Not every hotel program is strong in every location. Manhattan has long been an unusally strong location for Priority Club (IHG), even before the TSquare properties went up a couple years ago, because of the Candlewood Suites Jersey City (one PATH stop away from WTC), which was 15k (equalling $180) back a few years ago. Plus a couple years ago I was able to get a PointsBreak (5k) redemtpion at a brand new HI near the Queensboro Bridge (though that was one-time deal not likely to be repeat, I'd guess); that was technically in Queens but so close to the bridge that Manhattan was very walkable if you didn't want to wait for / pay for a train.

So I think of Manhattan as a Priority Club city more. (And I've always thought of it that way.)

But OTOH I think of Chicago as a Choice city (if I want to stay downtown, anyway).

Having said all that, the 20k properties in (or adjacent to) Manhattan (Candlewood) won't give you breakfast, though will give you a mini-kitchen if you're staying long enough (and have enough spare time to go food shopping arrival day) that it makes it practical to stock up on whatever you want for breakfast. I believe it's 25k now before you get a Priortiy Club property (in this case Staybridge) that includes breakfast.

So if you're a breakfast eater, you may have to factor that into the cost.

And since when is 20-25k going up to 30k being a huge devaluation? Here in this forum we reserve that term for a hotel going from 8k to 40k!

At any rate, is it permanent or seasonal? (Many of those hotels in Europe that went from 8k to 40k went back to 8k again, although even later went back to 40k again! And, independent of whatever that is, all CHoice hotels have seaonal redemption rate dhanges, which you can see for the current seasoh as well as the next one on the hotel's main page (right now, the current season ends Sep 15, and the next season starts Sep 16).