Priceline Hotel: NYC 5/20-5/24/2015

[yfs]

My GF & I are planning trip for dates above - the week leading into Memorial Day weekend. I have been to NYC before but only briefly (long ago and With others making arrangements); this will be her first time ever.

For budget reasons, we plan to drive rather than fly, so the major decision is where to stay. Having done some reading here and elsewhere, it seems that if Manhattan isn't in our price range, then SOME Metro-friendly locations in Long Island City/Queens or Brooklyn might be agreeable (or maybe New Jersey, but with greater concern about spending too much time "commuting" into the city each day).

4 nights, 1 room, 2 adults. Prefer private bath. Will need parking for the duration (do NOT need in-and-out, just 4 days at a location secure enough for peace of mind). Budgeting $750-1000 total for Lodging AND Parking combined (including taxes) - with the higher figure more palatable if it means a Manhattan stay.

Given the above, my initial questions:

Is the plan achievable at that budget? (and if only partially, what seems our "sweet spot"?)

What implications do our constraints offer for Bidding vs. more conventional booking? (e.g, Should we avoid Priceline for anything off-Manhattan?)

Would you advise for/against NJ/Brooklyn/LIC options?

Avoiding the illegal (and dark-gray) options of private apt rentals, are there options we might consider in the B&B type realm (e.g., have seen a few Brooklyn listings which seem like neighborhood B&B with free parking, etc., which seem too good to be true)?

And, naturally, if Priceline bidding remains an advisable option, what specific strategies and tips would you offer? I'm familiar with your zone bidding strategy (at least as it relates to Chicago zones circa 2009), but don't know its value/applicability for this situation. If you convince me to make NJ a focus, I can post in that forum too.

Did I omit any crucial information? Just ask! (Oh, our specific planned activities are mostly mid-town or Central Park area, aside from a Stat Lib tour and weather permitting walking the Brooklyn Bridge, hence a willingness to pay a little more to stay closer to there).

Thanks

[thereuare]

If you recall (or can still view in your purchase history) please follow-up your previous Chicago thread with the dates of that stay so we can complete the topic title of that thread.

For the trip above, what is your desired star rating? From what direction will you be traveling to the city from?

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.

[yfs]

I will look for my 2009 Planner calendar and add those Chicago dates when I find them. May take me a few days, but I will!

For this trip we'll be driving from Michigan, so through Ohio and Pennsylvania, along I-80 etc. I guess that suggests New Jersey as the logical alternative to Manhattan (vs Queens/Brooklyn), from the driving POV, if that's why you ask...but not sure how to narrow NJ down for us.

Star rating? 3 or better would be nice, I guess. 4 Stars seems a bit much to expect, at our price point. 2.5 or 2 is probably acceptable IN Manhattan but not outside -- unless it's the only way to get into our price range at all (I think we can straight-book Long Island city for $135/nite)... And I wonder if we'd see savings from bidding vs. simple booking at that stage?

Trip focus is on sights and activities, and with only 3 full days location trumps luxury, beyond basic safety & sleep.

That being said, if 3 stars or better were realistic in midtown or Upper East or West side @ $1000 (4 nights, incl. parking + taxes, etc, so what's that, a $140-$150 per night PL bid?), we'd probably choose that over $750 total for 3+ stars in NJ//Brooklyn/Queens. But it would be struggle to go much past the $1000 total and make the whole thing work.

IF this tired response is insensible, I can clarify tomorrow. Thank you!

[thereuare]

You can likely get something within your budget inside of Manhattan...

PRICELINE EXPRESS has this 3 star ESB for $152/nite (confirm your dates on the landing page)... the only amenity showing is 'Pets Allowed'; my guess for this property would be the Nh Jolly Hotel Madison Towers. The bed type shows that it only has a Double/Twin bed, so it will be small/tight quarters, but it's within budget at $755 all-in (excluding parking, which i'm assuming can be had separate from your hotel for ~$30/day). Assuming $30/day the right number for parking, you could even upgrade to the Duluxe room for $178/nite ($881 all-in excluding parking)

So if this is acceptable you could take this offer, OR try to beat it by bidding on PRICELINE (for any hotel, not specifically the same one as above). If you want to try bidding, would you be willing to increase your budget up to $180 for a 4* hotel OR would the goal be to try to beat the $152/nite for a 3* property?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we will take it from there.