1

1) You need to define "decent" and "reasonable."
2) Avoid Airbnb, VRBO, and similar sites. Short-term apartment rentals are illegal in NYC unless the apartment owner stays with you in the apartment.

2

I suggest airbnb.com it has worked very well for me. You might search previous threds here as well as there has been a lot of talk about this.

3

Check out these FAQs

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=90989&start=256

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=90989&start=249

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=90989&start=268

In addition, and I provide warnings but take no responsibility, I got USD100 a night at The Hotel Carter near Times Square. I had a great experience BUT you should look at tripadvisor. My room was clean neat and tidy and renovated; I found the staff to be polite and helpful and experienced, none of the problems others speak of but they can't all be psycho liars or competitors. I got there at 2PM on a Friday and asked for a renovated room.

I'd give it a second go at the price if I was travelling alone; I wouldn't if I had my gf with me. I've stayed in worse at a higher cost in Manhattan (The New World in Chinatown for example).

4

Thanks for the tips everyone!

We ended up booking a really cute little place in Queens. An entire apartment, close to the train, for USD/80, via Airbnb!

5

Which train?

I'm going to give you one final warning a la #1.

The police have been cracking down on illegal short term rentals in Queens. They are putting "guests' out on the street with no where to go. So your cute little apartment in Queens might be a bad mistake. Last week we watched them evict someone from the co-op building across the street. The only suggestion the police had was to try to see if they couldn't get time on the computer at our local library and book someplace legit.

6

Websterella, would you please provide a link to a news story about this eviction? I know there have been a few evictions of tenants from illegal conversions and also hostels but I don't find any stories about airbnb type renters being kicked out without notice.

7

Not Webs' story (not everything is written up as a news article), but still indicative:

This guy got kicked out during his stay.

This community patrols listings.

And this should be read for the comments, in which the landlord explains the reasoning behind an eviction.

8

bzookaj, the story at your "This guy" link is a little too pat for me. It feels to me like a guy who was either looking to do a hit piece on airbnb or someone without a clue about how to use the airbnb service properly and didn't really want it to work in the first place. Real Estate, hotels and rentals is the biggest business in
NYC and many people are heavily invested in it. Airbnb and similar sites have changed the rules a bit about how it works and many people in NYC and elsewhere don't like it because it is costing them money or it threatens to do that. But it also gives most of us more choices and potentially lower prices, thus more freedom. There are many people out there who seem to want to scare tourists away from airbnb. Why? Because they really care about tourists? Or, is it that they have an interest in real estate or the established tourist business that might be hurt by the freedom, and lower prices, that airbnb offers people? Is there a risk to using airbnb? Yes. And it is largely manageable by the way someone uses the tools the site has developed. Is there a risk to booking a hotel in NYC? Yes, and it is manageable to a certain extent and it will probably cost more money. Another BIG attraction that airbnb has for me is the personal connection that you can have with the owner, the warmth and friendliness of sharing someone's home and the local information they have to share, makes it all VERY worthwhile for me and I will pick it over a hotel most of the time. The downside, for me, here is that as airbnb gets more popular it will also get more expensive.

9

I didn't see any news cameras outside the building so I'm doubting there was one.

And just because people list things on airbnb doesn't mean they're not illegal rentals.

What don't you get about that? As a NYC apartment dweller I feel very uncomfortable with the knowledge that one of my neighbors could be renting their apartment out to strangers.

People have been kicked out of my building for violating the short term rental laws as well.

Edited by: Websterella

10

Your continual insistance that this is some mad hotel conspiracy is just as ridiculous as those you say are "scaring people" away from airbnb.

The facts of the matter are that this type of renting is illegal with few exceptions in xNYC, and people are evicted (evidenced by Webs and my links). No amount of your "It's just a hotel plot to scare people" is going to fix that.
If you have a problem with it, I suggest you take it up with the mayor.

Feel free to promote airbnb all you wish, but please do not advocate or tell others to ignore the potential for illegal activity.

11

airbnb is a great source for rentals. BUT NOT IN NYC!

12

Thank you!

13

the Pod hotel

14

Frugal Traveler NYTimes