Chocomom - THANK YOU! I totally for forgot about hotelkingdom, I used them a year and a half ago when a last minute NYC trip came up that just happened to be the same weekend as the NYC Marathon, we could not find a (decent) hotel room any where - let alone at a reasonable price! Hotelkingdom booked us at the Hudson for $150 (they were just opening & it was an intro rate) and everything was as promised - no hidden charges, etc. Thanks for posting your reply and reminding me of this excellent hotel booking source.