manicmonday18 Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 I have never been to NYC before and also have never used Hotwire (though I have done Priceline for single night stays a few times) so I'm looking for some confirmation of other stuff I found on this board and answers to a few questions.My 4 star search for Times Square - Theatre District (4 stars) came back this am as $183 with icons for Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, High Speed Internet Access. Looking at the board I found that that description would fit The Crowne Plaza Manhattan, Inter-Continental Times Square, and the Millenium Broadway. Does anyone have any personal reviews of these 3 hotels? Looking at online reviews and the hotels own websites any look to be a very good deal at this price...would that be safe to assume? Or is the price not as good as it seems?Also, at the bottom of the listing it says "Recommended in 100% of Hotwire Customer Reviews" This obviously seems self explanatory but since it is my first time on Hotwire I am wondering if this is typical that it says this or does the percentage actually vary? I.E. should I take advantage of this offer? I am not concerned so much with the price just want to make sure I am getting a decent hotel at any sort of deal. All signs point to the fact that I should book this today...any help would be appreciated! Thanks!The dates of my stay are 6/30/11 to 7/3/11
AaronJB Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 Welcome to Betterbidding. :)Please provide the date/s of travel and we would be happy to have a look. Additionally, sharing any prior PRICELINE wins would be greatly appreciated, as even information regarding prior wins can help others.Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.
AaronJB Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 The HOTWIRE customer % rating is not a reliable indicator, and can vary from search-to-search and property-to-property (additionally, there is no place to compare ratings against.) A tripadvisor rating sometimes appears and that does often help narrow down a situation like this, but unfortunately none is included with this listing.The Summer period - while still expensive - is not one of the busier periods of the year due to temperatures. However, this would still appear to be a good deal in comparison to regular rates for these dates.Do you have to be in TS? There is a 4* in nearby MTE for $158 (and you could likely succeed in getting a property for even less via PRICELINE in either area - the HOTWIRE prices you see may differ slightly.)Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.
manicmonday18 Posted March 15, 2011 Author Report Posted March 15, 2011 I am taking my mom for her birthday and she had stated that she wanted to stay in Times Square so I'm pretty set on staying there, despite the fact that I know I will have to pay more to do so. I was honestly going to just book on the Crowne Plaza's website knowing full well that a four day trip to NYC would be expensive and I was okay with that...but judging by the fact that others are having pretty good results for far less than I would pay to do that, I thought I would do some research first. Are the 3 hotels that are apparently described decent hotels? It is my mom's first trip as well and I want to make sure that we stay in a hotel that is worthwhile. What hotels in the Times Square area have you heard the most positive reviews from? And of the 3 hotels that are available with this search at hotwire, is one definately better than another? Because if that is the case I don't mind paying extra and booking direct through the site...if the price increase is worth it. Also just general hotwire questions: does the hotel that is available change every day? Or the description (icons)? Since I have no need to book today or anytime specific, should I maybe wait and see what the trends are like for a week or so? Or would I get the same icons every day and just a variance on price? Thanks for the info!
AaronJB Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 Tripadvisor reviews do paint a more positive view of the Intercontinental than the other two properties (4.5/5 for the IC, vs 4/5 for the other two), and a good deal of that likely is due to the fact that it's a newer, fresher property than the other two. Reviews of many NYC hotels are rather mixed due to high cost vs expectations. I would read reviews, although again, keep in mind that a fair amount of NYC properties do tend to get mixed reviews due to the factor of high prices (especially during the busiest parts of the year) vs. expectations.HOTWIRE listings can change at any time (and do tend to change fairly frequently in a major city like NYC); unfortunately, there's no set time period for change - it depends on inventory and other factors. Listings can change at any time (possibly a different 4* listing in this zone) or disappear completely (a 4* in this zone wouldn't show or would be replaced by a regular rate listing) and prices fluctuate often - prices can vary slightly throughout a day, but can fluctuate more significantly over a longer period.Regular rate, the IC is about $239 on Orbitz, the Crowne Plaza is about $302 and the Millennium is $258. Keep in mind some of these rates may be non-refundable. One other TS regular rate suggestion around the same price point would be the Westin TS at $239.Another regular rate suggestion that isn't in TS but would not be that far is the Sofitel, which is $221 on Expedia, and Expedia lists an added bonus that I am not seeing on Orbitz - late checkout. From Expedia ("Complimentary Late Check-outComplimentary Late check-out until 4 pm on Fr-Sat-Sun from now until April 30 and Jun 24-Aug 31, 2011." Do double check that you are also seeing this when searching, but late checkout is a nice bonus.The Sofitel is one of the top ranked hotels in NYC on tripadvisor.Please let us know if you have any other questions at all before booking. :)Thank you for using the site's Orbitz, Expedia, PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links to start your purchases and searches. You can also use the regular rate links in the support/travel section to book directly with a number of different chains and services.
manicmonday18 Posted March 17, 2011 Author Report Posted March 17, 2011 So today the same search yields the same amenity icons but the price jumped to $267. I should have probably bought it when I first saw it . I guess I will keep watching it while making a few PRICELINE offers....The price may return to that point, right? Or does their better price guarantee kind of preclude that from happening within a relatively short time frame?
AaronJB Posted March 17, 2011 Report Posted March 17, 2011 So today the same search yields the same amenity icons but the price jumped to $267. I should have probably bought it when I first saw it . I guess I will keep watching it while making a few priceline offers....The price may return to that point, right? Or does their better price guarantee kind of preclude that from happening within a relatively short time frame?The 4* TS listing could be any of the 3 properties; the Intercontinental's regular rate does appear more expensive today ($269 non-refundable, at least that I'm seeing on the Intercontinental website) and the Millennium is slightly less expensive than that ($238 non-refundable on the website) and the Crowne Plaza remains higher ($295 non-refundable on the hotel website.)If it turned out to be the Millennium, you could submit a double-the-difference claim. Otherwise, it could be one of the higher priced properties, and there is no way to know if rates will come down between now and your stay.Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE, Expedia, Travelocity or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches. Or the hotel chain links on the Support/Travel page.
manicmonday18 Posted March 17, 2011 Author Report Posted March 17, 2011 The price is down to $185. That's $80 swing in a few hours. I guess I'll do one more PRICELINE Bid then lock it up at that price.
manicmonday18 Posted March 19, 2011 Author Report Posted March 19, 2011 The price is down to $185. That's $80 swing in a few hours. I guess I'll do one more PRICELINE Bid then lock it up at that price.I ended up booking with Hotwire for $185 a night. I got the InterContinental and am very happy with the price! THanks for the advise!
thereuare Posted March 19, 2011 Report Posted March 19, 2011 Congratulations on your success!Glad to see you're happy with the results and that this property will work for your plans this trip.Can you confirm that that the amenities shown before your purchase were as originally posted above: Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, BusinessPlease use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Enjoy your stay. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
Thesawch Posted March 21, 2011 Report Posted March 21, 2011 hi,Just curious to what MTE means. Thanks
thereuare Posted March 21, 2011 Report Posted March 21, 2011 MTE = Midtown East (a zone within NYC)PS- NYC = New York City :) Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
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