Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HOTELS
Accommodation prices in New York City are extremely high: many hotels charge more
than $200 a night for a double room; $400-500 in high season can be common. The tra-
ditional centre of hotel life is midtown Manhattan, but more and more new places are
being built below 34th Street. Booking ahead is near essential, and at certain times of
the year - early to mid-autumn or the weeks leading up to Christmas - the city can
seem sold out. There's hardly such a thing as a fixed room price. Rates in this section
refer to the cost of the cheapest double room at peak times; be aware that prices can
change on a daily basis, depending on a hotel's occupancy and other factors subject to
the whims of the booking computer. For some places, rates might be up to half as much
as what's listed here, depending on when you check; booking online - whether directly
with the hotel or through a third-party travel site - can save lots of money, too. Taxes
add 14.75 percent to your bill, plus $3.50 per night in “occupancy tax” and room fees.
FINANCIAL DISTRICT
RITZ-CARLTON
2 West St, Battery Park. Subway #1 to Rector St; #4, #5, to Bowling Green.
212 344 0800,
The views of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty don't get much better than from
this elegant high-rise hotel. It features a lively bar, 425-square-foot rooms with soothing
muted tones - all with dazzling vistas and “bath butlers” to draw baths and provide warm
towels. Weekend discounts.
$595.
