Priceline Hotel: 4* NYC (MTW) Algonquin Marriott

[lenae]

What hotels am I likely to get if I request a 4* in Times Square/Theatre District on Priceline? Am looking to stay at the Crowne Plaza Times Square. Should I use Hotwire, instead?

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

There is no guarantee of a particular property via either service, especially via PRICELINE. With HOTWIRE - especially in major cities, some properties do show up with the same amenities as other properties. Additionally, with HOTWIRE, only one listing at each star rating shows up in each zone for each set of dates, and there is no guarantee that the property you are looking for will appear.

The list of hotels that have been reported to the board (there may be others) can be found at this link (there are links on that page to both NYC PRICELINE and HOTWIRE lists.

Are you only looking for the CP?

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

[lenae]

I am open to other hotels besides CP, but do not want a 4* boutique hotel. Want spacious room, prefer a view. Thank you for the link.

[AaronJB]

With PRICELINE, there is no way to avoid a boutique if a boutique property is one of the possibilities in the zone (and there are quite a few across NYC.)

Additionally, there's no way to ensure a view (which is often an upgrade - additionally, given the density of the city, not all hotels have views) in NYC and the average room in NYC is smaller-than-average in comparison to most major city properties.

HOTWIRE would normally be a better choice due to the ability to make an educated guess as to which hotels are showing based upon the information given, but the 4* in TS showing for these dates unfortunately is a regular rate listing - the Westin TS.

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

[lenae]

Is the Muse the only boutique hotel reported in TS-TD?

I tried $125/night on Pricelice for 4* TS-TD, got rejected. Will try again in a few days, and raise my price.

[thereuare]

Is the Muse the only boutique hotel reported in TS-TD?

Are you referring to a HOTWIRE hotel showing the Boutique icon OR of all the 4* hotels reported to the board via PRICELINE that the Muse is the only one which is a Boutique? As 'boutique' can mean different things to different people, what is it exactly that you're looking for or trying to avoid?

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

[lenae]

I was looking at Priceline. Was trying to avoid a college dorm-sized hotel room. In the past when I have stayed in boutique hotels, they have been very "economy" based.

[thereuare]

Most NYC hotel rooms are on the small-ish side so if you're looking for something which has larger than average rooms (for the area) i'd sooner opt for HOTWIRE in hopes of accurately identifying a hotel which has larger than usual rooms. HOWEVER, note that not all rooms, even at the same hotel, are uniform and you could receive one of the smaller rooms on the property, so still no guarantees.

It will come down to price and saving money vs. getting exactly what you want... what is your maximum budget for this nite?

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

[lenae]

The Crown Plaza for less than $250 a night would be ideal, or any of the 4* hotels in Time Square.

[thereuare]

Please start by reading your messages.

So you're willing to accept any 4* hotel in the Times Square zone (including a Boutique property)?

It's your stay and you know your needs/wants better then we do, but if you're looking for the best deal possible i would advise including other nearby midtown zones which may also work for your needs. Including other zones gives more hotels the opportunity to accept your bid price which could result in a better deal then only including one zone in your bidding. As well, most midtown zones work fine for the average user and it's really not necessary to stay directly in Times Square, as we discuss in this Hotels Near Times Square thread.

For example, HOTWIRE has a 4* rated hotel in the ESB zone for $185/nite. It indicates a 4.5/5.0 Tripadvisor rating, 95% recommended by previous HOTWIRE guests, and rates 4.5/5.0 for all criteria HOTWIRE asks users to rate (including 'room comfort'). For $75 less then what you're seeking for a Times Square hotel, would this be that bad of an option? The hotel appears to be nice based upon the reviews/content provided by HOTWIRE, but even if it's not ultimately your ideal property, for the savings would this work for a one nite stay? Again, you know your plans best, but my guess is that given this is just a one nite stay you'll more than likely be out and about in the city most of the day and nite and more likely be spending far less time in the room then you suspect.

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

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.

[lenae]

Opened my search beyond Time Square to MTW. $175 wasn't accepted but they offered me another chance to change the price only without changing ** or area. Got the Algonquin for $210 4* NICE!

Thanks for your help!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you're happy with the results.

As requested above, please read your messages and please use the requested PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your future travel purchases.

Enjoy your stay.