Don’t think glamor can be family friendly?  Think again

This gorgeous boutique hotel features 181 rooms and 19 suites. There’s a bar and restaurant on site, parking, and exercise room. The staff was quite friendly.

Location

This Times Square hotel is ½ block from the actual square, yet not so noisy in the rooms.

It’s walking distance of the Times Square subways and Port Authority, as well as Broadway shows, Rockefeller Center, 5^th Avenue, and even Central Park. It’s a very central location.

Sleeps

The rooms sleep 2-4, plus there’s space for a crib. They do have 19 suites, but these feature a king bed, and I’m not sure if the oversized leather sofas includes a pull-out bed. Our double-double was quite spacious, especially for Manhattan.

Highlights

The décor is sleek and the lobby bathroom was a lot of fun. Really! It’s a unisex bathroom with a central sink, surrounded by individual bathrooms (full door, not stall). Each bathroom is decorated differently (with its own sink and toilet), with names like Envy, Passion, Macho and Glam.

The bar and restaurant also have design flair, if you’re able to sneak in a drink at night (or you can eat there, but it’s more fun at night without the kids). I felt very hip and trendy staying here, even with my roller backpack, sweatshirt and fanny pack. Okay, I didn’t really have a fanny pack.

Good to Know

This is a Kimpton property, which means several things. It means free wine hour daily (though no snacks, and maybe lemonade, or maybe only wine/beer). It means free coffee/tea in the morning in the lobby (and newspapers if you ask).

It also means a present for your kids at check-in (my kids got a stuffed M&M and battery-operated M&M fan, but I’m not sure if the gifts are always this nice). It means it’s pet-friendly (bring Fido!). It means some kid-friendly options at their restaurant, free crib use, help finding an accredited babysitter, and child-safety kits on request. It also has free wi-fi.

Contact

http://www.themusehotel.com/

Written by Debbie Abrams Kaplan

Property
One of my pet peeves is when hotels call their rooms suites, when they’re really just one room. The Kimberly Hotel (188 rooms) lives up to the suite name, and that means that when you book a suite, the bedroom door shuts, and there’s an actual living room. This is gold, especially in New York City, with one bedroom suites (600 square feet) starting at $269 a night. That includes an “executive kitchenette” (i.e. fridge and microwave). But even the non-suite rooms (called “guestrooms,” starting at $249) have those amenities.

Location
Mid-town Manhattan, on 50th Street near Lexington. It’s in walking distance of Rockefeller Center and Grand Central Station. You can also walk the three miles to your Times Square Broadway show, though your son may hate you for making him walk that far.

Sleeps
Four to sixish. A family of four can stay in a one bedroom suite, while a family of five might need to book a two bedroom suite (at least if you’re booking online). The bedrooms come with one or two beds, and all suites have a sleeper sofa in the living room.

Highlights
Aside from a bedroom with a door (always a highlight in my book), our spacious suite had a good size bathroom with two sinks, and a Jacuzzi bathtub (not all tubs have the jets) with rain showerhead above. Many suites have a generous size balcony with table and chairs, which would make most apartment dwellers in Manhattan jealous.

Good to Know
There’s a diner outside that looks perfect for breakfast or lunch. Or just head up to the rooftop lounge (nightclub by night) where you’ll feel hip and trendy (even with kids) eating from the scenic buffet breakfast. They offer the usual fare (pancakes, French toast, potatoes, bacon, sausage, made-to-order eggs, fruit salad, granola, sugar cereal, coffee, hot cocoa) for $20/adult, $10/kid.

Unfortunately I didn’t visit during May to September. That’s when the hotel-owned yacht takes guests (and others) out, for a three hour tour (repeat while singing Gilligan theme: three hour tour). Munch your way up and down the Hudson River. Boarding is free for hotel guests, though there’s a $25 buffet charge for anyone on board. On some Sundays, they offer family brunch cruises.

In the lobby, grab a free copy of Time Out New York Kids. This awesome magazine is chock full of family-friendly ideas on what to do in New York City.

If you’re not with your kids, use the complimentary membership to the New York Health and Racquet Club to play indoor golf, squash, racquetball or swim.

Contact
http://www.kimberlyhotel.com/

Written by Debbie Abrams Kaplan

Property
Funky cool property with heavy artsy feel and modern tech touches throughout, friendly service — great option for a city so fabulous that you want to spend your time (and money) out enjoying it instead of inside a hotel room.

