With Latest York’s congestion pricing plan indefinitely delayed, traffic into Manhattan this summer is ready to be gridlocked as usual.
But travelers staying in a few of the city’s top luxury hotels can avoid the highways altogether.
Announced Tuesday, Marriott International Luxury Group is providing free helicopter transfers from John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport from July 1 to Sept. 2.
The transfers can reduce transportation time from the airports into Manhattan to as little as five minutes, the corporate said.
The flights, operated by the urban air mobility company Blade, can be found for guests staying no less than two nights in certainly one of the six Manhattan hotels:
- The St. Regis Latest York
- JW Marriott Essex House Latest York
- W Latest York – Union Square
- The Latest York EDITION
- The Ritz-Carlton Latest York, NoMad
- The Luxury Collection Hotel Manhattan Midtown
Helicopter transfers land at certainly one of two helipads in Manhattan: Blade Lounge East on East thirty fourth Street or the newer Blade Lounge West on West thirtieth Street, where a automobile service waits to drive guests to their hotels.
The catch
To avail this perk, entry-level rooms won’t suffice. Somewhat, guests must book a certain kind of suite at those hotels.
With hotel room rates in Latest York at record highs due to migrant housing and a ban on Airbnb short-term rentals, suites at Marriott’s five-star luxury hotels won’t come low cost.
A Marriott representative told CNBC the “Liberty Suite” at The Ritz-Carlton NoMad typically costs about $3,500 per night.
A round-trip transfer on a Blade helicopter between JFK or Newark Liberty and Manhattan starts at $390 for the fundamental fare and increases to $500 for a “Maximum Flexibility Fare.” Ground transportation to and from Blade “lounges,” or helipad locations, are an extra $180, he said.
Marriott’s summer-time perk includes each services, in accordance with the representative.
Travelers who’re staying in rooms — relatively than suites — in certainly one of the six named hotels aren’t completely out of luck, nonetheless. These guests are eligible for discounts on Blade’s services this summer, the representative said.
Blade began operating on-demand helicopter services to Latest York-area airports in 2019, several months ahead of Uber Copter. On the time, one seat on a Blade airport transport service was $195.
Uber Copter ceased operating in 2020.
