Priceline Hotel: 3* Newark (Jersey City) Courtyard

[vulcan25]

Hello,

Two of us would be in NY for 3 nights 9/6, 9/7 & 9/8. This would be our first trip to the city and the dates unfortunately are not flexible. I am fairly comfortable in bidding on Priceline, having used it for the past 7-8 vacations. I wanted to ask for help in getting the cheapest accommodation with the following considerations:

1. We would be driving up from DC and drop off the rental car on the 6th night in the Mid Town East area.

2. We are not looking for anything fancy, even a 2.5* or 2* is OK as we would be out for most of the day and would only need the place for the night.

3. I would prefer not to get a hostel with a shared bathroom.

4. We don't have to stay in the 'Center of it all', our only requirements are that the location is safe and it should be a reasonable commute (~35 mins) to and from downtown, if needed. We won't have a car for our stay there and would be using public transportation.

I don't have a budget yet and am looking for a strategy in identifying the locations and prices to start bidding on.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

While maybe not a hostel, some properties at the 2* level may have shared bathrooms, and it's generally not recommended to bid below 2.5* in NYC (and properties at the 2.5* level in NYC zones may vary significantly in terms of quality.)

Please provide a desired max budget per night so that we can suggest options based upon prices and availability. Please also let us know if there are NYC Priceline zones you would not be interested in staying in.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[vulcan25]

Thanks Aaron,

I don't have a max budget for the simple reason that we are coming to NY for 3 nights and need a place to stay, its only a question of how much it is going to cost us. I am open to any zone as long as its safe and a reasonable commute to get to the downtown, while at the same time minimizing my cost.

Hope this help in providing some suggestions.

[thereuare]

I don't have a max budget...

Sure you do.... everybody does. Would you bid $500/nite on a hotel room for this stay? Of course not, since you could do better then that rate booking a hotel direct and know the name beforehand.

So you need to find your best deal at an acceptable hotel when booking thru a 'non-opaque' supplier (ie- the name of the hotel is shown before your purchase) and either use that rate, or a discount of that number to account for the 'unknown' factor associated with an opaque purchase) and use that as your maximum bid.

I'll also add to the above that i don't typically recommend bidding the lower star rated properties in NYC... while there may be some hotels at the lower star ratings which meet your needs, there may be others which do not, and with PRICELINE / HOTWIRE you don't get to choose which type you will get :)

We don't have to stay in the 'Center of it all', our only requirements are that the location is safe and it should be a reasonable commute (~35 mins) to and from downtown

"Downtown" really isn't the "center of it all" when it comes to NYC... downtown a few things which tourists often want to visit, but for the average visitor, "midtown" is where more of their time will often be spent; is it Downtown or Midtown that you want to be wtihin close proximity to?

Let us know the above info and we'll take it from there.

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

Please read your messages and click this PRICELINE link before replying.

[vulcan25]

Thanks for your reply and guidance on this. To give you some idea, I have a refundable booking for the Kings hotel in Brooklyn. This property has good reviews and is right next to the 9 ave subway station on the D line. Obviously this is not my first choice location, however for under $100 a night (plus 15% tax) it is a good deal.

I could maybe go 25-30% above this price to get a decent place near or in Manhattan. Anything above that I believe would be taking it out of the price v/s comfort zone.

[thereuare]

I could maybe go 25-30% above this price to get a decent place near or in Manhattan.

See... you do have a maximum bid :)

You may be able to get a 3.5* or 3* hotel in Manhattan for a $130 or under bid price, but before suggesting a strategy...

-would you pay more for a 3.5* vs. a 3* OR is your goal the least expensive 3* or better for this stay?

-is Downtown acceptable?

-would a hotel such as the Millenium UN, which is in the MTE zone but a bit far east (15 minute walk to the subway) be acceptable?

-the Hudson Hotel is the CPS zone generally gets good reviews except for the notoriously small rooms... would this be an acceptable outcome?

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

[vulcan25]

See... you do have a maximum bid :)

Yup now I do, especially now that I have a baseline price locked in :)

would you pay more for a 3.5* vs. a 3* OR is your goal the least expensive 3* or better for this stay?

