NYC hotels! So expensive

[bluehighlighter]

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Hey guys,
I am gearing for the the new york city leg of my interviews. I'll be interviewing in Manhattan and Brooklyn. All the hotels the schools have suggested are running 300+ a night. Have you guys stayed anywhere safe and affordable this interview season? As I person who knows nothing about NY I would LOVE some suggestions.
🙂

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Have you checked out hostels? I haven't been to NYC in several years, but I did the hostel thing when I was there before. You share a room, but they're safe and pretty cheap (like $20/night or so). Also, I know there are OK European style places there where you get a single room but share a bathroom. I'd at least check out expedia and priceline. And there's no harm in giving a super low bid on priceline just to see if it gets accepted.

 

[Man In White]

The ideal situation is to stay with a friend/relative. If you have neither up there I'd suggest priceline.com or hotwire.com in combination with betterbidding.com - you can get pretty decent deals if you're persistent.

 

[lord_jeebus]

I stayed at Hotel 31 in Manhattan when I spent almost 2 weeks interviewing in NYC. The location is awesome and it was about $100/night. The rooms were clean.

The catch is that the bathrooms are shared, although each room has a sink. They also have people constantly cleaning the bathrooms so it was nicer than I expected.

 

[ResidentMD]

I stayed at Hotel 31 in Manhattan when I spent almost 2 weeks interviewing in NYC. The location is awesome and it was about $100/night. The rooms were clean.

The catch is that the bathrooms are shared, although each room has a sink. They also have people constantly cleaning the bathrooms so it was nicer than I expected.

FYI - Dont get turned off by the shared bathrooms. Like the above poster said, a lot of places clean the bathrooms periodically. I saved a ton of money when I stayed in a budget hotel on the west coast for a week earlier this month. It was nearly half price as the big hotels - and I was very happy with my experience though the bathroom was shared.

 

[bluehighlighter]

Ok, thanks guys! I think I will investigate priceline and the budget hotel idea! I don't wanna break the bank over a couple of interviews.

 

[motoo]

so I've just finished doing my own research on NYC hotels and have to say that the hostels/dorm-style housing is a rip off. I was looking to book a 3 night stay in January and the best deal is coming out to $300 + 15% tax. for that you get NO free internet NO breakfast and have to share a bathroom. and from the pictures on tripadvisor, the rooms are small and really antiquated. yeah no thanks, not worth $300.

I suggest going to tripadvisor and searching for hotels in NYC, and then sorting them by popularity and maybe "list top values first" and use the filters as needed "free wireless internet". it gives roughly average price but lets u do a search on four diffferent websites (expedia, hotels.com, etc.) to find the best price. in most cases the rooms were listed at a higher price than the actual quoted price (booking.com seemed to have the best rates)

I ended up going with wyndham times square north for $387 +15%tax for a 3 nights stay. free breakfast, free internet, private bath, awesome location 👍

 

[exPCM]

The dormitory rooms at the Chelsea Star Hotel in Manhattan are $29.99 per night, single rooms are $79.99. This is where a struggling singer named Madonna once lived.
http://www.hostelblog.org/chelsea-star-hotel
http://www.starhotelny.com/rates.php

 

[bluehighlighter]

so I've just finished doing my own research on NYC hotels and have to say that the hostels/dorm-style housing is a rip off. I was looking to book a 3 night stay in January and the best deal is coming out to $300 + 15% tax. for that you get NO free internet NO breakfast and have to share a bathroom. and from the pictures on tripadvisor, the rooms are small and really antiquated. yeah no thanks, not worth $300.

I suggest going to tripadvisor and searching for hotels in NYC, and then sorting them by popularity and maybe "list top values first" and use the filters as needed "free wireless internet". it gives roughly average price but lets u do a search on four diffferent websites (expedia, hotels.com, etc.) to find the best price. in most cases the rooms were listed at a higher price than the actual quoted price (booking.com seemed to have the best rates)

I ended up going with wyndham times square north for $387 +15%tax for a 3 nights stay. free breakfast, free internet, private bath, awesome location 👍

That sounds like a pretty good deal! I will look into this hotel as well : )

 

[bluehighlighter]

The dormitory rooms at the Chelsea Star Hotel in Manhattan are $29.99 per night, single rooms are $79.99. This is where a struggling singer named Madonna once lived.
http://www.hostelblog.org/chelsea-star-hotel
http://www.starhotelny.com/rates.php

I think that hostels are a great way to go in most cases. However, I feel like I just never know what I'm gonna get when I go to one. This being said I want to be completely rested and in good spirits when interview day rolls around...

 

[Winged Scapula]

The Jane Hotel has very small rooms and shared baths, but free internet, IPod docs, etc. I think the small ones are around $99 a night.

 

[OFwhipple]

I have seen Craigslist ads that offer subletting for one night.. at like 70-100 dollars a night. Could be a gamble though..

Is there anyway you can contact the program and see if other students interviewing on that day would be willing to share a room?

