tjhsu

I am getting married in May in NYC, and need to block off maybe 10 rooms for out of town guests. Some parameters

1. ~$150 or less?
2. Moderately nice - as nice as possible, considering the price range. Don't want to freak out our relatives with ghetto or "horror story" hotels.
3. Ceremony is on upper east, reception across the park on upper west. But location is secondary to 1 and 2.

hotels are so difficult in new york. help!

GoTravel

Check out the Salisbury Hotel. It is close to Central Park South on West 57th so it would be central to both the UES and the UWS.

nytraveler

I'm afraid that $150 in May for a nice hotel will be an issue. (The Salisbury for instance is showing an Internet special rate of about $250 per night for a basic room - the rack rate is over $300.)

At that time of year you will need to either use a distinctly budget property (Red Roof Inn is showing rate of $170 plus tax) - or suggest that guests try Priceline or something - and accept that every one will be in different places.

If you can guarantee 10 rooms to a relatively small hotel you may be able to negotiate lower rates - but things for this spring are looking more expensive than ever.

nytraveler

Also - the Priceline where you get to choose the hotel isn't showing any 3* below about $250 plus taxes for these dates. Didn't search the name your own price - but obviously that would spred people out all over - assuming there is availability.

Mollie

Try nychotels.com. They show the remodeled Astor on the Park for under $150 and some others which may not be as convenient as this one.

Gekko

Perhaps try the Franklin Hotel on E. 87th Street between Lex & 3rd. It's small but nice.

KathrynT

You might try a site like quikbook.com or expedia.com and see which hotels come up that are near your range (it may be difficult to find many.) If you find a few possibilities, I would then call the hotel directly to see if you can negotiate a better rate for a block of rooms.

I'm afraid $150 or less is a very low range for that time of year.

KathrynT

I checked a few places -- another hotel to consider might be the Belleclaire on the UWS. It seems relatively reasonable and gets fairly good reviews (haven't stayed there myself.)

Congratulations and good luck!

BTilke

Have you already checked with those guests if they have AAA membership, or are part of a points program--something that could earn them a discount? Also, if you find a hotel that's fairly close to your budget (up to $175 to $200 per night), see if you are eligible for a group discount. A block of 10 rooms should get you some kind of discount, esp. if there is a possiblity of having the guests prepay for their rooms. Don't necessarily rely on the answers the front desk gives you; ask for their group sales rep. If the hotel you choose is at your budget level for its basic rooms, see if your booking of 10 rooms can swing some upgrades your way.

mclaurie

Astor on the Park I don't think is a good idea b/c of location. (too far up)

First, you should contact both the ceremony and reception venues and find out if they have any relationship with hotels that would give you a special rate. They often do.

If not, or if you're not happy with the choices, the Lucerne, the Excelsior and On the Avenue, all on the upper west are, I think, the nicest that might fit your budget. See what they can do for you. The Surrey on the upper east (owned by Affinia) is lovely but pricey.

SandyBrit

tjhsu - Congratulations

I just wanted to add do not delay on blocking off the rooms and getting your out of town relatives to make their reservations.

My son got married in NYC this past October and even with a block of rooms your out of town guests will be SHOCKED at what they have to pay.

Son's wedding/reception was in Tribeca so Embassy Suites worked well for us and included their wonderful breakfast. One of his groomsmen waited until the very last minute and had a difficult and costly time of getting a room. Out of town people do not always understand that NYC is not like everywhere else.

Good luck.
Sandy

MFNYC

check biddingfortravel.com for more priceline info, so you can see what's been awarded and for how much. The prices they list on the site, are higher than what you can get a room for when you bid. I would htink you can get a 3* for $150 via priceline bidding.

That's a very tight budget. We had a similar situation 2 yrs ago May. At the time there was s special offer on affinia.com. We booked several rooms at the Shelbourne Murray Hill with the special offer, but even at that, the cheapest was $158, and now it's much higher.

There's a new holiday Inn Express that has been mentioned on this board. It's not UES, it's more midtown, but it is getting good reviews and is reasonable. You should try calling some of thehotels directly and ask if they have special deals. Frequently you can get the same or lower prices when dealing directly with the hotels vs. booking sites like expedia, or hotels.com.

LLindaC

Have you looked at the Wellington? I was really pleased with it. Not luxury by any means, but clean, cheap and very good location. If you can get rooms in the remodeled part all the better.

jh0507

Try the crowne plaza at the United Nations. A little out of the way so not as expensive. I had my wedding last year on 59th and 1st and blocked off rooms at the Crowne Plaza. About 189 a night- but do it early. Hotel is high class but without the price

thereadbaron

Where are you getting married? They may have a deal with a hotel. Or, if you are blocking out a large group, 10 or more rooms can get you a group rate.

We got married at the beekman tower on sutton place - and they gave my guests a generous rate of 199 a night.

nytraveler

I think the most important thing to do is organize this now - like this week. Several of the places people mentioned above - as being in your price range last year or the year before - may no longer be so. I checked all of the standard hotel sources (Orbitz, travelocity, hotels.com etc) for hotels in weekends in May (except the Priceline bidding option) and any choices under $300 are in the 2* range - or are very poorly located etc.

I think your best bet is to pick a couple hotels not too far off and try to negotiate with the group manager. (The UN Crowne Plaza may be an option - since they're showing basic room on an Internet special for $239 plus tax. And since it's a large hotel they may be happy to negotiate for 10 rooms.)

tjhsu

Thank you all very much for your help and advice!! I will try to do this ASAP following the leads you provided.

Other leads are still welcome of course.

kjon

One option for your guests would be to rent an apartment. For those who would like to stay longer than 3 days, this may be the best bet. Check out cyberrentals.com; vrbo.com; findrentals.com; and redweek.com(timeshare rentals). I usually eat breakfast in and eat lunch out-the leftovers are put in the 'fridge and eaten either for dinner or for a late night snack.

mclaurie

Just noticed this on the Library Hotel website

http://www.libraryhotel.com/events-weddings.shtml

lisettemac

The Franklin is a good idea.

We put our out-of-town guests at the Fitzpatrick Grand Central (they have another location near Bloomingdale's). It's a lovely hotel, clean, great service. They even have a pub. They were willing to negotiate a rate and (and this is KEY) did not require us to guarantee the rooms! When you start checking into hotels, this is a frequent request. Our guests paid $200 a night in September (also a costly month).