New York City’s lodging industry has launched its annual NYC Hotel Week when more than 150 properties across the city’s five boroughs offer discounts and other promotions.
Despite its name, NYC Hotel Week actually takes place over several weeks from Jan. 2 to Feb. 12.
Why is a promotion needed for one of the busiest hotel markets in the U.S.? Julie Coker, president and CEO of NYC Tourism + Conventions, said the initiative aligns with her agency’s other promotional programs NYC Restaurant Week, NYC Broadway Week and NYC Must-See Week. NYC Hotel Week aims "to create an ultimate value period for global travelers visiting NYC and to boost tourism and hospitality businesses citywide,” she said.
Combining these programs has contributed to increased travel spending across New York City's five boroughs during the slowest tourism period each year, Coker added.
“With easy access via car or train from across the Northeast, visitors can experience the best of all five boroughs without peak-season prices or crowds,” she said.
The first two months of the year are typically the lowest demand period for New York City hotels. In 2025, January saw hotel occupancy of 70.1%, and February's was 73.4%, marking the lowest and second-lowest months respectively. Year-to-date occupancy for the market through November was 83.8%, with the highest monthly figure reaching 89.6% in October.
The first quarter of the year typically accounts for about 17% of New York City's total visitation, Coker added.
John Beck, regional director of IHG Hotels and Resorts, said the Crowne Plaza HY36 Midtown Manhattan in the city's massive Hudson Yards mixed-use complex originally joined the NYC Hotel Week promotion when it launched in 2022 because every hotel in town needed the business coming out of the pandemic.
As the industry has grown stronger and tourism has returned, participation in the program has grown to be more about giving travelers additional options for their trips to New York City.
“We’re fortunate to be in a prime location with strong demand drivers, so we don’t participate because we ‘need the business,’“ Beck said.
The Crowne Plaza HY36’s base demand is already supported by major events such as Professional Bull Riding and concerts at Madison Square Garden, the International Toy Fair, the Westminster Dog Show, and Knicks and Rangers games — all happening during the NYC Hotel Week period, Beck said.
“It’s always funny when we talk about ‘slow’ periods in New York City because our slow periods are still busy compared to other major U.S. markets,” he said.
While other cities conduct similar hotel promotions, Beck said “nothing compares to the sheer scale of New York.”
“We have the most vibrant and diverse hotel landscape, and we pair Hotel Week with Restaurant Week and Broadway Week," he said. "It truly gives travelers discounted access and incredible promotions to experience New York City at its fullest.”
And while business remains strong in winter, hotel operators say the city can still use a boost.
Justin Arest, owner of the Kixby Hotel in the Herald Square area, said early January through early February is one of the slowest stretches for New York hotels. Leisure demand to New York City drops after the holidays, and business travel hasn’t fully ramped up. Occupancy can fall noticeably without a coordinated promotion, so NYC Hotel Week “extends the hotel’s marketing reach far beyond what any single hotel could achieve on its own,” he said.
Kellie Ann Cahill, senior commercial director for Hilton's managed properties in New York and New Jersey, said the promotion is important for the Hilton New York Times Square and Tempo by Hilton Times Square because it not only supports demand in the market “but also delivers added value to our guests while fueling the city’s energy.”
Chris Rynkar, area general manager of Generator and Freehand Hotels, said the benefit goes beyond the exposure for his company's New York properties during the off-peak season.
“This initiative also allows us to support the city’s tourism ecosystem,” he said.
Arest described The Kixby's participation "as a commitment to the industry.”
He added that while recent rate growth has drawn attention, “inflation-adjusted ADR in New York City remains below its 2019 pre-pandemic peak, even as operating costs continue to rise.”
Does it work?
In 2025, the Crowne Plaza HY36 saw “great penetration” from the promotion, especially over weekends where upwards of 10% of guests were booked under the NYC Hotel Week offer, Beck said. Affordability seems to be top of mind based on guest feedback.
“They almost always mention the value of this time period combined with discounted Broadway tickets and the ability to experience participating restaurants at, in some cases, half the cost of what it would have been a month earlier,” he said.
The event helps expand the pool of travelers who consider their hotel, and many consider expanding their stays due to the perceived value they're receiving, Beck said.
“What’s another $200 a night in the grand scheme of things when staying at the Crowne Plaza HY36 Midtown Manhattan is an easy, seamless experience where I’m pampered and taken care of?” he said.
The Freehand New York normally expects an additional 500 bookings in correlation with the promotion, Rynkar said. In addition, it helps capture an entirely new wave of guests for who may not have considered visiting New York City during peak periods, when travel has become increasingly expensive and there is a heightened demand for hotel rooms.
Properties participating in the promotion submit results to New York City Tourism + Conventions each season, and The Kixby tracks its own numbers internally, Arest said. Bookings tied to the NYC Hotel Week rate code show clear incremental pickup between January and early February when compared with past years. The program, he said, “generates real, measurable business.”
Marketing NYC Hotel Week
The winter NYC Hotel Week promotion “is everywhere you look,” Beck said. He added that NYC Tourism + Conventions “does a wonderful job marketing it across the U.S. and around the globe.”
The campaign “reaches key feeder markets and manages to get this promotion into every living room, every travel blog, every podcast — they really amplify it,” Beck added.
At the property level, Beck said the Crowne Plaza HY36 promotes the campaign to its loyal guests who tend to stay during the winter period.
“Throughout the year, when we’re interacting with guests, we take notes on things they may want to return to New York for, and if any of those align with Hotel Week offerings, we reach out to them directly,” he said.
When NYC Hotel Week started, there were 120 participating properties offering 22% off standard retail rates and today there are more than 150, offering a 25% discount, Coker said. The program continues to grow in popularity and as of late 2025, there was a 33% year-over-year increase in traffic to the campaign's website.