I have some Marriott points to use and I would like to return to New York. I picked out a few hotels, but I noticed that the price varies depending on the day of the week, month, etc. Any idea generally when the cheapest hotel prices are? Does the season, time of year matter?

Jan and Feb are cheapest as far as I know.

Mid week is always cheaper as well.

Travelattorney45's comment isn't always the case. Just one example: hotel rooms downtown in the financial district are much cheaper on weekends. And, there are a lot more examples.

Most New York hotels have a nice special for the third Tuesday in January, but the other 364 days a year are outrageous.

LOL -- but I'm hardly kidding.

I've not done a study or anything, but I've traveled to NYC quite a bit, and so this is just my anecdotal experience:

I've usually found weekend hotel prices CHEAPER than during the week. Business travelers pay more. Even in Time Square hotels. I'm looking at a trip this summer, staying at the Michelangelo, and Saturday and Sunday night are cheaper than Monday.

Cheapest months: from after New Years till about mid March. There seem to be good deals to be had then.

Next cheapest: High summer...mid July to mid August. I'm definitely seeing July prices that are lower than October.

Most Expensive: I'm not sure exactly, but everything from October up through Christmas seems to be pretty bad. Thanksgiving week might be the worst. In general the nice weekends in May and September seem to be popular and pricey.

My observations about price are identical to china_cat's. Prices in mid-January can be as low as one-third of the early December rates.

Jan and Feb are cheapest - except for Valentine's Day weekend. Prices rise steadily after that - with a slight dip in late July and August since business travel is down - and then head skyward from September until New Year (the highest prices - double Jan at least).

Thank you all for your insight - I suspected from the dates I was choosing that there was a difference between mid-week and weekends, and the time of year. I will play around with some dates and decide to either go the end of July or in January. I have been to NY several times in the cold, I may decide on the heat this time Thanks again.

Been there, done that! Given a choice, I'd choose the cold. You can dress appropriately and bundle up on a cold day and be quite comfortable. But there's no way to compensate and get comfortable when you're marching around the city streets on a hot humid day.

Actually, you might be able to find a decent rate if you go in late July or August, when many business travelers do not travel as much. This is the one time in the summer when hotels rates sometimes go down. However, with the huge influx in European visitors, I'm not sure you'll find many savings this year in August because the hotels are going to be filled with Europeans. January is definitely cheaper. It's cold but not unbearable. But china_cat's observations about hotel price trends are spot-on.

It might be cheaper for you to stay in the Marriott in Brooklyn, which isn't so terribly inconvenient and probably costs fewer points any time of the year. It's only a one or two subway stops from Manhattan.

The Brooklyn Marriott looks great, but as we will only be there two nights I don't know if the money saved is worth the time to get into Manhattan. The Fifth Ave. Mariott is in the same category of rewards points and I think in a more central location. But checking the rates for January, I may just brave the cold. And by that time I may have two free nights instead of one. The last time we were there it was March and the temp was 25 and freezing. But city heat can smother you, so the airfare may decide.

I love the Marriott chain, but all of the NY properties are high categories for points ( either 6 or 7), so you don't save anything by staying further out of the city.

Generally, you can get the best deals in January with rates as low as $199. Sometimes the Financial Center Marriott will have that price and include breakfast or free parking.

There are also deals in August but it's still a bit early to get those. Keep checking the individual websites for the Coutyard TS and Residence Inn TS and watch for "special offers". Generally, you can get something in August at either for 229 or so.If you think you want to do summer, book the point stay now (you can always cancel) because those do fill up quickly.

25 degrees in NYC is really far more pleasant than 90+ and humid, dirty humid--yes there is a difference. Not to mention the subway stations are a good 20 degrees hotter than outside. Oh and the smell, the heat intensifies everything you do not want to smell.

Then again, some people like heat.

So true about the weather. We went in January of 2007 and hit a Saturday that was 65 degrees - quite a bit of luck!!

Donna, check out the hotels again. A new sale was just posted today fpr several Marriott properties in the summer. Use promo code CUE

Sorry...my above post was written in haste - my bad!

There are multiple new specials at the Marriotts in NYC and each has its' own promo code. Check under "deals" for each hotel location and the offers are listed along with the individual promo code.