Good hotel in New York?

The problem with the Pod Hotel though is that it's truly a budget hotel... the rates are split shared bath or private bath, and while I can appreciate trying to save a buck visiting NYC ($250+ a night is not cheap by any stretch) I draw the line at spending good money and having to share the facilities.

The hard part about NYC is actually finding a decent hotel that is not nasty or that sucks one's wallet dry. Having stayed there a few weeks last year, I can honestly say that staying near Times Square invokes a pretty hefty premium, but its where the action is.

Here are a few suggestions I have, but these might be a bit pricey for you:

Millenium Broadway (located just off Times Square) which Travelocity has for $359 a night. (To illustrate the Times Square penalty -- the Hampton Inn which is considered a lower tier hotel has a location near Times Square that's going for $315 a night)

Marriott Courtyard Midtown East is going for $339 a night as is the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers.

You can get into the Hilton Hotel on West 53rd St. for an average of $299 a night.

I say average because like most hotels in NYC, you get a "cheap" rate on the weekends and then it goes up during the week so it all averages out.

For your hotels in general, check out the travel websites (Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, etc.) and see what people are saying about the hotel itself. Its very easy to get an expensive yet rundown room in New York City, but I've found the rooms at Marriott hotels, the Millenium Hotels and Sheraton hotels to be quite pleasant when I stayed at them.

Sorry for the long winded response, but unfortunately traveling to New York is not an easy thing by any stretch of the imagination....

Also, how are you getting from the Airport to the City? Taxis in New York are outrageous in price. Check out other forms of shared Ground Transportation (such as Super Shuttle) which end up being cheaper and you can book your trip online tip and all.