We'll Take Manhattan -- for Less Than $200 a Night

Hotel prices are by their very nature mercurial -- and nowhere more so than Manhattan. In mid-March, we conducted an online search of three hotel booking sites (Expedia.com, Quikbook.com and Hotels.com) and SideStep.com (an aggregator site that looks for the best rates among a number of other sites), pricing double rooms for next weekend, May 12-14. Our budget: $200 or less per night, before taxes. We came up with 40-plus possibilities.

Our next step, and it was a daunting one: to separate the deals from the dross. After a flurry of overnight stays and property tours, we came up with 15 hotels we can wholeheartedly recommend. Since rates fluctuate depending on occupancy levels and season, we can't guarantee that rooms at these hotels will consistently be available for under $200 -- but by searching several months in advance, we know that they will generally cost less than comparable properties during the busier times of the year.

Here are our finds, in alphabetical order. Rates do not include taxes.

-- Anne McDonough

1 BEDFORD HOTEL

118 E. 40th St. between Park and Lexington avenues

Price we found: $190 (Quikbook)

Details: The 17-floor Bedford, two blocks from Grand Central Terminal, feels like a European hideaway, with a sunken lobby, small check-in area and a sitting room to the right as you enter. Some of the 136 rooms (which include studios and suites) are charmingly outmoded-- if only we could jettison those floral bedspreads and spice up the artwork! Most have a fridge, microwave and coffee maker, while the roomy suites have separate kitchenettes. We overheard one guest chatting with the familiarity of a regular, arranging for a return visit for himself and his extended family; it's that kind of homey place. On our way out we passed what seems like a memento of a bygone time: a directory of houses of worship and their services.

Info: 800-221-6881, http://www.bedfordhotel.com .