Windy City, I'm a former Destination Expert for NYC on TripAdvisor, and these are my hotel tips.
1. First plug your check in and check out dates into kayak.com. This will give you a good idea of what prices are for your travel dates. (Kayak aggregates the best online published hotel rates).
2. Now that you have something to go by, check out travelzoo.com for any special deals for your travel dates. They may have a good one for you.
3. Finally, I'm a 4* girl at 2* prices and not afraid of Hotwire or Priceline. Hotwire is my favorite because before I book I can figure out what hotel it is from a website called betterbidding.com. Go to the New York board on betterbidding, post a question about your travel dates, give the maximum price you want to pay and they'll help you out. I recently went to The Vaudevillians and needed a one night stay. I ended up getting a great deal on Hotwire via betterbidding, for the Sofitel, a 4.5* hotel! You never know what you might end up with, so it's worth checking betterbidding. Good luck.
Updated On: 8/5/13 at 02:40 PM