What is a budget hotel room, anyway?

For some, it is the cheapest available space that is clean and safe. For others, it is finding the best location and amenities at an affordable price.

When you finish forging your own definition, New York will stretch and challenge it.

According to HVS International's 2008 Market Overview, the average nightly price for a hotel room in Manhattan is $299 USD. That's up from $232 just two years earlier.

At certain times of the year (Thanksgiving and holiday shopping periods in December are two examples), that average rate rises closer to $400/night.

These figures are unlikely to fall significantly. Let's play amateur economist for a moment.

Demand is there: Occupancy rates in recent years have been the highest since official surveys began in the 1920s. Supply could increase, but the high rates are largely justified by the real estate costs and taxes innkeepers incur.

New York offers plenty of ways to spend top dollar. Hotels are but one of them. Check out budget tips for visiting New York and you will navigate a way to make it work.

It's very possible to find a budget room here if you are willing to look. There are at least three such types of hotels in this city that never sleeps.

One is a no-frills establishment with hostel-style rooms and/or an absence of luxury comforts.

A second type offers more comfort at a higher price than the budget places.

A third alternative has many full-service amenities but at a price that still falls below that $299/night average.

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