Average N.Y. Hotel Room Over $200

New York City, which is posting more visitors than ever, is expected to set another record in 1998: average hotel room rates above $200 for the year. Even at those prices, room availability is tight this fall and winter, especially in October and early December, experts say.

PKF Consulting, a New York-based hotel consulting company, reported that Big Apple room rates averaged $201.54 through July of this year. Autumn typically brings even higher rates and higher occupancy.

“It’s going to be extremely tight, especially on weekends,” said Bob Diener, president of Hotel Reservations Network, a discount booking service that handles 130 New York hotels. He said occupancy rates are in the “high-90s” percent range. Best chances for rooms are at airport hotels and independent lodgings, rather than chains, he added.

New York City had 33 million visitors in 1997, its most ever, up 13% from the year before, the New York Convention & Visitors Bureau reported; in the U.S., only Orlando and Las Vegas logged more people. The bureau expects 1998 visitors to top 34 million.