deejub

I've bid over the past few days on PRICELINE for 2* in relevant areas on the northern half of the area at issue. The history for the last couple, in each case with the bid before the slash and the real cost after fees and tax after: May 25, 2010: Saddle Brook/Hasbrouck Heights 28/39.48 Added Paramus-Hackensack, 34/45.97 Added Teaneck-Ft Lee, 37/49.43 Mahwah-Ramsey-Allendale, 35/47.12 Added Woodcliff-Park Ridge 40/52.90 May 27, 2010 Saddle Brook/Hasbrouck Heights 35/47.53 Added Teaneck-Ft Lee, 38/51.03 Added Paramus-Hackensack, 39/52.20 Added Ridgefield (free rebid), 40/53.56 Mahwah-Ramsey-Allendale, 37/49.44 Added Woodcliff-Park Ridge 41/54.06 All of that failed. I tried the Secaucus - North Bergen area earlier up to a real price around $50 without success. I'm hesitant to try 1* on Price.lne as that, I fear, could bring in some utter dives -- even considering that for this trip, all I care about is a bed and a shower, preferably without bedbugs and roaches. (For examples of what I'd be worried about, check out the Royal Motel or the Lincoln Tunnel Motel.) Please advise if that's an excessive worry about 1*. In contrast, I would be just fine with the Red Roof or even the Super 8 North Bergen at the right price. (The equivalent would apply to some of the dives vs. the low-end chain places in the Fort Lee to Paramus strip -- it's just that I'm more familiar from years of driving Route 3 and 495 to the Helix with the no-tell motels on that route.) Everyone has their own view, I suspect, about when PRICELINE and HOTWIRE are worth it to them. For me, it depends on what I'm doing. If, as in this case, I need a bed and that's about it, I would have to save something substantial -- let's say $15. I've done that successfully several times in that situation. (See, for example, this topic.) If, in contrast, it's going to be a situation where I want to shoot for a better quality place at the same price (e.g. my wife is coming along or I'll be in the hotel a lot), that's a different story. Here, since an acceptable market rate place to crash for the night is available at a real cost of $67, I'd want something with a real price of $52 and down to start considering it. $44 on HOTWIRE is a real cost of $59 -- a savings of only $8 for a place that, if it's the Clifton Hojo, is slightly less convenient for me. (3, Tunnel, and through midtown, even at 4 a.m., is not as quick as 4, GWB, Triboro, plus the drive to get there on the way down is longer.) Again, I analyze way too much. :) I'll keep throwing lowball bids at PRICELINE until the day of cancellation just for the heck of it.

Following up -- this turned out not to be such a clunker. It was not terribly quiet (lots of groups of the younger variety), but it was definitely OK. The room was clean and quite decently appointed. On top of that, it shares a driveway with, by luck, the discount long-term parking company that I was going to use anyway. The area looks a bit scary (industrial, tucked behind the highway), but it's busy 24/7 and there was security. In the end, it was not only a quite acceptable deal for the night before the flight, but, in the end, a very good deal. (And yes, there was plenty of hot water.)

That Hojo definitely said no rooms on Orbitz when I looked as well as on Hojo's website -- must have been a res system glitch. My need is a bed and a shower and that's about it. I have a 6:15 a.m. flight out of LaGuardia the next morning, headed straight to a business appointment after landing, and I live about 3 1/2 hours from LGA (that is, just north of Albany). So I need a bed to park in driving down the night before and getting up in time to make the flight (like 3:30 if the overnight's in North Jersey, which seems the most logical choice. The other options -- Yonkers and areas that don't charge to park in Queens/Bronx -- would be more expensive with no substantial benefit). Cheapest Park & Fly option at LGA is $199, or about $240 after tax. Parking at offsite lot at LGA for the 3 days I'll be gone is about $55, so I'll save substantial $$ driving down as far as North Jersey and then driving to LGA before the flight, which would take from 20-45 minutes from anywhere in the area going from Fort Lee to Paramus via the GWB or, as a second choice, in the Secaucus-Meadowlands zone via the Lincoln Tunnel. My backup reservation, which can be canceled through 6/14, is at the Ramada Rochelle Park, priced at 58.65 + 15% tax = 67.45 (making a total hotel + parking real cost of about $123 as opposed to about $240). Of course, I'd like to do better or I wouldn't be here analyzing all this. :) Thanks! This is a tremendously valuable resource and it is greatly appreciated.

