There are so many wonderful things to see and do in New York City, but staying there can be quite expensive. According to this article, only Miami is more expensive than New York City for hotels. However, data is based on city averages. Remember than New York City has 5 boroughs. If you look only at Manhattan, its likely that this is the most expensive place to stay in the US. With this in mind, we take a look at 10 tips for cheaper hotels in Manhattan.
1. Avoid Times Square: Some area of Manhattan are more expensive than others. Midtown Manhattan and the streets surrounding Times Square are considerably more expensive than other parts of Manhattan. Cheaper areas include Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, Madison Square Garden, and the Empire State Building.
2. Consider areas outside Manhattan: New York has a great subway system, and in 10 minutes you can find yourself in New Jersey or in one of the 4 other boroughs. The extra cost and time may be worth it, especially if you are going to be out all day. Unfortunately, this will likely limit you from popping in and out of your hotel throughout the day.
3. Use AirBnB: The recent rise in popularity of AirBnB has meant that rates have gone up too, but its worth checking out. There are deals to be found.
4. Use bidding sites like Hotwire or Priceline: When you book your hotel, you won’t find out the name of your site until after you pay. However, you can find considerable discounts because hotels with excess inventory can sell off hotel rooms without diluting their brand with low prices. Visit the Hotwire New York City hotels list or the Priceline New York hotel list to find out what hotel you might get before you book.
Cheaper Bidding Zones on Priceline in Manhattan.
5. Avoid holidays and summer: The best times to visit New York are, roughly, when school is in session and after major holidays. October, January, February, April and May are the least expensive months to visit.
6. Prepay for your stay: Many hotels and booking engines offer a discount if you pay now. The catch: the booking is usually final and you cannot get a refund should you need to cancel. Only prepay if you are very certain your travel plans will not change.
7. Stay on weekends: Friday and Saturday nights are generally cheaper than weekdays. Business travellers with higher budgets flock to the city mid week. This is entirely the opposite of Las Vegas, where rates skyrocket on weekends.
8. Try meta-search engines like Kayak and TripAdvisor: If you have a specific hotel in mind, these sites will grab prices from other sites for you, eliminating the eed to check out multiple sites. Usually prices are around the same (within a few dollars) but every once in a while, you find true saving on some obscure site thanks to meta search engines like Kayak and TripAdvisor.
9. Book last minute: Generally, you can find great discounts if you book very last minute and do not have a particular hotel in mind. Most of the time, there is usually one or more hotels with excess inventory looking to fill their rooms. HotelTonight.com is a great option, but many sites offer similar discounts. There are risks involved, however with this method for trying to get a cheaper hotel in Manhattan: sometimes prices go up. If there is a particularly big event and all the hotels fill up, you will see prices go higher. You may also have little selection
10. Book a hotel with shared bathroom: If you’re willing to sacrifice a little comfort for a better location, consider staying in a hotel or inn with a shared bath — it’s often one of the best ways to find a truly budget rate in the most popular Manhattan neighborhoods.
Your style of travel and your budget will dictate what you end up booking. On a personal level, I am generally not a fan of shared bathrooms or staying in other peoples homes. My top methods for cheaper hotels in Manhattan are: consider areas in Manhattan but outside of the midtown area, and to use Hotwire and Priceline. You can often get discounts of 30-50% and some of the risks of getting a ‘mystery’ hotel can be mitigated via the Hotwire and Priceline discussion forum where travellers post what hotels they received.
