KatiesMom

I'm seeing this all the time on hotwire, but never in their packages. I have checked a bunch of sources..nada. Wish I knew what theis one is. Anyone bold enough to take one for the team????

Change in plans. My boss has "convinced" me to give the Park Plaza one more try. Since it's his nickel I said okay. I'll report back on the experience. Hopefully with pix. Thanks everyone for your input, I appreciate it.

Thanks for the comments all. I sent the boss an email with my proposition but he is away till after New Years, so hope to get the okay when he is back. In the meantime, the price dropped today from $109 to $106 on HOTWIRE. Liking it better every day. :)

I'm coming to Boston for a convention for three nights 2/8-2/11. My company is booking a block of rooms at the Boston Park Plaza (the convention site) for $123 a night. Stayed there last year and they gave my husband and me a dreadful room (his feet were too long for the tiny bed)... while single people in our group were given nicer rooms with a king bed...go figure... So I see on hotwire what appears to be the Hyatt Regency Boston for my dates for $109. My company will pick up the cost as it is virtually the same as the Park Plaza when you add in the fees. I've read reviews on here and Trip Advisor. Sounds pretty good to me. I also have a Hyatt passport which doesn't get points on these stays but does usually get good treatment and upgrades if available. Any thoughts on this or alternatives to consider? Thanks!

Back from that very quick weekend trip. Had a wonderful time. The Grand Hyatt treated us right. Got two non-smoking rooms with king beds, which is what we wanted. Very quiet and comfortable. Had brunch at Cibo which is on 2nd Ave. at 41st Street, about three blocks from the hotel. Excellent. Radio City Christmas Spectacular...also excellent. Here are some pix. http://good-times.webshots.com/album/556348642gegxYI

Thanks Thereuare, Ess a Bagel it is! Also, for others who also get the Grand Hyatt... I have a Hyatt Gold Passport preferred customer card. After getting the bids, I waited an hour or so then called GH and gave them my card #. I also requested the type of rooms we want (both with a King bed and non-smoking). The reservationist said no problem. Good idea to get a card. You can do so by registering online.

I decided to test the priceline waters at the last minute for a hotel stay this weekend (I had cancellable back-ups). Needed two rooms for one night 12/9/06. I figured The Grand Hyatt was in play based on the winning posts on this board plus hotwire is now offering what appears to be the GH for $309 a night for 12/9 (I've been checking for the past month and today is the first day it appeared). This is the exact area I wanted to stay in as most of our activities are in this neighborhood. I went to savingsbarn.com... Bid 4* $180 MTE, rejected added UES and bid $190, rejected added UWS and bid $200, accepted for the Grand Hyatt. I've stayed here before and am very pleased with this rate!

Woodbury Commons is about an hour away from New York City and would probably cost at least $100 one way for a taxi. Not advisable. Take the bus. Also, keep in mind it is an outdoor mall, meaning all the stores have entrances on the outside. there is a lot of walking involved. It gets very cold out there. There are malls closer in New Jersey. A cruise in a limo? I assume you don't mean a boat water cruise, but a tour by limousine? You may want to post your question on the New York City board at Trip Advisor.com, that's where a lot of visitors ask about tours. Responses are usually very quick. Some upscale restaurants require jackets for men. Many restaurants have no dress code other than shirts and shoes. Reservations at this time of year are necessary for upscale restaurants.

The Grand Hyatt, which you are showing a match for is in Midtown East and very convenient to Grand Central Terminal and transportation. I've stayed there and it is a nice hotel. Agree that you might want to consider bidding on priceline to see if you can get it for less. Also, the Drake is gone (went condo). We can tell Thereuare when he comes back.

That's very odd... Woogo is a very unscrupulous real estate subrental company, a/k/a Your Stay. If you want to read more about it go to the New York City board on tripadvisor.com and plug in woogo in the search feature. To my knowledge, Easyclicktravel has nothing to do with woogo, anymore than any other travel site. You might want to post this query on the Off Topic: Run of the House board to see if anyone can translate Pickwickeze.

I agree with Dahammer, prices are high for your dates. But if you want to give priceline a whirl... before you start bidding look at the pinned hotwire hotel list for 3* properties. Some of the hotels (The Paramount and Hudson come to mind) have very very small rooms, just big enough for a bed. Also remember priceline guarantees sleeping only for two people which in NYC often means one bed. You can pick a zone you like, such as Midtown East, and bid $150, then if rejected add another zone such as Midtown West (so you are bidding on two zones) and up your bid amount by $10. You can keep doing this until you run out of acceptable zones or you reach your maximum.

Are you looking for just one night 11/11? And what is the maximum you are willing to spend?