Location
Several cafes, ethnic food spots and diners within a block or two. Subway two blocks away means close access to all of NYC, Central Park 1.5m, Times Square 2m. Midtown East area.

Sleeps
Distinctly different room types accommodate 2-6. I’d go for either the bunk bed room w/shared bath or the family townhouse suite (Q, daybed and trundle) for best value. Cribs available.

Highlights
BYOB (cab or milk) rooftop garden with groovy seating lets you catch sun and sight of surrounding skyscrapers. The Lucite globe swing in the Townhouse Suite w/360* view of Elmo on the flatscreen let me finish the NYT Crossword! (well, almost…but that’s not the room’s fault)

Good to know
$30 24hour parking, a great NYC perk — be sure to validate. Bunk beds have individual plane-style tvs and sink/mirror in room. Hovering housekeeper meant shared bath clean and in-room computer panel alerts to availability. Free WIFI, local calls, iPod docking stations and online concierge.

Contact
http://www.thepodhotelny.com/

Written by Sascha Zuger

Property
A suite hotel located across the street from New York City’s Madison Square Garden, the Affinia Manhattan offers spacious, family friendly accommodations and thoughtful extras at a price which won’t break the bank.

Location
The Empire State Building is a few short blocks from the hotel, and Madison Square Garden is just across the street. Times Square is a healthy 10-block stroll away. But the best part about the Affinia Manhattan’s location is probably its proximity to a huge network of subway lines. In a city as large and diverse as New York, you’re going to have to factor some travel time into some of your excursions regardless of where you stay. You can get almost anywhere you’d want to go in NYC on a direct train from this neighborhood, and that’s no small benefit.

Sleeps
Up to 6 in a variety of differently configured studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom suites

Highlights
Fully equipped kitchens and multi-room suites make this property the ideal home base for a family vacation in New York City. Our one-bedroom suite was larger than many of the NYC apartments I’ve seen, and the convenience of being able to prepare meals in our room cut down both on costs and on the “over stimulation” factor which can sometimes kick in after too many sequential restaurant meals. Our picture perfect view of the Empire State Building was a huge bonus, too — especially at night!

Good to know
This is not a 5-star luxury hotel, but the chain goes to great lengths to make guests comfortable and happy during their stay. Their “My Affinia” program lets you create an online profile with customized in-room amenities which will be available to you every time you stay in an Affinia property. There are also special items or packages unique to each property which can be pre-selected for use during your stay. Some of the offerings are a little goofy, but I had a lot of fun playing with the site and it was fun to find my requests waiting when we arrived. I can’t personally recommend their magnetic therapy pillows, but where else could I have tried one out with just the click of a mouse?!

Contact
http://www.affinia.com/New-York-City-Hotel.aspx?name=Affinia-Manhattan

Affinia Manhattan from TravelSavvyMom on Vimeo.

Written by Rebecca Tompkins

Property
Fourteen floor, 208-room-boutique hotel with surprisingly stylish decor and great location considering inexpensive rates (for NYC standards, starts at $119.00).

Location
Times Square– right in the thick of it (specifically, 46th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues). A few blocks from the big flashy lights, Rockefeller Center, mega big Toys “R” Us w/in-store ferris wheel, the theater district, the Museum of Modern Art, Grand Central Station, and Fifth Avenue shopping. Nearby Times Square subway will get you anywhere else in the city you could want to go.

Sleeps
Typical hotel options– singles, doubles, cribs available on request.

Highlights
Be sure to snag a postcard or two while playing tourist as kids will dig stepping off the elevator and using the antique brass mail chute with see through glass chamber. Kids can call their buds back home real time to tell them about their adventures via free phone calls anywhere in the country perk. Free Wifi and complimentary continental breakfast (with bagels that taste like bagels thanks to NYC locale) also help cut back on costs.

Good to know
In a pinch for a picky eater who refuses to appreciate the vast culinary smorgasbord that is NYC, McDonald’s is around the corner.  Sigh. For space lovers, nearby Mars 2112 is a restaurant must. Along the lines of a Rainforest Cafe, young diners with stars in their eyes will get a kick out of being addressed as “earthlings” by staff, meeting some star aliens, living through a meteor shower and the five minute “rocket ride” via simulator to reach the impressively designed “Red Planet.” In-house hotel tapas bar has bare basics of bar food munchies and cheap draft specials, and will let you carry a bottle to your room if it’s been a long day and you feel like lounging while kids hit Nintendo on the flatscreen.

