Priceline Hotel: 3.5* NYC (CPS) Hudson Hotel

[Mulgara]

Hi everyone,

I'm very new to this and looking for any advice. My partner and I are visiting the US for the first time in May and are a bit overwhelmed by NYC accommodation - where to stay, the expense, the HUGE amount of choice etc. I've been reading some of the forums and it looks like people have got some amazing deals so I'm willing to give it a go...just not really sure where/how to start looking.

Can you really get 3-4* Hotels for around the $120-150 mark like I

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

Lower rates ($105-125 +/-) are commonly seen during the slow period, which runs from around January to the end of March/early April. Spring rates - especially further into Spring - are definitely higher (nicer weather, etc.). The other issue with mid-May is that - beyond the increased traffic for nicer weather - you may also run into dates where graduations at local universities are occurring, which could have some additional effect on rates.

In terms of location, everyone wants to be in Times Square, but personally I wouldn't recommend it - it's not only usually the priciest location, but also has the highest traffic. MTW and CPS are very nice, and I particularly like the MTE and ESB areas. Chelsea and the Madison Square Garden-Convention areas are also fine, although my first choice (personally) would be MTE. Overall, other Midtown areas have a lot to offer, are quieter than TS and are not that far to Times Square if you want to head there.

There is no way to know if rates will improve between now and your stay; if the trend of higher rates this year (and higher traffic) continues, I'd say chances of rates coming down much are unfortunately not great. There is no way to guarantee exact bedding type with PRICELINE or HOTWIRE (although the occasional listing on HOTWIRE offers bed choice selection), but given the small size of the rooms in NYC across all star levels, I would definitely expect 1 bed. Rooms with 2 often go for a premium in NYC.

In terms of smoking/non-smoking, PRICELINE does not guarantee non-smoking, and HOTWIRE does not unless you see a "smoke-free" icon, which would indicate a smoke-free property. In the case of both services, no-smoking is a basic (basic meaning that you're not asking for an upgrade) request that can be made at the hotel level after booking (write or call and say you'd greatly appreciate if you could be assigned to a no-smoking room.) A lot of times, both services book no-smoking by default, or it's not hard to work with the hotel. However, there are times, whether due to availability or other issues, where people have gotten stuck.

Rates are on the higher side for these Spring dates, unfortunately. What would be your desired max budget per night?

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

[Mulgara]

Hi AaronJB,

Thank you so so much for your reply, it is really helpful and great just to get some perspective from someone who knows! Your advice on location was very useful as it's so hard to know where to stay...I honestly didnt think it would be such a daunting process!!

Our upper price limit is probably around the $180 mark but if that's unachievable we can reasses whether we stay for the entire week and perhaps spend a bit more $ instead. We're in America for 2 months doing a massive roadtrip and NYC is our first stop.

Thanks again for your help.

[AaronJB]

Hi AaronJB,

Thank you so so much for your reply, it is really helpful and great just to get some perspective from someone who knows! Your advice on location was very useful as it's so hard to know where to stay...I honestly didnt think it would be such a daunting process!!

Our upper price limit is probably around the $180 mark but if that's unachievable we can reasses whether we stay for the entire week and perhaps spend a bit more $ instead. We're in America for 2 months doing a massive roadtrip and NYC is our first stop.

Thanks again for your help.

That's really neat and sounds like a lot of fun (the roadtrip.) Great way to see the country both large and small. I'd definitely stop through small towns, and maybe take in some of the goofier sights (the Wisconsin Dells, for example, which I sort of compare to a small town being swallowed by an amusement park - it's really an entire town based almost entirely upon things you would see at an amusement park - arcades, a 96-hole mini golf course, waterparks, crazy attractions like an upside down White House, land-to-water vehicles that take you down the Wisconsin River after driving through a forest, etc.) It's fun, and not far from there there is some amazing scenery in Devil's Lake State Park.

Door County in Wisconsin is also very quaint and quite beautiful - it's sort of like if you put Maine in the Midwest. Really a very quiet, pretty and old-fashioned area. They allow no fast food chains, for example. It's very local restaurants and little markets where you can pick up fresh apples, cherries or other local produce. There's so much to see, but if you were headed through the Midwest, I definitely think there are several great stops in Wisconsin and there's Chicago in Illinois. You could also head over to the "Field of Dreams" baseball site in Iowa.

NYC is a wonderful place to visit, and a great example in that there's a remarkable personality to the city in multiple regards, but especially at street level. Everyone talks about Times Square, but I think the greatest thing about NYC is really just wandering and stumbling upon a really great, "only in NYC" shop or restaurant. Coming from Chicago, I think the interesting difference is that there's a feeling (at least I think) of separation between the city (which is great, but most of the stores are large chains) and the neighborhoods a bit further out, where you do see a more unique set of options in terms of stores and things to do. In NYC, the more neighborhood-y areas really feel like they are just on the outskirts of some of the more heavily populated areas - I find it fascinating to walk around the Hell's Kitchen area and then to walk into the middle of Times Square a few blocks or so away.

