PointsMeanPrizes

Good idea this budget travel forum as I hope it will focus us scrooges close together.

I posted about this over on the Luxury hotel forum without much luck so I'll try here as I think it is better suited. I am going to NYC in December for 3 days and then again in January for a week. Previously we stayed at the Plaza and teh Waldorf. Both of these were great hotels (with naff service) but at the right price ;0).

What I am looking for is the same again. I can't see any raring deals so far on the web, though it is a little early, so I am looking to you guys to point out anything that might have caught your eye recently.

We love to shop and we love Central Park so The Plaza was a great spot for us and we'd love to stay somewhere near there again. One chap posted that he could get the Ritz Carlton for $250 a night on his corporate rate but I don't have any codes or info on any corporate deals unfortunately.

All help greatly appreciated and I will of course post any of my findings once I make them.

Dovster

Moss, I don't know how much help this forum will be to you. Asking here about the Plaza is like going to a rabbi to find out about Transubstantiation.

The forum was designed for people looking for places to stay which are closer to $40 per night than $250.

tom911

Well, you could get the Hyatt in Jersey City for $40 for a while, and come into Manhattan by PATH. I had several stays there. Don't think that price is around any longer, but either of the boards that follow priceline bids would be informative.

gabes80

But a rabbi can still post a reply, right? Like to hear a few sheckels worth irrespective

Dovster

Just don't try putting those shekels in the poor box at the Vatican.

edgewood

[QUOTE=moss_trevor]Good idea this budget travel forum as I hope it will focus us scrooges close together.

budget luxury needs a better definition

do you have a $250/nite limit and want the best you can get for that dollar figure? i.e. is the essex house at $250 ok??

(some of the RC rooms are less-than-desirable= inner view= or don't you care??)

or do you want 1/2 off a luxury room, so the normal $800/nite room is only $400, i.e. a "deal" at the MO??

and are your prices before all the NYC taxes?

given that, december, pre-xmas, is often sold out in all categories in NY, even at rack rate-let alone getting a bargain, due to all the foreigner visitor/shoppers

i have no current ideas for you= but i;m always in manhattan= and would like some detailed definitions of what you expect and a price limit

PointsMeanPrizes

Thanks for the reply edgewood. My upper limit is around $250 a night and that should include taxes, although I am always keen on a bargain so I could stretch to a bit more for something special.

Also as for the room itself I don't spend much time in the room but I do make use of the hotels public areas so views from the room are not that important i.e. I would rather have a suite with no view than a box room overlooking central park.

Exact dates will be;
15th Dec Check In - 18th Dec Check Out
and then returning;
3rd Jan Check In - 9th Jan Check Out

I know this is not true 'budget travel' but it is bargain travel

Dovster

Moss, let me explain what the problem is. I am not the moderator of this forum (none has been appointed yet) but I did make the TalkBoard motion to have it established and feel some responsibility to keep it on track until a moderator is in place.

In TalkBoard's discussions, there was a fear that the Budget Travel Forum could start to become a "throw anything in" forum and thus not only detract from the established ones but also find itself so diluted that it would not be of interest to real budget travellers.

After all, a reduced price at a Hilton, a low fare on Delta, or a good discount at Hertz would all be travel bargains.

You were right to first publish this on Luxury Hotels. If you didn't get what you were seeking there, you might try Travel Buzz. The Budget Travel Forum, however, is very far from being the place to look for hotels at $250 per night.

LapLap

I've already posted this link in the Budget London thread, but it would work equally well here (and I don't get commission... honest!)
As I haven't see the $37 New Jersey Hyatt come up in Priceline for a while - stayed there once and it was great - you may want to look up the options using www.ratestogo.com as I have seen some real bargains for NY there. You can only book 20 days in advance or less though.

Edit - sorry! Last time I looked at NY it was great. Today... rubbish!

edgewood

[QUOTE=moss_trevor]Thanks for the reply edgewood. My upper limit is around $250 a night and that should include taxes, although I am always keen on a bargain so I could stretch to a bit more for something special.

so this thread may be deleted or moved, but i have one comment:

you want a suite (doesn't really need a central park view room) the weekend before christmas for $250 including taxes

CAN I HAVE SOME OF WHAT YOU ARE SMOKING???

sorry, this is a fantasy request, or go to jersey city, but not CPS!!!

if you add a zero there are some river view suites at the MO......

baccarat_king

[QUOTE=edgewood]LOL... Fantasy Request.. I 2nd that... a room at $250 in December [including taxes --- which in NYC I think is like 20% plus] would be a dream... a suite... well... that is definitely a FANTASY.... My only suggestion :
priceline....priceline....priceline...priceline... .
Maybe you will be "lucky" to get a 4* at $125 to $150 --- take two of these rooms, and you would be doing very very well.
Also, the ENTIRE month of December is traditionally very expensive. Many people coming into NYC for shopping, shows, christmas stuff.

Good Luck !
[btw, this definitely is NOT a budget or a bargain topic]

[don't get me wrong, there are many budget NYC properties and hostels... but, I do NOT think that the OP had these in mind.....]

Super Larry

I think luxury and budget in the same phrase is an oxymoron...but it's just me!

Dianne47

I agree with others that $250 a nite, even in NYC, is not "budget travel." December is the highest of high seasons in NYC, and that particular weekend would the the pinnacle of high season. I would be shocked if anyone could find an upscale or luxury hotel near CPS for $250 a nite for that weekend.

I go to NYC during low low season at the end of January each year. I choose the date carefully to hit restaurant week, tax-free clothing week, the winter sales, and always get great hotel rates. I use coupons to get theatre tix for half price, go nearly everywhere on the subways (sometimes the bus), eat my main meal at lunch when upscale restaurants are a relative bargain. This is what I consider budget travel.

What I would consider appropriate for this forum would be people seeking or sharing information about bargains in travel relating to hotels under $100 a nite (maybe $125-150 in NYC), low airfare or tour "deals," low-cost destinations in general, bargain spas, etc. I've taken plenty of budget near-luxe trips: to Bali (wonderful hotels for $65-75 a nite and low-cost spas to die for), Thailand (Priceline room at Shangri-La for $65/nite, lovely rooms booked on hotel websites in Chiang Mai for around $30-40), Santa Barbara (Hotwire find).

I wish the OP well in the quest for any nice room for his intended trip.

civicmon

i also don't think this is a budget travel request - the idea is right but I don't think anyone here would be an expert on luxury hotels/deals as the people in the Luxury hotel forum is.

PointsMeanPrizes

[QUOTE=edgewood]So what you are saying is that if I found a hotel that fits this description for that rate it would be a bargain and therefore not budget. In that case I stand corrected. The only reason I posted on here is that I got the distinct impression that those on the luxury hotel forum tend to be people that don't pay for their own room very often due to travel being for work and not pleasure.