August 11, 2004 -- Smart puppies know good deals when they see them, such as these current specials for Big Apple lodgings.
Hoteldiscounts.com, always up to the mark when it comes to bargains, has three deals available through August 27. The cheapest is for a room at Habitat, a budget discovery of ours we've been writing about before it even opened. Located at 57th and Lexington, the Habitat has rooms from just $79.95 per night. The hotel is in Midtown near Bloomingdales & other shopping meccas. The property has a restaurant, maid service, hotel parking ($25 a day, cheap for Manhattan), a concierge and shared baths (the latter accounts for the reduced prices).
There are also offers for pricier hotels, with private baths, like the Mayflower overlooking Central Park near Columbus Circle from $150 per room and the Helmsley Palace in Midtown at 50th & Madison from $199 per room. Check this out at www.hoteldiscounts.com or phone 800/715-7666.
Opposite the Garden
At just $89 per room is lodging at the famous Hotel Pennsylvania, across the street from the Madison Square Garden. This rate applies only through August 27, 2004, as they have to clear it out for delegates and camp followers to the Republican National Convention, which takes over MSG starting on August 30. This budget hotel has 1,700 rooms, and has seen better days. Nonetheless, the location can't be beat. Check it out at www.hotelpenn.com or by calling 800/223-8585.
Apple Core
The Apple Core Hotel group, one of our favorites, is saluting the reopening of the Statue of Liberty with a new "Liberty in the City" package, good through August 26, 2004. For a price of $139, you get your room at one of their five midtown Manhattan properties, a free continental breakfast, and a Lady Liberty T shirt. (Five percent of the proceeds from reservations will be donated to the State of Liberty/Ellis Island Endowment Fund.)
The five Apple Core hotels you can choose from include:
- La Quinta Inn (West 32nd St.)
- Red Roof Inn (West 32nd St.)
- Comfort Inn (West 46th St.)
- Super 8 (West 46th St.)
- Ramada Inn (Lexington Ave.)
All properties have free Wi-Fi, cable TV with web TV, phone with data port and voice mail, coffee makers, hair dryers, ironing boards, fitness centers, and more. Children under 13 stay free when sharing the parents' room (as in a large room with two double beds). Contact them at www.applecorehotels.com or phone 800/567-7720.
For Art Lovers, Later in the Year
If you want to visit the newly built and renovated Museum of Modern Art without standing in line, you can try a special deal from Millennium hotels at two of their properties, the UN Plaza Hotel and the Broadway Hotel. For the period from November 20, 2004 and March 31, 2005, you can get VIP tickets to MoMA with your room packages, at prices ranging from $219 per room per night through $299, depending on date. The VIP tickets allow visitors to enter the museum anytime, without waiting on lines to purchase tickets or being subject to time stamps.
The UN Plaza is over on the East Side opposite the UN, while the Broadway is near Times Square and closer to the museum. The new MoMA nearly doubles the capacity of the former building. For information on MoMA phone 212/708-9400 or visit www.moma.org. For the hotel package information, check out www.millenniumhotels.com or phone 866/866-8086.
