When looking for a discount hotel, New York City offers almost too many choices. So how do you make the best decision when you have never been to the Big Apple and are unfamiliar with the city layout and the neighborhoods?

Well, there are two ways to approach this topic and I will cover both of them.

Location, Location, Location Some travel experts will tell you that location is everything and that you should chose an accommodation near the sights that you are interested in visiting. They state that you don’t want to end up in a hotel across town from everything you want to do and see, because you will spend all of your time on foot and on the subway or hailing a cab.

So if this is your point of view, then the following information may help you.

If you want to be in the middle of the action, you should look for the most affordable discount hotel New York City (or Manhattan to be specific) supplies. There are hotels and hostels that offer great rates and amenities throughout this area. Deals are easy to spot (and are everywhere) on the internet.

Lower Manhattan: If you want a really low priced discount hotel New York City won’t let you down for this location. You will also be near Soho, China Town, Little Italy, Wall Street, Battery Park, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and Wall Street.

Midtown Manhattan (East and West Side): The East Side of Midtown Manhattan would be a likely location for a higher priced accommodations, but don’t despair a great discount hotel New York City supplies in this area is available as a hostel. If you love to shop or even window shop, this is the place for you. You can find high priced fashion and dining to match.

On the other hand, if you are interested in a more exciting night life and no sleep, try the West Side of Midtown Manhattan. Not only does it have Times Square and Broadway, it also has affordable lodging as well. If you like to walk on vacations, then this is the area for you because you can get nearly anywhere you want to go on foot.

Upper Manhattan (East and West Side): A hotel on the Upper East Side will cost you a pretty penny unless you search for a great discount hotel. New York City (fortunately) has them everywhere. This is the location of the City’s finest museums. Central Park divides the East from the West and the farther you go west from the Park, the more affordable the discount hotel New York City provides.

Just a place to sleep Other travel experts will tell you that the deal is everything. Their philosophy is that only a few New York tourists spend a lot of time in their hotel rooms. This is specifically focused on those people who basically only use their hotel rooms to sleep, shower and change clothes in order to go out again.

They suggest that you then consider an accommodation that is slightly outside of the “hot spot” since transportation (fabulous subway system, taxis, private car, etc) is easily accessible and readily available most of the time 24/7. You can save a lot of money when you look for a discount hotel New York City offers in the less popular areas and uses any travel time as a sight-seeing adventure.

If you are more interested in saving money than being right in the middle of the action, keep in mind that between taxis, the subway and buses, you can get where ever you want to go in NYC. However, you will save the most money by avoiding taxis (expect late at night or for long trips). From the airport, you can take the Port Authority’s Airport Express Buses (one-way costs about $ 12-$ 15 USD), it is a fast , cheap, reliable service to your hotel.

If you feel confident navigating a combination of buses and subways, you can go anywhere for just $ 2.00 USD by getting a MetroCard (it allows free transfers). If you plan to take 3 or more rides a day, then you should investigate all of the optional passes.

Also you should get a map of NYC, understand the basic layout of the city and the subway system BEFORE you go. With a little planning you can save a lot on your transportation costs while in the Bid Apple too.

So you might decide the location of your accommodation is the priority or you might lean toward saving money on your trip. Either way you decide to use to choose your discount hotel, New York City supplies you with a powerful tool. This helpful tool is the ratings and reviews (made by tourists) of any accommodation and absolutely should be used to guarantee a good night sleep regardless of what metropolitan district your accommodation is in.