Hotwire Hotel: 3* Newark (Secaucus-Meadowlands)

[tpatana]

Looking for hotel early Dec. I wonder if this is the Hyatt Place:

3* Secaucus - Meadowlands

Smoke Free, Fitness Center, Pool, Restaurants, Business Center, High-speed Internet, Golf nearby

90% rating

$79 / night from Hotwire

Any ok-level I could find <$110 from Manhattan, about between 30st and 80st? Or should I stay NJ?

Thanks for any help.

[tpatana]

Ah, and now checking this list: Hotwire Hotel List

I think it's Sheraton instead.

[thereuare]

tpatana,

Welcome to BetterBidding!

We've moved your post(s) to its own topic, please start NEW TOPICS for your own stays rather than replying to an existing thread for the area.

What are the date(s) of your stay? What is your nitely budget?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[tpatana]

I'm traveling there from 12/8 for 5 nights.

Not really a budget as such, trying to find the perfect balance between:

-quality of the hotel

-price of the hotel

-distance from Madison Square Garden

If I have to pay $200 for 2* on Manhattan, or $79 for 3* on NJ Secaucus/Meadowlands, it's easy to choose the latter. I guess I'd appreciate the location for about ~$50, so if there were comparable hotels in NJ and Manhattan, and it'd cost only say $40 more for the Manhattan, I'd go there. I saw some not-so-nice hotels for around $120 on 30th St (or around there, something with L, Lamus hotel, Lucas hotel, L-something), but reading the reviews I don't think I want to take that one.

Thanks for any help.

[thereuare]

How are you arriving to the area? Will you have a car?

Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[tpatana]

Plane to Newark. No car.

Changing hotel (maybe) during the stay sounds quite inconvenient, I can't imagine it would save enough to compensate for the trouble.

[thereuare]

The Sheraton Meadowlands is 'ok', but not ideal... there is nothing in the immediate area and you'll need to take a taxi or the hotel's shuttle (runs on a schedule... not on demand) to the bus or train station; otherwise you're stuck at the hotel as there isn't anything walkable in the immediate area. Would this be acceptable?

The idea behind SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID would to perhaps stay at a less convenient location such as this for a couple of days which would enable you to increase your budget for the other nites of your stay.

Other options are significantly more expensive so it comes down to the trade-off between cost and convenience and just how much you're willing to give up for this stay.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[dahammer]

Not really a budget as such, trying to find the perfect balance between:

-quality of the hotel

-price of the hotel

-distance from Madison Square Garden

I have stayed at the Meadowlands Sheraton before and I would never stay here without a car. You will be at the mercy of the hotel shuttle schedule or paying for a cab to/from Secaucus Junction train station.

[tpatana]

The Sheraton Meadowlands is 'ok', but not ideal... there is nothing in the immediate area and you'll need to take a taxi or the hotel's shuttle (runs on a schedule... not on demand) to the bus or train station; otherwise you're stuck at the hotel as there isn't anything walkable in the immediate area. Would this be acceptable?

The idea behind SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID would to perhaps stay at a less convenient location such as this for a couple of days which would enable you to increase your budget for the other nites of your stay.

Other options are significantly more expensive so it comes down to the trade-off between cost and convenience and just how much you're willing to give up for this stay.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

That's actually not too bad for an idea. I'll be going Madison Square Garden on the night of 12/11, and I was thinking also NYR game on 12/12. So maybe if I stay somewhere else from 12/8, and then move closer to MSG on 12/11... Hmm...

That might be good idea actually.

[tpatana]

I have stayed at the Meadowlands Sheraton before and I would never stay here without a car. You will be at the mercy of the hotel shuttle schedule or paying for a cab to/from Secaucus Junction train station.

I see. I thought around NY, you'd get around easier/faster/cheaper with bus/metro/taxi, than with a rental car, especially when trying to find a place to park the car. No?

Is there hotel in the Secaucus area which wouldn't need rental car, or are they all the same?

[dahammer]

I see. I thought around NY, you'd get around easier/faster/cheaper with bus/metro/taxi, than with a rental car, especially when trying to find a place to park the car. No?

You are correct, its just that the location of the Sheraton Meadowlands is isolated by a turnpike entrance/exit ramp, a divided highway. There is nothing to do in the immediate area. You will need to take a hotel shuttle bus that operates hourly to the Secaucus Junction train station, then hop on a train that will take you right to Madison Square Garden. This is the fine line where the benefit of a low priced accomodation may be trumped by the time and potential cost of commuting into the city while on vacation.

Is there hotel in the Secaucus area which wouldn't need rental car, or are they all the same?

Secaucus is a distant second to the Jersey City Waterfront in terms of convenience to commute into the city. That said, the Holiday Inn, La Quinta Suites (not the one in Clifton), Hyatt Place, Embassy Suites, Courtyard are all located in the Harmon Meadows/Mill Creek development and within a block of the NJ Transit Bus into NYC. This development has some shopping and several restaurants for convenience.

[thereuare]

For 12/8-12/10 HOTWIRE has a 2.5* in the Downtown zone for $162/nite with Breakfast, Fitness, Business and Internet icons. This property has not yet been identified, and while i usually don't recommend the lower rated hotels in this NYC, this one would seem to be ok given the 4.0/5.0 Tripadvisor rating and the 95* recommended by HOTWIRE users.

Unfortunately rates for 12/10-12/13 are a bit higher and i did find the Sheraton Suites Lincoln Harbor (in Weekhawken NJ) for $167/nite (stiff penalty to cancel) or the Courtyard Jersey City for $199 (cancellable up until a few days before your stay... always double check the cancellations policies yourself) Weehawken isn't the ideal choice, but for the price, it could work as there is easy bus access to NYC right in front of the hotel, as well as the light rail to Hoboken is nearby (where there are good bars and restaurants, as well as the PATH train to NYC should you run into a situation where the bus doesn't work well for you)... the Courtyard in Jersey City would have one of the best locations outside of Manhattan give the PATH train right at the door of the hotel (but a trade-off given it costs a bit more). The advantage of the Courtyard though is that it's cancellable (again, double check terms during the check-out process) so would give you the flexibility to continue to try PRICELINE or HOTWIRE for a Manhattan hotel as your stay approaches.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Thoughts?

[tpatana]

Thoughts?

I guess I have to study that splitting option. Best would be probably to get some more distant from 12/8-12/11, and then downtown for the next 2 nights, but the weekend in downtown is probably quite pricey, so maybe not feasible for this trip.

So probably I just go one place in NJ and be happy with that, without the hassle to change hotel. I guess I'll check the prices for different options until the last week, and make the hard decision at that point.

Thanks for help. Great site for information.

[thereuare]

It's your stay, but i'd rather be inconvenienced changing hotels one day then in my commute each day :) While i understand the split would be better if it were flipped (with the first days in Jersey City and the last days in Manhattan), that's not how the cards appear to be dealt for these dates, and while the scenario above locks you into Downtown Manhattan for the earlier part of your stay, it gives you the flexibility to find something better between now and your arrival. I wouldn't necessarily save this until the last minute as it's a very busy time in the NYC area.

Please remember to use the requested PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your purchases.

Let us know what you decide or if we can be of further help along the way.