Big Apple hotel prices skyrocket ahead of New Year

New York may be officially the most popular place in the US to spend New Year, but travelers will still be paying through the nose for the privilege, according to one website.Staying in the Big Apple in 2012 will cost revelers up to 700 percent more than normal, price comparison site NewYorkHotels.org said this week, after calculating the costs using hotel booking sites Expedia, Priceline and Orbitz. On average, the 50 properties that have room availability are charging more than triple their regular rates, the website calculated.Earlier this week, Priceline.com revealed that it has seen a surge of interest among travelers wishing to spend New Year's Eve in New York, which pushed Las Vegas off the top spot for New Year's Eve destinations for the first time in seven years.That seems to have led to something of a booking frenzy, with one two-star hotel in Brooklyn reportedly pushing up its nightly rate from $119 to $1,000 for the night and none in the center charging under $500.Visitors who want a bite of the Big Apple action without the sour taste should check out accommodation close to JFK Airport, suggests NewYorkHotels.org -- staying there can yield room rates of $200 a night and the 24-hour AirTrain provides an easy link to Times Square.However, would-be visitors who don't have to be there over New Year should consider visiting between January 6 and 15, when the city's first Hotel Week gets underway, offering discounts for eight city hotels with rates from as little as $100 plus taxes.