Hello....Can anyone recommend a midtown hotel for early November that is moderately priced (under $300) and do any of you know hotels that have "senior rates"? Would appreciate any recommendations.
Many thanks!
Papou

I researched every site I could before picking the Belvedere Hotel - it is quite close to Times Square - 3 mins walk - has diners serving good breakfasts if the hotels own is too expensive for you. There have been some bad reviews but most hotels have had them - it seems the lower down you stay the worse the experiences are. The only complaint I had was the noisy air conditioning which in November would be off. I would stay there again.

Early November as in when?

The New York City Marathon falls over the weekend of November 5th and if you can find anything at all, it will be well over $300 per night.

A basic room at the Marriott Marquis is $500 per night that weekend.

For midtown try applecorehotels.com

My suggestion would be to search Expedia and Orbitz to see what turns up in your price range. There won't be much, so the people on this board can give you feedback on what is available. Anything from a major chain would be acceptable, but few rooms will be under $300 (even a hotel like Super 8 may be $300 in November, which is the beginning of the highest season in NYC. I doubt you'll save much on senior rates, but most chains will offer something ... AAA is more likely though.

Agree that for November $300 is really budget - not moderate. I would look at Orbitz, Travelocity etc as well as the applecore group of budget hotels (Super 8 is not the one I would favor - Red Roof etc gets better reviews) to see what the may still have available.

Book one of these that is cancellable - then keep looking up until the trip - and something better MAY turn up - but at that time of year it's not likely.

Am I missing something here or are hotels cheaper booked from the UK than the US. I looked up hotels on Google in New York @ £200 or less & got 60 in November for less than £150 = $270. The Belvedere that I stayed at shows Mon - Thurs 4 nights £558 = $1004 ($251/night ave) for standard king size room. Friday - Sunday is dearer.

I managed to get a room at the Marriot Marquis for about $300. I read this book about how you can get good deals on hotels, airline ticktes and car rentals.

Everytime I get ready to take a trip somewhere, I just used what I learned in the book. It's called "From Procrastination to a Better Vacation" Has anyone heard of it yet?

Anyway, I think you should check it out. But if you can't get a deal like me, then you should probably wait until the weekend after the marathon, or the weekend before. Check the Belvedere Hotel too. Oh, I found that website if you wanted to check out that book it got. it's www.lastminutetravelbook.com. I hope you find what you looking for. You're gonna probably have to do some research to find what you're looking for for that weekend, unless you can wait a weekend.

Do priceline....i have gotten the grand hyatt for less than $200 during the spring and summer. Of course, rates are higher in NYC during fall and Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday.

Getting a hotel at that price might be a bit tough for NY around the beginning of November. Go online, and do some research. Try the Belvedere, Super 8, Marriot. It might be tough, but if you really want it, you may just find it.

Oh, and to respond to the last comment, I also have that " From Procrastination to a Better Vacation" Book. Two of my friends actually told me about it. I love it, it's about all of these tips you can use to get the best deals out of like air fare and hotels and stuff. You should check that out man. Maybe there's something in it for you.
I don't know, but you should just do some research to find out where the best deals are for midtown.

Priceline often has little or no inventory in Novemver and most of December - when hotels know they can fill the rooms theselves they don;t give them to Priceline.

johngerard -

There may be deals offered outside the US that are not withing. But you have to realize that when you add the tax to the $270 it comes out to about $320 per night. And the OP is looking under $300. You can get places for $300 - but they are generally budget hotels - not moderate ones. (If you look at moderate they are generally in the $400 to $500 range.)

Getting the Mariott Marquis at that rate is a GREAT deal. And sometimes if you look at the very largest hotels they will have a few rooms left and sell them off at lower rates. (That's why if you're desperate you should always look at this Marriott, the New York Hilton the Grand Hyatt and the Sheraton. Lacking in charm I agree - but at least have all the basics.)

i just scored a rate of $123 per night at the best western president hotel in midtown in november. may be worth a shot to try and see what they offer you. i called the hotel directly...

How many years ago? I booked mid-October 5 years ago for $125 per night and am now being quoted $260+ for the same period of time, same hotel. I know it's been 5 years, but double the price?

I also discovered that just because the website shows a range of dates and the rates doesn't mean it's true. I found rates of $100 more when I actually tried to book a room. Very pricey city this year.

It's not just this year. For several yers after 9/11 NYC hotel rates were artificially depressed. They are now back up to where they were - and plus for several resonss:

more US tourists since the dollar is so low s the euro and the pound

MANY MORE european tourists since the $ is such a great value for them

Several large hotels being turned into condos or co-ops - since the property is much more profitable that way

I would anticipate that hotel prices will only continue to rise (except for seasonal variations - Jan/Feb are always lower).

And really - if you think about it - are NYC hotel rates really any higher than London or Paris?

Well, to be honest, you can find a completely acceptable (though rarely truly nice) hotel in either London or Paris for considerably less than NYC. I think NYC is terribly overpriced, but I guess it's not if people are willing to suck it up and pay $300 for a Super 8 room.

Well- it depends on what you find acceptable. And Paris isn't as bad as London. But I have no idea where I could find anyplace comfortable to stay in either for under $300 per night - that's only 240 euros - or 200 without the tax - that would have the amenities of thee hotels - esp AC.

And it;s really not fair to use NYCs November/December prices which are way higher - you need to compare apples to apples - look at the summer rates in all places.

I have been booking in Oct. The Millenium Hilton is under $200 a nt for Ground Zero view. To get that rate, you have to do Hotels.com non-refundable. Also, if you use tripadvisor.com, it will check all the major booking sites at once...saves lots of time. Good luck.

I got my $123 rate last week Tuesday when I called the Best Western President. I orginally had planned to book thru Orbitz, but needed to contact the hotel to ask a question about something. When I spoke to reservation agent, she beat Orbitz's price. I realize though, that the price I received is an anomaly - New York is truly pricey.

"I doubt you'll save much on senior rates, but most chains will offer
something ... AAA is more likely though."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I don't know where this information has come from, but with a partner being eligible for senior rates for a number of years now, I can't remember the last time we used AAA -- Senior rates are nearly always better.

I just entered three hotels in New York for the same dates in November. Here is what I found:
Courtyard Marriott: Standard rate: $399
AAA rate: $379
Senior rate: $339

Grand Hyatt: Standard rate: $ 489
AAA rate: 449
Senior rate: 424

Red Roof Inn: Standard rate: $ 209.
AAA rate: no discount
Senior rate: 189

The bottom line: YES. By all means check senior rates. By the way, this rarely is the same or has anything to do with AARP discounts, but rather just being a senior (over 60, 62, or 65).

Also, interestingly we often find senior rates at Hyatt which are half the regular rate -- they only offer a certain number of those at certain hotels so you really have to book early for them, but I've never seen a half price discount there for AAA.