Expedia says they can get you room and board in NYC for $58 a night. ... best of all NO ROACHES!!!

I guess I know where the "board" came from then...

How much would you really expect for $58 a night in a market like new york? You ain't even getting a Super 8 or a Motel 6 for a rate like that.

You'd be lucky enough to get clean beds and a lock on the door.

I went and looked on hotwire and found 4 star hotels in mid town for about $250 a night. I would rather fork over another $200 than stay in a roach infested hostel.

@bohemian: Problem with hotwire is the hotels ratings are a bit hard to pin down. I think the hotels may even rate themselves. We once booked through them for a hotel in Syracuse and then (same trip) Toronto. 4 star rating. The one on Syracuse was a Ramada, maybe 2 stars. The one in Toronto was certainly worthy of a 4 star rating. Caveat Emptor

@bohemian: even with 4 stars you're absolutely not guaranteed a roach or rodent free room. Take for instance the pest horror stories you always hear about Hotel Penn. Granted it's not a 4 star place, but you expect a little more than a Motel 6.

A lot of this has to do with the building location in Manhattan. The example above is right across from Penn Station (I used to work in a building on the next block which was also susceptible to numerous infestations - it may be the proximity to all the tunnels). Generally it seems that in Midtown and below, you will find more rats on the West side (at least from what I've observed and heard). I hear few if any horror stories about accommodations on the East Side. There are even a few reputable East Village bed & breakfasts, which I would probably choose if I was a tourist hell-bent on staying in Manhattan. Otherwise you can also find decent places in the outer boroughs.

I went to New York about a month ago, and I stayed in the Comfort Inn in Long Island City in Queens, and it was very affordable. The room was always clean, and we always had fresh towels. The people who worked there were very friendly as well, and they have a free breakfast bar every morning.

The best thing is that the Queensboro Plaza subway station is just a block away, and while the neighborhood might be deemed "industrial," I never felt unsafe. (The hotel is also about a block away from Silvercup Studios where many popular TV shows are filmed. I don't know if you can tour or anything, but it's neat anyhow.) From the hotel, you can get to Times Square in 15 minutes.

So, if anyone here is thinking about going to NYC, definitely consider the Comfort Inn in Long Island City!

I'm curious to know how these sites can offer a New York room but mean New Jersey... it's an entirely different state!

Roaches would be a welcome addition compared to bedbugs. Save $100 on hotel charges, yay! Pay $4,000 to have your newly bedbug-infested home deloused, boo!
Kind of skeevy for Expedia on this point, as well as not using the (flash) tag to notify visitors that they'll be sleeping in summer camp style.

@shadowboxer524: You were reading my mind! ;) Unless you have serious $, you're not finding *anywhere* in Manhattan decent to lay your head (that may or may not have bedbugs in it...). Areas in Queens are a good place to start looking. Buying a Metrocard and getting familiar with the subway is recommended.

For $50, you can ask a homeless person to rent you a dumpster.

@ceejeemcbeegee: It's an ethical stance. They know that the roaches won't try to mug you in Jersey, like they do in NYC.

Then again, Jersey Roaches are more likely to cut you for looking at them funny.

@Amy Alkon: Are you kidding? A good 30-square-foot dumpster in Chelsea now goes for at least $300/night.

"Since we're talking about ultra-budget hostels here, a good review actually includes the phrase, 'best of all NO ROACHES!!!'"

This reminds me so much of my adventures checking Craigslist apartment ads against reviews on apartmentratings.com.

@shadowboxer524: Good advice. I noticed more motels and inns being built in my neighborhood more recently. Thankfully, most of them are being built on locations where the previous buildings were either unused or abandoned outright. Suppose it's better that those spaces be made available for better uses.

Don't be fooled though. Long Island City used to be industrial when I was a young kid and its legacy is still visible by huge, imposing factory buildings.

But now, it's definitely commercial and slowly becoming upscale residential. I don't think it'll be the same neighborhood I know in 5 years or less.

Please, did you ACTUALLY think Expedia was using truthful advertising??? Anyone who books through these clowns is a moron. Same for the others. Book directly with the hotel or airline, you'll get a better deal and eliminate the middleman

I suspect, from the way Expedia labels their regions, that the pricing does include certain parts of New Jersey - the hotels are listed as "New York City (and vicinity)."

IMHO, I've yet to see a clean place ANYWHERE in NYC. I don't understand the allure of that city.

I agree Spatula -- please stay away and tell your friends to do the same.

@freejazz38: Not necessarily a better deal. I just got back from a weekend, booked the hotel through Expedia @ $117 per night. Booking directly with the hotel would have cost $189 per night. It was not a dump, it was a cool historic hotel in a small town.

HOWEVER, that being said, it's just like anything--do your research and have a good idea what you're booking.

On the other hand, I never book blind through hotwire. I only use hotwire to book in towns I am very familiar with. I can usually figure out which hotels they are quoting on the blind bookings if I am familiar with the town. Otherwise, their ratings are a joke.

jebus, yeah, you mean people book through expedia without even researching the place? I even google map it out with satellite and streetview and won't book if the area looks skeevy.

We stayed at the Gershwin (one of the hotels mentioned) in 2002 - it wasn't that bad, but then, again, we paid a little more to get a private room. It seemed like just a funky euro-trashy hostel/hotel to me.