Hotel news: Look Who's Moving to the Big City (and Making Quite an Impression)

Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, July, 2006 by Kyle Pope

Choosing a hotel in New York City has long meant deciding between two less-than-winning options: splurging beyond your financial comfort zone, or resigning yourself to what could be a fleabag. Not anymore-and the middle ground is far more stylish than you might expect.

Name a national hotel chain in America, and chances are good it's making inroads in Manhattan. Over 1,500 midpriced rooms will open in New York City this year: Among the new entries are Holiday Inn Express, Hilton Garden Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn, and Four Points by Sheraton. "All of these companies have wanted to be in New York for a long time, but they weren't able to do a deal," says John Fox, a senior vice president at PKF Consulting, a firm that advises hotel operators on expansion plans. "Now they're all coming at the same time." ...