Hotels FAQ

Question:

> This hotel sounds wonderful.  What about > rates?  Thanks.

We got a rate of $189/night–booked through QuickBook and were very happy with their service.  I think it’s about $199/night if you call the hotel directly. Sandy F.

Response:

>> This hotel sounds wonderful.  What about > rates?  Thanks. >We got a rate of $189/night–booked through QuickBook and were very >happy with their service.  I think it’s about $199/night if you call the >hotel directly. >Sandy F.

        For that kind of money, you can also usually get a nice room at the Elysee on 54th Street between Park and Madison (desireable area), which offers almost-private-residence quality of service, is a landmark boutique hotel with a rich history and a very recent and high-quality rehab.  It also sports the world famous Monkey Bar.         –Bill Candee in NYC

Response:

> > This hotel sounds wonderful.  What about > rates?  Thanks. > We got a rate of $189/night–booked through QuickBook and were very > happy with their service.  I think it’s about $199/night if you call the > hotel directly. > Sandy F.

$200 a night for a room!  Geez!  Some people here have WAY too much money to burn.  If I can’t get a discount rate at Super 8 for less than $60/night I don’t go.  Aren’t there any Super 8s in NYC?  How about Motel 6?  Won’t they leave a light on for you there? Mike cheapskate and proud of it!

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > This hotel sounds wonderful.  What about > > rates?  Thanks. > We got a rate of $189/night–booked through QuickBook and were very > happy with their service.  I think it’s about $199/night if you call the > hotel directly. > Sandy F. >$200 a night for a room!  Geez!  Some people here have WAY too much money to >burn.  If I can’t get a discount rate at Super 8 for less than $60/night I >don’t go.  Aren’t there any Super 8s in NYC?  How about Motel 6?  Won’t they >leave a light on for you there?

Yeah, there’s a Motel 6 on Central Park West, a replica of the one overlooking the Parc Monceau in Paris. [Not.] >Mike >cheapskate and proud of it!

I hear they have Greyhound buses to the cities — you might want to check one out someday. (You can always stay at the YMCA in NY, not far from the bus station in fact.)

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > This hotel sounds wonderful.  What about > > rates?  Thanks. > We got a rate of $189/night–booked through QuickBook and were very > happy with their service.  I think it’s about $199/night if you call the > hotel directly. >$200 a night for a room!  Geez!  Some people here have WAY too much money to >burn.  If I can’t get a discount rate at Super 8 for less than $60/night I >don’t go.  Aren’t there any Super 8s in NYC?  How about Motel 6?  Won’t they >leave a light on for you there?

There are chain hotels here. However, the high cost of real estate in NYC keeps the prices quite a bit higher than they are everywhere else. Even the Howard Johnson in midtown is about $120 a night. We have chain restaurants here too, but even Mickey D’s gets more than $5 for a burger meal instead of the normal $3 everywhere else.

Response:

There are also a couple of Quality (Choice Hotel) properties in NYC that honor the various affinity club discounts, including a 30% AARP rate (you have to ask for it as the normal like AA is 10%, if they aren’t at a certain occupancy level).  You can also price check some of the majors online.  Also use the various travel search engines like Yahoo, Travelocity etc to see a variety of properties. Bestfares partner Hotel Reservation Network is a player in NYC with lots of supposedly discounted rooms.  Call 1-800-964-6835 or go to www.180096hotel.com.  The NYC visitors and convention bureau also has a website a can make hotel/motel reservations. There are also a lot of interesting B&B’s in NYC too! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Hi, >Could somebody please recommend a reasonable but clean hotel in NY city? >(name, address, and phone number) >I plan to stay in NY city for the July 4th holiday weekend. >Thanks a lot in advance, >Regards, >Kevin

Response:

> > Hi, > Could somebody please recommend a reasonable but clean hotel in NY > city? > (name, address, and phone number) > I plan to stay in NY city for the July 4th holiday weekend.

My company just put me up at the Holiday Inn Midtown, at 440 West 57th between 8th and 9th, and it was a steal at $139. Free local or 800 phone calls. Good delis and pubs steps from the door. Walk to theater, Central Park South, etc. It is a Holiday Inn franchisee and not luxurious but perfectly serviceable, very clean. The kind of place air crews stay at — I ran a gantlet of Aer Lingus hostesses to check in. Call them (the hotel, not the hostesses) direct at 212-581-8100.

Response:

This hotel sounds wonderful.  What about rates?  Thanks. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi, > Could somebody please recommend a reasonable but clean hotel in NY > city? > (name, address, and phone number) > I plan to stay in NY city for the July 4th holiday weekend. > I would recommend trying the Hotel Casablanca, on 43rd St., between > Broadway and 6th Ave.  It’s a beautiful small Euopean-like hotel with > wonderful amenities like a second floor lounge area with breakfast and > all-day food presentations complimentary.  It’s extremely clean and > well-run.  My husband and I stayed there a few months ago and have been > raving about it to friends. > The property was totally rehabbed about one year ago.  Another plus–$18 > parking right next door, for hotel guests. > Good luck. > Sandy

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Hi, Could somebody please recommend a reasonable but clean hotel in NY city? (name, address, and phone number) I plan to stay in NY city for the July 4th holiday weekend. Thanks a lot in advance, Regards, Kevin

Response:

