Hotwire Hotel: 3* Newark (Secaucus-Meadowlands) Sheraton Meadowlands

[cwerdna]

I've got a trip to NYC 10/20 thru 10/23, as a tourist. I can shift it to 10/24-27, if it helps w/the room rates significantly (but it's less convenient for me). I will be visiting touristy sites (been to NYC before, way before 2001) and be depending on public transit as I'll have no car.

I'm very familiar with the advanced free re-bid permutations.

From a brief look at Expedia w/the hotels on a map, it seems that hotels within NYC that are decent start at absurd prices ($180+/night),

I've limited my 3* search to zones 2 (CPS), 3 (Chelsea), 6 (ESB), 10-11 (MTE and MTW), 12 (TS) and 13 (UES). I spent a TON of time (probably starting too low) and gave up for the night at $128, w/no room. I was thinking that perhaps the problem is the Interop Confernce (Oct 18-22). I tried shifting my trip to 10/24-10/27 and went as high as $98, to no avail.

I even aimed for 2.5* rooms in Chelsea, MTE and MTW and tried shifting the trip too (to 10/24-27) and stopped at $74/night. I tried including UES and TS 2.5* rooms but stopped at $82.

I've submitted 65+ bids so far and am hesitant to spend a few more hours trying. :|

Are NYC prices abnormally high for when I'm visiting? Are they just absurdly high in general or just esp. high for my time periods? I didn't think 3* hotels should be so much or maybe I'm bidding too low. I'm a bit loathe to pay any more than $150 thru PRICELINE for a 3* hotel given what one could get unlucky.

I'm not looking for lap of luxury. I was interested in safety, proximity to public transit and touristy stuff. Should I forget it and look at rooms on Expedia in say Jersey with a free/cheap shuttle to a train station? Example: Holiday Inn Express North Bergen Lincoln Tunnel is $93/night or Meadowlands Plaza Hotel is $87/night.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

This is an expensive time of year in NYC and as a result your budget is not realistic. Sub-$100 bids are usually only available during periods of very low occupancy, and this time of is not one of them.

I'm not looking for lap of luxury. I was interested in safety, proximity to public transit and touristy stuff. Should I forget it and look at rooms on Expedia in say Jersey with a free/cheap shuttle to a train station? Example: Holiday Inn Express North Bergen Lincoln Tunnel is $93/night or Meadowlands Plaza Hotel is $87/night.

I wouldn't recommend staying in either of these properties.

Will you have a car during this trip? (if not, how are you arriving to the area: bus, train, fly, and if one of these, where do you arrive (ie- Penn Station, which airport, Port Authority, etc))

Is 10/22-10/25 a possible date range?

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

[cwerdna]

Thanks! Doh! So, it sounds like 2.5* hotels will likely be >$100. Any rough guesses on 3* in the zones that are ok for me?

What's wrong w/the two hotels I mentioned?

No, I will have no car. I will either take a train or bus from Boston. I'm unclear as to where it'll arrive as I haven't researched it will enough, yet.

As for 10/22-25, maybe, but it'll probably mean I need to shift my flights and schedule. (It's through Southwest, so if I'm lucky, it might cost me nothing extra.) My original plan was to fly to Boston then take bus/train to NYC then Philly and fly back Seattle from there. (I'm sightseeing in each of the 3 cities too.) Is 10/22-25 going to help in some way?

[thereuare]

The Holiday Inn Express is a new hotel but it's located on Rte 1&9 and this is not the area you really want to be. The Meadowlands Plaza Hotel is located on Rte 3 and is a bit run down from the outside and also, imo, not ideally located, especially without a car.

Keep in mind that anything you do in the area on a budget will be 'less' of an experience then staying directly in Manhattan, but i would look towards the Harmon Meadow area in Secaucus for staying on a budget... Holiday Inn Harmon Meadow, Hyatt Place Secaucus, Embassy Suites Secaucus, etc. all get pretty good reviews and have convenient bus transportation within an easy walk of the hotel.

MOST (note: not all) hotels in PRICELINE's Secaucus-North Bergen and Meadowlands-Rutherford zone are near bus stops, but there is a risk in bidding this area that the hotel you get may not be walkable to the bus. I had therefore looked on HOTWIRE and what i believe to be the Crowne Plaza is available for 10/22-10/25 for ~$100. While not in the Harmon Meadow area, the Crowne Plaza generally gets decent reviews, is a moderate walk to a few fast food restaurants, and has a bus stop a block from the hotel. However, keep in mind that HOTWIRE (and PRICELINE) inventory can change very quickly, and i would make sure you have "all your ducks in order" before committing to the hotel or changing your airline tickets, as the cost to change your air tickets may not be worth the potential savings of the new days when it's all said and done.

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

[cwerdna]

The Holiday Inn Express is a new hotel but it's located on Rte 1&9 and this is not the area you really want to be. The Meadowlands Plaza Hotel is located on Rte 3 and is a bit run down from the outside and also, imo, not ideally located, especially without a car.

Hmm, both seem to have some sort of shuttle either available to NYC or a train station. It sounds like you're saying the Holiday Day Inn Express I mentioned isn't a particularly good/safe area.

Keep in mind that anything you do in the area on a budget will be 'less' of an experience then staying directly in Manhattan, but i would look towards the Harmon Meadow area in Secaucus for staying on a budget... Holiday Inn Harmon Meadow, Hyatt Place Secaucus, Embassy Suites Secaucus, etc. all get pretty good reviews and have convenient bus transportation within an easy walk of the hotel.

I looked at these on a map and they seem slightly further than the two I mentioned. They're also a a lot more expensive on Expedia ($170+/night, if they have rooms).

MOST (note: not all) hotels in PRICELINE's Secaucus-North Bergen and Meadowlands-Rutherford zone are near bus stops, but there is a risk in bidding this area that the hotel you get may not be walkable to the bus. I had therefore looked on HOTWIRE and what i believe to be the Crowne Plaza is available for 10/22-10/25 for ~$100. While not in the Harmon Meadow area, the Crowne Plaza generally gets decent reviews, is a moderate walk to a few fast food restaurants, and has a bus stop a block from the hotel. However, keep in mind that HOTWIRE (and PRICELINE) inventory can change very quickly, and i would make sure you have "all your ducks in order" before committing to the hotel or changing your airline tickets, as the cost to change your air tickets may not be worth the potential savings of the new days when it's all said and done.

Ok, thanks! Yeah, I'll definitely double check on switching my flights around first. They're on Southwest so there are no change fees but yes, they new fares could be higher.

It seems that prices for NYC are all over the map. Some people have gotten decent prices (but for different time periods than mine) on PRICELINE whereas others have had a hard time or gotten very high prices.

[cwerdna]

Update: Thanks all!

I went a bit higher on Priceline in NYC in my zones to $136 for a 3* and still couldn't get a room.

I ended up going to the Secaucus-Meadowlands area on Hotwire and shifting my trip a bit (cost me nothing extra on Southwest Airlines). I got a room at Sheraton-Meadowlands Hotel for $75/night + fees = $267.44 for 10/25 thru 10/28.

The hotel list w/features helped. The ones listed on my bill were: Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-speed Internet Access, Golf Nearby.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you found something that works well for your plans and budget. There is not much in the immediate area of this property (which is why i like the Harmon Meadow area hotels better) but they do supply shuttle service to the Secaucus train station and nearby bus stop.

Thank you for sharing your results with the board.

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

Enjoy your stay.