I'm coming to New York that weekend also, it is considered a "blackout" time meaning there are very very few deals as most hotels are full and have waiting lists. It is all about supply and demand. A week later and prices go back to normal rates and there are bargains to be had. You can try bidding priceline. You could start with 4* MTW for $290, if rejected go to $300 and add MTE, and so on, gradually adding a zone and increasing your bids by $10. At the end, add in UES and UWS one at a time, as those are your free re-bid zones because there are not any 4* hotels in those areas, so it is like getting more bids in the same zones. If you want a nice 3.5* hotel, the only I know with halfway decent rates is the Affina 50 (affinia.com), and that is around $500. Sad, but true.

I've stayed at the Grand Hyatt via a priceline bid and they are pretty nice, however, when they are full...they are full... so to get a little advantage... I highly recommend immediately signing up for their frequent guest program on their Web site, if you aren't already a member. It's free. Then when you get a customer #, call the Hyatt back and ask them to add that to your reservation. That gives you a bit more standing with them.

Looks like that 3.5* property is the Hudson? if so, just be warned, very small rooms.

The airports are a dreadful haul into midtown. You might consider staying in New Jersey at something like the Hyatt on the Hudson in Jersey City which is right next to a PATH train line that is one stop in to lower Manhattan and about 20-30 minutes to midtown.

I believe the travelzoo Intercontinental deal for Thanksgiving is sold out (though it isn't mentioned on the site.) I am not the right person to give bidding strategy, but I would start with 4* only and pick one zone and gradually increase the price by $10 adding a new zone, and then the free re-bid zones, till you get to your maximum. If that fails, close your browser and start again with the 3* hotels... (but you won't have th e free re-bid zones.) On affinia.com, a studio suite at the Eastgate Tower is available for your dates for $918 total for all your nights.

There are several inexpensive, women only residences in New York. One is called the Brandon at 340 West 85th Street. It offers two meals a day, and accepts long or short-term stays. Another is called The Webster. Visitors have written about their stays on the New York City chat board at TripAdvisor.com. If you post a question there I am sure you will get responses.

Even though I have already booked something, I am always on the prowl... and I noticed the Central Park zone on hotwire... For 12/9/06, one night, there is a 2.5* in CP, for $375, amenities include complimentary breakfast, business, fitness.

Hotwire has a Central Park zone. I was wondering what hotels are there, didn't see them on this list. Thanks.

Thereuare is so right. I visit New York often and there is no place I dislike more then Times Square. I call it a "fishbowl" because it is extremely crowded and congested. You know the saying, it's a great place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there? That's Times Square. After staying in Times Square once (Crown Plaza) I never have again. It was just insane walking out the front door. There are much nicer areas to stay in that are more convenient.

trentslori, OMG! These prices are something else... One of my thoughts was the prices are so high because the places are actually full but don't want to advertise that...but since someone actually won something on priceline...maybe not...just may be supply and demand to the nth degree. I did not get my rooms from priceline. I got them from the hotel directly and they have no more vacancy for those dates, I snagged the last two rooms. I have a feeling it is going to be very crowded that weekend...but I'm ready!

Thereuare, thank you for the bidding strategy. I was able to book two rooms (one with one king bed, and one with one queen) at the 3 West Club, a private club, near Rockefeller Plaza and across from St. Patrick's Cathedral, for $205 a night for each room. There is very little written about this place as a hotel, although the function room at the club has its own Web site. I believe it may once have also been known as the 5th Ave Club as well. The few reviews about it I have been able to google are all good. I suspect this is equal to 3* in caliber, supposedly nice size rooms but no room service. RS is not something I want anyway. So for that rate, I am happy and for now will stick with this deal. Prices for this date are absolutely obscene. Dumps (i.e. Hotel Penn) are going for $450 a night. I honestly do not know who in their right mind is paying these rates. What country is getting such a good return on the dollar that these prices make sense...? TrentLori, hang in there and good luck. I am also going to keep my eye on things to see what progresses. I have to believe some inventory is going to come into play at some point.

My post has a typo and should read 12/9 - 12/10 not 12/20, the stay is just one night. My max bid was $200 but after contemplation it is now $230. No back up yet, working on it. Probably won't stay overnight if can't get something within price range. To clarify my first post, I added each zone as I went along, did not bid them just individually (except first bid).

I need two rooms, 4* level, for one night, 12/9 - 12/10/06. Rejected up to $180 in all zones. Through savingsbarn.com, I linked to priceline today and bid: MTE $150, then added MTS $155 MTW $160 UM CPS $165 UES $170 UWS $175 Last resort: DT/SOHO $180 Prefer midtown but will take downtown if necessary. Would also take Millennium UN Plaza but it has been downgraded to 3* and other 3*s are too iffy. Need to stay at $200 or under per room, per night. Any ideas or alternatives? Thanks!