The Miami Herald
Going to the Big Apple can be a really big deal
September 27, 2009
New York -- When you hear the term budget travel, we know what you think: cheap hotels, C-list attraction and meal portions that wouldn't satisfy your average toddler.
But what if we said you could save hundreds of dollars on a weekend trip to New York without missing any of the things that make the city great?
The Big Apple is ripe with freebies and good, solid deals. Here are our favorites:
Where to stay in New York
From now through 2011, more than 60 new hotels are being build in New York. Recent openings include The Smyth (in Tribeca), Cooper Square (in the Bowery), Stay (midtown), The Jane and The Standard (Meatpacking District). Due to open in next few months: Hyatt Andaz Wall Street and Hyatt Andaz Fifth Avenue, and W Downtown.
Hotel rates in New York City have dropped up to 30 percent from last year, but still remain the most expensive in the nation. Rates are highest October through December, when the average topped $300 a night in 2008.
Online booking engines such as hotels.com, Travelocity, Expedia and Orbitz offer a wide range of properties and rates starting in the low $100s per night.
The Broadway Hotel and Hostel on the Upper West Side has dormitory-style rooms as low as $26 per person per night. Private rooms with private baths start at $159 a night. Guests who stay three nights or more in November get 10 percent off their entire stay. 212-865-7710, www.broadwayhotelnyc.com.
And across the Hudson River, Jersey City and Hoboken got new luxury hotels this year: The Westin Jersey City Newport (201-626-2900), opened in January, and the W Hoboken Hotel (201-253-2400) opened in March. Information on both: www.starwoodhotels.com
The hotels, two miles apart, are trying to lure business travelers and tourists away from New York with larger rooms, cheaper rates, view of the Manhattan skyline and access to the city via the convenient 24-hour, $1.75 PATH train.
~~JAY CLARKE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
(Pictures of The Broadway Hotel and Hotel)
