My wife and I will be in New York October 23, 24 & 25. I do not want to pay the outrageous hotel charges for staying in and around Manhattan. We will, on one day, visit Maspeth, which is in Queens. We would like a decent place with King bed and preferably light breakfast included for $150 or less per day. Any suggestions for a place in a decent area, walking distance to subway so that we can easily negotiate our way to & from Manhattan and not too far from Maspeth. Suggestions anyone?? Thanks.

I believe there is a new Holiday Inn Express there at 59-40 55th Rd, Maspeth, NY 11378

I found this: he Holiday Inn Express Hotel Maspeth is now accepting reservations for arrivals after May 18, 2008.

The newly constructed Holiday Inn Express of Maspeth, New York, brings you a totally new and affordable experience. Hotel features include 116 brand new and inviting guest rooms & suites, a fitness center, business center, meeting room, complimentary Express Start breakfast for all hotel guests, high-speed Internet and much more. Conveniently located minutes from Manhattan, both JFK Int’l & LaGuardia airports, and most major expressways. What better way to enjoy your stay in New York.

Sounds like your best bet. Enjoy.

Do either of you know where the Holiday Express is situated?

It is part of industrial section which is about 25 minute walk to the nearest subway station. And that station is not in the best area.

Googling out of context can be anything but helpful.

Thanks for the input.

I can't imagine going to NYC (where I lived for 30 years) and staying in Maspeth. I was just answering the question without the expectation that I would be chastised for doing so.

The other option is a Comfort Inn that at which TripAdvisor Users have had problems.

Thanks for the dialogue. I didn't mean to imply that i wanted to stay in Maspeth, but maybe something inbetween Maspeth and Mid town Manhattan. I grew up in maspeth and just wanted to spend some hours there walking around and seeing if anyone I know still lives there. Any other decent hotel suggestions at around $150 bucks. I looked up the Herald Square hotel and i saw rates going up to $950 per night. Ouch!

$150 doesn't buy much of a hotel room in the NYC area, let alone with a KING bed (!) and breakfast? When was the last time you visited? And btw, things haven't changed that much in Queens. There were never great hotels there near public transportation and there still aren't. 1 or 2 of the LGA hotels are near the #7 stop at Shea stadium, but that's about it. The Pan American on Queens Blvd. still exists (panamhotel.com) and is cheap and cheerful, but I doubt they have king beds. There's a Motor Lodge in Floral Park within a few blocks walk of the LIRR, but not sure how good it is. If it weren't for the Maspeth issue, I'd say your only hope is in New Jersey either at one of the Jersey City hotels near a PATH train (Doubletree Club, Hyatt, Embassy Suites) or at one of the hotels in Secaucus near bus service to Manhattan.

Hotwire and Priceline are also options. You could also check the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott.

Forgot to mention there are a few "ok" hotels in LI City not far from the subway. Quality Inn & Comfort Inn but check reviews on tripadvisor.com Neither very glamorous.

Hello, you might want to re-check the prices at the Herald Square. I plugged in your dates on their website and a rate of $558 FOR YOUR TOTAL STAY, not per night! ($639 with tax) is available for a double room, there are larger rooms available and none are $900+ per night. This is NOT a fancy hotel and this price seems a bit high for this property but you are probably paying more because of the time of year. The good thing thought is that it can be cancelled, so you could book this and still look around. The hotel does get decent reviews on TripAdvisor.

Just a couple of things. The Comfort Inn Midtown is twice as much for your October dates than we're paying next week. Perhaps folks who see this and stay at hotels more than I do can say whether you won't find your best rate too far out or too close to.

ANd I think I would try and stay in midtown even if it's a little more. At least you'll be near half of what you're going to see and not having to travel one way or another every time you go out.

The Comfort Inn Midtown is one of the Apple Core group of hotels, which do tend to reduce prices as the date approaches. I once had a res there that I changed three times as the rates declined! But there's also the basic calendar fact that October is a more popular month then January or February, so rates will be higher using the same booking strategy.

