Hotel bookings and prices are inching upward, too. Times Square hotels in particular are up 55 percent in searches, and neighborhoods like Chelsea, Central Park South, Union Square, and Herald Square are all also seeing spikes.
Searches for hotels in New York City during the last two weeks of December are up 25 percent year over year, according to data from Expedia Group, which is also the parent company of Vrbo, another short-term rental booking platform. The city’s clampdown on Airbnbs and other short-term rentals seems to be part of what’s sending interest in hotels soaring.