Hotel Deals for NYC in May

[charles_316]

I plan on driving to NYC with a group of 6 or 7 people from Thursday, May 17 to Monday, May 21. We would prefer to book two hotel rooms with two double beds in each. Through an initial search, it looks like hotel prices are quite high during this time (is this normal for May?). Last year, we went in October and I was able to use Priceline to win a bid for New York Marriott Marquis right at Times Square for only $215USD per night and it had two double beds (I don't think you get to specify bed type through Priceline, so I think we got lucky at check-in).

I'm going to check betterbidding.com, etc to see how people have been faring on hotel deals during May. Are there any other deals or sites you can suggest for May?

Thanks in advance!

[FunSave22]

A quick check shows that both NYU and Columbia University are having their graduation ceremonies on May 16. (NYU's is large enough that they are having it at Yankee stadium.)

I think there's a good chance that many of the families that attend the ceremonies decide to stay for a couple of extra days. That may in part account for the higher price of the hotel rooms.

[Truemana]

Hotelscombined.com

[charles_316]

Thanks guys. I'll continue to look around. Haven't come across any good deals yet.

[ahTin1257]

i'm looking for the same thing except i'm just going with my gf
yea priceline bids are $300 and up for may
damn~ lmk if u found any goodies!
thx

[matdwyer]

You are correct, you can't specify the bed type, but typically they'll be somewhat reasonable (or charge you a small fee for upgrade - try the $20 trick)

If you're willing to risk it till the last day you can check out the app "HotelTonight" - just found out about it and it looks pretty good. Basically it sells unused rooms at a discount on the day of (but you can book for multiple nights on that first transaction).

You can download the iPad app to check the rooms in NYC (I think the iPhone one only does rooms in your current location) and see if it is in your price range now, and the days leading up to your arrival.

Otherwise, it's the standard - First, check priceline / betterbidding for comparables. Then make sure you scour travelzoo deals, group deals (look at Boston, Chicago, Philly group deal sites for NYC deals), then hotels.com / kayak.com / expedia. The next step is to try to do some best rate guarantees to get either a free night or a discount - Best Western has $100 gift card if you find a better rate, Choice hotels gives you a night free, etc.

I always book a refundable rate at the lowest SPG or Best Western (AAA rate typically) that I can find to give me a backup in case prices explode for some reason as well.

[boyoflondon]

Might want to see what airbnb.com has to offer. You might be able to find an apartment sufficient to fit your party.

[matdwyer]

Might want to see what airbnb.com has to offer. You might be able to find an apartment sufficient to fit your party.

Technically AirBNB is illegal in NYC, which could potentially make it difficult, I'm sure it would be fine (and that they do major volume there), but the potential is there.

[charles_316]

Technically AirBNB is illegal in NYC, which could potentially make it difficult, I'm sure it would be fine (and that they do major volume there), but the potential is there.

Why is it illegal?

[matdwyer]

Why is it illegal?

http://nymag.com/realestate/realestatecolumn/short-term-rentals-2011-12/

If nothing else I'd call it a huge lobbying effort by the hotel industry, and that your chances of having an issue are ridiculously small

[MarcJ55]

Yeah, that's a tough weekend. I'm looking for a hotel on the other side of the country. Seattle. Actually used Priceline and got a somewhat good deal compared to market rates. Seattle ain't no NYC, but it can be pretty pricey. Saved about 25% compared to the best deals elsewhere. Check NYC Priceline wins (http://www.hoteldealsrevealed.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=155&t=2283) on HotelDealsRevealed for pricing.

Another option is VRBO. A lot of buzz about AirBnB but it's not much different from VRBO except a better user interface.

[charles_316]

Yeah, that's a tough weekend. I'm looking for a hotel on the other side of the country. Seattle. Actually used Priceline and got a somewhat good deal compared to market rates. Seattle ain't no NYC, but it can be pretty pricey. Saved about 25% compared to the best deals elsewhere. Check NYC Priceline wins (http://www.hoteldealsrevealed.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=155&t=2283) on HotelDealsRevealed for pricing.

Another option is VRBO. A lot of buzz about AirBnB but it's not much different from VRBO except a better user interface.

The issue with Priceline is that it only guarantees double occupancy. We have 5 people in our group so we cannot risk it. With Hotwire though, you can book for quad occupancy.

[dealman5]

The issue with Priceline is that it only guarantees double occupancy. We have 5 people in our group so we cannot risk it. With Hotwire though, you can book for quad occupancy.
try flatotel
And the country inn long island city for suites

[SweetGurl]

- You can also try roomorama dot com , make sure to check the final price as there are some fees involved.
- Also, try vacation rentals on craigslist...as there are several 2 bdrm apartment for around 100-125 range right in downtown new york. Again make sure to check and validate before someone scams you.

[gr8dlr]

I found this recently and haven't tried it yet but if you've booked a refundable reservation, try

http://www.backbid.com/

Info from the site:

Why BackBid?

BackBid is a hotel booking website that revolutionizes how travelers book hotel rooms. BackBid empowers you, the traveler, to find the best possible hotel room, for the best price, with no elaborate or time-consuming searches necessary. By posting your existing hotel reservation to BackBid, hotels are able to see your travel plans and offer bids for your business, offering either discounts or value-added services, like upgraded rooms, free parking or breakfast. Unlike other travel sites who offer discounts without telling you any info about the hotel that you’re booking, BackBid gives you all of the details about the property, the amenities offered and the specific bid being offered before you confirm and process the reservation. This helps you to save money but also to ensure that your hotel stay will meet – or even exceed – all of your expectations. The best part about BackBid is that there is absolutely no risk to you; if you don’t like any of the bids that you receive, just keep your existing reservation.

How does it work?

Travelers book their hotel stay as they normally would through their channel of choice.
The traveler posts their confirmed reservation and travel preferences on the site as a BackBid Traveler.
BackBid provides hotels with instant access to the database of all BackBid Travelers traveling to their destination. Hotels can then submit bids to encourage travelers to abandon their current reservation and book with their property instead.
BackBid Travelers are notified of all hotel bids via email and can access the details by logging into their BackBid account.
Once the BackBid Traveler accepts a bid, the reservation and the payment are processed by the hotel.
Travelers that are not currently holding confirmed reservations can receive bids from hotels by posting their needs, preferences, and travel plans on the site.

Why did we create BackBid?

We, at BackBid, are travelers just like you and were really tired of all the work that goes into finding the best rate for our hotel stays. The choices are endless, the pricing confusing and the whole process is very time-consuming. Often we would cancel and rebook the same reservation several times as prices fluctuated, and at the end of it all, we weren't even sure if we'd gotten the best deal!
That's when the idea came to us: create a website that makes it simple to find the best price and value by making the hotels do all the hard work by bidding on travelers’ business! And so BackBid was born.