The only issue with NYC is that, unfortunately, it's expensive, especially during the busy parts of the year. I think it comes down to - in my humble opinion - looking at the roadtrip as a whole and deciding where to allocate. Maybe in NYC, you want to go for somewhat more basic accomodations and maybe go a little further in a city/town where hotels are less, or maybe make an additional stop. NYC is a little more daunting than most cities when it comes to hotels due to the cost and the varying options in terms of location, but personally, I think anywhere in Midtown (although I particularly like the East side - MTE/ESB) is fine. If you go towards downtown (Downtown-Soho-Financial District zone on PRICELINE), then you do get too far South.

Not sure what your plans are, but I'd definitely recommend a swing through the Midwest, as parts of the area - especially Wisconsin - are quite beautiful/scenic.

[AaronJB]

In terms of hotel prices, I think a good starting price would be $125 and my hope would be that you would be successful at the $150-160 level for a 4* in MTE/ESB/TS/MTW/CPS, but if not, then it may unfortunately take towards the $175-180 level.

Or, if you don't want to go higher, then you could evaluate the 3.5* level (start lower again and then work up by $5's for the 3.5* properties), and while there are a few concerns at the 3.5* level (some relating to a couple of MTE hotels being rather far E, the other being the Hudson in CPS, which has tiny rooms), most 3.5* properties should be fine, especially if you are not going to be in your room that often and if you want to devote money to other sights/stops during your trip.

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

[Mulgara]

Thanks again Aaron, you're info is really helpful and I so appreciate it. Thanks also for the general 'road trip' info, it's such a huge country and so much we could see on a 2 month trip so it's great to get some local recommendations! We'll try our luck on with some of the prices you suggested - thanks for the guide too as I really wouldn't have guessed we could be successful for the $125-150 mark....all we can do is try hey!

Thanks again and thanks to everyone for this awesome forum/service.

[Mulgara]

Sorry Aaron, can I ask one more annoying question!? I just re-read your advise on prices and when you talk about 'starting lower and work up' etc are you talking about bidding on PRICELINE? I'm a bit naive about whether you can actually 'bid' on Hotwire as I've just been plugging in dates and a list of hotel options with seemingly fixed prices come up. Am I looking in the wrong section or just having a blonde moment!! I haven't played around on PRICELINE much yet but liked the option of seeing non-smoking rooms on HOTWIRE so thought I'd stick with that site. A lot of those 'fixed' prices look quite good for the location and star rating so I'd be happy to try our luck and book one on HOTWIRE but just thought I'd check that there's not also a cheaper way I should be exploring first! Sorry to be a pain but thanks again. Cheers.

[thereuare]

There is no bidding on HOTWIRE, the price to purchase is shown and you make a decision if you want to purchase the offering or not... PRICELINE doesn't show prices but you place a bid.

If you haven't see it yet, this thread gives a good background on the similarities, and differences, of each service: I've Never Used Priceline or Hotwire.

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

[Mulgara]

Thanks Thereuare, I thought this was the case but wanted to make sure! You guys are all so helpful and I'm really grateful. Thanks heaps!

[Mulgara]

Hi, is anyone able to help me identify a few hotels in NYC for May on HOTWIRE. I'm new to this and trying to get a hang of it all!

1. Empire State Building - 3* at $173. Suite, Fitness Centre, Laundry Facilities & Kitchenette

2. Midtown Central - 3* at $182. Smoke-free, Buisness Centre, High speed internet

3. Midtown East - 3* at $199. Suite, Fitness centre, restuarant, high speed internet, kitchenette.

Any advice on which might also be nicer for a couple on their first US trip would also be very appreciated!

Thanks heaps.

[AaronJB]

In terms of 2 people for 5/17-24, I'm seeing:

3* ESB - Suite, Fitness, Kitchenette, Laundry (likely Murray Hill East Suites)

3* MTE - Suite, Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Kitchenette (likely Beekman Tower)

The 3* MTC has not yet been ID'd/reported to the board. Additionally, Travelocity's "Top Secret" section is showing a 3* in "Midtown" (and one of the amenities is free breakfast) for $162. The listing has not yet been ID'd.

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

[Mulgara]

Hi guys,

I'm not sure where is best to post our 'results' so I'll just follow my previous threads! Just to let you know, we were successful in getting the Husdon Hotel on Priceline for the week in May for $170. We are well aware of the negative reviews about the tiny rooms so contacted the hotel directly and they upgraded us to a non-smoking deluxe for an extra $20 (and were fantastic at getting back to us, very accommodating and lovely!). We're not too worried about the room size as plan to be out of the hotel a lot (first time to NYC) and have also stayed in some tiny places in Asia before! Deluxe size seems fine for our needs I think.

As far as I could find, the cheapest price for this room at this time of year was about $320 so we are very happy with our priceline price. It seems like a good location as well so for our first time using Priceline we are quite happy! I'm sure we'll get better with every use and hopefully can get some even better deals in the future.

Thanks to everyone for their advice.

Cheers

[yellowdog]

Mulgara

Thank you for sharing your result with the board!

Good to see that you got an upgrade that easy. I'm sure you'll be happy with the hotel and location.

Enjoy your stay.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links to start future purchases.

Yellowdog.