Thespian

Needed a hotel for one night, fairly convenient to the Theater District, as we're going to see West Side Story. Wanted to avoid the known "clinkers" in various zones, so went for 3.5* in MSG area, as the Affinia Manhattan is the only hotel we've seen in that category. My wife used to stay in Affinia hotels a lot on business (back when they were called Manhattan East Suites) and loved the big rooms and kitchen equipment. First bid was $95. Priceline countered with "add $22" (why is it always $22?). I'm wise to that game, so I added Chelsea (only 3* and below) and rebid $100. Success! It's possible that I could have gotten it for a buck or three less, but I'm happy. The location is good and the reviews are excellent. Lowest direct rate for my date is currently $180 with AAA membership or $199 without. Used the PRICELINE link from BetterBidding, of course.

My best guess would be Stay, on 47th Street between 6th and 7th. It gets good but not great reviews; the chief complaints are the small size of the standard rooms and the noise from the bar downstairs. I'm seeing $199 for your dates on Hotwire, which is no bargain, as you can get a "medium queen" room on the hotel's own website for $190, whereas you'd likely get a "standard full" via Hotwire.

Forgot to mention: The bed was slightly swaybacked - we could feel the slope toward the middle - but otherwise "just right" as Goldilocks would say, not too hard and not too soft. The pillow was likewise "just right." The lowest non-opaque rate I found at this hotel for our dates was $171. I would have considered the room a poor value at that price (many NYC hotels were offering promotional rates of around $150), but it was a very good value at $100.

After years of learning the ins and outs of Priceline and Hotwire, I thought I'd shot myself in the foot. I was planning to surprise my wife with a NYC trip for our anniversary (Memorial Day weekend) and booked a really nice-looking place for $149. Then we suffered financial reverses that made me decide to economize where possible (I had bought theater tickets so couldn't cancel the trip entirely). I saw that someone had bid $100 on a 2.5* hotel in the Empire State Building area and been upgraded to the 3.5* Affinia Dumont - an incredible deal. Granted, it was for different dates; but regular rates for my dates were fairly low, so I decided to place an identical bid and hope for the best. When I saw that I'd "won" the Jolly Madison Towers, my heart sank. It's gotten some really negative reviews on TripAdvisor - and I wouldn't be surprised if I'd overbid for it, too. Long story short: we both liked it fine, and we had our usual great time in NYC. It helped that I'd read the reviews and had braced myself for the un-jolly front desk clerks. Sure enough, they acted as though it hurt their mouth to say "Enjoy your stay" - but you don't spend your vacation chatting with the desk clerk. Similarly, the doormen never opened the door for us - but the doors had a power assist, and we didn't have to worry about tipping. My biggest worries were of getting a room that was smoky or had twin beds, as I'd read that the clerks could be difficult about changing rooms, especially on Priceline reservations. Fortunately, we got a queen room (#1266) that wasn't smoky at all. It was definitely a "Priceline room" - barely bigger than the bed - but it didn't feel claustrophobic, due to a strategically placed window. The only smoke we smelled was once when we opened the window; we quickly shut it and relied on the efficient A/C to air out the room. Everything was clean. Everything worked, though TV reception could have been better. The minibar was just a stocked fridge - no sensors - so we could shove things around to make room for some leftover cheesecake. The shower wasn't very forceful, but hot water always came up within seconds. The towels were thicker than I'm used to in budget hotels. The location is great if you don't mind walking a few blocks to the nearest subway (Grand Central). It's at the corner of Madison and 38th, a quiet neighborhood by Midtown standards. Traffic driving over a steel plate bothered us at night until we turned the A/C unit to "fan only," which masked the intermittent noise very well. We avoided the hotel breakfast and didn't go to Moonstruck (across the street) either - we had breakfast at Burger Heaven, a couple of blocks north on Madison, which is two bucks cheaper than Moonstruck for a full breakfast. They have fresh-squeezed orange juice, which is to me what Starbucks is to many people. There's also a small grocery store in the hotel building, which has coffee (behind the cashier), packaged muffins, chilled juice, etc. To sum up, it worked fine for our needs. I'm not sure I'd bid on a 2.5* in NYC again, but it was certainly better than I expected.

