Destination: New York : Staying Longer, Paying Less in the Heart of Manhattan : The Big Apple’s Extended-Stay Hotels Offer the Traveler Few Amenities . . . but the Price Is Right

If you’re planning to visit New York and intend to stay at a well-known hotel, you can probably count on one hand the number of nights you’ll be in town. With double rooms fetching an average of $285 a night, New York is among the most expensive places to visit in the country. But if you need to stay seven nights or longer, must you part with $2,000 a week for a room? Or should you sublet an apartment, which means having to look for one, not to mention deposits, background checks and references?

None of this is necessary if you reserve a place at one of Manhattan’s lesser-known hotels that specialize in extended stays.

Take, for example, the Hotel Olcott, where I’ve lived for the past two years. Located in a tranquil, residential area on the Upper West Side, the Olcott’s weekly rate is just $500 for a studio with a kitchenette. A week’s stay, including taxes, is just $595--less than the cost of two nights in a first-class hotel. And total costs are cut even more, since meals can be prepared in the kitchenette.

But if you haven’t heard of the Olcott and places like it, you are not alone. Few people realize that Manhattan has many such reasonably priced accommodations that can be rented by the week, the month or even the year--some with discounts of up to 50% off daily rates. In fact, a spokeswoman for the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau--which receives dozens of requests each week from travelers seeking deals on extended stays--told me that, as far as she knew, “those discounts don’t exist.”

I found out differently while researching a book on extended stays in New York and other U.S. cities. I contacted more than 300 hotels and residences in Manhattan and visited nearly 100, ranging from nauseating dives in the East Village’s Bowery district (average price, $53 per week) to the opulent Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue, where a week’s stay in the Presidential Suite costs $105,000 and is actually sometimes rented for that period of time. At some hotels, I pretended to be a prospective long-term guest. At others, I checked in and stayed at least a week, never mentioning the article or book I was writing. In both cases, I tested beds and baths, checked out the clientele and inspected the neighborhoods. I spoke with general managers, front desk personnel, housekeepers, even guests when I could. Many properties were simply unacceptable. But I did discover a few treasures, which I’ve included here.

In addition to the budget properties listed, there are dozens of more upscale establishments serving the extended-stay market. Perhaps best known is Manhattan East Suite Hotels (telephone 800-ME-SUITE), with nine properties scattered through Midtown and the Upper East Side. Monthly and annual rates are available on all their accommodations, which include studios and one- and two-bedroom suites and fully appointed kitchens.

Among the newer entries in the deluxe category is the recently restored Sutton Hotel (tel. 212- 752-8888, fax 212-752-2605). Roughly 10 blocks north of the United Nations, this plush hostelry features elegantly appointed suites and a private health club with a 55-foot swimming pool. Monthly rates at both the Sutton and Manhattan East Suite hotels begin at about $3,000 for the least expensive studios.

If the good news is the steep discount some hotels offer on extended stays, the bad news is that there are taxes on those rates. That works out to an additional 16.25% plus a $2-per-room, per-night occupancy tax for most of the accommodations listed here. (Rooms averaging more than $100 per night are subject to an additional 5% “luxury tax.”) All rates quoted below do not include taxes, except where noted. Hotels stop charging approximately half the tax after the first three months and won’t charge any after a six-month stay. In addition, the New York sales tax law requires a hotel to issue residents a full refund of all taxes paid after a stay of six consecutive months.

BASIC BUDGET HOTELS

If the basics are all that’s necessary, then one of the bargain-basement establishments that follow may be appropriate. A bed, a dresser, a table or desk and a chair or two are usually the only furnishings provided at these dirt-cheap hostelries. Some rooms have sinks, but bathrooms are usually located in the hall and shared with several other guests. Don’t expect much more than functionality at most low-end budget hotels. The cooking facilities rarely exceed a hot plate atop a small refrigerator, and the view from the window will probably be the wall of an adjacent building. Color TV and air conditioning are considered luxuries at this level, but are sometimes available at extra cost. Still, these lodgings are exceptional values for Manhattan, and what they lack in creature comforts they more than make up in practicality and savings.

At the top of my list of low-end budget hotels is the Malibu Studios Hotel, a 150-room establishment on upper Broadway at 102nd Street.

Renovated in 1990, the Malibu is a favorite among international tourists and students. The cozy singles and doubles have full-size beds with new comforters, dressers and vanities that double as kitchen sinks. I was disappointed that there were no closets in any of the rooms I looked at, but each room had a pole to hang clothes on near the door. All rooms are equipped with small refrigerators and two-burner gas hot plates. Bathrooms, shared with several other guests, are well lit, roomy and clean and have good, strong showers. There are no phones in the rooms, but messages are taken at the reception desk. Color TVs are available for a nominal charge.

Singles start at $140 weekly and $450 monthly. Larger doubles begin at $200 weekly and $650 monthly. Nearby are dozens of shops and restaurants; subway and bus service are at the corner. The management suggests you make your reservation at least one week before your anticipated arrival. A unique budget choice.

Malibu Studios Hotel, 2688 Broadway at 102nd Street, New York 10025; tel. (212) 222-2954 or (212) 663-0275, fax (212) 678-6842.

Another low-end budget hotel is the Dynasty Studio Hotel, which has tiny rooms, some of which have old-fashioned water closets and fireplaces, and a coin-operated laundry. Singles start at $130 a week.

Dynasty Studio Hotel, 850 West End Ave., New York 10025; tel. (212) 749-7104.

Finally, in this category, there’s the Parc Lincoln, just three blocks from a major subway hub. Rooms, a bit on the cheerless side, start at $125 a week with full private baths (among the cheapest lodgings with private baths in Manhattan) and $90 without. Some rooms are equipped with jacks for cable TV and local telephone service.