Least expensive 3* or better.

is Downtown acceptable?

Is there any particular reason I should be avoiding it? I have never been to NYC so don't know much about the place.

would a hotel such as the Millenium UN, which is in the MTE zone but a bit far east (15 minute walk to the subway) be acceptable?

I would prefer to be closer to a subway station, however if the area is safe for a walk at night, this is acceptable.

the Hudson Hotel is the CPS zone generally gets good reviews except for the notoriously small rooms... would this be an acceptable outcome?

Looking at the reviews, it looks to be a good party place but not so much for a stay, so no.

Again thanks for taking the time out in guiding me through the process.

[thereuare]

Regarding downtown...

It's not as convenient as midtown as it's about 25 minutes via subway to midtown... but it's certainly do-able for the right price; and given you find Brooklyn acceptable, i figured Downtown would likely be acceptable as well.

Confirm if you want to include this zone i your bidding or not and we'll take it from there.

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

[vulcan25]

Yes, please include downtown.

[thereuare]

At the 3* level i'd feel comfortable with any of the following:

Chelsea

Downtown

ESB

MSG

MTE

MTW

TS

I'd confirm that you're fine with any of the above zones an dyou can then proceed as follows:

Select 3* Downtown, ESB, MSG, Chelsea...

Bid $100, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* MTE, MTW, TS...

Bid $100, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* MTE, ESB, MSG, Chelsea...

Bid $105, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* Downtown, MTW, TS...

Bid $105, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* Downtown, MTW, MSG, Chelsea...

Bid $110, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* MTE, ESB, TS...

Bid $110, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* Downtown, ESB, TS, Chelsea...

Bid $115, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* MTE, MTW, MSG...

Bid $115, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* Downtown, ESB, MSG, MTE, Chelsea...

Bid $120, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* Downtown, ESB, MSG, MTW...

Bid $120, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* Downtown, ESB, MSG, TS...

Bid $120, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* Downtown, ESB, MSG, MTE, MTW, Chelsea...

Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* Downtown, ESB, MSG, MTE, TS...

Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* Downtown, ESB, MSG, MTE, MTW, TS, Chelsea...

Bid $130

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[vulcan25]

I haven't started the bidding for this yet, however had a question about the Jersey City area of Priceline. This area has 4 of the PATH stations : Hoboken, NewPort, Exchange & Grove in or near it and the PATH trains take you straight to MidTown or Downtown Manhattan. This might be an easier commute than from Brooklyn.

Since our very helpful admin is from the same area :) , I thought I would ask if this area is a practical option. If yes, what would be a a safe star level to bid and what should be the bidding range?

[thereuare]

All the 'known' hotels in this zone are good choices with convenient PATH access to NYC.

The Candlewood Suites is 2* rated and 'ok'... a little far to walk to the PATH but do-able, and they offer a shuttle during peak hours of the day, but can't say if there are any 'unknown' hotels in this area at this star level. The Holland Motor Lodge is a hotel that i would NOT stay at, and while it has never been reported to the board, at a stretch (imo) it could potentially be rated 2* by PRICELINE, and i would therefore not bid less then 2.5* in this zone (preferabley 3* and higher)

HOWEVER, the issue comes down to your budget... i don't think you'll be able to beat your back-up at your 2* Brooklyn hotel.

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

[vulcan25]

I have been trying for the last couple of days and today I managed to get Courtyard By Marriott Jersey City Newport for $80.

Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $80.00

Subtotal: $240.00

Taxes & Fees: $47.13

Total Charges*: $287.13

This is right next to the PATH station, so I am happy :-)

Thanks for all the help here.

PS: Maybe this post needs to be moved to the NJ area now.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Excellent deal for this property, and glad to hear that you're pleased with the result/that the property will work well for your plans.

Thank you for sharing your win and please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

Enjoy your stay.

[thereuare]

VERY NICE deal for this property which is very rarely seen as a PRICELINE win.

Enjoy your stay.