Good, less expensive Manhattan hotels

[sergio]

Can someone recommend a good reasonably priced Manhattan hotel? Something an Argentine can afford.

 

[Davidglen77]

Hotels in manhattan are generally expensive as you know, the cheapest you will find that is not a scary place with be around $150 u$ per night. When I went to New York in October I rented a furnished apartment on the upper east side with AirBnB.com for $135 u$ per night, was basic but adequate and we had a full kitchen, so we could cook at the apartment instead of having to eat out every meal. There is a hotel on Jane Street (west village) right by the Hudson River (it's actually the hotel where they brought the survivors of the titanic in 1912 when it sank!) The rooms are really small and the building is old but the neighborhood is very hip, a friend of mine stayed there last month he said it cost $99 u$ per night.

 

[Zissou]

I would definitely suggest trying AirBNB - or alternately, look on priceline for some of the hidden hotel name bookings (you put in the parameters - stars, location, amenities - book it, they only tell you which hotel once you've booked).

 

[HeyBA]

A good bet for Manhattan hotels is to go on the budget travel websites, like Priceline, Hotwire, etc.

The bidding feature of Priceline can be especially useful for hotels in Manhattan, because there are just a ton of them. But make sure you know how it works. You give your credit card info first, then make a bid for a hotel including price, star rating, dates, and approximate location. If your bid is accepted, they automatically charge your card, then send you an email with exactly which hotel it is. Bid low, and see if you get lucky.

 

[jimdepalermo]

Unlike most Argentine hotels, US hotels vary their prices widely depending on bookings, attempting to maximize revenue by maintaining a full house at the best possible prices. It's not uncommon to find the same room available one day for $150 and $400 the next. Also, the better places sometimes discount more heavily on sites catering to foreign visitors (like Despegar, for example) than to their domestic customers.

I'm from NYC, but I no longer maintain a place there. If I'm planning a longer stay - something over one week - I may look for a furnished apartment. Most owners won't rent these for just a few days, however, and in my experience, the cheap rental flat will have the same problems - or worse - as the cheap hotel. Plus no way to argue for an upgrade or change of room if it turns out to be truly terrible.

For shorter stays, I just check the major booking sites - hotels.com, despegar.com.ar, etc. - and sort by price. Except for the most prime tourist seasons when there's also a huge convention in town, there are always good buys available.

I usually make a booking that can be cancelled without a charge, and then check back a few days or a week before I'm going to see if something better and/or cheaper has appeared. A hotel with unexpected vacancies may offer amazing last-minute rates. On my last short trip up, I paid $300/night for a room with a rack rate of $890. This isn't cheap, but it was good value. I also found OK hotels in good locations for $125-$150.

There are also specialized sites in the US that track the deepest discounts. http://www.travelzoo.com/hotels/new-york/ today highlights 3 deals at perfectly acceptable hotels for $139 x night. These almost always involve non-refundable prepayment, so make sure it's what you want before you buy it.

When you find an affordable place, if you'd like an ex-New Yorker's opinion, send me a PM.

 

[captainmcd]

Check out the Seafarers and International House near Irving Place. It is a nice neighborhood and now accepts international tourists as well as seamen. I have been going there since they opened in the 70's. It is clean, well run, and rooms are about $100 per night, clean bathrooms and showers shared by about 4 rooms, nice management. Also slightly more expensive rooms with private bath and shower. check out www.sihnyc.org Well spoken of on TripAdvisor.

 

[katti]

We used airbnb.com , it was great!