MirandaS Posted November 5, 2016 Report Share Posted November 5, 2016 Hello there, We are two Canadians who have booked a last minute trip to New York for November 30-December 4. We are struggling finding somewhere safe, well located (transit) and affordable to stay. So far the best prices seem to be with Hotwire secret hotels. We were hoping to get some help identifying the hotels if possible. Also, totally open to suggestions as we are not familiar with the area/best places to stay. We will be taking transit and likely doing the major tourist stops (empire state building, statue of liberty, central park, 9/11 museum, Rockefeller Center ) if that helps. November 30-December 4 2016 Option 1 4 star Hotel in World Trade Center-Wall Street Area Free Internet Business Centre, Fitness Centre, Restaurant(s) and smoke-free rooms $188 US per night 80% recommend Option 2 2.5 star in Lower East Side- East Village Area Free Internet, Free Breakfast Business Centre, Pet Friendly, Smoke-free rooms Accessibility for visually impaired, in room accessibility and accessible bathroom $185 US per night 90% guest recommended Option 3 3 star Hotel in Theatre District- Midtown West area Free breakfast, Free Internet Business Centre, Fitness Centre, Smoke Free Rooms $219 per night 90% Recommended Option 4 4 star in Lower East Side- East Village Free Internet Business Centre, Fitness Centre, Restaurant(s) $201 US per night 75% recommended Thanks so much in advance for your help! Link to comment
AaronJB Posted November 5, 2016 Report Share Posted November 5, 2016 Welcome to Betterbidding. The issue with NYC is that downtown is generally cheaper, but much of your time will likely be spent in Midtown. So while a Midtown property may be more expensive, you have to factor in time and cost in terms of getting around. This time of year, it's also going to be brisk, so convenience becomes even more important. Some of what I'm seeing when searching: PRICELINE EXPRESS (please confirm after clicking the links below that the correct date/s of travel are showing on the detail page.) 4.5* Grand Central Terminal - UN for $269 Pets Allowed Business Center Restaurant Free Internet Fitness Center No Smoking Rooms/Facilities >>> Not yet reported to the board, but the Even Hotel Midtown East would be a definite guess. 3* Lower East Side - Chinatown for $205 Business Center Free Internet Free Breakfast Fitness Center No Smoking Rooms/Facilities >>>Guess would be Best Western Bowery Hanbee 3.5* Empire State Building Area for $251 Business Center Airport Shuttle Free Internet No Smoking Rooms/Facilities >>>Possible match for the Evelyn. 3.5* Downtown - Wall Street for $206 Business Center Restaurant Free Internet Fitness Center No Smoking Rooms/Facilities >>>Possible Holiday Inn Wall St. HOTWIRE: (you may need to go to BiddingHelper.com, then search for your date/s of travel and click "Hotwire Easy View", then "Full Amenities" to see the full list of amenities for the property.) 3* Theater District-MTW Free breakfast, Free Internet, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Business center >>> Possible Holiday Inn Express West Side. 4* Empire State Building Free Internet, Pet friendly, Boutique hotel, Fitness center, Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access $238 >>> Possible St Giles the Court 4* World Trade $200 Restaurant, Fitness, Smoke Free, Free Internet, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Wheelchair Accessible >>> A guess would be a new amenity set for the Doubletree Financial 2.5* LES $190 Complimentary Breakfast, Smoke Free, Free Internet, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Blind Accessible, Room Accessible, Bathroom Accessible, Pet Friendly >>> No guess, but free breakfast and a 4/5 tripadvisor rating. Unfortunately, this is a very busy period in NYC - probably one of the busier of the year - and rates are high. Please keep us updated with what you decide and let us know if we can be of any additional assistance before booking. Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Link to comment
MirandaS Posted November 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 Hi Aaron, Thanks so much for your advice, we really appreciate it as the choices and prices can be a bit overwhelming especially considering the value of the Canadian dollar these days. In your opinion is downtown too far out to really enjoy the sights NYC has to offer? Would you recommend bidding as a better option for us? Thanks again! Miranda Link to comment
thereuare Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 I'm very familiar with NYC, so some thoughts based upon what i've read thus far in this thread.... Bidding on PRICELINE is usually the least expensive way to book, but you need to be willing to accept any hotel in the zone at the star rating (or higher) that you choose. PRICELINE EXPRESS and/or HOTWIRE are usually slightly more expensive, but they give you the ability to take a guess as to what hotel is it that you may receive, have a better idea of quality/experience based upon the user review information provided, etc. So it comes down to how flexible you are, if you view hotels as part of the travel experience vs. just a place to sleep at nite, what your budget will allow, etc. Let us know your thoughts based upon the above, as well as your maximum budget (per nite before taxes/fees), and we'll have a further look based upon your preferences and advise accordingly. Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
