Cheap Sleeps - New York City Free and Dirt Cheap - page 23

Under $150
Americana Inn The roadside motel-style name here signals the utilitarian accommodations. Despite a lack of
frills, the place is clean and well-run, and pretty hard to beat for the price. Singles start at around $125. There are
sinks in the rooms, but bathrooms are shared for all units. The ratio is three or so rooms per bathroom. Ask for a
room in the back, as there's street noise up front.
69 W. 38th St., at Sixth Ave. 888/HOTEL58 [468-3558] or 212/840-6700. Fax [phone]. www.theamericanainn.com . 50 units, all with
shared bathroom. $147-$160 double. AE, MC, V. Subway: B/D/F/M/N/Q/R to 34th St./Herald Sq. Amenities: Common kitchen. Inroom: A/C, TV,
hair dryer (ask reception).
The Hotel at Times Square The savvy marketers at Apple Core have rebranded this former Super 8. It still has a
chain feel, but remodeling has injected a little more style, and there's nothing generic about the building's ornate,
bowed facade. The location is close to Rockefeller Center, and they throw in breakfast, too. Prices start at $110 for
a single, but get pretty gouge-y at peak times.
59 W. 46th St., btw. Fifth and Sixth aves. 800/567-7720 or 212/719-2300. Fax [phone]. www.applecorehotels.com . 209 units. $140-$370
double. AE, DC, MC, V. Subway: B/D/F/M to 47th-50th sts./Rockefeller Center. Amenities: Breakfast room; concierge; exercise room. Inroom:
A/C, TV, hair dryer, Wi-Fi.
Doing Your Bidding
I'm a huge fan of Priceline.com . A quick perusal of their offerings pops up discounted rates on a bevy of New York bargain
hotel mainstays (many of which I list here, albeit at slightly higher “rack rates”). But that's not the fun part. Outwitting the
virtual auctioneer is where the action's at. Hotels, just like airlines, hate to see space go unsold. When underbooking
beckons, they release swaths of rooms to price-slashers like Priceline ( Hotwire.com is another good option for similar
bargaining). You can easily pay 50%, or even 70%, off the regular published rate if you sync your bid up right. To get a
little more insight into plausible ranges, check out www.biddingfortravel.com , which allows folks to trade notes on re-
cent wins. There are usual suspects in the city, mostly hotels so large that they almost always end up releasing rooms to
discounters. Places like the WarwickNewYorkHotel (65 W. 54th St.; 212/247-2700; www.warwickhotelny.com ) , the
HotelWellington (871 Seventh Ave.; 212/347-3900; www.wellingtonhotel.com ) , HolidayInnExpressFifthAvenue
(15 W. 45th St.; 800/465-4329; www.ichotelsgroup.com ) , and the GrandHyatt (109 E. 42nd St.; 212/883-1234;
www.grandnewyork.hyatt.com ) are frequent names on “congratulations, your bid was accepted” messages.
When you do get accepted, that's it; you're locked in and your credit card has been charged, so make sure you're ready to
commit. On Priceline's site, New York is broken down into 11 areas, representing four boroughs. There are seven categor-
ies of hotel, from one-star economy to four-star deluxe. You can only make one bid every 24 hours per area, star level, and
dates. “Matrix bidding” is a good workaround for that policy: It can get pretty complicated, but the basic plan is to make
your first bid with only your main target neighborhood included. When your lowball gets negged, you can bid again at a
slightly higher price without the 24-hour wait period, as long as you expand the area you're searching in. If that bid fails,
you can expand and bid again. It'll take persistence, but the pillow will feel that much softer when you know you only paid
a fraction of what your neighbor paid for his.
La Quinta Manhattan This chain hotel is in an ornate 1904 Beaux Arts building, although the street is so busy
hardly anybody notices the architecture. Koreatown is a great neighborhood for affordable feasting, and the
streets are lively but not as annoying as Times Square. Like its sibling “nyma” across the street, La Quinta is
friendly and competent, and they throw in a free breakfast. Prices veer wildly depending on the time of year.
There's a laid-back bar on the roof, with Empire State Building views.
17 W. 32nd St., btw. Fifth and Sixth aves. 800/567-7720 or 212/736-1600. www.applecorehotels.com . 182 units. $115-$440 double. Rates
include continental breakfast. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Subway: B/D/F/M/N/Q/R to 34th St./Herald Sq. Amenities: Breakfast room; bar; concierge;
exercise room. In room: A/C, TV w/pay movies and video games, Wi-Fi.