monkeysee

I used the PRICELINE link. Selected most of the Manhattan areas with a 4* hotel (Central Park South, Downtown Soho, Empire State Building, Midtown East, Midtown West, Times Square - i did not select Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen and Upper West Side). Started bidding at $130, increasing by $5 with each rebid (adding non 4*areas: Brooklyn, Coney Island, Long Island City, Madison Square Garden, etc.) I received a rejection to my first bid of $130 but also a suggestion that I increase my bid by at least $35 (no need to add additional areas for this counteroffer opportunity). I chose to rebid instead. After rejections of my $135, $140, and $155 rebids, my 4th rebid of $150 was accepted. I've stayed at W NY Hotel before. Somewhat traffic-noisy if you face the avenue or street, otherwise fine. Rooms are not large but beds are high and firm. Bar lounge and open area in the lobby is pricey but a good hangout. The in-hotel spa is quite good for massages though my girlfriend was initially put off (so she tells me) by the male masseuse. If not too much luggage, you can save $40+ taxi to JFK by taking the E subway at the station 2 blocks north of the hotel. Takes roughly the same amount of time.

After seeing that laylow808 got Mondrian NY thru Hotwire for $152, I used the link to HOTWIRE, and got the same hotel for the same 2 nights (it's more expensive for nights subsequent to 6/2/2011). Mondrian Hotel in SoHo / Financial District for $151 (5/31/11-6/2/11) on Hotwire. Ammenities include: Fitness Center Restaurant HS Internet 80% recommended customer reviews I checked Tripadvisor for customer reviews of Mondrian NY and it is actually one of the lowest customer-rated 4-star hotels in NY - seems that various issues -- with construction noise, with inadequate service from the concierge, etc. - accounts for the lower-than-expected customer ratings. But for me the location is great and I've had good luck with prior stays at the same chain of hotels that Mondrian is a part of, so I hope for a better experience than other customers! Note that after adding $31 hotel tax, $22.5 occupancy tax and (presumably Hotwire's) $13.70 fee, the all-in per-night cost is closer to $185 ($369.28 for 2 nights)

Thanks laylow808. I saw your posting and used the link to HOTWIRE and got almost the same deal, which I've posted separately in this hotwire nyc hotel thread.

Should've added separate line for topic: 4* NY - MTE - W New York Hotel $88 for 3 nites 1/27 to 1/30/11

Inspired by the relatively low price ($88) that another member (RT McGlew) got on Priceline for a Midtown East 4* hotel (for one night only, Saturday night), I used BetterBidding's PRICELINE link to bid for a 4* hotel for 3 nights in late January. Since there are 5 free re-bid zones in NYC if bidding for a 4* (Brooklyn, Coney Island, Long Island City, Madison Square Garden, and Upper East Side), I selected MTE and started at $55 and went up by $5 increments for 5 re-bids to $80. No deal. Then I selected MTE and also MTW and started at $60, figuring to end at $85 on the last re-bid. I got to the last rebid and decided to go up to $88 instead of $85, just in case $85 is a tad too low. I guess I'll never know since the $88 was accepted. I am satisfied. Including taxes and fees, it's $110 per night. W New York Hotel 541 Lexington Avenue New York, New York 10022 The hotel's website rate for a comparable double is $162 ($190 including taxes). HOTWIRE's best rate for a 4 star hotel for the same dates is $136.

Thanks for the post. It's the cheapest 4* NYC price I've seen posted for the end of January. Normally I would not prefer Midtown East, but for less than $100 a night, it's worth it. I also needed a room for several nights at the end of January, so I went to PRICELINE today (through the BetterBidding link of course). Will post my results shortly. :)

Having stayed at Soho Grand 11/18-11/20 (2 nights) in a standard room w/ queen bed, I can say that the hotel still deserves a 4* despite being fairly old by now (15+ years?). Check in time at 3pm, checkout at noon - a bit inconvenient, but I checked in earlier than 3 (around 2:30) w/o any problems, and I was able to delay my checkout several times (noon to 1:30, then to 2:30, and I finally checked out 2:45 or so). I got a relatively high floor (9th floor), so my room faced north unobstructed by any buildings for several blocks, and the room was close to the northeast corner of the hotel building to give a nice view of the busy West Broadway corner north of the hotel. I made use of the free DVD service to get some nice films to watch (the selections are ample and somewhat tilted towards excellent independent and foreign choices). If you want to read the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal and/or the Financial Times, free copies are in the lobby. Better yet, pick up the free issue of Time Out New York or talk to the helpful concierge desk for great ideas on food, shop, etc. Or just walk out the hotel, a few minutes south to Tribeca, a few minutes east to Chinatown and Little Italy, or a few minutes north to Soho and Nolita. I brunched in Tribeca, Soho and did all my necessary shopping for toys for kids and books for grownups in Soho/Nolita shops.

I used Betterbidding's PRICELINE link. Thanks for the good work. After several days of trying Priceline to get a 4* hotel in NYC at short notice (bidding w/i 2-6 days of arrival in NYC) w/o any luck despite bidding multiple times from $125 up to $205 in countless rebid permutations -- and opting instead to get my first two nights locked up, at a 3* rated hotel through Hotwire for $139 (or $173 including taxes), I decided to try one more time on Priceline to get the last 2 nights of my stay through Priceline, especially since prices on Hotwire for 3* hotels have increased to the $170+ range. My initial bid of $170 (I included all the NYC bidding zones that have a 4* hotel - Midtown East, Midtown West, Central Park South, Upper East Side, Downtown, Chelsea, EMpire State Building, and even Times Square zones) was accepted. Drats. I should've started my bidding at $150 or lower! But I thought my nights, which includes the relatively busy Thursday and Friday nights, would go for more, based on my frustrating experience iover the past week. Next time, more patience! THis used to be a pretty good hotel, or at least it was a trendy hotel about 10 years ago. But the recent reviews on various websites suggest that the standards have declined considerably, or maybe it was always so-so but folks overlooked it because it was new and cool. Well, I guess I'll see for myself in a couple of days.

