I'm looking for ideas on where to spend Christmas this year and I thought of New York city. Is Christmas a good time to be in New York? Any hotels suggestions? Looking for a clean room, safe and central. Is my budget of $100/night reasonable or am I crazy?

pretty crazy

This is one of the most popular times to visit NYC. Hotel rates go up and the city is packed with tourists.

I have to agree with ellenem, $100/night will be next to impossible. In fact, I think you will have difficulty getting that rate at any time of year in NYC. Sorry for the bad news.

I don't know if you will be able to find a hotel room in the city that meets your criteria. Just thought I'd send an FYI that the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be lit this year on Tuesday, November 30th.

A co-worker just informed me that if you book now (as her relatives did) you can probably still get a standard twin room at The Wolcott on West 31st Street. The only thing I really know about it is that it's about 3 blocks from the Empire State Building.

NY is magical at Xmas time...therefore everyone wants to come. Occupancy seems to be high in general this fall and prices for hotels are climbing. $100/night is difficult in the worst of times unless you use Priceline or are prepared to do something out of the ordinary like share a bathroom or stay in an "unusual" location or property. People do win the Courtyard midtown east on Priceline at certain times of the year for $65-75/night, but not sure Xmas is one of those times. Go to biddingfortravel.com and check what prices people are paying for rooms at that time.

Just did a general search on Quickbook.com for one room Dec 20-25, two hotels came up for under $100 per night and quite a few came up in the $99 - $149 catagory - several in the just barely over $100 per night range (like $103 or $107). Give it a try. NY is magical at Christmastime.

I spent a night at Wolcott in march 93, forced by my terrific budget and the huge storm that closed JFK and major roads. What a night ! The door did not close well, made a lot of noise, strange people around, phone numbers written in the walls, too much for my first stay in NY. But keep on looking and good luck !

As noted the problem with some of these low dollar hotels is that they are in poor condition or poor locations. It is important to be aware of and avoid both in NYC. Last Christmas I stayed in NYC for a little over $100/night. Try Hojo or Days Inn on 8th or Super 8. Keep looking as the rates frequently change. Book and cancel if needed. Try priceline if you only need one bed.

We are headed to NYC for Christmas. I am a former New Yorker and it is not imposible to get a room at Christmas time. I did a priceline bid 3 star, and got 2 rooms for $100 ea. 40th. at 5th. ave. This particular hotel is an old Clarion that is being remodled. Last year we did San Francisco and had a blast, got rooms there for $55 a night and they were great. So far my Priceline hotels have been great all across the world. You never know but it is worth taking a chance. NYC is great this time of year and shouldn't be missed.

Last December about the weekend before Christmas, we were able to get a 3* hotel in NYC for $100 a night (in the Wall Street area). Actually, if you are talking about December 25th itself, you may do better than the dates around Christmas.