Using Hotwire, North Bergen (NJ) - Rockland County (NY) zones, there is a 2* property that looks like the Wellesley Inn for $60, the amenities include: Continental Breakfast and Guest Laundry. Walk out price is $ 72 a night and there is no mention of high speed internet. Note that there is a Wellesley Inn located in Suffern, NY which appears to be the same zone. Even though I am on Eastern Time, I agree with you and don't like to drive too far to my first meeting. Thereuare is right in that the traffic in the morning is moving southbound and going north you should not hit much traffic.
Also, in the same zone, there is a 3.5 * property featuring the following:
Pool
Exercise equipment
High-Speed Internet Access
Tennis Nearby
Business Center
Laundry Facilities
This could be the Pearl River Hilton, a really nice property that I stayed in a few years ago, your Walk Out price is $86 per night, except you don't get the Wellesley Continental Breakfast! :)
Hope that you don't get a Huyndai Excel and have to tie your luggage on the roof; 4 people in a compact car with baggage for a one week trip?
You will be close to the Philadelphia Musuem of Art, the adult admission is $10, but on Sundays, the admission policy is pay what you wish all day. It used to be free before 1:00 PM, but budget cuts forced a change in the policy. You can run up the steps just like Stallone did in the film, Rocky !!! For the best Philly cheesesteak in town, check out John's Roast Pork, Snyder Avenue and Weccacoe Street, Philadelphia, 215-463-1951. Around the corner is Tony Luke's Old Philly Style Sandwiches, 39 E. Oregon Ave., Philadelphia, 215-551-5725. At Tony Lukes, order the roast pork sandwich with bitter greens (broccoli rabe sauteed in garlic) and aged provalone all on a hard Italian roll. Both are in South Philly near the stadiums.
For those travelling to the City of Brotherly Love, the following websites list events and things to do in the Philadelphia region:
http://www.phillyfunguide.com/calendar/home.do
this site also has an interactive map of BYOB restaurants in Philly
I have stayed here several times, always have driven in. They have a parking fee of about $10.00 but when I check in, I have shown my "Wyndham by Request" card and have not had to pay for parking. I can't guarantee this will still work for you as I have not stayed here in about one year, but you should sign up online at Wyndhams web site, its free. Also, this property has a shuttle to the airport, but I'm not sure why they do not show this amenity on Hotwire. If you are a light sleeper, ask for a room that does not face the Grand Central Parkway and airport, if possible, because the road noise and takeoffs may disturb your stay. If you are driving, and are adventurous, head into Flushing on Northern Blvd. and check out a Korean Barbecue Restaurant.
I used Savingsbarn.com and Priceline for a last minute, same day hotel stay, I wanted to stay in Jersey City a the Hyatt, but ended up in Secaucus at the Crown Plaza Meadowlands Hotel.
Selected Jersey City, my first bid was $66.00 for a 3* was rejected
Added Meadowlands-Rutherford area and bid $67.00 and was rejected
Added Secaucus-North Bergen area and bid $70.00 and was accepted
Crowne Plaza Meadowlands
Secaucus - North Bergen
Two Harmon Plaza
Secaucus, New Jersey 07094
201-348-6900
Check-In Date: Thu, Oct 21, 2004
Check-In Time: After 03:00 PM
Check-Out Date: Fri, Oct 22, 2004
Check-Out Time: 01:00 PM
Your Offer Price: $70.00
Number of Rooms: 1
Number of Nights: 1
Subtotal: $70.00
Taxes & Service Fees: $16.61
Total Charges: $86.61
I checked with the Holiday Inn Website, the best rate was $120 with their internet saver rate. I saved my company $50.00!! I think I'm entitled to a second Manhattan with dinner at Arthur's in Hoboken tonight!!!
You mentioned that you might want to attend a TV show, here is a website that lists shows that tape in NY and have free tickets http://www.americanatickets.com/tv/ Your group will probably be too tired from all that walking to get up early and be on the Today show with Katie, Matt and Al, but it would be a lot of fun!!
Make a sign for all the folks back home to see!
If you are running out of time, the LaQuinta Manhattan at 17W 32nd street between Broadway and Fifth has rates of $140 and $150, this is near the Empire State Bldg and close to subways. Its in the Korean part of town, and is about a 2* property. This may be a backup in case you are unable to secure 6 rooms. Without too much luggage, it is within walking distance to Penn Station. Check out some of the neighborhood restaurants, Korean BBQ for 12 sounds like a hoot and it won't break the bank.