Good deal. You saved almost $30 compared to me getting it on HOTWIRE. On Hotwire, I got the same hotel (rated THREE stars (3*) on Hotwire) on similar dates for $139/night (so more like $173/night including taxes, etc.). I originally tried Priceline for a 4* but was unsuccessful bidding up to $205/night. It was sugegsted that I go to HOTWIRE, where I had very high certainty that it would be Holiday Inn Express MSG. NOt sure I want to risk PRICELINE since there are less attractive 2.5* hotels in MSG zone in PRICELINE.

Hi, Just got this result from HOowire, but I can't find this particular hotel rated 3.5* in the Hotwire NYC hotel list. Can you identify? Times Square - Theatre District area hotel Amenities: Boutique Hotel Complimentary Breakfast Restaurant(s) High-speed Internet Access Thanks.

Thanks. I tried one more time on PRICELINE using only the first 3 nights, using the rebidding strategy. No luck w/ anything up to $205. So I took your suggestion and went to HOTWIRE and got the Holiday Inn Express MSG for the first 2 nights for $139/night (with taxes etc it came out to about $375 for 2 nights). (I see that someone else got the same hotel through a Priceline bidding strategy for only $114 a night, so maybe I'll try that next before going to HOTWIRE for the final 2 nights that I need.)

I tried the entire 4* strategy (occasionally I upped the bid level by $5 or $10 above yoru suggested levels). No success, so even at $200 bidding for MTE, MTW, ESB and Chelsea plus 5 free re-bid zones I had no luck. Even though I am thus far unsuccessful, thanks so much for providing a methodical strategy. [i checked the free rebid zones on Priceline for a 4* strategy and they are/were: Brooklyn, Coney Island, Long Island City, Madison Square Garden and Upper East Side. For a 3.5* strategy, Brooklyn and Madison Square Garden fall off the free rebid list because they currently indicate 3.5* rated hotels.] What should I do next? (1) My date range is for 4 nights, but I am willing to try just the first 2 nights (Tuesday and Wednesday nights, so presumably cheaper on average than the full 4-night range through Friday night?). Do I have to wait 24 hours to do a 2-night 4* strategy or can I go in Priceline and do it now? (Should I stick with price range of $150 preferred and $200 tops or should I raise it a bit higher?) If it works, then I'll need to go in and execute the same strategy for the last 2 nights. (2) If I am willing to go down to 3.5* , what would you recommend as the strategy? Assume my preferred zones are still MTE, ESB, and also MTW, Chelsea (and I will also add Central Park South since it's not that far from Flatiron/Gramercy area). Not sure how much I should adjust my price point for 3.5* versus 4*, but is a reduction of $25 (or even $50?) off my 4* price range about right?

Great. I'll start applying the strategy. One last question: for 4* in New York City, the free re-bid zones are: Long Island City (3* is top rating) Upper East Side (3* top) Brooklyn (3.5* top) Coney Island (top rating is ???) Hell's Kitchen (top rating is ???) [Madison Square Garden also if it were included in the 4* strategy since its top rated hotel is 3.5*?]

I am willing to get the 4* at/below my 4* maximum bid level. Getting a 3.5* at/below my 3.5* max bid is a fallback. For now, maximum bid is 200 for 4*. For 3.5* I am not sure what the right discount (to 4*) level should be, but I would start with $150 as the max for 3.5*. Thanks!

Thanks for the Hotwire suggestion. That's a good fallback if I can't get a better deal on Priceline. The 4* zones I can accept are MTE, Chelsea, MTW, Empire State Building, and Madison Square Garden.

I don't have particular 4* hotels in mind, so finding the least expensive hotel in any acceptance zone is the goal. Of course, if my budget is unrealistic, I will move up somewhat or go to plan B (3.5*), so if it's not too much trouble, please also consider what would be an appropriate bidding strategy if I go w/ plan B. Ideally, I want 4 nights in the same hotel, but I understand that it may be easier to get a hotel if I split the bid (since my date range covers both cheaper Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday weeknights and more expensive(?) Friday night. Thanks!

Hi, Love the forum and the great deals. Now I need some strategy for getting a NYC hotel for a Dutch friend visiting NYC for first time Dates: 11/16 Tuesday - 11/20 Saturday Star: 4* ideally Price range: $200 but would love to get something for $150 for less because after adding taxes etc I like to pay less than $200 per night (I see that MTE Hyatt and MTW Hilton have gone for mid-100s) Location/zones: flexible since it is NYC the home of great public transport, but ideally around near flatiron/gramercy so Midtown East or perhaps Chelsea (I don't know much about Fashion 26, the only 4* listed for Chelsea) are probably first choices, while Empire State Building, Midtown West, and Central Park South are OK. If pressed, I would also consider Downtown-SoHo-Financial District (for 60 Thompson, Soho Grand or Tribeca Grand, but Andaz is in Wall Street area so that's not a convenient location) or Madison Square Garden (but I don't recognize any of the hotels in MSG, none of which are 4* in any case). I would like to avoid Times Square even though it's very convenient because it's too loud, bright and touristy, but then again I don't know any of the 4* hotels there so maybe it's ok after all as a last resort. Thanks so much!