I bid this on a whim, hoping to get the fantastic upgrade to the 3.5* Affinia Dumont that someone got for a stay two weeks later than mine. No such luck - but that's the chance you take when you use PL. At least I got a hotel room in NYC for $100 on a holiday weekend. I was dismayed at first by the very mixed reviews on TripAdvisor, but soon realized that the worst of them were several years old. It sounds as if things have improved. Used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link, as always.

Got this on the first try. Used the PRICELINE link from BetterBidding. NH Hamburg-Altona Stresemannstrasse 363-369 Hamburg 22761, Germany $65.00 x 2 = $130.00 + $30.05 taxes & fees = $160.05 (the lowest rate I could find for my dates was $109 on Orbitz) When I saw the hotel name come up, I was initially dismayed, as it's not in the central tourist area. But after spending some time on the excellent website of the Hamburg Transport Association (www.hvv.de) and looking at the Google Maps link on the hotel's TripAdvisor page, I felt better. The hotel appears to be about a 10-minute walk from either of two stops on the S1 rail line -- the line that goes to the airport. (Trains run every 10 minutes.) And it's a 4-minute walk from a major bus line. The HVV website has a "Personal Schedule" feature that lets you type in two addresses and calculates the best route; it even gives the walking time at both ends of the trip. The hotel is less than an hour from the airport, and only half an hour from the sights we want to see. There are only 7 reviews on TripAdvisor, but they're generally favorable; several mention the cleanliness of the rooms and the nearness to public transport.

Got the 4* Crowne Plaza London-Heathrow for the night of 6/19/09. Hotel rate: $54.00 With taxes and fees: $68.63 Amenities listed: Fitness, Pool, Restaurant, Business, High-speed, Golf Used the HOTWIRE link, of course. Thanks for the info on the board; knowing that reasonable hotels at Heathrow were available helped us make the decision to book a daytime flight from the US to LHR, then get a good night's sleep before continuing to the Continent.

You may be interested to know that a 4* with those amenities is now showing at $129 for your dates. I was searching for similar dates and saw it for a similar price. Because the Crowne Plaza has been going in the $180s lately, I searched your dates to see if the price for mine was a fluke or a possible error. But it looks as though rates really are down. Hotels often lower their rates as they get closer to the dates in question (though of course they could raise them too, or even stop making rooms available to PL and HW -- it depends on what they think their occupancy rate will be). If this is indeed the same hotel you saw yesterday, it may be an instance of this. We don't know for sure that this is the Crowne Plaza, but it's a good match given the data we have. Further, I don't think there are any real clinkers among the 4* Times Square hotels that have shown up on Hotwire lately. I'd probably be happy with any of them, especially at prices like these.

What a coincidence! I had just looked on Hotwire and found what appears to be this same hotel at $113 for my dates in May. I came here hoping to ID it and found only your query, so I did a filtered search on TripAdvisor. The stats are a match for either the Radisson Martinique (49 West 32nd) or the Grand Union (34 East 32nd). My best guess is the Martinique, as I think I've seen it come up on Priceline before, and the Grand Union is generally considered a 2-star (though star ratings are wildly inconsistent as we know). Both get generally good but not great reviews. I'd say either one would be a pretty good deal at these prices.

Just to give you an idea of what's out there: Hotwire has a 3-star hotel in the Chelsea - Madison Square Garden area available at $139/night for the entire 10 nights. Based on the amenity icons, my best guess would be that this is the Wyndham Garden Chelsea West on 24th Street. It's not a particularly romantic hotel, but it's certainly a step up from what you're used to. It's near a subway stop at 23rd (where Broadway crosses Fifth Avenue), which puts you two stops from the 8th Street-NYU station (NYU is apparently the headquarters for the CMJ Music Marathon). Not necessarily saying you should book this now. You can often save a few dollars (or get a fancier hotel for about the same money) by using Priceline rather than Hotwire. The tradeoff is that with Priceline it's much harder - sometimes impossible - to guess what hotel you'll get. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice.

