Hotel Beacon

Another great stay at the Beacon. Even the least expensive rooms are nicely decorated, very clean and each has a kitchenette. Staff are knowledgeable, pleasant and helpful. Upper west-side location is great - walking distance from Central Park, museums, Lincoln Centre, restaurants, transit plus Fairway and Zabars for food. Kid friendly and non-smoking.

This is our second time staying here. We stayed ago, and recently stayed again, only this time my kids are practically adults. My daughter was attending a conference at Columbia University. The hotel is about 1.5 miles to Columbia, but there is a subway a block away that drops you at Columbia. Rooms are very big for NYC. It was nice to have the kitchen to heat up meals after exhausting days. Was also good to have the bedroom with an actual door so kids could have space and not bother each other while doing homework. My son thought the decor old-fashioned, but I found it cozy and comfortable. We had a room facing the street , and it was fun to sit on the wide windowsill and look out while drinking our coffee. Staff was very efficient and friendly. Doorman got us a cab at rush hour. I had run out of cash and felt terrible that I had no money to tip him, but he was extremely gracious about it. My son hung out in the lobby doing homework for several hours after we checked out while the rest of us did other things, and nobody gave him a hard time even though he was a teen alone. This is a great location for families. Extremely quiet, near the subway and Central Park, across from a grocery store. But a warning - it is DEAD after 9:00 pm. Daughter and I tried to find dessert when she was done with her presentation, walked for blocks, and found nothing open even though it was shortly after 9:00 (on a Sunday night, but still). We finally were able to grab a couple of slices of cake from the diner nearby even though their sit down restaurant was closed. Also, several places closed earlier than their posted hours even though it was a beautiful spring-like evening in February, so definitely call ahead before heading somewhere. None of this is the hotel's fault, of course, but thought I should give a heads up. I was surprised that to find a neighborhood in Manhattan that has less going on in the evening than my neighborhood in Albany!