Are NYC hotels getting more expensive?

[drgnfly30]

I was going to plan a surprise overnighter to NYC & take DH to see the Blue Man Group for our 16th wedding anniversary in October but the rooms are ranging from the high $300's to over $500 for ONE NIGHT!! We went over the July 4th holiday & only paid $220?!?! Plan B anyone?

 

[bsnyder]

Priceline!

Use www.biddingfortravel.com for information.

 

[Honu]

I went the week before last for business. Rooms that are normally about $200 a night were $500. Thankfully, work was paying. I don't understand how they can justify charging $500 a night for a room as big as a queen size bed though - AND the hotel was fully booked! I would try Priceline, like suggested previously.

 

[mcnuss]

I am paying $450 tomorrow night for a room I have paid $199 for in the past. I am going to a conference and the conference hotel was $599!! It is often this way in NYC in Oct, Nov, & Dec. Aside from the holidays (Coumbus Day, Veterans Day, T-giving, Xmas, etc..), there are loads of conferences in the city at this time of year. You'd think that summer would be worse but I always get my best rates in NYC in the summer. Go figure...

Anyway, I am not sure you'll get much of anything on Priceline when the city is so booked up. The premise of Priceline is to sell unsold inventory at a cut-rate, but if there's no unsold inventory, the model falls apart. I've done well on Priceline, but that was shortly after 9/11 when rooms were abundant and people were not traveling as much. Last year, I tried and failed to get a room -- went up to $250 for a 4 star and gave up.

On the Ave is a hotel that a friend of mine swears by is off the beaten path - Upper West Side (she grew up in the neighborhood) - and is frequently not booked. Give it a whirl: www.ontheave.com

Good luck!

 

[drgnfly30]

I considered the Priceline route.. a friend of mine just did it for the weekend before I had planned on going & got a hotel I'd never heard of for $275 a night.... I'm re-thinking my plans... Heck for the price of my Amtrak tix, a hotel & the BMG tix I could fly to Vegas for the weekend!!!

 

[ducklite]

This is a peak tourist time in NYC. The weather is beautiful.

The rates having really gone up that much from this time last year.

Anne

 

[Planogirl]

I got curious and just checked Expedia. The Excelsior is $740 and the Waldorf is $799 for standard rooms. Nice places but I hope that they at least brush your teeth for you.

Good luck whatever you decide!

 

[TxJasmine]

We just went to NY this past weekend to see Spamalot and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and we stayed at a very nice and brand new Comfort Inn and Suites in Maspeth, Queens. We paid $107/night, and used Carmel car service (which was recommended by people on the DIS) to get to Manhattan. The cost of the car service was $30.50 + tip each way. It was really convenient after the show because the car picked us up in front of the theater. The Queens hotel worked out very well for us because we had a short (2 night) stay. The hotel was only about a 15-20 minute driver from Broadway. For a longer stay, I can see that it would be better to stay in town.

 

[aprincessmom]

Try the Shelburne Murray Hill (an Affinia hotel). We had a one bedroom suite (about the size of the first floor of my home with a full kitchen) over Labor Day weekend for under $300/night. It's on Lexington and 37th. Room was very quiet, too. Just a couple blocks from Grand Central Station.

 

[diskids2]

You might want to consider a hotel out of the NYC area. I live in Westchester County and the Metro North train goes right into Grand Central. There are several nice hotels in White Plains or even Purchase or Rye. The Residence Inn in New Rochelle is also very nice and is walking distance (two blocks) to the train station (30 minutes to Grand Central). The Residence Inn is right next to New Roc City which is an entertainment complex that has a movie theater, etc, but the hotel is very quiet. Parking is available as well.