BA001 to NY, Fly Back First? But NYC Hotels are overpriced
Aug 17, 2019, 9:59 am
#1
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BA001 to NY, Fly Back First? But NYC Hotels are overpriced
I am really unsure of what to do here - I am balancing value for money.
I have made use of the £10/20 Hold fare for 72 hrs and have held a fare on Qatar to Singapore for £1533 and a BA flight for positioning to Stockholm for £226; I have found the Yotel hotel for £500 in Singapore but then I saw the BA001 pricing for the sale. And I reserved that - £1748 for BA001 from LCY and then first back from JFK on the 747. But the period I want to visit is apparently the opening of the UN! So even a hotel like Yotel in NY is over £1000! for 4 nights. Dates are 25th Sept to 29th Sept.
This seems insane to me...
So I also looked at flying to another US destination from JFK - The best location I found was Miami. BA01 gets in at 2pm EST and the flight to Miami is at 6pm and its a 2-3 hour flight in economy at £228. I was able to find the Mondrian hotel (which if it is anything like the one in London looks great) for around £500. This option would come out at around £2400 total (compared to £2700 in NY with hotel prices) but that is still £200 more than the trip to Singapore at approx £2200.
For Singapore: It is somewhere new, flying Qatar which is the best airline I have ever flown, a ton of TP and decent avios and its cheapest.
Against: It is a long long journey with Doha in the middle, Jet lag going forward in time is for me horrible and I am not sure I will be much use in only 4 nights
For NY: Amazing unique flight to there and First coming back, loads of Avios, and I know New York as I have been before.
Against NY: Stupid expensive hotels so its the most expensive option
For Miami: New location, I get the NY flights benefit plus some extra from the AA flight down to Miami; Great hotel for a great price
Against Miami: It still is more expensive than Singapore; and I have to jump on an internal flight.
I am so conflicted here.... I just can’t decide. I looked at moving the dates for NY but now the sale prices are gone and the same flights are clocking at over £11,000...
Due to the exclusivity I am leaning towards NY (excluding getting half the TP which is annoying) I am stuck with the cost of hotels... I could do with some guidance; to help me decide.
And I apologise in advance as this isn't exactly a question related to the flight more of me seeking advice on which option is best.
I have made use of the £10/20 Hold fare for 72 hrs and have held a fare on Qatar to Singapore for £1533 and a BA flight for positioning to Stockholm for £226; I have found the Yotel hotel for £500 in Singapore but then I saw the BA001 pricing for the sale. And I reserved that - £1748 for BA001 from LCY and then first back from JFK on the 747. But the period I want to visit is apparently the opening of the UN! So even a hotel like Yotel in NY is over £1000! for 4 nights. Dates are 25th Sept to 29th Sept.
This seems insane to me...
So I also looked at flying to another US destination from JFK - The best location I found was Miami. BA01 gets in at 2pm EST and the flight to Miami is at 6pm and its a 2-3 hour flight in economy at £228. I was able to find the Mondrian hotel (which if it is anything like the one in London looks great) for around £500. This option would come out at around £2400 total (compared to £2700 in NY with hotel prices) but that is still £200 more than the trip to Singapore at approx £2200.
For Singapore: It is somewhere new, flying Qatar which is the best airline I have ever flown, a ton of TP and decent avios and its cheapest.
Against: It is a long long journey with Doha in the middle, Jet lag going forward in time is for me horrible and I am not sure I will be much use in only 4 nights
For NY: Amazing unique flight to there and First coming back, loads of Avios, and I know New York as I have been before.
Against NY: Stupid expensive hotels so its the most expensive option
For Miami: New location, I get the NY flights benefit plus some extra from the AA flight down to Miami; Great hotel for a great price
Against Miami: It still is more expensive than Singapore; and I have to jump on an internal flight.
I am so conflicted here.... I just can’t decide. I looked at moving the dates for NY but now the sale prices are gone and the same flights are clocking at over £11,000...
Due to the exclusivity I am leaning towards NY (excluding getting half the TP which is annoying) I am stuck with the cost of hotels... I could do with some guidance; to help me decide.
And I apologise in advance as this isn't exactly a question related to the flight more of me seeking advice on which option is best.
Last edited by Spinstorm; Aug 17, 2019 at 10:04 am
Aug 17, 2019, 10:06 am
#2
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Do you really want to spend four days in a Yotel, in Singapore or NYC? In fact, aren't they generally located at airports?
Aug 17, 2019, 10:06 am
#3
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Have you considered staying outside of Manhattan or NY?
Depending on what you want to do, there are some nice hotels up in Connecticut, only an hour from Grand Central / Times Sq on the train.
Depending on what you want to do, there are some nice hotels up in Connecticut, only an hour from Grand Central / Times Sq on the train.
Aug 17, 2019, 10:07 am
#4
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What is it you want to ask?
Hotels are always pricey in NYC even without the UN General Assembly, fashion week, open tennis etc etc
If you want cheaper hotels then look to Brooklyn and Queens and also the New Jersey side but then you'd be spending time and money going back and forth into Manhattan.
And are you sure the price of a ticket to MIA and hotels there would really save you that much cash based on the extra time needed to get you there and back to NYC
Hotels are always pricey in NYC even without the UN General Assembly, fashion week, open tennis etc etc
If you want cheaper hotels then look to Brooklyn and Queens and also the New Jersey side but then you'd be spending time and money going back and forth into Manhattan.
And are you sure the price of a ticket to MIA and hotels there would really save you that much cash based on the extra time needed to get you there and back to NYC
Last edited by UKtravelbear; Aug 17, 2019 at 10:20 am
Aug 17, 2019, 10:30 am
#5
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Note that September in Miami is still very much hurricane season. This has the potential to turn into a very unpleasant trip.
