5 Family-Friendly Hotels in New York City Where You Can Use Points

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Usually, a night in New York City's famously tight quarters can cost an average of $320. Fortunately, there are a handful of unsung hotels with enough space for traveling families to stay comfortably when visiting the Big Apple.

Best of all, many of these rooms can be booked with points — saving room in your budget for more New York City attractions.

To help you find the best place to bed down during your family's New York City vacation, we highlighted five of our favorite family-friendly points hotels, including one option from every major hotel brand.

Kimpton Ink48 Hotel

Brand: InterContinental Hotels Group

I’m a huge fan of Kimpton hotels, and the brand’s playful sensibility. I was thrilled when IHG acquired the Kimpton portfolio, making it possible to use IHG points and free night certificates from the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card for Kimpton stays. There are currently three Kimpton properties in Manhattan, all which are pet-friendly (furry friends are family, too). My favorite, however, is Kimpton Ink48, located on 11th Avenue in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. It's a great place to use uncapped IHG free night certificates, or burn IHG Rewards points at a rate of 65,000 points per night.

Guests will enjoy Kimpton's signature amenities touches (animal print bathrobes, custom PUBLIC bikes) and have access to plenty of infant and toddler gear, including cribs, scooters and strollers. If there's a Kimpton Secret Password available during your stay, your kids (or you) could be in for an extra special treat such as a free in-room movie or credit to "raid the minibar." And parents will appreciate the free coffee in the morning and complimentary social hour (read: free drinks) in the evening from 5:00pm to 6:00pm.

If you book a room at Kimpton Ink48, opt for one with two queen beds and about 330 square feet of space. Mommy Points reported having plenty of room when her family of four stayed at the Ink48 over the summer — just know the bathrooms have showers, not baths. Admittedly, not everyone at TPG loved their stay at Kimpton Ink48. But for families looking for a larger-than-average-room you can book with points, this is one of the best in New York City.

Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Midtown East 

Brand: Marriott

This property is centrally located on 48th street, close to Grand Central Station, and the rooms are spacious enough to comfortably sleep larger families, with two beds and a pull-out sofa bed. There are also kitchenettes (including a full-sized refrigerator) and free hot breakfast each morning, which can translate to serious savings during a New York City stay.

Family-friendly services include free pack-and-plays and 24-hour grocery delivery, and there’s even a common area where families can enjoy board games. This is a Category 5 property, requiring 35,000 Marriott points per night (30,000 points during off-peak stays and 40,000 points during peak travel times). You can also use an annual award certificate, available each anniversary with these Marriott/SPG Cards:

• Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express
• Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express
• Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card
• Marriott Rewards Business Premier Plus Credit Card

Grand Hyatt Grand Central 

Brand: Hyatt

I love staying at Hyatt hotels when I travel with my family, especially when I can really leverage my top-tier Globalist status with upgrades, free breakfast and lounge access. The Park Hyatt New York and Andaz 5th Avenue are two of Hyatt's better known New York City properties, but the Grand Hyatt Grand Central is excellent for families, especially those with Hyatt Globalist or Explorist status, or who are willing to use extra points to secure Club Lounge access.

Food expenses can add up quickly when traveling in New York City with a family, so having Club Lounge access is seriously helpful for keeping trip costs down. Lounges can vary greatly from hotel to hotel, but the Club Lounge at Grand Hyatt Grand Central exceeds the typical Club Lounge in North America.

Aside from the convenience of being able to pop in throughout the day for complimentary drinks, coffee and light snacks, there are plenty of great dinner options in the evening such as salads, sushi, sandwiches and an array of rotating hot dishes. In the morning, your family can grab breakfast at the Club Lounge, too.

Room rates tend to skyrocket, especially during busy times, making the 25,000 World of Hyatt points per night for a room with two double beds a great redemption. To boost your World of Hyatt account balance you can turn to the World of Hyatt Credit Card or transfer points to Hyatt from your Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.

TRYP New York City Times Square South

Brand: Wyndham

With Wyndham’s revamped Wyndham Rewards program, all free nights are just 15,000 points per night. Using Wyndham points in an expensive city like New York is a great use of points — and earning Wyndham points is super easy with the brand's generous promotions, like the annual Daily Getaways offers and the credit card that allows you to earn up to three free nights from the sign-up bonus.

Despite its name, Wyndham’s Times Square South TRYP hotel is on 35th Street, near New York Penn Station (rather than the madhouse that is Times Square) — making it a very convenient option for families arriving by train.

Surprisingly chic guest rooms feature reclaimed wood floors, 10-foot ceilings and contemporary urban decor. But the coolest thing about this property (other than the 15,000 points per night rate) is that it offers rooms designed exclusively for families, which include a combination of bunk beds, a separate king or queen-size bed and a sleeper sofa. Some rooms even have two bathrooms! These rooms may not always be available as standard rooms, but an upgrade may be possible if you have Wyndham Diamond status: attainable through the Total Rewards reciprocal benefits.

Homewood Suites by Hilton New York/Midtown Manhattan Times Square-South

Brand: Hilton

Traveling families often love feeling at home, and that’s what Hilton’s Homewood Suites in Midtown delivers. This hotel is steps from Broadway, Fifth Avenue and Madison Square Garden, and the studio-suites are more spacious than what you’d normally expect to find in the city. (Each studio-suite even has a fully-equipped kitchen.)

In addition to the free hot breakfast for all guests every morning, parents can partake in a complimentary evening social (consider it dinner if you aren't too picky) with included drinks Monday through Thursday.

Instead of a fixed award chart, the Hilton Honors program uses a variable award chart. This means the price in points for free nights will vary when the price is lower, but the absolute maximum award price for a standard room won’t increase (for this property, that's 70,000 points per night). If you have a Hilton credit card that offers free weekend night certificates such as the Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card or Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, it may make sense to use them here if you’re visiting New York City with your family during peak times.

Angelina Aucello covers family travel for TPG and blogs at Angelina Travels. Follow her adventures on Twitter and Instagram.