first timers in New York

Hi, me my mum and sister are going to New York in October and have decided to stay at the Hampton Inn, Times Square. But I have a few questions if you could help me.

First of all i%26#39;ve read here that you also have to pay a tax on top of the hotel price advertised, how much is this and is it included in any booking sites? for example i had a look on hotels.co.uk which offers the full price for 5 days at 拢899 which i think is $1,773.10? I take that this is before tax?. then expedia.co.uk offers the same room for 5 nights at 拢1,230.72 - $2,427.25? does this include tax? as the room rates are the same on both sites! also would the full amount including tax be taken when booking or when arriving at the hotel?

2. this may be a really stupid question lol but the hotel states it has wireless interent access, and some photos have pictures of a laptop on the desk in the room, i%26#39;m wondering if the rooms have computers which to use or is it internet access you can hook your own laptop up to?

3. Also regarding the hotel are there any particular rooms or views i should ask for when booking? I %26#39;ve read about people requesting certain corner rooms and views at different hotels, and wonder if anyone who%26#39;s stayed here knows which rooms and views this hotel has are the best.

4. Searching in the forums i%26#39;ve seen people advising to leave double the tax as a tip in resturants. What percentage is this? do the resturants add their own tip on the bill or do you decide yourself how much to leave, also do you tip in coffee / bagel places such as starbucks for example?

I%26#39;m sorry there are so many questions but it is out first time in New York and i really want to have an idea before we go. I%26#39;ve searched on the forums but can%26#39;t find the particular answers i need!

Thankyou for any help you can give me.

first timers in New York

New York sales tax is currently about 8.5%. There may be a ';hotel tax '; on top of that. Always read the fine print. If it doesn%26#39;t say included, you can bet it is not. So double the tax is about 16-17%, a fair tip. You do not have to tip a Starbuck counter person. ( Though they all have a tip cup if you want to drop in spare change). If you sit down in any restaurant and have a waitress or waiter there you have to tip.

Can%26#39;t help you about the rooms, but generally ask for a quiet room. Be nice to the front desk person and ask for the best rooms. Specifically ask if the room has any view at all. It is a tight squeeze in NYC and many rooms in even finer hotels will face an air shaft or the wall of the next building. Always ask to see the room before you drag your luggage upstairs. And by the way when you shop in our department stores, even if they are ';discount'; you do not get undressed in the aisles. That is what dressing rooms are for.

Wireless usually means if you bring your own computer you will be able to get on the net. Some hotels have business centers where they will briefly let you check your email. Unfortunaltely the computer access is a way to make money and you may have to pay per minute.

If you want to fit in, remember NYC is a cosmoplitan city. Only tourists dress in short shorts on the street. If you want to look like a local dress accordingly( usually this means black, an easy color for travel.) New Yorkers are very willing to help and are really quiet friendly. You can always ask if you are lost or need advice. We love to give advice. Have good time

first timers in New York

I will leave 1 through 3 for others. With #4, the tax in restaurants is 8.375%. Doubling that gives you 16.75%, which is an acceptable tip (a minimum acceptable tip is 15%, although 20% is appropriate for pretty good service.) Thus, with both the tax and the tip ADDED TOGETHER you will pay something like an additional 1/4 of the price of the food.

Restaurants will add the tax, but unless they note it otherwise on the menu or the bill will NOT add the tip -- you need to do that. As noted, if the service -- not the food, not the decor, not anything BUT the service -- was even passably acceptable, you really do have a social obligation to leave a MINIMUM of 15% of the bill before tax (you do not pay a tip on tax!!) That is why doubling the tax is so popular -- it saves the trouble of doing the math.

One does not ordinarily tip when served over a counter, such as in a deli or a Starbucks or a McDonald%26#39;s. Even if the employees have a ';tip jar'; on the counter, you can ignore this shameless ploy with an entirely clear conscience.

Thanks for your help so far! i%26#39;m making notes of everything so i don%26#39;t forget the tips people are giving me!

I just read that post about the stripping in the store to try on pants now lol. I can assure you none of us are the kind of people who would dream of doing that sort of thing in public lol so that%26#39;s fine. Thanks also for the style advice i%26#39;m again not someone who would wear the particular tourist clothes lol of the tiny beige coloured shorts and tight t-shirt. You can tell them a mile off even here where i live! I would probably be in black and dark colours or jeans most days. Are there any particular dress codes for evenings in certain bars or clubs? or would that just be smart casual? I think i%26#39;m starting to get a better idea of the tips etc and i will probably do the double the tax thing seeing as i am absolutley useless at any kind of mathematics!

Re dress codes: very few restaurants and venues have formal dress codes. In NYC, it%26#39;s more important to be neat, clean and ';put together'; than wear a tux or gown.

This is another touchy subject for this forum, esp re what to wear to a B%26#39;way show. You don%26#39;t need top hat %26amp; tails, but you probably shouldn%26#39;t dress ';like you%26#39;re going to pump gas'; either (as someone once posted here.)

That being said, when attending the theatre, more important then dressing up, follow these rules: show up on time, put on some deodorant, go to the restroom beforehand (esp with kids), turn off cell phones, don%26#39;t talk or sing along during the show, don%26#39;t kick the seat of the person in front of you, and don%26#39;t unwrap noisy wrappers. (You%26#39;ll be amazed how often people don%26#39;t follow these little guidelines.)

I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;re all lovely, respectful and hygienic people, so nothing personal! ;o)

#2 no way - that pic just indicates that if you bring yours you can hook it up - wired or wireless. If you bring a laptop the front desk will provide you with a card that can be used for both complementary wired and wireless Internet access.

#3 - ask for a room facing 8th Ave - rooms in the back are view obstructed by a huge new condo going up. Corner rooms have 1 king bed and a queen sofa pull-out bed

1)The hotel tax amounts to about 15%. I say ';about'; b/c there%26#39;s an occupancy tax per night so the added tax fluctuates based on the length of your stay, but it usually comes to about 15%. To figure this out, take the total cost and multiply by 1.15 (sorry if I%26#39;m being too basic) I can%26#39;t account for the difference you mention b/w the 2 websites but you should look for details on the websites. How can the room rates be the same? Many UK sites include tax while few if any US sites do. WHY wouldn%26#39;t you look at the price on the hotels%26#39; own website and compare?? Or better yet, PHONE them and ask what the best they can offer would be. If it%26#39;s not as good as what you%26#39;ve seen, tell them. A site like kayak.com will also tell you who should have the cheapest rate for the hotel.

2)Places that have wireless do NOT give you a laptop. The wireless is for you to use with YOUR laptop and there may be a charge for this. But many hotels do have a business center or other area where there are computers for you to use, again, perhaps for a fee.

3) Corner rooms are usually larger and not near elevators

4) Tax is 8.375% so doubling it for the tip is 16-17%. Some restaurants DO add the tip so you must be sure to look. Many restaurants that do big business with tourists have taken to including the tip. River Cafe does this.

I don%26#39;t tip in Starbucks or places where you wait on yourself but they all have tip cups and some people do. There are DOZENS of previous posts on tipping. Do you realize there%26#39;s a search function for the forum just above?