Newark (Secaucus - Meadowlands) 2*. Business center, laundry, high speed, restaurant on premises. Rate $44 6/16-17. 2/12 out of 5 TripAdvisor. Business center and restaurant rule out Extended Stay America. Could this be the Howard Johnson Inn in Clifton (on Rt 3)? That's got the right amenities, but it's also showing no rooms available on that date on Hojo's website and on Orbitz, which would seem to make this unlikely. Rodeway Inn Secaucus has no business center and would be pushing it at 2*. LaQuinta Clifton, Super 8 N. Bergen and EconoLodge Carlstadt -- again, all with no business center, and none of these have a restaurant. Any ideas? (And what does "business center" mean for Hotwire, anyway? Are fax services by staff on request enough, for example?) Thanks! Editing my own post -- the LaQuinta *does* have a restaurant... a Red Robin hamburger restaurant connected to it. Still no business center listed on the LQ website.

Last try at bidding: 3* Charlotte-University 44, not accepted Added Concord, same price, not accepted Added 2.5 stars, 50, not accepted While there is a slight possibility I might try again (with a crazy low bid right before traveling, just on the 1% chance), I'm very happy with the non-Priceline backup reservation I made. I'd like to close this thread out, as I need to move on to another reservation (New York City suburbs on the day before this trip -- because, silly me, I'm flying to Charlotte out of LaGuardia at 6 a.m. and live 3.5 hours away by car).

Will be in Charlotte area 6/17-19. As my appointments are northeast of the city, the only good areas for me are around UNC-Charlotte and Concord/Kannapolis. I don't want to go down to 2* as that brings in a couple of possible bad places to stay (e.g. the ones around Sugar Creek Road). My bids are below; in each case I have put the daily rate offered followed by the actual 2-day cost including fees. Bids on 5/22 3* Charlotte-University 38/96.08, not accepted Added Concord, same price, not accepted Added 2.5 stars, 40/100.78, not accepted Bids on 5/23 3* Charlotte-University, 44/110.20, not accepted Added Concord, same price, not accepted Added Fort Mill-Carowinds (free rebid zone), 50/124.30, not accepted I am able to get a (non-prepaid, cancel by 6 on day of arrival, AAA) rate at the TownePlace Suites - University of 62/140, so my last failed bid is only $15 for 2 days less than at a place with free internet, free breakfast and good reviews and location. (Also available at the same price is the Country Inn and Suites, which is a less well-regarded hotel.) Hotwire isn't better. There's a 3* in the UNCC area -- which I'm betting is the Holiday Inn, which is inferior IMHO to the TownPlace Suites -- at 56/139. There's also a 2.5 star at 48/117, which would seem to be a better price (though not a great one), and I'm worried about which place it might be. The only hotel in that area that's listed in the forum is the Country Inn and Suites, and the amenities do not match (though I gather they can leave out some amenities at times, which could be the case here). In fact, I'm having trouble finding a match to this listing. It doesn't show the breakfast you'd expect at TownePlace. Candlewood is all-suites. Nothing else in the area seems to be a likely 2.5* with laundry and fitness as far as I can see. This may just be one of those times that PRICELINE / HOTWIRE isn't the way to go, but anyone have any ideas?

HI-Saddle Brook, 129 Pehle Avenue, Saddle Brook, NJ. In a little triangle of land (with a Marriott very nearby) where I-80 meets the Garden State Parkway. Quick review (which I would post as such if I knew how): Older property (I'm guessing early 70s construction). At least two groups were checking in when I was arriving (one a large group of teenagers, the other also had many youngsters) but I was checked in promptly. Both another arriving Priceline guest and I were given smoking rooms on 5th floor (I would guess as a result of the groups taking the NS rooms, but who knows). The room did not reek on entry, unusually so for a smoking room -- major kudos to housekeeping. The room was to some degree freshened from its age (new shower tile and enclosure), but the TV was old and small and the bathroom small (including tightly-placed toilet). Hangup clothes went into a smallish armoire also shared with iron and ironing board. The hot water and pressure were fine, and the room was very clean. King bed was quite comfortable -- and the bedding was most likely recently replaced. Staff was friendly and universally fluent in English. By no means luxurious, and probably not quite 3* level -- but fair Priceline value for the $43 price paid.

After multiple tries at Paramus-Hackensack and Teaneck-Fort Lee areas didn't succeed (though I got an offer to try again in Paramus without a change if I upped by bid $10), adding this area got me the Saddle Brook Holiday Inn. For a one-night stay (sleep only), I can tolerate a lot for a low price, which this certainly is -- but I am very worried about multiple reviews about lack of hot water as I have to be at an early meeting the next morning and will need a good shave and shower. Any suggestions re addressing such an issue when one is a Priceline guest, should such occur, particularly if the lack of hot water is evident upon arrival (that is, long before morning hot water rush hour)? (Of course, used link from here for PRICELINE, as always!) P.S. The title was truncated as too long -- I assume the Powers That Be can fix that. :)

Thank you -- I'm not one of those who whines about getting a clunker, and this was a foreseeable possibility.

