Priceline Hotel: 3* Newark (Jersey City) Hyatt Regency on Hudson

[rlibkind]

I successfully bid this morning $81 for Jersey City, one night, Thursday, April 7 on a 3*. This is what I got:

Hyatt Regency

$81 bid

$19.35 taxes and fees

$100.35 total

On hotline, a 3-1/2* in JC, presumably the same hotel, quoted as going for $87 for same date, IIRC.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the report... i'm confident you'll enjoy this property.

Did you have any rejected bids on previous attempts? (if so how much?)

I'm quite familiar with the area if you have any questions.

Have a great stay.

[rlibkind]

I had no rejected bids -- I looked at the price on Hotwire for what I presumed was this hotel, then bid a bit under that. I simply didn't have enough time to bid and then wait three days, so I crafted my bid to get it first time; since this was for a single weeknight stay, I thought the odds of a $48 or so bid being accepted were not great. Generally, it looks like low bids work better here on weekends, since this is predominantly a business hotel.

Since this hotel is right atop the PATH, I figure we'll use that to get to Manhattan. But how is the new light rail like to Hoboken? We could transfer to the bus there to go to Port Authority, since we will be heading to 45th & 8th for a show. It's been 26 years since I moved from Hoboken to Phila., so, needless to say, things have changed.

[thereuare]

The LightRail to Hoboken is consistent and easy, but not worth your while if you're using it to get to the Port Authority... better to take PATH downtown and then take the subway towards the Port Authority. Bus traffic down Washington St can be stop-and-go (especially near Blockbuster Video where everybody double parks on both sides of the street :) ), in addition to Tunnel traffic which is unpredictable. PATH>>Subway is more consistent, cheaper, and leaves less potential for aggrevation.

However, if you know Hoboken from 25 years ago you should pay a visit as you won't recognize the place!

[rlibkind]

Thanks. We did the PATH to WTC and then subways/cabs. As for the Hyatt, a good bargain anytime you can get it for anything under $100 on short notice or under $60 with long-range planning, IMHO. I'd rather be in Manhattan near where I'm going, whether that be the theater district, Lincoln Center, etc., but if the bidding won't let me stay there at a reasonabled price, then I'm Hudson County bound.

Alas, didn't get a chance to get back to Hoboken. I was there about five years ago and caught up with a former neighbor who, at that time, ran an antiques/collectibles shop on Washington Ave., and the changes were striking.