Parc Lincoln, 166 West 75th St., New York 10023; tel. (212) 873-3000.

HIGH-END BUDGET HOTELS

While the most inexpensive budget hotels generally offer a few amenities, those in the high-end category usually offer a more sophisticated atmosphere, larger rooms, private baths, color TVs, air conditioning, direct-dial telephones and kitchenettes. The comfort level rises discernibly in this class of hotels, but so does the cost. Rooms are generally better furnished, though not luxurious. Suites, if available, are especially good deals, particularly if two people will be sharing the accommodations. These hotels often attract many short-term guests, because daily rates are typically far lower than those at most tourist-class hotels.

Literally footsteps west of Central Park, the venerable Hotel Olcott is quite possibly the best extended-stay deal--make that steal --in all of Manhattan. For years, it has unobtrusively hosted travelers from around the world with its cosmopolitan-yet-casual atmosphere, friendly staff and rock-bottom rates.

You’ll find a wide range of accommodations at the Olcott, from roomy studio singles to one- and two-bedroom apartments. The feeling is decidedly homey. All accommodations come with completely furnished kitchenettes, dining tables, dressers, desks and chairs in the living rooms. Some even have fireplaces; a few have terraces. The bathrooms are modest but the showers are terrific. As for the closet space, a one-bedroom suite I stayed in had four of them. Air conditioning is standard on weekly stays and available at extra cost on monthly stays.

Weekly rates begin at an unbelievable $500 for studios and $680 for one-bedroom suites. Monthly rates are $1,400 and $1,600, respectively; annual leases are even better deals.

Hotel Olcott, 27 West 72nd St., New York 10023; tel. (212) 877-4200, fax (212) 580-0511.

The Chelsea Hotel has been home to Isadora Duncan, Arthur Miller, Dylan Thomas, Edie Sedgwick, Eugene O’Neill and Sid and Nancy, all of whom lived (or died) here. Even Madonna couldn’t stay away, and picked the Chelsea as the setting for some of the pics that appear in her book, “Sex.”

The Chelsea is as offbeat as they come. I stayed there on two separate occasions, not long ago, each time for several weeks. I found that the hotel lives up to its reputation: the lobby is a mini-museum of sculpture and paintings donated by former residents. Dogs, which are allowed in the rooms, also roam freely about the lobby and ride the elevators. Upstairs, the corridors are stark and sterile--except for the half-finished canvases and artist’s supplies lying around in the hallways outside the doors.

The first room I stayed in, on the ninth floor, was dreary and badly in need of new furnishings, and the bathroom plumbing bordered on unacceptable. More cheerful, however, was the second room I stayed in, though it was in a noisy location. Overlooking busy 23rd Street, its shuttered windows opened onto a wrought-iron balcony.

There was a ceiling fan--a welcome touch since it was late summer and the room did not have an air conditioner. Although the water pressure was low, I was pleased that everything at least worked. A refrigerator was supplied in both rooms, and I could have had a hot plate if I’d wanted one. Larger apartments have kitchenettes with full gas stoves, and the hotel’s housekeeping department will furnish utensils upon request.

The Chelsea continues to attract a diverse clientele populated by artists. Currently, a number of rooms and suites are undergoing renovation, and the hotel has just installed cable TV. (TVs may be rented for a few dollars a day.)

Studios with kitchens begin at $495-$594 a week (depending upon the length of stay) and $1,225 monthly. One-bedroom suites start at $625 per week and $1,750 monthly. Monthly rates apply to stays of eight months or longer and are tax-exempt.

Chelsea Hotel, 222 West 23rd St., New York 10011; tel. (212) 243- 3700, fax (212) 243-3700, Ext. 2171.

I immediately liked the quietly bustling Gramercy Park Hotel, directly across from exclusive Gramercy Park, just off Park Avenue, the only private park in Manhattan. Just inside the main entrance is a pleasant cocktail lounge, and there is no shortage of places to sit in the large, winding lobby. There is also a well-stocked newsstand that sells everything from newspapers to T-shirts and baseball caps, with a restaurant that specializes in pasta dishes just off the lobby.

Both studios and one-bedroom suites are offered. All have private baths with excellent water pressure, wardrobe-size kitchenettes and ample closet space. Cable TV and air conditioning are standard.

Weekly rates are not available at the 509-room Gramercy Park, but substantial discounts are given to guests able to stay a month or longer. Studios begin at $1,500 per month; one-bedroom suites are $2,500. An “application for extended stay” (sent to you if you say that you plan to stay for at least a month) must be completed and returned with a $200 check or money order, applied toward your first month’s rent.

The gates to Gramercy Park are closed to the public, but keys are available to hotel guests.

Gramercy Park Hotel, 2 Lexington Avenue at 21st Street, New York 10010; tel. (212) 475-4320 or (800) 221-4083, fax (212) 505-0535.

A country inn in Manhattan? You might actually think so the moment you arrive at the rustic Gracie Inn, on the Upper East Side.

The white brick facade, green shutters and coach light at the entrance echo the simplicity and serenity of rural American life. Inside, the rooms are warmly furnished with antiques, live plants and alarm clocks. Kitchens are equipped with a variety of conveniences and cooking utensils. The tile bathrooms--all new--are immaculate. Other amenities include color cable TV, air conditioning, an on-premises laundry and complimentary muffins and coffee every morning. Upon request, guests may bring pets. Bus service is available at the corner. Shopping, banks and a library are all near this Manhattan treasure. Weekly rates begin at $650 for studios and $820 for one-bedrooms. Monthly rates start at $2,025 and $2,500, respectively.

The Gracie Inn, 502 East 81st St., New York 10028; tel. (212) 628-1700, fax (212) 628-6420.