I Stayed at the Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel (And Here’s How I Made It Work on a Budget)

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Look, I’m not going to pretend I’m the type of traveler who usually books Renaissance hotels. My typical accommodation involves checking if the hostel reviews mention bedbugs more than twice, or sweet-talking my way into someone’s spare room through a house-sitting website. But last month, I found myself staying at the Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel, and honestly? It taught me something important about budget travel that I hadn’t fully appreciated before.

Let me back up. I was in New York for a travel blogging conference (yeah, I know, the irony of a budget travel blogger at a conference isn’t lost on me), and the hotel situation was… complicated. My original plan involved staying with a friend in Brooklyn, but she had a family emergency two days before my trip. Cue the mild panic as I watched hostel prices surge to $85 a night for a bunk bed in a room with seven strangers.

That’s when I started actually looking at the Renaissance New York Midtown, and here’s the thing nobody tells you: sometimes mid-tier hotels in Manhattan can actually compete with budget options if you know how to work the system.

How I Actually Afforded This Place (Without Selling a Kidney)

The rack rate at the Renaissance Midtown was hovering around $350 a night when I checked. Yeah, that’s not happening on my budget. But I’ve learned a few things in eight years of travel hacking, and I put basically all of them to work.

First off, I used my Marriott Bonvoy points. I’d been stockpiling them through my credit card spending – not buying stuff I didn’t need, but putting my regular expenses on a card that earns Marriott points. Groceries, gas for my occasional US road trips, my phone bill. It adds up faster than you’d think. I had enough for two free nights, which already made this viable.

For the third night, I booked through a combination of Hopper (which predicted prices would jump) and a corporate discount code I found through my freelance writing work. Ended up paying $180 for that night, which in Manhattan honestly isn’t terrible when you factor in that I wasn’t paying extra for a private bathroom or dealing with questionable WiFi.

The real kicker? I timed my stay for a Sunday through Tuesday. Weekend rates in NYC are brutal because of tourists, but midweek you can sometimes find deals that would make your head spin. That $180 night would’ve been $280 on a Saturday.

What You Actually Get at the Renaissance Midtown

The hotel sits right there on West 35th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenue. You’re basically in the heart of everything, which for someone who usually navigates cities entirely on foot (goodbye, transportation budget), felt pretty luxurious. I could walk to Times Square in about ten minutes, though honestly, why would you want to do that to yourself?

The room itself was exactly what you’d expect from a Marriott property – clean, functional, with that corporate hotel aesthetic that’s pleasant enough but won’t end up on any Instagram feeds. Although, let me tell you, after sleeping in a hostel in Bucharest where I could hear every conversation in the neighboring rooms (and I mean every conversation), the soundproofing alone felt worth the points.

They’ve got the usual amenities: fitness center that I fully intended to use but didn’t, a restaurant that I avoided because I’m not paying $18 for breakfast when there’s a bodega down the street selling bagels for $3. The WiFi actually worked, which feels like it shouldn’t be noteworthy in 2024 but you’d be surprised how many places still mess this up.

The Location Sweet Spot Nobody Talks About

Here’s what I genuinely loved about the Renaissance Midtown’s location, and this is coming from someone who’s stayed everywhere from the Upper East Side to way out in Queens. You’re close enough to everything that matters, but you’re not in the absolute chaos of Times Square where a bottle of water costs $4 and you’re dodging Elmo every three steps.

The Midtown location meant I could walk to Penn Station in less than ten minutes, which saved me probably $40 in subway and Uber costs over three days. I walked to the conference venue near Herald Square, wandered up to the New York Public Library, hit Bryant Park, and generally covered Manhattan on foot without feeling like I was hiking the Appalachian Trail.

There’s also something to be said for being near enough to the action that you can drop off your stuff easily. When I’m staying out in Brooklyn or New Jersey to save money, I’m committed to whatever I’m carrying for the whole day. Being able to pop back to drop off conference swag or grab a warmer jacket when the evening got chilly? That convenience has a value that’s hard to quantify.

Making the Most of Hotel Perks (Without Looking Like a Cheapskate)

One thing I’ve learned is that when you do occasionally stay at a nicer hotel, you should absolutely use every single perk they offer. I’m talking about the stuff that’s included but people often forget about or feel too awkward to use.

The Renaissance had a pretty decent business center that I used to print out my boarding pass and some documents I needed – easily saved $15 I would’ve spent at a FedEx. The lobby had free coffee in the morning (not great coffee, but coffee), and I definitely filled up my water bottle multiple times a day instead of buying drinks.

