<p>The problem with Priceline is that they will only guarantee a hotel room for 2 people when bidding. In NYC there are many, many rooms that have only a double bed with no room for a cot/roll away. For “blind” booking hotwire may be a better choice as you can specify the number of adults prior to bidding, it usually a bit more expensive than you could win on priceline, but at least everyone should a place to sleep.</p>
<p>We stayed at the Bedford Hotel at 118 E 40th Street…just around the corner from Grand Central; we stayed in a Tower Suite which had a king bed, a large sitting room with a sofa bed and we asked for a rollaway bed for the 5th family member…also had microwave and fridge in room; furnishing somewhat dated but clean and very reasonably priced if you share the cost amongst 5; somewhere between $370 and $470</p>
<p>Good point, bhmom. Thanks for pointing that out!</p>
<p>bhmomma: Just one more tidbit on airbnb.com… my son said that the apartment he stayed in was a private owner who had recently moved to another apartment and was only subleasing short-term until the end of this month, when her old lease was officially up. Can’t see the harm in this instance. I get the need to keep NYC apartments available and affordable, but this arrangement enabled the renter to recoup some of her costs and also provided a convenient accommodation for my son. That’s all.</p>
<p>5 people is going to get really difficult…but look at some of the chain hotels, such as Hampton Inn (there are several in the city itself) or the more affordable hotels via applecorehotels. Staying outside of Manhattan can be less expensive, but you will spend some time and dollars getting into the city and if it’s just for a weekend, that can be a pain. However, they could look at Hoboken, or near the airports – they will be more affordable, but will spend some serious time commuting in.</p>
<p>one issue with Priceline in NYC is you often get the Pennsylvania Hotel across from Penn station, which is a huge flea-bag. (that is where the dogs stay during Westminster!). I would also recommend against staying near the airports, as it will the commuting costs will add up ($15/pp each way from Newark Airport) and you will lose the vibe & convenience of staying in Manhattan. I would keep trolling the hotel websites to look for bargains, maybe you will luck out!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great responses–I’m definitely going to tag this thread for reference in the future. D and her friends were thrilled to find the Loft Hostel – looks very nice for their needs, is relatively affordable for each girl and, in case anyone’s plans change at the last minute, each is financially responsible for her own bill. Perfect!</p>