I'll admit that I don't really relate to your queries because in my case, I buy flights according to where I either need or want to go. In your case, it seems that you are sort of keen on the flights first and that where you end up is almost not very relevant as long as you are in a decently comfortable hotel for not too much?
Frankly, there is no way I can answer a "should I go to New York, Miami, or Singapore?" question bar the seasonality advice above.
BA1 is nice but I frankly wouldn't take it unless actually going to New York, so if you don't, are you not better off just looking for flights to other cities (plenty others covered by the sale) where you might get cheaper hotels than NYC without needing to seemingly absurdly buy additional domestic flights and adding an unnecessary transfer on separate tickets at JFK of all places?
Oh, and your hotel prices look expensive to you because the pound has lost a significant part of its value. A few years ago, you would get nearly $2=£1 and far more recently $1.50=£1. Nowadays, the exchange rate is close to $1.20=£1. Thus, a $240 hotel room which used to cost you £120 then £160 now costs you £200 if its price has not changed at all... And as it is the pound being weak rather than the dollar being strong, the problem will follow you almost anywhere you go outside of the UK and Jersey...
I'll admit that I don't really relate to your queries because in my case, I buy flights according to where I either need or want to go. In your case, it seems that you are sort of keen on the flights first and that where you end up is almost not very relevant as long as you are in a decently comfortable hotel for not too much?
Frankly, there is no way I can answer a "should I go to New York, Miami, or Singapore?" question bar the seasonality advice above.
BA1 is nice but I frankly wouldn't take it unless actually going to New York, so if you don't, are you not better off just looking for flights to other cities (plenty others covered by the sale) where you might get cheaper hotels than NYC without needing to seemingly absurdly buy additional domestic flights and adding an unnecessary transfer on separate tickets at JFK of all places?
Oh, and your hotel prices look expensive to you because the pound has lost a significant part of its value. A few years ago, you would get nearly $2=£1 and far more recently $1.50=£1. Nowadays, the exchange rate is close to $1.20=£1. Thus, a $240 hotel room which used to cost you £120 then £160 now costs you £200 if its price has not changed at all... And as it is the pound being weak rather than the dollar being strong, the problem will follow you almost anywhere you go outside of the UK and Jersey...
Last edited by orbitmic; Aug 17, 2019 at 11:17 am
Aug 17, 2019, 10:33 am
#6
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£1,000 for four nights in Manhattan sounds about right at any time of year; hotels are expensive there.
You can usually get a single room at the West Side YMCA on 63rd St for around $125 a night. It's not like in the song (whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to you). I haven't stayed there myself since 1987 but I've booked it for young relatives.
Edited to add: BA1 really isn't that special. Its only advantage is pre-clearance at Shannon so no queues at JFK.
You can usually get a single room at the West Side YMCA on 63rd St for around $125 a night. It's not like in the song (whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to you). I haven't stayed there myself since 1987 but I've booked it for young relatives.
Edited to add: BA1 really isn't that special. Its only advantage is pre-clearance at Shannon so no queues at JFK.
Aug 17, 2019, 10:35 am
#7
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To escape NYC hotel prices, OP could easily take a train to Philadelphia or even Washington. Philadelphia would be cheaper than flying to Miami and is generally pleasant in September.
Aug 17, 2019, 11:11 am
#8
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Airbnb?
Aug 17, 2019, 11:11 am
#9
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Is Newark any cheaper? On NYC's doorstep and only about 30 minutes on the train.
Aug 17, 2019, 11:20 am
#10
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I agree with this option - should be under $100 r/t on Amtrak to go to Philly and the end of September generally has plenty going on. I'm biased as I live in Philly, but it's probably the best time of year to go. Could also pair it with DC and do 2 nights in each.
Aug 17, 2019, 11:21 am
#11
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I would go Singapore. Qatar airlines, tier points, Singapore as destination.
LCY flight is interesting once but not that special. And F back ok but you will sleep.
LCY flight is interesting once but not that special. And F back ok but you will sleep.
Aug 17, 2019, 11:36 am
#12
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Now "Singers" (as an aussie called it recently) is a different kettle of fish. That a380 flight leaves about midnight meaning you get a proper sleep / awake experiance over the 12 hours on the BA flight. I also did that this year too and stayed at the Shangri La in thier Valley Wing which was amazing. But its also as expensive as NYC at £300 plus a night but well worth it and a much nicer room..
BTW we stayed in NYC at the Kitano in midtown manhatten for a snip under £200 a night on a booking dot come deal this year. I really liked the area and hotel but its not available for your dates.. I suggest somewhere Mid town near Grand Central or Penn Street from previous experiance as its my prefered blend of price and location.
Aug 17, 2019, 11:47 am
#13
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This sounds like a great situation to burn some hotel points. It sounds like the only thing putting you of NYC is the cost of hotels.
I second the idea of staying outside of the city. I checked my IHG app and for those dates I have found:
Holiday Inn Carteret Rahway: $110+ or 20k points per night. 35 minutes by bus to Times Square.
Hotel Indigo Newark Downtown: $147+ or 25k points per night.
I second the idea of staying outside of the city. I checked my IHG app and for those dates I have found:
Holiday Inn Carteret Rahway: $110+ or 20k points per night. 35 minutes by bus to Times Square.
Hotel Indigo Newark Downtown: $147+ or 25k points per night.
Aug 17, 2019, 11:48 am
#14
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Aug 17, 2019, 12:00 pm
#15
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Check NY hotels in LIC in Queens and Jersey City. Quicker to travel from there to midtown than from lower to upper Manhattan- and at least 100 dollars a night cheaper.
