Hotel le Jolie, from $129 a night
In Brooklyn's hip Williamsburg neighborhood, a short ride on the L subway line from Manhattan, Le Jolie offers complimentary continental breakfast, including homemade pastries, muffins, an assortment of cereal, fresh-squeezed juices, and Starbucks coffee. The 54 luxurious rooms, outfitted with business travelers in mind, feature large desks with no-glare lighting, ergonomic chairs, secure Wi-Fi and cable high-speed Internet access, dual-line telephones, and fax, messenger, and secretarial services. Other amenities include an iPod docking station, a 42-inch flat-screen TV, and a minibar refrigerator.
Rates start at $129 per room per night on weekdays; add $20 per room per night on weekends.
When: Until Dec. 30, 2009.
Details: A minimum two-night stay is required.Taxes of 14.25 percent and a daily occupancy fee of $3.50 are not included. Based on single or double occupancy. Must book at least seven days prior to arrival.
Contact: 866/526-4097, hotellejolie.com.
Algonquin Hotel from $143 a night
The Broadway Night Out special, available to residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, offers a 20 percent discount off nightly rates (which start at $179 per room), a complimentary room upgrade, continental breakfast for two, and your choice between free parking or a $25 food-and-beverage credit at the Round Table Room restaurant. Guests can also take advantage of a complimentary booking service to arrange for tickets to a Broadway show, an opera, or a sporting event of their choice (tickets are not included). The 174-room midtown hotel, recently added to the National Trust Historic Hotels of America, is the birthplace of the Broadway hit My Fair Lady and The New Yorker magazine.
Rates start at $143 per room per night.
When: Dec. 31, 2009.
Details: The starting rate reflects a 20 percent discount as well as a room upgrade. Taxes are an additional 14.25 percent. Based on single or double occupancy.
Contact: 888/304-2047, algonquinhotel.com.
Hotel le Bleu from $169 a night
This 48-room property in Park Slope, Brooklyn, offers a welcome package that includes a selection of treats, such as Kashi Granola Bars, Frito Lay Flat Earth Veggie Chips, Nona's Biscotti, fruit juices, Voss water from Norway, and Starbucks coffee. The hotel's leafy neighborhood, about 15 to 20 minutes from Manhattan by subway, has beautiful brownstone buildings and is jam-packed with unique boutiques, shops, and ethnic restaurants. Guests will enjoy comfortable Egyptian-cotton bedding, orthopedic mattresses, Nutura organic spa products, and super-soft Touch Me robes.
Rates start at $169 per room per night during the week; add $10 per room per night for weekend stays.
When: Until Dec. 30, 2009.
Details: A minimum stay of two nights is required. Does not include taxes of 16 percent. Based on single or double occupancy. Must book at least seven days prior to arrival.
Contact: 866/427-6073, hotellebleu.com.
Wyndham Garden Hotel Manhattan Chelsea West from $189 a night
With the Wyndham Weekender special, guests can choose between a 50 percent discount on a consecutive second night or get a second room at half the rate. The 124 guestrooms offer complimentary wireless and wired high-speed Internet access, 32-inch LCD televisions, alarm clocks with MP3 and iPod capabilities, Herman Miller ergonomic desk chairs, in-room coffee by Wolfgang Puck, and True Blue Spa amenities by Bath and Body Works.
Guests also have access to a 24-hour fitness center and the on-site Wyndham Café E.R.L., which is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The convenient Chelsea location on the west side of Manhattan offers easy access to the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, and Union Square.
Rates start at $189 per room per night.
When: Weekends through Apr. 26, 2009.
Details: Valid for Friday-Sunday. Add $15 for continental breakfast for two. Taxes of 14.25 percent and a daily occupancy fee of $3.50 are not included. Based on single or double occupancy. When booking, ask for the Weekender package.
Contact: 877/999-3223, wyndhamnyc.com.
Embassy Suites New York from $199 a night
This hotel has several packages available. We like the New York City Music & Performing Arts Package, which includes accommodations in a two-room suite, breakfast daily, two tickets to the Lincoln Center guided tour (a value of $30), 20 percent off tickets to the Carnegie Hall guided tour, 20 percent off a meal at B. Smith's Restaurant, and 15 percent off food and drinks at Café Wha. The hotel hosts a nightly reception with drinks and snacks.