New York hotels are very expensive compared to most cities. In very round numbers, $100 is about the least you should expect to pay for a clean room in a moderate-to-good neighborhood in Manhattan. That's at any time of year, from any source including Priceline. (Question: Is your figure of 40 to 50 pounds per room or per person? I know that European hotels sometimes quote per person. All the rates on Priceline and Hotwire are per room.) In addition, you'll be visiting at the most expensive time of year: from Thanksgiving week (the fourth week in November) through Christmas. It's simple supply and demand; thousands of people want to see the Christmas lights and store-window decorations, attend the holiday show at Radio City Music Hall, and take advantage of NYC's amazing variety of goods for their Christmas shopping. Midtown hotels routinely charge $300 or $400 a night, and even real dumps go for close to $200. I looked at HOTWIRE for your dates, and they're currently showing a 3-star hotel in the Chelsea - Madison Square Garden area for $139. Based on the amenities, this is likely the Wyndham Garden Chelsea West. Reviews on TripAdvisor are mixed but generally favorable. The neighborhood has improved greatly in recent years, and the location is convenient for shopping and sightseeing. Based on experience, I'd say this is as good a deal as you're likely to find in Manhattan. The other option is to find a hotel in New Jersey near good public transport into Manhattan. The Administrator (thereuare) and some of the frequent posters can tell you more about this.

By coincidence, I went to lastminutetravel.com yesterday to research New York City hotels. I noticed that they'd gone opaque and wondered whether they hope to become as big as Priceline and Hotwire. I also noticed that they list a huge number of 1-star and 1.5-star properties, and that their 3-star hotels tend to be the less favorably reviewed ones. I had hoped that LMT might become a third viable opaque site, but based on their selection of hotels, I'm not holding my breath.

Coming home from PA to Boston after Thanksgiving, we usually stop in Allentown/Bethlehem or northern NJ. But I had a hunch NYC would be affordable that Sunday night, and it's been years since we were able to see the Christmas decorations (and toy train layouts) :). I jumped at this Hotwire 3*, as I was pretty sure which hotel it would be and I didn't want to take my chances on Priceline. Used the HOTWIRE link from BetterBidding. Holiday Inn Express New York City Madison Square Garden 232 West 29th Street New York City, New York 10001 (212) 695-7200 $113 + $24.26 taxes and fees = $137.26 Amenities: Complimentary Breakfast, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business Lowest regular rate I found was $270 (surrounding nights $369). I think this is a pretty good deal at 58 percent off an already low rate. Figuring in the value of the breakfast, it's about the same money as the $92 I paid for the Hilton New York during the post-9/11 hotel slump (and, of course, a much deeper discount -- the Hilton's direct rate was only $159). Thanks to thereuare and the posters who contributed the information that enabled me to nab this one. Although I'm a fairly experienced bidder, I don't think I would have risked a 3* this cheap in NYC without having some idea of what it was. Incidentally, the same deal is still showing on HOTWIRE today (at $116; it fluctuates) if anyone else wants to take advantage of it. They're also showing what looks like the Paramount for $129, the Hudson/Novotel/Sheraton for $166, the Grand Hyatt or Barclay for $159, and Murray Hill Suites for $133 (all guesses, of course). Makes it worth taking Monday off!

For the New England Folk Festival in Mansfield, MA: Courtyard By Marriott Foxborough 35 Foxborough Blvd Foxborough, Massachusetts 02035 508-543-5222 $61 x 2 nights = $122 + $21.80 taxes and fees = $143.80 Lowest direct rate was $119; Hotwire is showing a 3* in Foxborough-Mansfield (which I suspect is the Courtyard) for $66. I was hoping for the Courtyard, as we stayed there this past April and were impressed. Got it on the first try. As usual, I'm not worried about leaving a buck or two on the table (heck, we do it for the maid). Used the PRICELINE link from BetterBidding.

Started booking our annual Thanksgiving weekend jaunt: Danbury Plaza Hotel and Conference Center 18 Old Ridgebury Road Danbury, Connecticut 06810 203-794-0600 $46 plus $13.16 taxes and fees = $59.16 I bid $46 based on rate info and my experience in this area. I got it on the first try, so I might have been able to start a few bucks lower, but I'm happy with this price. Lowest non-opaque rate I found was $167; HOTWIRE rate for the (assumed) same hotel was $49 last week and $55 today. Used the PRICELINE link from BetterBidding, of course.