On the one hand, I rolled snake eyes and got a property that (to be generous) has really bad reviews. On the other hand, I only have to stay there for four hours for a catnap. On the third and best hand, I get to add a listing to the Hotwire Hotel List! :) 2* Howard Johnson Hotel - Newark Amenities: Airport Shuttle, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, Laundry Facilities, High-speed Internet Access NOTE: Parking is $15/night. (Yes, I know that's common at EWR-area hotels, but at this rat-trap that's a ripoff.)

Well, never tested the hypothesis and solved the mystery, because what I got was one of the two I had found inside the zone: $47 3* Holiday Inn And Conference Center Bridgeport [Trumbull - Milford (Bridgeport)], 2/25-26, via PRICELINE link here, of course. :) As I can't change the title of this post and didn't want to leave it hanging, please edit and/or move as needed.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm wondering if one can count on the Priceline map boundaries shown to be accurate. Here's why: Looking at Trumbull - Milford (Bridgeport), 2/25-26. No other areas checked. Star options available are 3, 2 1/2, 2 and 1, so I would assume there must be at least 4 hotels in that zone. But inside the boundaries shown for that zone, searching on every hotel site I can find, there are only two hotels, period: Holiday Inn and Conference Center (listed here as 3*) and Ramada Stratford (listed as 1* in Stratford-Milford, but it's definitely inside the Bridgeport zone as shown). The Comfort Suites - Stratford is barely outside the Bridgeport zone, by about two city blocks. There's definitely nothing else in Priceline, Orbitz, Travelocity or Hotels.com, unless I have totally lost it. Looking at sources other than booking sites, I find the Honeyspot Motor Lodge, which would be right on the boundary, listed with a couple of (very, very bad) 2009 reviews in Yahoo Travel, but not bookable. I also within the boundary find the New Stratford Motor Inn listed in the phone book, and mentioned in TripAdvisor, but again, not bookable on any of the web sites. Am I missing something here?

I was playing around late last night and found one, but didn't record it before my Internet service went down. Thanks again!

Thanks for the food tip and for merging the entries. I might have taken the chance anyway even with the chance of the "upgrade" to the 3.5*, but wish I had known and thanks for that info as well. (One question, though: If there is a 3.5* in the zone at issue, but 3.5* is not listed as an available option (that is, greyed out), could you still be given a 3.5* if you bid on the 3*s?)

In case I didn't adequately close this topic above, I did not book in NYC at all on these dates. I am staying in NJ on those dates instead (long story) and have posted the results of my Priceline bid in the NJ/Priceline section of the forum. Thanks to all - this is a tremendous service and is greatly appreciated.

This is the first time I've used Priceline -- have used Hotwire before but nothing floated my boat there. On the one hand, I am definitely OK with the price. On the other hand, I was accepted on first bid and thus suspect I may have overbid. So I'd like thoughts on how I handled this. Link for PRICELINE from here used, of course. :) I was OK with all the found 3* properties in both Mahwah-Ramsey-Allendale and in Woodcliff-Park Ridge. (I was not OK with the 3 1/2 stars, at least in Mahwah - Ramsey - Allendale, as I have had a bad experience at one of them before and it is in the worst possible location for my needs.) I searched various sources and determined that it is unlikely that there are any other 3* properties not identified here that would be in play. That left as my possible hotels the Courtyard in Mahwah, the Residence Inn in Saddle River, and the Courtyard in Montvale. I didn't see any recent bids in this area on the forums, so off to other booking sites to look around. Best rates found elsewhere: Courtyard Mahwah 199; Residence Inn 189; Courtyard Montvale 184. This actually was not far off from the "median retail price" cited (FWIW) by Priceline of $193. So I figured I'd throw out a bid of 3*, both areas, $50. I was surprised when the "you're nuts to go this low" red box didn't come up, but I assumed I was so low I'd be rebidding anyway, as I was bidding less than one-third of the best rates otherwise found. Of course, my $50 bid ($64.50 with tax and fees) was accepted. (P.S. The hotel is in Saddle *River*... the subject line was cut off as too long.) Was there a better strategy that could have reasonably been anticipated here?

Thanks much -- I think I will pass and try a different search (using your links for all future searches). Is it now common to see listings with no amenities info?

I can't recall seeing Hotwire listings with no amenities until recently, but just found two on a NYC search. One is actually in Jersey, but this one is 2*, Central Park Area Hotel, no amenities listed, searched today for stay 1/28, 1 night, 1 adult, $64. Recognizing that it's not necessarily wise, as stated elsewhere here, to book a 2* in Manhattan, any clue what might be going on (either as to the property or as to the no amenities listings)?