MirandaS Posted November 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2016 Hi There, Thanks so much for your help! I would say the hotel is part of our travel experience but not the most important thing. It would damper our trip if we felt unsafe, it was dirty and there was bugs and rodents etc. Would you say the Grand Central is a better area to stay in then Wall St? Our absolute max budget is probably around $260 USD per night. I did receive a 10% off email that expires today so thinking of using that to save some money. We keep flip flopping between bidding, express deals etc. Thanks again! Link to comment
thereuare Posted November 11, 2016 Report Share Posted November 11, 2016 Midtown would be a better location than Downtown... 'downtown' is certainly do-able, but it's less convenient (NOTE: you mention 'doing' the Statue of Liberty... keep in mind that if you intend to actually visit the statue it's an almost all day affair waiting on lines to board the boats to/from the statue, as well as lines once you're there... if you just want to see the Statue you can do so for free from the tip of Battery Park or get a closer look by taking the Staten lsland Ferry roundtrip (also free) as it goes right by the statue... also provides a great photo opportunity as you approach lower Manhattan and the buildings begin to get closer and closer) Your best option(s), and my best guess(es), using PRICELINE EXPRESS (please use our link to book and then apply the code in your email... not clicking thru via the email link) would be this one (also, confirm your dates on the landing pages of any links provided below): 4* Grand Central Terminal - UN for $265 Business Center Restaurant Fitness Center No Smoking Rooms/Facilities ==> best guess would be the Club Quarters Grand Central or the Hotel Boutique At Grand Central Location of each of the above is essentially the same, with a 2 block walk to Grand Central Terminal, or when that is not convenient to your destination, a 6 block walk to the E or M trains. With these options you should be able to relatively easily get to just about anywhere you'd like with no/one subway transfer. As well, from here you could also opt to walk to Rock Center (10 minutes), Times Square (15 minutes), or Central Park (20 minutes). You're also near my often recommended Ess-A-Bagel (Third Ave at 51st St) which has one of the best bagels in the city, makes for a nice, and relatively inexpensive, breakfast among local NYers. If price is a major factor these are your PRICELINE EXPRESS downtown options: 4* Downtown - Wall Street for $202 Business Center Fitness Center No Smoking Rooms/Facilities ==> Doubletree Hotel New York City- Financial District 3.5* Downtown - Wall Street for $209 Business Center Restaurant Free Internet Fitness Center No Smoking Rooms/Facilities ==> Holiday Inn New York City - Wall Street I don't think your trip would be ruined by staying downtown, but the Grand Central (midtown) option above would be a better more convenient and a better experience, imo. Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Let us know what you decide and how it goes or how we can be of further help. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
MirandaS Posted November 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2016 Hugely appreciate the statue and bagel recommendations. I've heard bagels in New York are supposed to be pretty amazing. We did a quick Hotwire search and there is a 3 star in the theatre district for $299 Canadian which is looking like a pretty good deal since it has 90% rating. Link to comment
thereuare Posted November 11, 2016 Report Share Posted November 11, 2016 If you'd like help with the 3* hotel please provide the full details of the offer (including the rate per nite in US Dollars, as this not only helps us locate the same hotel among the offers quicker, but also keeps all rates posted to the board consistent and not subject to interpretation based upon future currency fluctuations). If it's this offer: 3* Theater District - Midtown West for $252.00 Complimentary Breakfast Free Internet Smoke Free Fitness Business Hi-Speed Internet ==> this matches previous reports for the Holiday Inn Express New York - Manhattan West Side which is on the west side of the zone and not centrally located nor convenient to the subway (like most of Manhattan it's do-able... but it's less than ideal, and not worth $10 savings for the lower star rating, and actually more expensive than the PRICELINE EXPRESS after your discount) Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
MirandaS Posted November 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2016 I think you're probably correct that it is likely the Holiday Inn Express. Perhaps the reason we are getting different prices is because of the dates. We are November 29-December 4th unlike I originally stated. It's 3* Theatre District- Midtown West for $221 Complimentary Free breakfast Free Internet Business center Fitness center Smoke-free rooms This is why your advice is priceless as I would have assumed that was better located given that it is "midtown". I see that the 4* you mentioned near Grand Central does't note internet. Is there free wifi available around most of the city? Link to comment