Using Sidestep, the Radisson Lexington Hotel has a rate of $149 for the first 3 nights and $209 for the 4th and 5th night, 511 Lexington Ave, near 48th Street. This is for a standard room 1-2 persons, a Petite room is $139.00. I am not familiar with this hotel, but it looks like a good location not too far from the UN. This is a 3* property.
smatch,
I think that you may have difficulty for the weekend portion of your stay, so splitting your bid may be your only option. I did a quick check of a few properties near Herald Square (near Macy's, Madison Square Garden) the LaQuinta Inn is $189, wasn't able to check rates at Red Roof Inn nearby. The Herald Square Hotel only has rooms with shared baths for part of your trip. I stayed at the Herald Square hotel in June, making last minute plans, the rate was $140.00 for a room with two double beds and private bath. This Hotel is really a 1*-1.5* at best. (parking was a bargain at the time at $21.00 per day) and near many good Korean restaurants. Many of the Tourist Class hotels offering cheap rates do not have private baths. I also checked out hojo.com, the web site for Howard Johnson's, my sister stayed at the HoJo's near Penn Station last year and said that the Hotel was "OK". There is a HoJo Express on Houston street and I believe this is a recently renovated property, the Monday-Friday rate is $119. You should consider staying in Jersey City for the first part of your trip and then going to Manhattan on from Monday to Friday. The Path train station is close to the Candlewood, Hyatt, Doubletree, and Courtyard in Jersey City. Avoid the Super 8 on Tonnele Ave, its in a tough neighborhood. About the Crib......check out yard sales this weekend for a portable crib and take it with you since you plan on driving, this was a life saver for us many times, I am 10 years past that stage and in one week, my baby will become a teenager......
Back to Flushing, if you would like to stay in that neighborhood, check out the Sheraton, it is in the "heart" of the Asian community in Flushing. One of my colleagues stayed there about a year ago and we met for dinner. I asked the desk for a dining recommendation and the clerk produced a list with 9 out of 10 being Hunan, Szechuan, Malaysian cusine, all within walking distance. On another trip, I had dinner at Kum Gang San on Northern Blvd a good Korean Barbecue. There is a municipal surface parking lot across the street from the Sheraton if you just want to visit the neighborhood, and I'm sure that the hotel offers parking for a fee. I am not sure if this property participates in Hotwire or Priceline, but if you really want to stay in Flushing, the Sheraton is the place. I have stayed at the Wyndham Garden LaGuardia hotel using Hotwire, the rate was about $80 or so plus $10 a day for parking, but you will need a car to get around. Walking in this neighborhood is not recommended.
Hotwire is now at $72 for the Candlewood Suites
Hotwire has a 3* in Midtown South, amenities include a Kitchenette at the rate of $183 plus tax. From the Hotwire hotel list, this looks like the Murray Hill Suites. Your rate for 3 nights is $641 with taxes. Don't forget to pack a few cans of Vegamite!!! :)
I stayed at this property about 15 years ago, very convenient to the Metro if you are planning to go to the Smithsonian Musuems, I think the rate back then was around $95.00.......
Convenient location in Westchester County, but this 2* Hotel is at best a 1* and Priceline needs to revise their rating. This hotel has an Indoor Pool, excercise area, and has a Beefsteak Charlies restaurant attached. Continental breakfast is included and rooms have coffee makers, and Ironing boards. Upon check in, I asked for a room with a desk but the clerk wasn't sure which rooms had desks. I went up to the room and lucked out, getting a room with a desk, but immediately smelled a musty odor to the room, I called and asked if someone from maintenance could spay some lysol. This seemed to solve the odor problem. Although I had a desk to work on, the cord on the "two-line" phone reached as far as the middle of the bed. Even though I travel with a long cord to attach the phone's "dataport" to my modem, I was unable to dial out on my laptop as the clerk didn't turn on my phone for outgoing calls. A call to the clerk remedied this in a few minutes. Although I was able to make a phone call, (the phone was on the bed) the dataport on the side of the phone was not functioning properly and I asked the clerk to replace it The maintenance man came in again and switched my phone out, but alas, the new phone's dataport still didn'twork properly and I was unable to dial out with my modem. High speed internet was available for $9.95 a day, but the ethernet cable was near the nightstand, and across the room from the desk. WiFi internet access was available as well @ $9.95 a day and I was finally able to go online after lots of frustration via my wireless card. The lampshades in the room all needed to be replaced and the lighting in the room was terrible, only 60 watt bulbs!! The sheets and mattress pad were paper thin, and the bathroom had peeling paint in the shower area. In the morning, my request to resolve my problem with the phone was ignored. I attempted to irom my shirt, and proceeded to drip water all over it from a leaking, broken iron. All in all, I was not happy with the condition of this property, the condition of the room, or the way the staff responded to my requests. In fact, it seemed as if it was an impostion to get the morning desk clerk out of her chair to answer a question. Stay here at your own risk. The only positives that I can say about this hotel is that the coffee at the breakfast bar was great, the bath towels seemed fairly new, and come winter, bring the kids as they will appreciate the indoor pool and forget how threadbare the carpeting is.
