Big Apple Hotels Combat Higher Taxi Fares

NEW YORK— Two hotels here are attempting to ease the strain of recent taxi fare hikes by giving guests rebates. The Jolly Hotel Madison Towers is offering guests a room rebate of up to$20 daily when they show same-day cab receipts for trips in New York City. The offer is good from now through Sept. 6 on minimum two-night stays. Rates at the hotel start at $189 per night, single or double occupancy. The Clarion Fifth Avenue Hotel is taking $.10 per mile off rack rates for every mile a guest travels from home to the hotel from now through Aug. 31. For example, a 250-mile trip from Washington, D.C. to New York results in $25 off the rate, bringing the price down from $180 to $155. The hotel will deduct up to $50 off the rate. To obtain the reduction, guests must show proof of residency and print out a Map Quest form that shows the miles from their home address to the hotel.