lucycan

Marquis

OU812

If you are trying to impress your 9yo grandson, I say Marquis hands down.

We took my daughter (then 9 years old) to NYC and the Marquis and she loved it. Two things no one has mentioned yet are the glass elevators (she loved riding from the top floor all the way down to the lobby non-stop) and Broadway. Several family friendly shows are within a couple of blocks of the hotel. Also, as a Plat we got a nice upgrade to a corner room with a view of Times Square.

Regards,

RIP...

jkjasdj

Stayed at the Marquis with our kids before. Can't go wrong. Plat check in desk, nice upgrades if available, you can walk or subway to everything in the city. Restaurant on top of hotel spins around in a circle once an hour. Kids loved it.

Ren 57 is nice but as others stated rooms are small. I have stayed here as well but without kids.

If your plan is to see the city, stay at Marquis.

sophiegirl

Key to this question is "9 year old".

Marquis wins, no question. Glass elevators, lights in TSq, revolving restaurant - nothing else compares for that age range or for first time visitors. Rooms are also some of the largest in the city, which is nicer when there are 3 or 4 to a room.

I do agree that the EastSide and the Ren's are quite nice, but kids and first timers most likely WANT to be in the center of the bustle and touristy stuff...

Upon check-in (at Plat desk) nicely mention 9 year old, first visit, etc and ask for any possible room upgrade, desk is usually accomodating if anything is available.

You do not mention date of visit - if it is anytime soon check for rate specials. It takes A LOT of points to stay here, and in Jan-Feb you can often find great rates that can make it worthwhile to hang onto the points.

Also, if you are planning to see a show, check broadwaybox.com or playbill.com for specials on tickets.....beats standing in line at the TKTS booth in the cold!

ReconDoc

Thanks to everyone so far for the great suggestions. They are certainly helping us. About a day away from firming everything up.

But the Marquis it is.

And instead of a random first night in a Priceline room somewhere in the mid-town area and then two award nights at the M it looks like we will just book a night straight up at the M.

Not checking in and out another time at a different hotel and a couple of cab rides not just with a 9 yo but now with his 5 yo sister as well also seems well worth the extra cost..

This site and TA are a gold mine of good info and great help.

Thanks again

hhoope01

I agree wholeheartedly with sophiegirl. My kids are both ready for college now, but we've been taking them to NYC for many years. And the Marquis is definitely a highlight for them.

Also, almost every time I have stayed, I've been upgraded at least to a TS view room which gives a very nice view of TS. ^ And when staying with the kids in a hotel room, the extra room space at the Marquis can be a sanity saver.

cova

I have stayed at both. I had to move rooms a couple of times at the East Side since the A/C system was so noisy and the room was so small. I guess the East side is not that bad - but it is old, small elevators, older-small bathrooms. I eventually got a larger room with sitting area at the East Side and it was OK. Limited to no view at the East Side.

The Marquis rooms are large and some have good views of Times Sq and other areas. I just prefer a newer building like the Marquis.

Have stayed at the Ren Times Sq and I thought the service was not that great. It seems to sit in a busy intersection. No views - even though as a Plat I got near the top floor and the quiet side.

Donlongco

Marquis

Stayed with my 9 year old son and he loved riding on the elevators. As others have mentioned the new system on the elevators of only going to a few floors makes getting in and out easy.

Also the Toys R Us is a must see and really close to the hotel. Easy to get around from there by cab or subway.

MarriottHotelsFan

Hey,
I was wondering which hotel you'd recommend. We're going in NYC for my son's 15th birthday, Feb. 19-21. We've stayed at both, the Marquis a while back and the Ren. last year for the same occasion. We loved the Ren., but I was wondering which you'd do. They're both good deals, $190 each night, pre-taxes, plus $100 BB coupon for a Corner Room + Rollaway (he likes them) at the Ren. or a regular at Marquis. There is a slight possibility of rollaway being unavailable at the Ren. The Ren. has great service, chocolate cake last year for his birthday, nice touch. I'm now Gold status, and was wondering if either of the clubs are open Monday morning for breakfast, though it's Presidents' day, and if Marquis upgrades are frequent as the only upgrade for the Ren. would be a suite, unlikely.
Thanks,
MHF

hhoope01

As a Gold, you might be able to get a TS view room upgrade at the Marquis. That is what I normally get when I stay there.

My personal preference is the Marquis and my kids (both teenagers) love the Marquis, the views we've had while staying there and the location. But it really gets down to preferences which are covered fairly well in this thread.

MarriottHotelsFan

I think we're leaning towards the Ren. Unless anybody has any strong opinions for us not to stay there, I think we will because the service seems to be stronger and the Marquis is too crowded. Yes, we're staying in Times Square but we just head down those subway stairs immediately. Now we have to decide Gramercy Tavern or Babbo again... decisions, decisions.

jr1202sr

for marriotts around time square. Have a 10 month old and a 3 1/2 year old. I am currently Gold. Found great rate at the R57 but they don't have adjoining rooms. I am holding a room at the residence inn, but it doesn' t look very nice to me.

flyerwife

The Residence Inn IS nice; in fact, that's where I was going to suggest you go when I read your first few sentences. The hotel is only about 5 years old, is well situated, offers free breakfast, and has kitchen amenities you won't find in any other Marriott in the area. I think it would be the all around best choice for your young family.

The Ren 57 is nice too but is on the other side of town and really isn't that well-suited for young children.

Hope that helps.

ReconDoc

First of all thanks again for all the advice.

That advice helped make a great trip for us.

We did stay at the Marquis. And the four of us loved the place. A really great choice as far as the kids (9 and 5). The elevator machine where you input your floor and the glass elevators were one of the big hits of the trip for them.

A very nice good size room with a great view of TS.

Staff was great. Helpful and friendly as you would hope or expect.

Parking at the hotel was easy but a tad expensive ($55 a day). But as this was our first trip and with the kids----we were glad we parked there.

The lounge was great in the morning. A very nice breakfast. The afternoon and evening? I remember the old days at the Atlanta Marquis years ago. They surely do not put out that type of spread in NYC. But no complaints. The free munchies saved us some decent $$$.

The location----especially for the kids cannot be beat.

Going alone or with another adult----I would likely make a different choice. Priceline maybe.

With kids----this is the way to go.

Thanks again

Thomas Hudson

Glad you had a nice time. For future readers, I found that the Ritz by the park was close to the same price miles wise as the Marquis and was a fanstastic room and people. I have stayed at most of the Marriott properties there. The Renaissance TS is nicer than the Marquis in my opinion, though I have been upgraded to one of the Jr suites every time I went.

For those trying to save a few points, staying South in the biz district on weekends is not bad and if you do not mind the subway, you can get to wherever you need to get easily and cheaply. Do not let the NYC city subway system scare you. It is easy and fast.