Rates start at $199 per room per night.
When: Through June 30, 2009.
Details: Does not include taxes of 13 percent or local fees of $4 per room per night. Based on single or double occupancy.
Contact: 212/945-0100, embassysuites.com.
Casablanca Hotel from $239 a night
The Savvy Senior Sundays package includes $30 off the best available Sunday night rate, a bottle of red wine, dark chocolates, turndown service, passes to New York Sports Club, and daily breakfast. There's also a complimentary evening wine and cheese reception at the hotel. The $239 rate is available at the Casablanca Hotel. This package is also available at the Hotel Giraffe from $259 and at the Hotel Elysee from $335.
When: Ongoing.
Details: Does not include taxes of 13 percent or local fees of $4 per room per night. Based on single or double occupancy. Valid on Sunday night stays only. At least one of the guests must be age 60 or over to qualify.
Contact: 212/869-1212, casablancahotel.com.
Affinia Shelburne from $255 a night
After a two-year renovation, the 268-suite hotel is marking its reopening with a New York Point of View Summer package. It includes breakfast as well as the signature weekend Jazz Brunch at the hotel's Rare Restaurant (also known for its burgers), two cocktails at the rooftop bar Rare View, a discount on entry to Birdland Jazz Club through Affinia's e-concierge, and a $50 My Affinia credit.
The suites have a modern, urban feel with an open floor plan, an in-room granite pantry, a vanity/wardrobe with a well-lit dressing area, and LEED-rated carpets and flooring. Guests can choose from six types of pillows to go with the signature Affinia bed, covered with luxurious triple sheeting.
Other perks include three Experience kits (a fitness kit with exercise DVDs,a yoga mat, stretching blocks, weights, and more for in-room workouts; a BYOB kit that includes an insulated wine carrier, a picnic blanket, and a corkscrew; and a Walking Tour Kit, which includes city maps, guidebooks, and an iPod with downloaded NYC walking tours), a nonalcoholic welcome drink, a selection of best-selling books for guests to borrow, a full range of travel-size toiletries, and a 24-hour fitness center.
The Shelburne offers easy access to the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, and most midtown attractions. When you consider all the extras, you'll save about 23 percent.
Rates start at $255 per room per night.
When: May 25-Sept. 7, 2009.
Details: Taxes are an additional 13.5 percent. Based on single or double occupancy. Use promo code AHRTB.
Contact: 866/246-2203, affinia.com.
Lodging for the military from $25 a night
The nonprofit Soldiers', Sailors', Marines', Coast Guard and Airmen's Club (SSMAC) in Manhattan's Murray Hill has affordable rates to active or retired members of the armed forces visiting New York City. Founded in 1919 to accommodate soldiers returning from World War I, the club is housed in two adjoining Victorian town houses. Many of the five-floor property's original features, including high ceilings, oak banisters, and carved antique furniture, have been retained.
The starting rate includes one night of dormitory-style accommodations, which consist of 29 rooms with anywhere from two to six beds, and a complimentary breakfast of bagels, doughnuts, and coffee in the recently renovated canteen. Separate-sex restrooms and showers are available on each floor.
Guests can watch TV in the lobby lounge and sitting room as well as in the second-floor library, where they can also borrow donated books. Guests with disabilities will stay at one of the nearby hotels at a discounted rate because the SSMAC doesn't have elevators.
Rates range from $25 per person for cadets to $60 per person for merchant seamen. The rate for children between the ages of 3 and 14 is $10 per person, and those under 3 stay free of charge.
When: Ongoing.
Details: Must show proof of current or prior military membership. Since the SSMAC is a nonprofit organization, no taxes will be charged. An additional $5 key deposit will be refunded at the end of your stay. Prices are per person based on military rank. The starting rate is based on two or more people sharing a room; add $35 for a single room or $100 for a VIP room with a queen bed.
Contact: 800/678-8443, ssmaclub.org.
Planning a longer trip? Try an apartment rental. Roomorama has properties available in New York City for holiday stays. Also, you could consider the trend of house swapping — Budget Travel recently covered the secrets to a good house-swapping experience.
Getting there: According to a recent search on Kayak, the lowest round-trip fares for New York City in late April start at $172 from Chicago (Air Tran), $201 from Miami US Airways), $232 from Houston (American), and $259 from L.A. (Virgin America) and Seattle (Delta).