thereuare Posted November 11, 2016 Report Share Posted November 11, 2016 Is that amenity set coming from the EASY VIEW tab at BiddingHelper.com and clicking the GREEN "Full Amenity Set" button? Are your dates of 11/29-11/4 now firm? (as the offers we posted earlier may not be available for your updated set of dates OR may only be available and different prices) There are plenty of free hot spots throughout the city where you can get online to do some quick emailing or research for the next days activities (all of Times Square offers free internet... or you can always stop into a Starbucks, McDonalds, or a variety of other locations) Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
MirandaS Posted November 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2016 When I use BiddingHelper.com and look at the 4* Grand Central Terminal- UN The following is the amenities that pop up for $259 per night. I don't see a Green full amenity set button unfortunately :( Business Center Restaurant Fitness Center No Smoking Rooms/Facilities Dates are firm as flights are booked :) Link to comment
AaronJB Posted November 11, 2016 Report Share Posted November 11, 2016 When you look at BiddingHelper.com, are you clicking on the HOTWIRE Easy View button? I'm seeing a 4* listing for these dates in this zone for $263 (the price you see vs the price I see may vary slightly) and when I click the "Full Amenities" button next to it, I'm seeing: Pet friendly, Boutique hotel, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Business center, Internet access >>> This would be a match for the Roosevelt. Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Link to comment
MirandaS Posted November 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2016 The hotel I was looking at was on Priceline express through biddinghelper. Apologies for the confusion. Link to comment
AaronJB Posted November 12, 2016 Report Share Posted November 12, 2016 4* Grand Central Terminal - UN for $259 (please confirm that the correct dates of travel are showing on the landing page after clicking on the listing.) Business Center Restaurant Fitness Center No Smoking Rooms/Facilities >>>My guess would be the Club Quarters Grand Central or Hotel Boutique at Grand Central. Would either of these possibilities be of interest? Please keep us updated on what you decide and let us know if we can be of any further assistance. Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Link to comment
MirandaS Posted November 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2016 Hi there, Thanks so much for your help! We booked that one with Priceline and received the Hotel Boutique at Grand Central like you thought. Very much appreciate your advice. We will definitely be checking out the local bagel shop and welcome any other New Yorker suggestions! Thanks again! Link to comment
AaronJB Posted November 16, 2016 Report Share Posted November 16, 2016 Congrats on your success. Quite a nice deal for this property during one of the busiest times of the year. Glad you are pleased with the win and are looking forward to your time in NYC. Thank you for using the site's PRICELINE link to start your purchases and searches, as well as for letting us know about the change in amenity set for this PRICELINE EXPRESS property so that we can update the site's Priceline Hotel List. Enjoy your stay. Link to comment
thereuare Posted November 16, 2016 Report Share Posted November 16, 2016 Some NYC eats/things not too far from your hotel: Jackson Hole Wyoming (Third Ave between near corner of 35th St)- if you like burgers these are great and HUGE. Makes for a big lunch or an inexpensive (by NYC standards dinner). Stick with the burgers, no matter how much you may be tempted to get a chicken sandwich or anything else on the menu. It's not fancy, and service can be hit or miss (admittedly i haven't been to this location in awhile) El Rio Grande (Third Ave between 37th and 38th St... west side of street at base of big residential building) - another place i haven't been too in awhile. My advice used to be "go for the frozen margaritas and the chips/salsa at the bar... but eat elsewhere". Some recent reviews looks like the food may have improved a bit, so make the decision to eat here or not at your own discretion, but i can vouch for the frozen margaritas... they're not cheap, but they're very strong. I'd also suggest taking the Roosevelt Island tram (even if you just roundtrip it) as it will offer some of the best NYC skyline views... all for the price of a subway ride. Near the tram is Dylan's Candy Bar (owned by Ralph Lauren's daughter, Dylan)... this place is more 'fancy' and worth a stop, but if you're a diehard candy person i recommend Economy Candy (108 Rivington St in the Lower East Side) which is 'old school' and great prices on candy from your childhood (at least for most American's... i know many candy brands are different in Canada). If you're heading to Chinatown: Wo Hop (17 Mott... look for the line of people that goes down the stairs) is wildly possible if you're looking for chinese dishes, although when i'm in the area i prefer the Wonton Garden (56 Mott... don't confuse with HK Wonton Garden on Mulberry) where i don't recommend the meal/meat dishes, but rather stick with their Wonton with Noodle Soups If you need any other specific NYC recommendations let me know. Have a great trip! Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
MirandaS Posted November 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2016 Huge thanks for your suggestions. We love all the things you've recommended so will definitely check those out. Appreciate the advice from a real New Yorker over a guide book. Link to comment
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