Contact
http://www.applecorehotels.com/the-hotel-at-times-square/

Written by Sascha Zuger

Property
A guest house with seven furnished rooms in a 19^th-century townhouse, second home is like a bed and breakfast without the breakfast. Rooms have high ceilings, skylights, and gleaming hardwood floors. The best room for families is the Modern suite, which has two double bedrooms, a living room, and private bath. All rooms have air conditioning, Wifi, and soundproof windows to block out noise from busy 2^nd avenue below.

Location
Second Home is conveniently located on Second Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets in the East Village — three blocks from Union Square and within walking distance of the West Village, SoHo, and Gramercy Park.

Sleeps 2-5 (if one is a baby in a portable crib, otherwise 2-4).

Highlights Well-equipped and clean shared kitchen. Having room to spread out. Friendly (and hygiene-obsessed) proprietor Carlos. Tomkins Square Park (5 blocks away) has plenty of gorgeous trees and playgrounds if you’re craving green space.

Good to know
2-night minimum weekdays, 3-night minimum weekends.

Contact
www.secondhomesecondavenue.com

Written by Jamie Pearson

Property
This casual and comfortable midtown hotel strikes all the right notes for families: complimentary continental breakfast, central location, and room to stretch out. Check out the two-bedroom family room; with one king and two doubles, it’s the perfect setup for post-adolescent kids who would rather die than sleep together.

Location
The Hotel Metro sits in the shadow of the Empire State Building, and is moments away from the theater district, Madison Square Garden, and 5^th Avenue shopping. The nearest subway stop is 34th Street – Herald Square (just around the corner), and the nearest playground is at Madison Square Park (5^th and 25^th).

Sleeps
2-4.

Highlights
Rooftop terrace with views of the Empire State Building (weather permitting).

Good to know
Four people max in the family room–sorry. If your family is bigger than that, you’ll need to reserve (and pay for) two rooms.

Contact
www.hotelmetronyc.com

Written by Jamie Pearson

Property
Upscale, all-suite hotel on the waterfront with room for families to spread out. You get a private bedroom and spacious living room with double size sofa bed and a large table for dining, coloring, or whatever. Other amenities include two televisions, a stocked mini-bar, microwave oven, coffee maker, hair dryers, plush terry cloth robes and Bath and Body Works products. After a full day of pounding pavement, you’ll be glad to come home to something familiar.

Location
Battery Park is walking distance from the New York Stock Exchange, Wall Street, the New York Harbor, South Street Seaport, the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ferries, and the neighborhoods of Tribeca, SoHo and Greenwich Village. Times Square, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Broadway Theaters, the Museum of Modern Art and Madison Square Garden are all just a cab ride away.

Sleeps
2-6.

Highlights
Nothing says “you’re on vacation” like a complimentary cooked to order breakfast.

Good to know
Rockefeller Park and Teardrop Park are each just a block away, and have fantastic playground facilities for children including sculpture gardens, wading pools, sandboxes, and rocks for rockhopping. Ask the concierge for directions.

Contact
www.embassysuites.com

Written by Jamie Pearson

Property
If your kids are the dramatic types (and hey,whose aren’t?), consider staying right in the middle of Manhattan’s theater district. The Doubletree Guest Suites offer some of the largest rooms in midtown (490 square feet), and an August 2005 top-to-bottom renovation means they are some of the most well-equipped as well (highchairs, cribs, fridges, microwaves, coffee makers, on demand movies and video games).

Location
You’ll be hard pressed to beat the excitement of Times Square, and frankly we’re not sure why you’d want to. Soaring 45 floors above the Broadway Theater District, the Doubletree Guest Suites are located within easy walking distance of Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, and world-class shopping. Times Square’s TKTS Booth is right across the street from the hotel, where you can buy discounted, same-day tickets for Broadway and off-Broadway shows.

Sleeps
2-4 per suite; up to 8 in connecting suites.

Highlights
Warm chocolate chip cookies upon arrival.  Room to spread out.  Delicious Wolfgang Puck in-room coffee.  Why can’t all hotel coffee be this good?

Good to know
On the off-chance you feel you aren’t spending enough money on your visit to New York, swing by the American Girl Place at 5^th and 49th or the flagship Toys R’ Us store at Broadway and 44th. They will be more than happy to help.

Contact
www.nyc.doubletreehotels.com

Aaaaaaaaand, here’s a video tour of one of the rooms.  It happens to be the Presidential suite (poor us, right?), so just try to imagine it with one less bedroom and bathroom:

Doubletree Times Square from TravelSavvyMom on Vimeo.

Written by Jamie Pearson