 

[WhoisJohnGalt]

I have seen Craigslist ads that offer subletting for one night.. at like 70-100 dollars a night. Could be a gamble though..

Is there anyway you can contact the program and see if other students interviewing on that day would be willing to share a room?

The Craigslist thing would really creep me out... personally I'm willing to spend a bit more to not show up at a stranger's doorstep. That's a good idea about contacting the program though, there are probably other applicants out there who would appreciate the chance to save a few bucks.

 

[sam1999]

Do current residents host residency applicants? If yes how do one know? Does program automatically tell them there is hosting available in the invitation or do you have to ask?

If one does not know whether program resident host applicants would it offend PC or program asking about it politely via email?

 

[WhoisJohnGalt]

Do current residents host residency applicants? If yes how do one know? Does program automatically tell them there is hosting available in the invitation or do you have to ask?

If one does not know whether program resident host applicants would it offend PC or program asking about it politely via email?

I've had a few invitations mention it, but if it's not mentioned and you're interested I would definitely ask the PC. It shouldn't offend them in the least as long as you're polite about it.

 

[Taurus]

Um, if you think the hotels are expensive, what do you think living there will be like? You better get used to the idea of paying $1000 a month for a closet. This is why I ranked all my NYC programs dead last.

 

[sam1999]

Um, if you think the hotels are expensive, what do you think living there will be like? You better get used to the idea of paying $1000 a month for a closet. This is why I ranked all my NYC programs dead last.

Right now for most people $ cash flow is zero and while during residency you get something. It is true life in NYC is very expensive but you can do many things like live with roommates, some hospital provide subsidize housing, plus you can ditch your car and save that money for living.

It is personal choice where to live.

 

[maceo]

Right now for most people $ cash flow is zero and while during residency you get something. It is true life in NYC is very expensive but you can do many things like live with roommates, some hospital provide subsidize housing, plus you can ditch your car and save that money for living.

It is personal choice where to live.

stay in central jersey or north jersey. you can be in the city in 30-45 mins and your hotel costs will be about 100 per night even cheaper. catch is you would have to rent a car. pm me for details

 

[Keg]

stay in central jersey or north jersey. you can be in the city in 30-45 mins and your hotel costs will be about 100 per night even cheaper. catch is you would have to rent a car. pm me for details

Whatever you do, DON'T stay in Jersey if you can help it. I stayed across the river in Fort Lee (7 mins from Columbia) and because it was in a different state, there was a $40 minimum cab fare for NYC cabs one way, and the gypsy cab back (since yellow cabs can't pick up in Jersey) was $45 or so. Going over for dinner the night before and then the interview erased any savings on the room.

 

[bluehighlighter]

Ok guys,
I ended up staying at the Best Western Convention Center in Manhattan on 522 W. 38th street. This place was about 120 or so a night. 2 blocks from the subway. Comfortable, Clean, Wireless, Free Breakfast! 🙂

 

[Winged Scapula]

Whatever you do, DON'T stay in Jersey if you can help it. I stayed across the river in Fort Lee (7 mins from Columbia) and because it was in a different state, there was a $40 minimum cab fare for NYC cabs one way, and the gypsy cab back (since yellow cabs can't pick up in Jersey) was $45 or so. Going over for dinner the night before and then the interview erased any savings on the room.

You should have taken the train in, not cabs.

 

[Keg]

You should have taken the train in, not cabs.

Train from Fort Lee at the foot of the GWB?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Train from Fort Lee at the foot of the GWB?

Not from Fort Lee, but I was responding to the advice to never stay in Jersey. Frankly, you could fly into Newark, stay at one of the airport hotels and take the train in if the cost of hotels in NYC was too high. But yeah, you can't take the train across the GWB.

 

[Keg]

Not from Fort Lee, but I was responding to the advice to never stay in Jersey. Frankly, you could fly into Newark, stay at one of the airport hotels and take the train in if the cost of hotels in NYC was too high. But yeah, you can't take the train across the GWB.

Good advice. Wish this thread had been around before I made my NYC reservations... hope this info helps someone - thanks for it.

 

[Knight_MD]

Get a hotel close to JFK airport, you should find MANY under $100 a night (with a free shuttle from and to the airport). Then take a cab to and from your interview ($45 X2).

The whole thing (cabs + one night) should cost you less than $200, which is less than that astronomical $300/night figure.

 

[Treg]

I just got a 3.5 star hotel in Times Square (Millennium Broadway) for early January on priceline for 92/nt + taxes. It has good reviews on tripadvisor and is an awesome location.

Treg

 

[anomalii]

well...I dunno about safe, but I stayed at a hostel for $20 a night and used the subway. That is probably cheap as it will get. Albeit, it may be cramped and a bathroom may be shared with by as many as 6 people.

You can find hostels at kayak.com under "Hotels".

In retrospect, if I could afford to stay at a more expensive place, I would. It was way to crowded and uncomfortable. But if you go to kayak, you can sort the findings by price and probably can find a happy medium.