"Reasonable" is relative in NY City.  That said, the most stylish, reasonable hotel in the city is the Paramount, in the theatre district.  It has teeny, tiny rooms, but reasonable rates, and it wins lots of awards for design, style, etc.  If you like something a bit wild but very cool, try that.  If you want something like a Holiday Inn, try the Milford Plaza, also in the theatre district.  The antithesis of stylish, but fairly reasonable.  A bit down the food chain but almost always available is the Hotel Pennsylvania, across from Madison Square Garden.  It used to be the Statler Hilton (a zillion years ago) and has thousands of rooms, in varying degrees of rehabilitation.  The neighborhood aint the best, though it’s not dangerous, just congested and kinda gross. If you’re feeling a bit adventurous, try the St. Moritz.  It’s got the best location of the lot, on Central Park South.  No kidding, right on the park in some of the most expensive real estate in the country. (As in, it’s about 500 feet west of the Plaza Hotel, with the same views.)  Here’s the rub: the prior owner mostly ignored it, and it’s more than a bit tired.  However, Ian Shrager, who owns the Paramount (and the Royalton and Morgans, two other top-of-the-line boutique hotels) just bought it, and reopened it at low rates while he’s starting to spruce it up.  The elevators take forever, but you’ll likely get a great deal, as it just reopened *today*.   Also compare the chain hotels, particularly the Marriotts, and check out the fancy downtown hotels.  Hotels in the Wall Street Area, which are lavish and cater to businessmen, have loss-leader giveaway rates on some weekends and holidays because there are no businesspeople there.  I recall a $65/night package at the Millenium downtown (one of the best in the city) on a holiday weekend a couple of years ago. One of my favorite boutique hotels is the Elysee, on 54th Street. Impeccable service, fabulous rehab, nice rooms.  But often pretty expensive.  But who knows, on a holiday weekend, you may luck out. One final word about hotels: you can often get a better rate by trying the property directly, not through the 800-number of the chain.  It’s a fluke of the system.  Also, most importantly, the room rate they quote you first is often not the best.  "Well, we have a superior room at $185, with a park view and free Fluffernutters."  Screw that, go for the jugular:  "What’s your least expensive available room, regardless of view and Fluffernutters?"  "Well, we have a run-of-the-house room with no view in the dungeon for $100."  "That’s still pretty high, anything else available?"  "Sir, perhaps I should give you the number of a hotel in the Bronx."  "No, thank you, if that’s the best rate you have, I’ll take it."  But remember, often even the second rate they give you isn’t the lowest.  Since hotels don’t usually assign you to an actual room until check-in, chances are that even at the Dungeon rate, you won’t get a Dungeon room if you check in after 6 p.m. Good luck.  Email me with what you find out!  And if I can be of any more help. –Bill Candee in NYC – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Hi, >Could somebody please recommend a reasonable but clean hotel in NY city? >(name, address, and phone number) >I plan to stay in NY city for the July 4th holiday weekend. >Thanks a lot in advance, >Regards, >Kevin

Response:

>"Reasonable" is relative in NY City.  That said, the most stylish, >reasonable hotel in the city is the Paramount, in the theatre >district.  It has teeny, tiny rooms, but reasonable rates, and it wins >lots of awards for design, style, etc.  

One word of caution about the Paramount. It’s normally booked up and you often have to call quite a bit ahead of time to find a room there because of its value. So that might be a problem considering you’re wanting to come during a holiday. I’d definitely start looking ASAP. Because of the size of our place, we always have to put visitors up in hotels and it can be tough to find an reasonably priced place even by NYC standards in under two weeks. One place you might try is the Ameritania in the Theater District. Some friends of ours stayed there and I believe it was pretty reasonably priced. As Bill said, try some of the downtown hotels. Many people don’t know about them, so they might not be as busy. There’s also a Holiday Inn in Chinatown that might be reasonable, although I’ve never checked on it and don’t know anyone who’s stayed there.

Response:

> Hi, > Could somebody please recommend a reasonable but clean hotel in NY > city? > (name, address, and phone number) > I plan to stay in NY city for the July 4th holiday weekend.

I would recommend trying the Hotel Casablanca, on 43rd St., between Broadway and 6th Ave.  It’s a beautiful small Euopean-like hotel with wonderful amenities like a second floor lounge area with breakfast and all-day food presentations complimentary.  It’s extremely clean and well-run.  My husband and I stayed there a few months ago and have been raving about it to friends. The property was totally rehabbed about one year ago.  Another plus–$18 parking right next door, for hotel guests. Good luck. Sandy

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Candee) caused to appear as if it was written: >Also compare the chain hotels, particularly the Marriotts, and check >out the fancy downtown hotels.  Hotels in the Wall Street Area, which >are lavish and cater to businessmen, have loss-leader giveaway rates >on some weekends and holidays because there are no businesspeople >there.  I recall a $65/night package at the Millenium downtown (one of >the best in the city) on a holiday weekend a couple of years ago.

This is the opposite of my experience, so there you go! The Marriott Financial District never seemed interested in rates less than $225, regardless of the day of the week (while the Newark Gateway Hilton was $99 and a short PATH ride away from the same location). Also, note that any price quoted by a hotel chain for a property on Manhattan doesn’t include tax, which runs 21% or so!  Note that in New Jersey tax is around 10%, so back to the Newark Gateway… However, Bill’s point about weekend rates is very valid.  A couple of years ago I was on the phone with Hilton sorting out a reservation for a weekend. The NJ properties were full (conventions or something), so we checked the New York Hilton and Towers, which came in at $215, and the Millenium ($199 — it’s a Hilton).  Then the reservations person said:  "Or I can get you a room for $179 at the Waldorf Astoria…" Guess where I stayed… (And, due to an extremely late and lengthy check-in, they upgraded me to a suite.  Ah, the simple joys of being able to leave messages on answering machines like "Call me at my suite at the Waldorf…") >–Bill Candee in NYC

Malc.

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