FlyDUS

Hello guys,


I searched quite a bit but didn't find something specifically answering my questions. I hope you can help me out?


I am going to visit NYC in December (09 to 13) and currently trying to organize accommodation. I have basically 2 options in mind and would like to hear your thoughts about it :-)


a) Book any good and reasonably priced hotel where I can benefit from my AMEX Platinum membership and the included Hotel status programs. I am thinking of Hilton Timesquare here. HHonors Gold should get me at least free breakfast and maybe an OK room?


b) Spend my IHG rewards points (120k). Do you have any recommendation here? I was considering the Indigo Hotels - but they are also pretty costy.


I prefer quality hotels - don't need to be luxurious buit should have nice views, good located and - if possible - breakfast which is OK at least :-)


Do you have any thoughts to share?


Thank you!
FlyDUS

nineworldseries

Well, if you're independently wealthy, I'd choose option a, but if you're not, probably option b. In other words, we can't really help without knowing a lot more about your financial situation.

One question I do have is, what do you consider "reasonably priced" for a hotel in Manhattan?

FlyDUS

Hi,


sorry for not providing more input so far.
The Hilton Timesquare is priced with ~ 650 USD for 2 nights.
Other Hilton Garden Inns are a bit cheaper but I don't expect any special treatment there as HHonors Gold.


My budget is +/- 250 to 300 USD per night.

nineworldseries

OK, that does help some. Manhattan is like an alternate universe of hotel rooms, where the Park Hyatt can command $1,000 per night and utter dumps like the Hotel Edison can get $400 per night. I don't like to pay more than about $200 per night in Manhattan or Brooklyn. I'm booked at the Andaz Wall Street in November for $203 per night, and have stayed at the Grand Hyatt, the Marriott Brooklyn Bridge, and the Hyatt Herald Square all for sub-$200.

I would personally blow my IHG points here instead of spending money, probably at the Indigo Brooklyn, but I'm not an IHG fan, so I'd be looking to get rid of them at value (and not paying for an NYC hotel night certainly qualifies as value to me).

mad_rich

A timely thread. I'm looking for hotels in NYC in December too. (2nd-6th)

On first look, rates seem higher than I was expecting/ remember.

Currently weighing up paid vs redemption in IHG / Hilton. And Airbnb. And Priceline...

Funnily enough, the Indigo stood out at me, too, and I'd like to have a look at Brooklyn. But as I have to be at EWR for a morning flight home, it's not the most practical location.

The next IHG Pointsbreaks should be published before too long. I suspect finding something in NYC will be as likely as Unicorn poo, but worth keeping an eye out for.

Non-NonRev

Both your and the OP's dates are being impacted by events at the Javits Center - Retail Real Estate convention in your case.

lavedder

It all depends on the time of the year. For example I just checked Andaz for November4-6 and room rate is $338. What dates do you have to make it sub $200?

For the OP, I would stay away from Times Square.

Blumie

Ok, so I would not normally recommend a La Qunita Inn -- it's not a chain I have faith in -- but there's a newly built one in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and I do trust pretty much any newly built property. Williamsburg is an awesome neighborhood (I should know, I live here), and the hotel also has the advantage of being right by both the L train (the Lorimer stop, which will get you to the east side of Manhattan in two stops, to Union Square in four, and to the west side in six) and the G train (the Metropolitan stop; the G train connects Queens and Brooklyn but does not travel into Manhattan) and just a few blocks from the Williamsburg Bridge, making it very convenient for getting into and from Manhattan. When I search Dec 2-6, I see a rate of $142.75. Hard to beat that!

http://www.lq.com/en/findandbook/hot...google&sissr=1

DavidDTW

I am also looking at hotel rooms in central Manhattan for early December and found the same thing. Lowest prices I see are $300+. Not surprising since it is a very popular time to visit the city. Looks like I should book with my IHG points quickly before everyone else does!

jayer

But darn it's a great time of year to be in New York.

Most of the holiday decor is still up first week in January at lower hotel rates, but the Rockefeller Center show is usually closed and it's not quite the same. Bit it's cheaper.

erik123

The Radisson on Lexington is nice, good location, and usually has very good rates.

Low Roller

If you can afford it, the Hilton Times Square is a very nice hotel. I stayed there a few years ago after checking in to a cheaper hotel that turned out to be a complete dump. Perfect location for doing touristy things. For those looking to save $, Times Square is probably out, but NYC has a great subway system, so anything close to a station should be fine.

dhammer53

If you don't mind hotel hopping, the Conrad, down in the Financial district, has weekend rates of $269. With status, you'll get a full breakfast (no lounge) and a view of the Hudson River. https://secure3.hilton.com/en_US/ch/...execution=e1s1

FlyDUS

Hi all,

thanks so much for all the advices - greatly appreciated!
I expected already high hotel prices when I booked the flight - thanks god the flight was pretty cheap :-)
I found VERY good (paid) rates for Indigo Brooklyn @ 250 € (~ 280 USD) for a room incl. breafast for 2 nights (11/12 to 13/12). Booked via hotels.com and will get me 6% cashback and qualifies for the hotels.com rewards. Paid via AMEX Platinum so not too big worries in case I get sick for this trip.

That was the best option I could find so far for the 2nd part of the stay. Looking still for options over the weekend, e.g. 08/12 to 11/12.

My thoughts in this now is:
a) Sign up for IC Ambassador and redeem the weekend voucher then for IC Timesquare. It could be of value to me as I will also be in Bangkok next year and I would benefit from the upgrade + late-check out again
b) Burn some points on HI properties. They have pretty good reviews.
c) Book DoubleTree Hilton in Jersey. Currently on sale at hotels.com für ~ 500 USD (3nights). This should get me free breakfast and probably upgrade (HHonors Gold)

Any advice?

FlyDUS

@dhammer53: Thanks very much! For a conrad property those rates are really good! This could also be an option... THANKS