New York City hotels are notoriously expensive, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t good deals out there if you’re willing to be flexible.
For a little last-minute overnight in the Big Apple or a staycation for locals, The New York Edition, one of the chicest hotels in town, has a few weekend nights in August bookable for less than 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, plus a handful of other nights in August requiring less than 60,000 points. This is a steal considering that for the rest of the year, there isn’t an award night for less than 70,000 points, with most nights well over 80,000 points.
As you can see on the booking calendar above, the nights of Aug. 11 and 18 are both priced at 46,400 Marriott Bonvoy points. On Aug. 11, the lowest cash rate (with taxes and fees) is $591.02. If you book with points, you’ll be earning 1.27 cents per point, well above TPG’s August 2024 valuation of 0.85 cents per Marriott Bonvoy point.
While that Sunday night is the best deal, the nightly rates from Aug. 8 through Aug. 11 are all below 55,000 points, meaning you can spend multiple days at one of the best hotels in New York City and save a significant sum.
For folks who have Chase Ultimate Rewards points (earned through cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, among others), know that there’s currently a 70% transfer bonus to Marriott Bonvoy. Since Chase points transfer to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio, you can book those 46,400 Marriott Bonvoy award nights by simply transferring 28,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Just note that TPG’s August 2024 valuation of Chase Ultimate Rewards points is 2.05 cents per point, so 28,000 Chase points are worth about $574, which is about $17 less than the price of the Sunday stay at $591.02.
Say you want to book an entire weekend stay from Friday, Aug. 16, through Monday, Aug. 19. That’ll set you back 152,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, while the cash rate (plus taxes and fees) for the same three nights total $2,475.34. By booking with points, you’ll earn about 1.63 cents per point, which is significantly above our August 2024 valuation of 0.85 cents per Marriott Bonvoy point.
This is where that Chase Ultimate Rewards bonus really comes in handy. To get 152,000 Marriott points with the 70% Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer bonus, you’d need to transfer 90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points. With TPG’s current August 2024 valuation of 2.05 cents per Chase point, 90,000 points are equivalent to $1,845, meaning you’d save over $630 for this mid-August weekend stay at The New York Edition compared to the $2,475.34 it would take to book with cash.
What it’s like staying at The New York Edition
Located right off Madison Square Park in Manhattan, The New York Edition is a trendy hotel set in a historic clock tower that was the tallest building in the world for a brief period of time in the early 20th century. Today, the building is filled with glamorous furnishings and boutique touches commonly found at Ian Schrager’s Edition Hotels, including fur throws on the beds, heavy Le Labo scents pumped into the air and upscale restaurants and bars where locals and travelers go to see and be seen.
Right in the heart of the action, The New York Edition offers a perfect location for walking to nearby attractions like the Flatiron Building, the Empire State Building, Macy’s and Madison Square Garden. It’s also right by subway lines that will quickly take you uptown to Central Park and Rockefeller Center or downtown to Wall Street, the World Trade Center memorial and an area ideal for viewing the Statue of Liberty.
When else can you find a good deal in New York?
The cheapest time to visit New York City is in the quiet (and cold) months after New Year’s Eve, especially during New York City Hotel Week when you’ll typically find great cash rates throughout January and early February. Those deals are usually announced in late November or early December, so be sure to check back for our coverage.
But even without the city-sponsored savings, you can start planning a winter trip to New York City. If you’re open to skipping the chaos of watching the ball drop in Times Square, you can book The New York Edition for the first weekend in January for similar award rates as those available in August. The weekend of Jan. 3 has nightly rates from 54,000 to 58,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
Sure, it’s typically cold, but the streets are less busy, and the holiday lights are usually still up, so it’s a great time to enjoy the spirit of the season without having to fight your way past throngs of tourists.
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