucerne have similar rooms and clientele. The Excelsior is in a better location. I agree with thumper about The Excelsior having a certain charm.</p>
<p>I have friends who often stay at The Surrey and have visited them there. On the occasions that I have seen their rooms I’ve noticed that they are larger than many hotel rooms that I have stayed in - perhaps they were staying in suites. They have had a nice large seating area and separate bedroom. Not glitzy but clean and well presented. It is one block from the park and near many museums. Great location. The hotel is walking distance from one of my favorite NY eateries…Etats-Unis, 242 East 81st St.</p>
<p>My husband’s firm recently opened an office in NYC so he is spending more time there - I cannot tell you how happy he is now that he has the opportunity to “live” in the city from time to time. I occasionally get a phone call with a restaurant review as he strolls back to his hotel. His new favorite place is Kitchen 82, 461 Columbus Avenue at 82nd on the UWS. He had a delicious meal at a reasonable price. I can’t wait to try it. <a href=“http://www.charliepalmer.com%5B/url%5D”>www.charliepalmer.com</a></p>
<p>There have been articles in the paper about the conversion of hotels to condos and the potential effect on room availability. The old Barbizon Hotel was changed to the Melrose a few years ago and is now being converted to condos like The Stanhope.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your great hotel suggestions. Since we’ll have two college students in the city, one uptown and one downtown, it’s useful to be able to have some choices of upper west-side establishments. Our favorite nyc hotel is the Embassy Suites - but it’s not convenient for visiting uptown. I highly recommend it if you’re visiting the downtown area.</p>