PowerSearch.NYC, a new travel planning platform focused exclusively on New York City, launched publicly today with a mission to eliminate the hidden fees that have become a significant burden for travelers. The service addresses the growing practice of mandatory resort and destination fees that hotels often omit from advertised prices, which can add $50 to $100 per night to final costs. By collaborating with transparent booking providers and offering genuine NYC experiences, the platform aims to serve the approximately 62 million visitors who travel to New York City annually.
Founder Mark Karten developed PowerSearch.NYC after personally experiencing frustration with hidden fees that appear at checkout. The platform takes a direct stand against hidden fees by prominently showcasing hotels that do not impose destination or resort fees and clearly marking pricing structures across its entire selection. Its "No Destination Fee" category has quickly gained popularity among travelers weary of pricing tricks. The hotel database includes properties across all five boroughs, from luxury penthouses in Manhattan to budget-friendly accommodations in Queens.
Hotels are categorized not only by price but also by traveler type and specific requirements. Families can search for accommodations with connecting rooms and child-friendly amenities, while business travelers can filter for hotels with conference rooms and reliable high-speed WiFi. The platform's neighborhood-based search feature helps first-time visitors navigate NYC's geography, with detailed guides outlining characteristics of areas from Times Square to Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
What sets PowerSearch.NYC apart from traditional booking platforms is its integration of the entire travel experience. The platform has formed partnerships with top attraction and experience providers, including Tiqets, Viator, GetYourGuide, Fever, and Big Bus Tours. Through these collaborations, travelers can book Broadway shows with ticket prices starting at $56, skip-the-line tickets to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, entry to the Empire State Building observatory, and priority access to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Observation deck tickets to SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, Edge NYC, and Top of the Rock begin at $39.
The platform also offers museum and gallery access from The Museum of Modern Art to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, as well as ARTECHOUSE's immersive digital art experiences. Tours and experiences include culinary tours in Brooklyn, harbor sunset cruises, guided walking tours of historic neighborhoods, and workshops ranging from cocktail making to art classes. Contemporary attractions such as the Museum of Ice Cream, Color Factory NYC, and Arte Museum cater to social media-savvy travelers looking for Instagram-worthy experiences.
PowerSearch.NYC's search technology enables sophisticated filtering based on numerous criteria beyond basic parameters like price range and star rating. Users can search by specific amenities including pet-friendly options, bathtubs, balconies, kitchenettes, and pools. The platform's map-based search interface provides visual context for hotel locations, with distance indicators displaying walking times or subway stops to major attractions. User reviews are collected from various sources, offering balanced insights on each property.
The platform's design caters to ten distinct traveler personas identified through market research. These include families, first-time visitors, business travelers, budget-conscious Millennials and Gen Z travelers, special occasion celebrators, frequent NYC visitors, international tourists, senior travelers, group travelers, and extended-stay visitors. Each persona has unique needs that the platform addresses through targeted filtering and content.
PowerSearch.NYC operates on an affiliate marketing model, earning commissions when travelers book through the platform's partner network. Hotel bookings are primarily facilitated through HotelPlanner, while attraction tickets are sourced from multiple providers to ensure comprehensive inventory and competitive pricing. The platform imposes no booking fees, membership costs, or subscription charges on users, with revenue generated solely from partner commissions on completed bookings.
The launch comes at a strategic time for New York City tourism, with projections indicating visitor numbers will rise to over 68 million by 2025. Initial user testing revealed that travelers utilizing the platform reduced their planning time by an average of 60% compared to piecing together information from various sources. Customer satisfaction ratings were particularly high among first-time visitors and families, who valued the educational content alongside booking functionalities.
At its core, PowerSearch.NYC is founded on a philosophy of radical transparency in an industry that has increasingly obscured true costs. The platform's pricing displays include all mandatory fees upfront, and when resort fees cannot be avoided, they are clearly disclosed before users proceed to booking partners. Comparison tools showcase total costs rather than artificially low base rates designed to mislead. "Trust is paramount in this industry," Karten asserted. "We would prefer a smaller customer base that trusts us completely over a large base that feels manipulated."
