Hi, Doug:

Thanks for posting this! It's invaluable!

You mentioned that rates are coming down. Is it just for the next couple of months? I'm more interested in getting a room in the summertime (May). Will the rates be going up then?

Unless the economy improves, I don't see hotel rates in NYC rising anytime soon. However, I do want to point out that the cost of living in New York is particularly high, and the hotels here do have fixed costs, so there's only so far the hotel rates can come down. Hotel rates been unconscionably high for the past 2 or 3 years, but hotels are probably also going to substitute something else for high rates. In these dreary, cold months of winter, the hotels will stay low since tourism is quite visibly down in New York, but in the summer, I think you might see hotel rates staying fairly low but hotels adding energy surcharges for a/c and other stupid extra charges (at least as much as they can get away with) to keep their profits higher.

Doug_Stallings since you mention the surcharges I wonder about the a/c in hotel rooms. I am planning a trip for a conference in April and will stay at the Marriott Marquis for the conference but am looking for a room for an extra Monday & Tuesday night. I found that some hotels say something like "seasonal a/c" which to me here in Texas sounds so strange. Should I be worried about the heating/cooling of my room?

Also since we are on the subject any opintions of the Wellington Hotel, Millenium Broadway or the Hilton New York?

I like how close the Wellington is to the park but the Millenium looks so nice.

Wellington is nothing like the class of the Hilton or the Millenium.

Seasonal AC means that is the winter you get heat and when it gets hot (extremely unlikely in April) you will get AC. You can't turn the AC on in the middle of the winter if for some reason you want to be 60 degrees.

(I HATE hot weather and even I rarely turn my AC on before mid May - and often then it's on and off - outside air is usually comfy and fresher - except for the real summer.

Doug, your Editor logo should also show up on the title so we know it's from an Editor while scrolling down the list of threads. Jaya

Troublemp - We stayed at the Hilton Times Square last November and I thought it was really good. We arrived on election night and went out to join the 1000s of New Yorkers in Times Square - just amazing.

Our room overlooked the NY Times offices and we were able to watch all the journos at work. Quite fascinating. Also had an amazing view of the Empire State Building which looked great lit at night. Looked forward to seeing what colour it would be each night. Best views I've had in a NY hotel.

Really liked the position too - so easy to get around with the subway and bus station so close.

The only negative was the breakfast - very expensive and very ordinary. We ended up going diagonally across the road on 42nd Street to a diner which did good fresh fruit, juices, eggs, cereals, coffee etc. Good value and nice and fresh.

Am I the only one here who has actually stayed at the Marrakesh?!!

I had no idea it was illegal till now. It suited my needs that night because my flight arrived just before midnight at Laguardia and I took the Harlem bus which ends 3 blocks from Marrakesh. Their public spaces are fairly nice actually but my room experience was quite memorable. I entered and realized that in a 4 person bunkbed room, 3 were already in bed and it was all dark. I didn't want to awaken anyone so I entered in the dark and climbed up into the remaining top bunk. It became clear to me as a solo female that at least one of the occupants was male and young....I saw by the reflection on his face from his cellphone as he was texting while I climbed on the bunk above him. Between the creaky bed that groined with my every move and the telltale rhythmic motion that commenced underneath me, it is a wonder that I got to sleep at all.

ahem, I meant groaned, not groined. The atmosphere of that night is coloring my typos.

ncounty: I liked "groined" much better! :) So much more descriptive!

Doug: thanks so much for your earlier response. I'll just have to keep trying on Priceline for the next several months and hope the winter rates hold.

Thank you for the interesting information, Doug.

My husband and I stayed at The Broadway, maybe 10 years ago, but it was located in Mid-Town, not the Upper West Side. Could this Broadway be the same as the one mentioned in your post? (I can't link to video on my computer.) I was actually thinking of maybe staying there again in the future.

The Broadway that we stayed at wasn't located on Broadway, but on a side street (maybe in the 30-40's), and appeared to be geared more towards European and Asian travelers. The cost was cheap, about $100-$115, and actually included breakfast (cereals, eggs, pastries, juice, fruit, tea, coffee). The room wasn't that bad - the sheets and floor were clean, and the bath seemed to be recently renovated (although the noise from the band practicing in the warehouse next to the hotel was annoying).

Please tell me there are two different Broadway Hotels!

Robyn :)>-

A friend and I stayed at Radio City Apartments last August. As we were staying 8 nights in a 4 week trip, we decided we wanted a bit more room than the standard NY hotel offered, but at a reasonable rate. We had a room with kitchen/lounge/dine, a separate bedroom with 2 double beds and bathroom. My main complaint was the beds were hard and mine creaked every time I turned over. Other than that, the hotel seemed reasonable for the price we paid. My friend thought her bed was okay, so it may just have been "luck of the draw", so to speak.

Mill. B'way and the Hilton are infinitely better than the Wellington. The NY Hilton is right near the Wellington.

artstuff, I wonder if you stayed at the Manhattan Broadway on west 38th st.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._New_York.html

mclaurie - Yes, that's the hotel that we stayed at. It's the <u>Manhattan</u> Broadway. Thanks for the link.

Robyn :)&gt;-

Well, I booked the Millenium Broadway for $169 and am very excited. Thanks for all the info. :)