Why Your Family Should Stay at Homewood Suites New York/Midtown Manhattan Times Square During Your Next Trip to NYC

What do you look for in a hotel when you’re traveling as a family? I love luxury but when my husband and I travel with the kids we tend to be more practical preferring space, location, amenities, convenience, and overall value for the price of each night’s stay.

Last weekend Emily and I enjoyed another girls’ weekend and this time our travels took us to New York City where we stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton New York/Midtown Manhattan Times Square South, conveniently located just one block from Times Square and we loved it!

Emily is no stranger to traveling (her first hotel stay was in Mexico as a 5 month old!) and there are definitely things that she and her brother take note of when we’re staying in hotels. Proximity to the things we’re planning to do, quality of the breakfast, access to a pool or other space to stretch their legs, size of the room, size of the bathroom, presence of a fridge, number of outlets, and even speed of the elevators are things they comment about. Ultimately hotels have the power to make or break your vacation because kids notice the smallest details. And details can make all the difference because when kids are happy, travel becomes so much easier!

About Homewood Suites

If you’re not familiar with Homewood Suites, you should be! This extended stay brand is part of the Hilton portfolio and features 360+ hotels around the world including 17 in Canada, one in Mexico, and another coming soon to the Dominican Republic.

The New York/Midtown Manhattan Times Square South location is the first in New York City (it opened in June 2014) and there’s one beach front property located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Homewood Suites New York/Midtown Manhattan Times Square South Video Tour

What did Emily love about Homewood Suites? She decided to make a video to showcase the property! Take a look!

With 293 suites, Homewood Suites New York/Midtown Manhattan Times Square South is the one that has the most rooms. Room types include 1 bedroom studio suites with a king or queen bed and a pull out sofa, two bedroom suites that accommodate up to eight people, and others that have adjoining doors for larger families or for extended families traveling together.

We stayed in a studio king that was 280 square feet, a size 60% larger than average New York City hotel rooms. It was plenty spacious for two of us and would have been roomy enough for our family of four. If you need a larger room, the studio queens provide 400 square feet of space.

Other Homewood Suites Amenities and Services We Loved

While the chain has been a favorite of business travelers who often stay at locations during the work week, the amenities and services are perfect for families too.

 Free Breakfast

Our breakfast tastes vary widely as a family. Emily will always look for fresh fruit when we travel while her brother always looks for protein. I like protein to get me started and while not required, oatmeal and yogurt are always lovely additions. But so many times free buffet breakfasts aren’t all that. A hard carb and maybe some picked over fruit that leaves you hungry in an hour. You get what you pay for? No, it doesn’t have to be like that and Homewood Suites stands out in the free breakfast realm.

Their breakfast buffet was a refreshing change because the selection would appeal to all 4 family members. One one day there was turkey sausage and eggs. The following day there was turkey sausage patties and either sausage and cheese biscuits or biscuit sandwiches with cheese in the middle as our hot options. In another space, travelers could help themselves to a yogurt bar featuring plain yogurt with an array of fruit (blueberries, cranberries, peaches, etc) and nuts, cereal, toast and bagels, pastries, and juice. There was always plenty available thanks to the kind staff that was constantly refilling.

And don’t think you have to get up at the crack of dawn for breakfast! The ability to come down anytime between the hours of 6:30-10:30 and actually find a place to sit and power up before the day was lovely. Ample seating inside the breakfast area, in the lobby, and also on the gorgeous outdoor terrace made this way a nice way to start our day.

And if you wanted a to-go cup of coffee, no problem! Homewood Suites provides 24 hour access to coffee, tea, and hot chocolate in the lobby.

Staying Monday through Thursday? Homewood suites offers complimentary dinner with beer and wine and you can find what’s being served on the menu on your in-room fridge. What a nice touch!

Free Wifi

My husband and I always say the more expensive hotels charge for wifi and their connection is never very good. With free wifi, sometimes I feel like I get what I pay for so was pleasantly surprised at the speed of Homewood Suites’ wifi and the ability for three devices to connect in a room at a time. Emily and I were able to use wifi on our phones while I used my laptop to upload photos to a backup account, demonstrating a rock star connection and great speed at various points throughout the weekend. As a tech savvy mama, slow wifi is a huge pet peeve but I can honestly say that I had only the best experience while at Homewood Suites!

Fully Equipped Kitchen & Free Grocery Delivery Service & Access to Laundry

As you can see from Emily’s video, there Homewood Suites features a fully equipped kitchen with a full size fridge with a freezer, microwave, two burner stove, and dishwasher with all the plates, utensils, pots, and pans plus cleaning supplies you might need during your stay. Pop dishes in the dishwasher or leave dirties in the sink and housekeeping will start a load while you’re out.

To ensure that you have more time to experience the things you want to see, Homewood Suites offers complimentary grocery service. Make a list of the things you need, pay for the cost of your groceries, and they will be delivered to you on the same day free of charge. Isn’t that lovely? Or pick up just what you need at the moment in the lobby convenience store that is accessible 24 hours a day.

On the lower level, there are washers and dryers with laundry detergent, fabric softener, etc. available for purchase in the lobby at prices that won’t break the bank. Also lovely!

Gorgeous Spaces

I’ve stayed in Manhattan hotels that just feel cramped from the second you walk into the lobby. Usually that leads to checking into a squeezed room where there’s barely enough space in the halls to maneuver the smallest rolling suitcase. Homewood Suites New York/Midtown Manhattan Times Square South location is well designed with gorgeous spaces that feel roomy.

From the fireplace in the lobby with a low curved couch to bar stools with outlets right behind, the ground floor outdoor terrace, and the open rooftop deck with comfortable seating, there are places that provide kids with wiggle room. We saw a couple families with toddlers and preschoolers playing and running on the rooftop deck during our stay.

There are also spaces for business travelers to plug in and work collaboratively day or night.

Or head to the exercise room to get a workout in natural light or simply enjoy some fresh air and quiet to recharge before the next city adventure.

Some of the spaces that 95% Homewood Suites properties are known for are missing in the Manhattan location due to the constraints of being located in a city. While most have a sports court (basketball court, putting green), outdoor grilling in an outdoor kitchen, and a pool, the NYC location features the rooftop deck that can be accessed day or night for spectacular views of the Hudson River.

Value

In any major city, hotels in prime locations can be big bucks for families on vacation, especially during the high season of summer. All Homewood Suites pricing starts at $159/night based on occupancy and time of the year. There are times of the year when prices at the New York/Midtown Manhattan Times Square South location dip in price and if you can, look to plan a trip between holidays.

Since Hilton guarantees the best rate available, look directly on the hotel property’s website for prices. I love that this saves me time in comparison shopping for best prices at a property we I know we’re going to book.

Giveaway

Are you ready for a family getaway? Homewood Suites is providing a night stay to a very lucky reader! Simply leave a comment using the Rafflecopter form below to enter and complete any of the additional tasks for extra entries. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Homewood Suites New York/Midtown Manhattan Times Square South hosted us during our time in New York City during the KidzVuz Back to School event (#KidzVuzBTS). All opinions are our own and based on our experience. No compensation was received for this post or hosting the giveaway.