Location is the main draw for the 124-room, 22-story Holiday Inn Express in midtown Manhattan. Located at 15 West 45th Street, the hotel is just two blocks from Times Square. Guestrooms have free Wi-Fi, TVs, coffeemakers and more. Cribs are available upon request and there are onsite laundry facilities.

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The hotel has 124 guest rooms and just three suites, which have a separate living room, king bed and pull-out sofa, microwave and mini-fridge. Guest rooms have either two double beds or a king bed. Rollaway beds cost an additional $25 per night and only fit in the king-bed rooms, as the double-bed rooms don't have enough empty space. Rooms are tight.

Standard guest rooms include a hairdryer and a coffeemaker; you can rent a mini-fridge for $50 a night, on request. Note that some rooms at the Holiday Inn Express are smoking; request a non-smoking room if you don't want to be subjected to any lingering cigarette-smoke smell. Families will love that room rates also include breakfast and free in-room wireless.

Don't expect a game room, swimming pool, or kids' club at the Holiday Inn Express Fifth Avenue. This is a basic, budget property (for New York anyway) with few frills. That said, it's also relatively new. Built in 2005, it's clean and has all the basic amenities.

The hotel is within easy walking distance of Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue shopping, Radio City Music Hall, Grand Central Station, Bryant Park, the New York Public Library, St. Patrick's Cathedral and many other kid-friendly sights.

The free on-site Express Start Breakfast Bar is a boon for families. Fuel your busy day of sightseeing with scrambled eggs, omelets, bacon, sausage and biscuits, as well as fruit, yogurt, cereal, bananas and cinnamon rolls. To-go breakfast bags are also available.

Otherwise, there are no on-site restaurants. Morton's Steak House and the Manhattan Café, with an upscale salad bar and international buffet, are less than a block away.