Priceline Hotel: Newbie to Times square in Peak season

[lrtravels]

Hi All,

 

Sorry another newbie to Priceline.

 

Im after a nice ( by this i mean, reasonably modern clean safe ) hotel near/in times square. Ideally 4 star..but this isnt a must if all is ok! Im fixed with dates between Oct 12 and Oct 23 would like 4/5 nights.

 

I think im too early to use Priceline or Hotwire am i correct? Tripadvisor advised me to book a cancelable hotel i thought maybe seton 3* then wait till nearer the time and try bidding then, would you say this is my best bet? I would like to spend no more than $200-$230 for a night. Am i being unreasonable?

 

Id like times square, but again if the area is safe enough it doesnt have to be smack bang central.

 

Thanks for your help

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

I think im too early to use Priceline or Hotwire am i correct?

This is not correct... while it may be too early, nobody can say if rates will come down, or move higher, between now and your stay, so it pays to check availability now and if you see what you know to be a good deal, then take advantage of it (as the same deal may not be offered closer to your stay)

For example, using our BiddingHelper.com i searched 10/16-10/20 and there is a 4* PRICELINE EXPRESS hotel offered in the MTW zone for $166/nite (Pets Allowed, Restaurant, Free Internet, Business Center).... while these amenities are common for NYC, my best guess for this one would be The Mansfield, which i believe would fit all of your criteria with an excellent location near Times Sqaure, and would be a very good deal for this time of year. Could rates go lower between now and your trip? Of course, but given it's high season in NYC and this rate is reasonable for this time of year, i think there is a greater likelihood that if you saw a $25 change in rates it would be to the upside and not lower.

If you do decide to wait you can use our sister site(s) RefundableRates.com to find a suitable back-up reservation... and then use RateDrop to get an alert should there be any lower rates for your specific dates available thru HOTWIRE, PRICELINE EXPRESS, or even 'named hotels'; but i do think the deal at $166/nite is one worth considering for purchase now. (feel free to share these resources with your friends as they work great for anyone choosing to 'wait and see' before confirming their hotel :) )

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

Let us know what you decide and how it goes or how we can be of further help.

[lrtravels]

Hi thereuare,

Thats great. Thanks so much for your time and all your info . I have to admit i think i should maybe widen my search area! Ive been very focused on Times square. That hotel you listed (if it was the mansfield) was just right! So i need to look closeley at the locations. Id be very happy to pay that price for that hotel! Like you say it may not be the one but..!

Thanks for the help i will do some area research and try and find some deals! Can you advise if Priceline/Hotwire are very different, ie should i search both in the hope. And it hotwire easier to try and guess which hotel you will get?

As long as the hote is in a safe area (are there many to avoid) Ive heard past a certain street 92nd? Is not as advisable or is this nonsense?

Thanks again for your time, much appreciated.

PS... Is there a rule for cheaper days? Ie Avoid Saturdays and sundays etc?!

Thanks!

[AaronJB]

I wouldn't want to go really into Upper East/Upper West from a hotel standpoint, as those are large zones and you could end up in a spot that's too far out of the way. Times Square is arguably the most popular/most "widely known" area, but it's also the most hectic and most expensive. Midtown East and the Empire State Building areas are not too far away and are often much cheaper. The only issue with MTE is that there are a couple of hotels towards the very far E border of the zone that are a bit inconvenient.

 

PRICELINE bidding: cheapest, but you have to be the most flexible. If you bid for a 4* (for example) in TS, you have to be willing to accept ANY 4* in that zone.

 

PRICELINE EXPRESS: Listings with prices, amenities, star rating and zone. The information given can sometimes help narrow down what hotel or hotels it may be.

 

HOTWIRE: Listings with prices, amenities, star rating and zone. HOTWIRE offers more information than PRICELINE EXPRESS, therefore is often easier to narrow down what hotels are showing.

 

There is no better day. Rates are very date specific and bidding is done on very much a case-by-case basis (one Saturday can be vastly cheaper than the next, prices can be very expensive one day and cheap the next, etc.)

 

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

[thereuare]

As noted above rates are date specific, but in NYC as a very general rule (which can easily be broken or not the case for your specific dates) weekends (Fri-Sun) are usually less expensive than mid-week (Mon-Thur nites)... as midweek has both tourists and business travelers (the latter of which are often price insensitive), where as weekend dates there are substantially less business travels which leaves only the tourists to drive up demand/hotel rates.

NOTE that in other locations (such as a beach location or Las Vegas) the opposite can be true, although (again, generally speaking) Sunday nites are typically the slowest nites of the week for most hotels, as many tourists have already headed home and the business clientele have not yet arrived.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

Let us know once you're ready to commit to a purchase and move forward, as any hotels that are found now may not be the ones that are offered (or the prices may be substantially different) once you're ready to move forward.

[lrtravels]

Thanks for the run down there any explanation.

 

I think im happy to use the PL express. Prices seem to be a bit better than HOTWIRE...at the moment anyway. I also can have a small guess and try and work out where it is etc.

 

I Now like the sound of the Midtown West as i guess its very slighter cheaper and still quite a convenient location!

 

Interesting about the weekends thank you.

 

Yep i will definitely be back when im ready and try and get some help finding some places! I think im going to do the express when i pick.

 

Thanks for the help

[AaronJB]

Please provide the details (zone, star rating, price, amenities) if you would like us to try to ID a PRICELINE EXPRESS listing.

 

Thank you for keeping us updated with what you decide and let us know if you have any additional questions.

 

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.