<p>My parents always stayed at the Days Inn on 94th? 95th? and Broadway mostly because it was very cheap. I still live in Morningside Heights and now they stay at the Hotel Newton, on Broadway between 95 and 96 which is also pretty cheap.
They want to try the Aloft Harlem, which is on 125th right at the A/B/C/D stop - a bit east of Morningside Heights, but not more than a 20 minute walk from campus.
The hostel 3togo mentioned is on Amsterdam around 103rd St. - it’s the Hostelling International hostel.</p>
<p>I’d recommend looking through the NYC Tripadvisor forums as well; the posters there are really helpful in terms of finding cheap hotels for visitors.</p>