Agreed. Check betterbidding.com to see what others are getting. I have always done well in NYC on Priceline.
How about staying a little out of town? A few years ago I stayed at the [.numberOfAdults=1&tab=photos&arrivalDate=02-28-10&hotelId=127113&lat=0.0&destination=Weehawken%2C+New+Jersey%2C+United+States#photos"]Sheraton Lincoln Harbour](http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details.html?pointName&reviewOrder=date_newest_first&lon=0.0&roomno=1&departureDate=03-01-10&destinationId=1425948&rooms[0). There’s a ferry less than 100 yards from the hotel which drops right off in the meat packing district. $99 a night according to the link. The ferry is around $10 day IIRC.
“The Milford Plaza is the Lulla-by of All-Broad-Way…!”
d&r
I’ve been to NYC once, and after looking at hotel prices and picking my jaw up off the floor, we stayed in Staten Island:
Now, say what you will about Staten Island, and I’ll probably say worse. But the B&B was clean and well run, although they served Tang instead of juice. They’re 2.5 miles from the Staten Island Ferry station, which is a half hour trip to lower Manhattan that runs constantly. We drove there and paid a couple bucks for parking at the ferry station, and I think one day we took a bus and decided not to do that again. The owners helped us figure out how to get around. I think we even walked it one day.
The sucky thing is that you have to wake up an hour early to account for travel time, but the nice thing is that as soon as you step off the Ferry you’re right downtown.
As far as when I’ll be going, it will be the 12th and 13th of March. That’s a Friday and Saturday.
Damn you! Damn you straight to heck!
Try the Club Quarters Midtown. It’s right next to Rockefeller Center. You can get rooms there for around $150 a night. The rooms are small and clean, but you basically get a bed and bathroom with shower, no tub. But it’s safe and in a good part of town.
Try the Americana Inn on 38th and 6th. I stayed there several times before I moved here and it runs at about $90-$100 per night (or at least it did at that time) and it was clean and comfy. You have communal bathrooms but there are about 5 or 6 per floor and I never once had to wait in line to shower or pee.
My last time there, I landed a deal at the Shoreham for $130/night over a weekend. It was on a last minute package deal from Travelocity, booked a week in advance.
applecorehotels gives me quotes starting at $120 pre-tax for those dates
And people, please, the recently-shutdown Milford Plaza was the Lulla-buy of Broadway, let’s get it straight.
I haven’t been back to NYC for about five years, but the last time I was there we stayed at The Time Hotel www.thetimeny.com. It was an ok hotel. Probably was really nice when it was first built. It was a little shopworn, but essentially clean. Rooms were starting at $134 for the nights you were looking at.
Union Square Inn; cannot say enough good things about the place. It’s smack in the middle of downtown, it’s cheap, clean and the employees are incredibly friendly.
I think my wife and I stayed there 6 months ago for $60 or so.
Hmm…my high school was located across from a Manhattan hotel, only a minute from Times Square (faster if you were sprinting, which was occasionally necessary).
It was called the Luxor Baths Hotel (on W. 46th St.) and may still be open (last I heard, someone was trying to convert it into a deluxe massage and prostitution establishment).
It’s on this list of New York hotels. The room rates for all these places seem very reasonable.
Well, there’s always the Carter Hotel, which has a somewhat seedy reputation. I stayed there a few years ago and paid about 100 bucks including taxes and fees. The location can’t be beat - right in the middle of Times Square. But the bathroom in my room had no door (just as well since I was traveling alone), and the place reeked of mildew. But what can I say. I was 25 years old and not picky about accommodations. Still better than the hostel near Central Park I had stayed at before with the guy across the hall banging on the door all night after his roommates had locked him out.
My wife and I stayed at The Pod Hotel last summer. Clean, nice location, good service, great rates. Rooms are definitely small 
I would stay there again on my next trip.
Back in November I stayed in a Holiday Inn on 26th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues. It was myself and a friend, so 2 beds and it was 2 nights. It came to about $125 a night each (total bill was ~$500).
It was clean, though small.
That looked like it was going to be my choice, not only because of your recommendation, but because of the name. The last time I made a trip like this, I stayed in Union Square. Just in a completely different city!
But it’s WAY more than $60. It was more like $278 for 2 nights. I might just have to suck it up and pay that.
No, no, no. Whatever you do, do **not **stay at the Carter. Everyone I know who has stayed there has uniformly said how terrible it was. It’s infamous for bedbugs, prostitution, crime & general uncleanliness. There are hundreds of pictures from many people at one of those hotel review websites that are really nasty looking.
Ah, here it is: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60763-d93421-Reviews-Hotel_Carter-New_York_City_New_York.html
A friend of mine usually stays at the Portland Square Hotel on W. 47th St. The cheaper rooms have a shared bathroom, but for a few dollars more you can get a room with it’s own bathroom. She says the prices are usually between $100-$150 per night.
Huh. I will probably be traveling then. I’ll rent you my apartment for $100 per night, but you have to feed my cats. 
I highly recommend the Hotel 41, which is about 100 yards from Times Square, right on 41st St. b’twn 7th and 8th. It’s a nice hotel. I would recommend calling them and asking for the manager Steve. Just tell him that a friend recommended the hotel and that you’d like to know if he can give you a good deal. The other benefit is that the happy hour bar specials are great and it’s the after-work watering hole for Ernst & Young, Reuters and The New York Times. You might even see me there. If so, first drink’s on me. But only until 7PM, when happy hour ends. 
Just kidding. Any time.
Edit: You should be able to get the nightly price down to $110 if you play it right. I would love to help you, but Steve and I aren’t on the best of terms now. However, I know that he gives out deals like this.