We just stayed at a 4* on 57th St between 6th and 7th - I think it was Le Parker Meridien for $140 plus taxes on a Saturday night in January using Priceline. I'm not sure you would get such great rates for 3 nights in October, but you might want to consider it.

Our favorite place to stay, when I cannot find a favorable deal otherwise or with Priceline or Hotwire, is the Holiday Inn in Fort Lee. They do have king beds, and a wonderful breakfast buffet for the ridiculously low price of $8.95. Their restaurant has very good dinners as well, most under $10. All rooms have a microwave and refrigerator. Parking is free. We stayed there the first time because of overwhelmingly favorable reviews on TripAdvisor. Getting to/from NYC on public transportation is a bit awkward, but for the low rates (especially if you are a AAA/AARP member) you won't care.

But, we drive to/from NYC from the HI. I check Iconparking.com for the most economical and convenient garage. I was amazed that it was only a 15-20 minute drive each way, even during rush hour. In fact, a show let out at 4:30 and we had planned to wait a while before heading to the hotel. But, we really had nothing to do, so started out. Other than an occasional slowdown, the traffic wasn't bad at all.

I agree that it will be a huge challenge to find something for those dates at that price.

Jan/Feb are low season. October is high season. You can expect the same roomt cost at lest twice as much. (SOmetimes if you reserve early you can get a deal - but only twice as much IS a deal.)

There are a couple of chain hotels in the Long Island City area (semi-industrial and safe but not pleasant). But - I doubt you will get a king bed plus breakfast even in those for $150 in October. (Just looked and the La Quinta is showing a King room with continental breakfast for about $175 per night - but I would check the area and tripadvisor.com for reviews.)

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I do check them all out. I must agree that, apparently, the latter part of October is considered High Season and the hotels want to take advantage of that fact. One of your messages suggested checking out the PanAmerican Hotel on Queens Blvd in Elmhurst. Seems like the hotels web site has the best rates at $138 per day for a Queen, private bath and they are 4 blocks to subway and they stae free pickup from JFK. One has to pay to get back, however. Ha!
Interesting to note that Travelocity wants$168 for these dates, Hotels.com and Expedia is $149. So, here is a case where it is best to go with the Hotel's internet rate. The only stumbling block now is my wife. If she is "pig-headed" and wants only to stay in mid town Manhattan then we must pay through the roof. Any comments about the PanAmerican Hotel? It seems decent! Thanks.

If your wife does end up being "pig headed" about staying in Manhattan ;-), I was very happy with the Park South Hotel when I stayed there this past October. I got a rate of $239 through Quikbook although it looks like the rate on Quikbook is currently $279 for your dates. The rate includes a decent continental breakfast and internet access. I know it's well above what you're hoping to pay but I thought it was a good deal given current rates in Manhattan. The hotel is half a block from the 28th Street station on the 6 (Lexington) line so it's very easy to get around from there.

I always shop like the dickens and book something I can cancel. Then, I diligently check Quikbook, Easyclicktravel, and keep an eye on Biddingfortravel and Betterbidding for Priceline and Hotwire results. I almost always get lucky eventually. Once in a while, I've found a deal on Orbitz - along with a $50 discount code.

You're not going to get a hotel for that rate (especially if you are including the substantial NYC taxes in that rate) in Manhattan on those dates unless you get something through priceline. I even checked the most budget of the budget hotels -- the Pod Hotel, the Habitat Hotel. Keep in mind that the average Manhattan hotel rate is now over $300. You're going to need to up your budget if you want to stay in Manhattan.

Thanks all for your interest. Ok, ok I'm starting to latch onto the idea that staying in Manhattan proper is going to be out of the question. And thanks for the heads up regarding the different web sites to check out.

Perhaps you guys/gals can answer this question. Is it better to book a place now or wait until about a month before we are ready to leave and i know to book a place, if/when I book which is cancellable, so that i can keep my options open. Thanks again. I appreciate the dialogue. Jay

Book something cancellable now. Often the rooms at lower rates are gone later - and as the hotel fills up they raise prices for the same room.

If you find a better deal later you can always just cancel.