Food & Lodging

New York Encounter Cultural Festival 2012 event runs from  Friday, January 13 - Sunday, January 15, 2012:

On-site Dining

A restaurant on the lower level of the Manhattan Center will offer a variety of food and drink during the event. For your convenience, a coffee corner will be available all day long.

Accommodations

Please be aware of customer reviews rating.
When booking, make sure the special rate is applied.
The following hotels have agreed to special group conditions, and are holding a block of rooms, for people attending NYE 2012.

• New Yorker Hotel (4 stars)
  481 Eighth Avenue (at 34th Street) (next door to NYE)
  Special rate: Must book by 12/29/2011  
  Taxes and breakfast not included
  $169: Queen room (one queen bed) up to 2 people
  $169: Doubles room (two double beds) with 2 people; add $20 per person for 3rd and 4th person
  $249: Suite (2 double beds and a pull-out sofa bed)
  Cancellation penalty: 1 night rate + tax, if cancelling less than 3 days before check-in
  Reservations using the group rate:
  - by phone: 1-866-800-3088, then mention group name “New York Encounter” and code CGNEN
  - online: availability does not show correctly. Please call to make a reservation.
  NOTE: If you have difficulty booking, please contact the in-house reservations department. Use group code CGNEN to make your reservation. They can be reached at 212-971-0101, ext. 1698 and are normally open until 6 PM Monday-Friday and until 4 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
• Affinia Manhattan (3.5 stars)
  371 Seventh Avenue (at 31st Street) (0.3 miles to NYE)
  Special rate: Must book by 12/21/2011  
  Taxes and breakfast not included
  $155: Guest Room (two double beds) with 2 people; add $20 per person for 3rd and 4th person
  Cancellation penalty: 1 night rate + tax, if cancelling within 24 hours of check-in
  Reservations using the group rate:
  - by phone: 1-866-246-2203, then mention hotel location, and group name “New York Encounter”
  - online: click here
• Hampton Inn Times Square South (3 stars)
  337 West 39th Street (west of 8th Avenue) (0.3 miles to NYE)
  Special rate: Must book by 1/1/2012
  Breakfast included; taxes not included  
  $149 Queen room (1 queen bed) up to 2 people
  $159 Double room (2 double beds) up to 4 people
  Cancellation penalty: 1 night rate + tax, if cancelling after 1/1/2012 
  Reservations using the group rate:
  - by phone: 1-800-HAMPTON, then mention hotel location, and group name “New York Encounter”
  - online: click here, then click “Book a Room” (make sure you select your actual dates; the rate is available from 1/10 to 1/17)
• Jolly Hotel (3 stars)
  22 East 38th Street (.75 miles to NYE)
  Special Rate
  Breakfast included; taxes not included
  $105 single room, 1 person
  $115 double room (1 king or 2 queen beds), 2 people
  Reservations using the group rate:
  by phone 212-802-0632, mention special rate New York Encounter
  by email resnyc@nh-hotels.com, mention special rate New York Encounter
• Hotel Pennsylvania New York (2.5 stars)
  401 7th Avenue (at 32nd Street)(0.25 miles to NYE)
  Special rate: Must book by 1/2/2012
  Breakfast included; taxes not included 
  $89: One Double (1 double bed) up to 2 people
  $114: Two Double (2 double beds) up to 4 people
  $114: Three Twin (3 twin beds) up to 3 people
  Cancellation penalty: 1 night rate + tax, if cancelling within 24 hours of check-in (Please notice that this hotel has some negative web reviews)
  Reservations using the group rate:
  -by phone: call 1-800-223-8585 and specify group name "New York Encounter"
  -online: click here, enter Group Code “NYE11212"

The following hotels/hostels do not have a special negotiated rate with New York Encounter; for your convenience, they are listed here as other inexpensive options that you may want to consider. 

• Chelsea Star Hotel and Hostel (2 stars)
  300 West 30th Street (at 8th Avenue) (0.2 miles to NYE) 
  Affordable 3-queen bedroom with private bathroom 
  Also has extremely inexpensive accommodation in shared dorm room with shared bath (pay for each bed) 
• The Gershwin Hotel (2 stars)
  7 East 27th Street (at 5th Avenue) (0.8 miles to NYE)
  Extremely inexpensive room with 3 bunk beds, private bathroom, no towels, no TV, no locker, no phone; must be 18 or older
• Hostelling International New York (84% overall rating from 488 reviews)
  891 Amsterdam Avenue, NY (3.9 miles to NYE)
  Inexpensive accommodations in shared dorm rooms. Government-issued photo ID is required to check in. Internet access, TV, and card phones available. Towels for hire, lockers for a fee. This property has a 1 day cancellation policy equal to the first night of your stay.
• Hotel 17 (2 stars)
  225 East 17th Street (at 3rd Avenue) (1.6 miles to NYE)
  Inexpensive rooms for 1, 2, or 3 persons with shared bathroom

Transportation

The Manhattan Center is close to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Penn Station, New York Waterways Ferry Terminal, and the New York City Subway. The New York City Subway's A, C, and E lines stop at 34th Street and 8th Avenue and the 1, 2, 3, and 9 lines stop at 34th Street and 7th Avenue.

Babysitting

A service of babysitting will be provided on Saturday, Jan 14 from 2:00pm to 7:00pm and on Sunday, Jan 15 from 2:00pm to 7:00pm

• The service is open to children of ages approximately 3-12; little children will NOT be accepted if they are not potty-trained
• The location will be in a room at the New Yorker Hotel, which is next door to the Manhattan Center
• Parents will be required to sign their children in and out; a cellphone number is required at sign-in
• Acceptance of children is subject to space availability and is not guaranteed
• Priority will be given to children who reserve ahead of time; walk-ins welcome on a "first come first serve" basis

In order to reserve a spot for your child, fill out the online reservation form at: http://tinyurl.com/nye-babysitting-2012