I also chatted up the front desk staff, which I do everywhere I stay because people are generally helpful if you’re nice to them. They pointed me toward a lunch spot two blocks away that locals actually use – got a massive plate of chicken and rice for $8 that would’ve cost $20 near the conference venue.

The gym thing I mentioned? Okay, I didn’t use it, but if you’re someone who would otherwise pay for a day pass to a fitness center, that’s a real saving. They also had a concierge who gave me actually useful advice about which subway lines to avoid during rush hour.

When This Type of Booking Actually Makes Sense

Let me be real with you for a second. Most of the time, I’m not advocating for staying at Renaissance hotels or any chain property when you’re budget traveling. If I’m in Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe or even most US cities outside NYC, I’m finding Airbnbs, hostels, or house-sitting arrangements that cost a fraction of what a hotel would run.

But New York is different, and this is something I learned the hard way after my first trip here in 2018 when I stayed in a “budget hotel” in Queens that was basically a crime scene waiting to happen. In cities where budget accommodation is either genuinely sketchy or barely cheaper than mid-tier options, the math changes.

The Renaissance Midtown worked for me because I could leverage points, catch a midweek deal, and I was in town for something specific where the location value was real. If you’re spending three months backpacking through South America, this strategy makes zero sense. But for a short city break in an expensive destination where you need to be productive and comfortable? Sometimes the slightly more expensive option is actually the better value.

The Real Cost Breakdown (Because I Know You’re Wondering)

Okay, let’s talk numbers because that’s what actually matters. Over three nights at the Renaissance Midtown, here’s what I spent:

Two nights on points: $0 out of pocket (those points would’ve been worth roughly $200 each if I’d paid cash, but since I earned them through regular spending, I’m calling this free)

One night with discount: $180

Parking: $0 (I don’t drive in Manhattan because I’m not a masochist)

Daily breakfast: Maybe $15 total for all three days hitting up local spots

Total accommodation cost: $195 for three nights in Midtown Manhattan

Compare that to the hostel option I was looking at: $255 for three nights in a shared room, less convenient location, and the very real possibility of a 3am snorer. Or an Airbnb in a decent area that was running $120+ per night, minimum.

I’m not saying the Renaissance was cheap, but it was competitive with other options once I factored in the points, timing, and location value. And I got my own bathroom, which at 32 years old, I’m going to admit is something I increasingly value.

What I’d Do Differently Next Time

If I’m being honest, I probably should’ve pushed harder on the discount codes. I found one corporate rate that worked, but I didn’t exhaust all the possibilities – AAA memberships, professional associations, that kind of thing. Could’ve maybe knocked another $20-30 off that paid night.

I also wish I’d booked one night earlier or later to catch an even better midweek rate. The difference between Tuesday night and Wednesday night was about $40, which over multiple bookings adds up to a whole extra trip.

And next time? I’m packing snacks from home. Not because the hotel doesn’t allow outside food – they don’t care – but because I spent way more than I needed to on random coffees and afternoon snacks when I could’ve thrown some protein bars in my bag.

The Bottom Line for Budget Travelers

Here’s my take after staying at the Renaissance New York Midtown: it’s not a budget hotel, but it can be a budget-friendly choice in the right circumstances. If you’ve got points to burn, you can time your stay right, or you’re comparing it to NYC’s inflated hostel prices, it starts to make sense.

The hotel itself is solid – nothing fancy, nothing terrible. It does what it’s supposed to do, which is give you a clean, comfortable place to sleep in a convenient location. For me, that was enough.

Would I stay here again? Probably, if the circumstances were similar. Would I pay full price? Absolutely not. But that’s the whole point of budget travel hacking – you learn to find the sweet spots where you can occasionally upgrade your experience without destroying your travel fund.

If you’re planning a trip to New York and you’re trying to figure out the accommodation puzzle, my advice is this: don’t write off every hotel option just because it seems expensive at first glance. Do the math, factor in the location value and what you’re actually getting, and sometimes you’ll find that the “splurge” option is actually the smart choice.

Trust me, after eight years of sleeping in some truly questionable places in the name of budget travel, I know the difference between a good deal and just being cheap. The Renaissance Midtown? It was a good deal, at least the way I worked it.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go research hostels in Lisbon for next month. Balance in all things, right?

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