Bid through Priceline
1 nights September 14
$55.00/night
Taxes and Fees: $12.62
Total Charges: $67.62
you might want to check out the Holiday Inn, it is on Lafayette Street, it looks like a nice walk to Attorney St.
The 2* property is probably the Best Western
Shuttle
Exercise Facility
Breakfast
Hi Speed Internet
Laundry Facilities
I stayed here in November and it is a fairly new property that is adequate for getting over jet-lag, not much more.
I stayed at the Ramada about two years ago, and at that time it was 3* and it featured:
Restaurant
Exercise facility
Business Center
Laundry
This is an older property and at that time, was in need of a renovation. I read somewhere that airport hotels get beat up faster than other hotels because of the turnover, guests stay one night and are out. This hotel is bigger than the Best Western and has a full service restaurant.
The 2.5* is a mystery, could this be the Radisson?? This would be more of a 3* property in my opinion. If so, this is a nice hotel as I had stayed here using another booking service about 6 months ago, my rate was around $95 or so....
Good luck with your bidding and let us know of your results......
Stayed at the Palmer House about 4 years ago for a trade show. This is one of the oldest, continuously operated hotels in the US. At the time, the hotel was in great shape and maintained well. The rooms were well appointed, but small. This hotel is centrally located and if you are flying into O'Hare, you can take the "elevated" train (not sure if this is the right name) to a station that is about two blocks from the Palmer House, the fare was about $3.00 or so. It was great whizzing by all of the cars that were stuck in rush hour traffic trying to get into town. Make dinner reservations now for a great steak house, Gene and Georgettis, one of the best independantly owned steak restaurants in the country.
Char, at this point, Jersey City is looking like a bargain. It looks like the Candlewood Suites has rooms at $66 plus tax and fees, $303.95 for all 4 nights on Hotwire. You can be a "bridge and tunnel" person for a few days and splurge on some other items while in NYC.
could this be the Renaissance Philadelphia Hotel Airport, in Lester, PA, just below the airport on Rt. 95?
Check the amenities, if it lists only a restaurant, this may be the Holiday Inn-Manhattan/ SoHo, 138 Lafayette St. I stayed here in March of 2003 for $105 plus taxes and fees of $22.95 through Hotwire. Parking was about $25.00. The rooms were small, bathroom was small. This is basically in Chinatown and I don't think it rates 3*.
Room Rates have definitely gone up in the past year on Hotwire along with occupancy rates. I read somewhere that NYC expected about 1 million tourists in August, that it was going to be a busy month. $275 seems high, but I have yet to stay in a 4* Manhattan Hotel. Check out Marriott and Hilton, they sometimes have specials in the Financial District during the summer....Make sure you get to Katz's deli on Houston St....only order the pastrami...the best in the city.....
I stayed at the Pearl River Hilton in August, 2003 thru HW, the rate was $71.00; with taxes and fees, $83.95. A really nice 3.5* property with the following ammenities:
Restaurant
Pool
Fitness Center
Business Center
Stayed at the Candlewood on St. Patty's day '04 thru HW, this was a 2.5* with Kitchenette, laundry and fitness center @ $63.00; with taxes and fees $78.00. Doubletree is a bit worn, they charge for parking, I think $10 per day, Candlewood did not charge in March. The Kitchenette is nice, a two burner stove and a full size refrigerator. Haven't stayed at the Courtyard yet, I'm not sure if they sell rooms thru Hotwire. Can't think of a single Marriott property that I have stayed in via Hotwire now that I think of it. Candlewood is a fairly new property and is close to the PATH train station ($1.50 bargain fare each way) or the NY Water Taxi. You will not get egg on your face with this one.....you will get an attaboy!!!
I think the hotels on Tonnele Ave. are 2* rated with minimal amenities, and it looks like these are found on the Jersey City Map...
4* Newark (Airport EWR) Wyndham
in Hotwire Hotels - New Jersey
Posted
The hotel restaurant is an outpost of the Shula Steak 2 chain, but I think they should be penalized 10 yards for the prices they charge for the quality of the steaks....If you are a bit adventurous, call the Spanish Tavern in the Ironbound section of Newark, they have a van that will pick you up and take you back to the Hotel. Great Paella and seafood, go for the whole Red Snapper, if available, you won't be disappointed.