Priceline Hotel: Need help with NYC - Aug 2 - 7, 2005

[kubark]

I am looking for some help/advice for booking a hotel for NYC (Upper West Side preferably, or would also take MidTown West) for August 2 to 7, 2005.

I've stayed on the Upper West Side before (near Riverside & 80th) and loved it. Loved the area, loved the nightlife, loved the feeling of security. The safety is very important to me. I'm taking my girlfriend, who has never been to NYC before, and want to make sure we can walk around and not just be safe, but feel safe.

I'd like to stay on the West Side, preferably Upper but would take MidTown.

I have contacted several hotels in the area and have been quoted the following rates over the phone:

Lucerne: $195/night

Beacon: $195/night (king suite)

On The Ave: $179/night

Hudson: $225/night (queen)... but they said it could go down to $195/night

Algonquin: $219/night

Waldorf-Astoria (I know, it's MidTown East, but...): $219/night

So far, from the rates and the websites' pictures, I'm leaning towards the Lucerne and On The Ave but would love to see the Hudson come down to $195/night.

Any ideas you could offer would be hugely appreciated. I really want to stay in a nice hotel for a great price (not too much to ask eh??).

Thank you.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

The 'problem' that you will have is that the highest star rating in the UWS zone is 2.5*. Although you've stayed in this area before i would encourage you to try other areas as well. You'll likely find better value in any of the midtown zones and i would consider all of them to be 'safe'.

Not sure if you'd rather try for a 4* hotel in the midtown zones (MTE, MTW, UM/CPS) or stick with your UWS preference. You may also want to look at EasyClickTravel which might have good deals on hotels in the Upper West Side.

Let us know your thoughts, as well as your desired budget, and we'll advise accordingly.

[vcv]

I much prefer the UWS as well. Last year I took a chance and got the Excelsior for $80/night (2.5) and couldn't have been happier. The Excelsior comes in for complaints about employee attitude on tripadvisor.com; but when I was there, the staff was very accommodating. I'd requested 2 beds. When I arrived at 10 a.m., the clerk said that they didn't at the moment have a 2-bed room ready for check-in but she would upgrade us to a 1-bedroom suite, which we could occupy immediately. Maybe I'm more of a budget traveler than many Priceline users, but a very quiet, clean, comfortable room in a safe area fit my needs perfectly. (I was unsuccessful in getting such a good deal this year and booked in another budget, non-chain hotel in the UWS, a hotel that usually gets excellent reviews; but I haven't yet stayed there so don't know how it will compare.) On check-out, the Excelsior happily stored our luggage free of charge until we left for the airport late in the afternoon.