Got this on the first bid, which I wasn't expecting based on my experience bidding for 11/27, when I had to add Trumbull-Shelton. On the November bid, I got bumped up to 2.5* and the Courtyard Shelton; I was sorry to lose the free breakfast, but the Courtyard is as great as everybody says, and the breakfast was good and not too pricey. This appears to be a new addition to the BetterBidding hotel list. Lowest direct rate for 12/23 is $79. Used SavingsBarn link.

Bid $45 for a 2* in Stratford-Milford - rejected Bid $50, added Trumbull-Shelton - accepted with upgrade to 2.5* (this after "your bid has only a small chance of being accepted") Courtyard Shelton, 780 Bridgeport Ave. - total charges $63.69 for 1 night (11/27/05) This is great - the Courtyard (formerly Ramada, recently refurbished) gets rave reviews on TripAdvisor. Lowest direct rate is currently $79. Used savingsbarn.com link. Addendum: After reading the post by heinous on August 12, I think it's possible I could have gotten this one for $45 just by adding Trumbull-Shelton as a free rebid. But rates do change with time, and we'll never know for sure.

Lion King continues to sell out after all these years. They do sell standing room tickets on the day of the show ($20 orchestra, $15 mezzanine) if they're completely sold out of seats. A good website for checking "rush" and standing room ticket policies is here. Most rush tickets require a student ID, but a few don't. Depending on the show, you either go to the box office when it opens or put your name in a hat a couple of hours before showtime. Above all, don't buy Lion King tickets online from anyone but Ticketmaster (you can reach their website directly or from the official Lion King site). They charge face value plus a few bucks "convenience charge," but it really IS convenient -- you can sit there and try different dates and see what kind of seats are available, for an hour if you like (MUCH longer than a phone rep would be willing to deal with you, I suspect). Other online sources are resellers, and prices will almost certainly be much higher. I checked, and good seats are currently available for Saturday night, Oct. 2 (other performances should be even easier to get). Note that Lion King isn't performed on Monday or Tuesday. Have fun!

Another thought: You can sometimes show up at TKTS late in the day and avoid the line. I went there twice around 6:30 p.m. (midweek) during the first week in June, and both times I walked up to a window with no wait. All shows were available except the hottest ones (Avenue Q, Wicked), which according to the TKTS website wouldn't have been there anyway. Our seats for Wonderful Town were just OK (orchestra, near front but way on the side), but for 42nd Street they were ideal (mezzanine, near front and center). I tried the front-row lottery for Avenue Q (names go in a bucket starting at 5:30, drawing at 6:00), but didn't win. There were about 50 people trying for 12 seats.

Hi, Keoni... Hotels in Midtown West are asking ridiculous prices for that week. Even on Hotwire, anything decent is in the $300 range. My suggestion would be to consider Midtown East. The Millennium UN Plaza is showing a promotional rate of $199 on their website ($212 on Hotwire!). When their rate is that low, they've historically come up on Priceline for a bid of $130-$140. That works out about the same as your Hotel Pennsylvania backup, and the UN Plaza gets much better reviews. It's a 10-minute walk to the nearest subway station (Grand Central), but the M27 and M50 crosstown buses go right by the door. Both buses run west on 49th Street and east on 50th. In addition, the M27 makes a loop around the Theater District. Good luck, and enjoy your visits to NYC. It's a truly great city. I grew up there and visit often, and I find that a week is never enough to do everything I'd like. (Broadway shows at half price are one of the planet's top entertainment deals. And the Staten Island Ferry offers a view of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty that is literally priceless...it's free!)

If it were me, I'd hop on the downtown D train, get off at Columbus Circle and walk in Central Park...or better yet, get off at West 4th Street and walk around Greenwich Village. Both are vibrant areas and great for people-watching. Central Park has a serene feel to it, even on a crowded day (we did it on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend). There are wooded paths, a carousel, a small zoo with a pretty good cafe, a lake with rental boats, a model sailboat pond, etc., etc. The Village has lots of small shops, cafes, and pubs as well as lovely tree-lined residential streets. Either way, your only problem will be keeping an eye on the time.