NYC on Thanksgiving 2004
 

Am I getting a good deal??: at the Le Parker Meridien --- Either $230 for standard room on a lower floor (320 sq. foot room) or $335 for a Junior Suite on an upper floor with city view (520 sq. ft.). I opted for the suite since we will have our daughter with us and need extra space for a crib and playing, etc.

I haven't used hotwire or priceline before. I was tempted as I really wanted to pay less than $335 per night, however, the "not knowing" factor when travelling with a 2 year old seemed a little risky for me.

I can cancel my reservation up to 24 hours before we arrive. We'll be staying Tuesday through Friday over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The prices have really gone up quite a bit since last year. We paid $325.00 for an amazing suite at the Bryant Park Hotel last year, this year the same room is $485.00.

Any suggestions, or should I be happy with what I have got??

THANKS!!!!!!

You can't use Priceline, because you run the risk of winning a room with a legal occupancy limit of 2 people.

For a spacious suite with full kitchen and frumpy but cozy furnishings, try the Murray Hill East Suites.

Hotel occupancy has been way up this year - so you can expect rates to be as well. You could try Priceline - but you risk getting a really small room - that would no be good for your child - and Thanksgiving is not the best time for Priceline anyway. Perhaps consider looking into some of the all suite hotels?

Don't use priceline because you have a third person with you. I've had hotel rooms so small in Manhattan that a third person would not have been able to sleep on the floor because there was no room!

Hotel occupancy has skyrocketed in NYC and expect prices to do the same.

If you can get a junior suite at Le Parker Meridian Thanksgiving week for $335 per night, jump all over that. I doubt you'll see much cheaper on priceline.

You might want to check quikbook.com. Lots of different offerings at different prices for that time period.

Thanks everyone for your advice. Just a quick update on where we are at this point:

I discovered that for whatever reason the Parker Meridien charges an extra tax that none of the other hotels charge. They don't mention it until after you have booked and even then it was in an email confirmation and it was the total amount for the three days so it was only my sleuthing and a subsequent call to the hotel that unearthed this extra tax which is 13.25% and this is ON TOP of the 13.635% charged by hotels in New York, so tax is $90 per day. This new information has me looking for a room elsewhere since this brings the rate for this suite up to $1281 for the three days.

The other places we are considering are:

The Michaelangelo, a King Bed Executive Room (450 sq ft) for $325 per night. With tax for three nights: $1114.

The City Club Hotel, a King Bed Luxe Room for $225 per night. With tax $770. This room is only about 325 sq. ft., however, with that big savings we could order up quite a lot of room service (which is sometimes the easier thing to do when travelling with a toddler) for their restaurant which is run by Daniel Boulud of "Daniel" restaurant.

The third option we are considering is a 650 sq. ft. suite at Sofitel for $379 plus tax for a 3 night total of $1293 (larger than the 520 sq. ft. suite at Parker Meridien and around the same price -- are they comparable properties?).

Sorry to be so long winded about all of this. I don't travel all that much and want to be sure my big trip to the city is great.

One more question: I have seen the suites at City Club Hotel on their website and on quikbook for $695 per night. Is anyone aware of a way of getting this room for less? The suite appears to be absolutely amazing. 900 sq. ft with private terrace... boy that would be nice. alas, way out of our price range unless anyone knows of a way...

The Sofitel has been getting excellent reviews. Have you checked the reviews for all these hotels on tripadvisor? Sometimes reading them helps you decide or gives you a clue on a type of room to ask for or a website with a good deal.

Tripadvisor has a feature that allows you to compare pricing on several different booking sites on most hotels. Once you've selected a hotel to read reviews, at the top of the page there's a line "compare all deals on xxxx hotel". I tried this for City Club to see if any suites come up. They do on Travelocity but at rates double what you quoted (duplex suites). BTW, your quickbook rates are better than any that come up, assuming 11/25-28 ((Y)) )

I seem to remember a regular poster here whose opinion I respect not liking City Club but can't remember if it was primarily the small room size or more. I would not pick a hotel b/c of a rest., but that's a personal decision.

The Michelangelo is well loved by Fodorites, so your decision is not easy.

I'll just mention if you're looking for extra space and have a baby with you, what about an all suite hotel with kitchenettes? The Beekman Tower has one bedroom suites available on lastminutetravel.com for $149/night for that weekend last I looked. The location is not nearly as central as where you're looking but it's still midtown (49th & 1st ave) in a more residential area. You might also look at the Blakely which is newly renovated (used to be called the Gorham) on west 55th. I believe all their rooms are large and have kitchenettes.

Prices for NYC hotels will rise steadily until just before Christmas. We'll be there the second week in December when a junior suite at the LePM will be going for $650. Needless to say, we'll be saying somewhere else. Grab that room and don't let go.

Thanks again all!! I have read reviews quite a lot and have made phone calls directly to hotels, which led me to a new discovery: at the City Club Hotel if you want a room with a tub that necessitates a room at the back (presumably overlooking the dark dank alley I have read so much about). The rooms in the front only have showers. We really prefer to have a room with a tub for our daughter's sake - not necessary but would be nice -- so I think we will focus on the other options available at this point.

I so appreciate any advise - I am checking back here daily to see if there is any new info you can offer, so keep it coming!!! and THANKS!!

Post Thanksgiving Trip Report:

We ended up staying at the Parker Meridien and were very happy. There was quite a bit of rain and at times downpours which made it rough to travel the streets with a baby stroller so having the swimming pool gave us a fun option with our your daughter.

The suite felt even bigger than 520 sq. ft. We had more than enough space. There was a huge walk in closet and an armoire in the bedroom and then another closet in the living area. The TV swiveled in a very cool way so that you could watch TV in bed or from the couch in the living room. There was more than enough space for our daughter's crib.

The location was perfect. There was great shopping and we were very close to our relatives who live on Central Park South by Columbus Circle (where we watched the parade from their apartment).

I had read on tripadvisor many negative reviews of the parker meridien. I think the thought was that they nickel and dime you... we did experience one instance where this was the case. We asked housekeeping to bring up 4 wine glasses so that we could have wine in the room with friends. We were charged $1.25 per glass for the delivery. I have never experienced this before. Another factor to consider was that the mini bar is not to be used as a refrigerator. It is motion sensitive so that if you move aside the items to make way for milk or your own items you are charged for whatever is moved. We were more than adequately warned of this upon check in so we planned accordingly and managed fine without the use of a fridge (we could have rented one for $30 for the three days, but we passed knowing we could make do just fine, which we did).

All of the relatives were going up to Westchester by train for Thanksgiving dinner. We declined and did our own thing, which ended up being dinner at Grand Central Station at Metrazur. It could not have been more fabulous -- what an elegant environment. The food was fabulous. They had this little lounge area with low tables and chairs where we ate which delighted our 2 year old. The chairs were just right for her. There was a laser light show on the ceiling of the main concourse at Grand Central Station. It played every 30 minutes and we saw it three times. It was a magical night.

All in all a wonderful trip. Thanks again to everyone for your input. Now I am on Fodors again planning a summer trip in Vermont or the Berkshires.