Hotwire Hotel: What Hotel is this ? 4.5* Times Square

[samson7256]

I'm new to this board and I was hoping someone could help me out in identifying this hotel. I think its the Westin but I'm not sure.

The ammenities listed are:

Restaurant

Fitness

High Speed Internet Access

Business Center

Spa

I was looking to stay 1 night 7/12 to 7/13 and the price was $138. I noticed that others received the Westin for around $120..so do you think even if it likely is the Westin, should I wait a few days and see if the price drops?

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Based upon the information that we know, the best guess is that this property is the Westin. Of course, there are no guarantees as a hotel with the same amenities and star rating could exist in this zone that we don't know about.

With that said, my wife was in the Westin yesterday for a meeting and she said it was very nice.

As for price, we do often see prices fluctuate with Hotwire every so often, but there is also a chance that occupancy is higher for your dates than the $120 rate that you saw others receive, which would explain the higher rate. The other risks in waiting is that you are no longer shown this 4.5* property when you search Hotwire, the price can go up, the hotel could stop participating in the Hotwire program, etc, etc. On the other hand, the price could come down... just one of the risks we take when using Priceline or Hotwire.

If you waited and the price went up or this hotel was no longer offered, how would you feel about getting a different hotel than the one we think you'll get? The answer to this question would determine if i would 'chance' waiting.

As well, if cost is your main concern and you're not 'married' to this hotel, you can probably save some money by using Priceline. However, if you try the equivalent zone with Priceline (which if you'd like, just ask and i'll give you a bidding strategy) then you'd have to be happy with any of the following hotels that we've seen reported in the equivalent Priceline zone:

4* Marriott Marquis

4* Millennium Broadway

4* NY Hilton And Towers

4* The Shoreham Hotel

4* Westin NY Times Square

Hope this helps. Let us know what you decide to do or if you have any additional questions.

[samson7256]

First off, thank you very much for your speedy and detailed reply.

I think I am going to wait a few days before I decide since I still have about a month before I need the reservation and though I prefer the Westin, the $$ that I could save on a different 4* on priceline is making me wonder if I should go the houtwire route. However, if I decide to make the hotwire purchase I will certainly post the results so we can all confirm if the hotel is indeed the Westin. Thanks again for your assistance. :)

[thereuare]

Well, we know for certain that the Westin shows the amenities you supplied, it's just a question as to whether it's the Westin that is being offered to you in this specific instance.

I forgot to mention, so that you can have a basis for comparison, the Priceline 4* hotels mentioned above typically go for $85-$95 (before taxes and fees), so that will at least give you a basis for making a decision. As well, you may be able to get the Hyatt in the Midtown East zone for $75, if that zone is an option for you as well.

[scopes]

Hello, i just found this board last week and have been reading through it ever since. Anyway, I'm also interested in the Westin Times Square and I'm looking at 7/15-7/20. Thanks to a lot of the bad reviews I've read about the nearby Hilton and Towers I'm pretty sure I'm going to avoid a PL bid and just go with HW and hope that this 4.5 star hotel is indeed the westin. Anyway, I wanted to chime in and ask you to please post if you got this hotel from HW as I will be buying in the next couple of days.

Also, I have been checking it's price since the weekend (about 4-5 times per day) and I have seen it vary between $129-$143 for my dates. It seems that the rate is much higher during the business day than at night.

Thanks and good luck!

jim

[thereuare]

Scopes,

WELCOME to BetterBidding!

The best you can do is to compare the star ratings and amenities to those shown HERE and make sure they all match (which i assume you're doing, but posting just to make sure)

[scopes]

I'm still monitoring the 4.5* Times Sq price on HW for my 7/15-7/20 dates. I noticed this morning it's at $306! So I checked the westinny website and got a price of $185. For the hell of it I also checked the Le Parker Meridien website (which has the same amedities) and it's also $185.

I almost feel like booking the 306 price and then taking HW up on their Double the Difference price guarantee offer. Of course there could still be a hotel worth this much in this area that I'm missing.

On another note, am I more likely not to get the NY Hilton & Towers on PL if I were to bid $110 for example as opposed to low-balling at $88 or $93?

[thereuare]

On another note, am I more likely not to get the NY Hilton & Towers on PL if I were to bid $110 for example as opposed to low-balling at $88 or $93?

NOT!! recommended, as you can just as easily get the lower priced hotel and have paid too much for it!

You can read more on this topic here: DON"T bid higher for a specific hotel

[thereuare]

I almost feel like booking the 306 price and then taking HW up on their Double the Difference price guarantee offer. Of course there could still be a hotel worth this much in this area that I'm missing.

I envy you if you have the courage to do this :)

If you do this, keep in mind that i think the Double the Difference Guarantee is limited to $1000 refund, so if you are correct and entitled to the refund (and math math is correct), you'd be entitled to a refund of $1210, which would be reduced to $1000. Still a GREAT deal if all goes well, but just wanted to make sure you subtract the $210 when you consider the risk/reward.

I didn't look it up again, but i DON"T think the Le Parker Meridien is in the Time Square zone.