Hotwire Hotel: 3* NYC (ESB) Murray Hill East Suites

[Aisling]

Help identify 3.5* Midtown Central (9/10 - 9/13)

Amenities include:

1. No Smoking

2. Fitness

3. High speed Internet

$277.00 / night

[thereuare]

I'm seeing a 4* with the amenities above, but the 3.5* at $277 appearing on my search is showing Smoke Free, Internet, Businesss... is this that you're seeing OR are you still seeing the three amenities you've listed above?

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

[Aisling]

I can't say I am a newbie here but I need some advice on my recent bids. I have been trying for days to bid on a 4* (all areas) up to $190.00. Each night after these bids fail I have been bidding up to $180.00 on 3.5* in TS, MTE, MTW and Soho/Downtown (I excluded CPS for fear of The Hudson- too small for 2 people.) I noticed the calender of wins that The Millenium (3.5* in TS) went for $150.00 on two of the same dates I am bidding. I was hoping for something similar. I have even tried to split my dates ... to no avail. Is Mon. 9-12 the problem? Is the US Open games and the 9/11 Memorial booking up the city? Gettin' frazzled...

[thereuare]

Current rates are up substantially and at current rates i'm guessing it will take in the mid to high $200's to be successful for a 3.5/4* property.

Is Hoboken/Jersey City an option and commuting to the city via PATH train? You could likely get a 4* hotel in this area for $110-$135/nite. You do lose some of the convenience and 'feel' for the city, but it's certainly do-able and for potentially $100+ per nite savings may be worth the trade-off of price vs. convenience.

Your thoughts?

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

[Aisling]

Yes, I have thought about Jersey City. While I am perfectly comfortable with this area my friend is hesitant. She will be doing a great amount of shopping so wants the convienience of a nearby hotel. I thought NYC would be good for the weekend and Jersey City for a Mon-Tues option. I bid up to $120.00 with no luck. Again, this discouraged me since I saw previous wins for the weekend at $90-95.00.

I just wondered if my exact dates were the cause of this. I also noticed the following Sun & Mon(18th & 19th) there were winning bids of $185.00 at the Marriott Marquis.

I would love to change the weekend but I want to be in the city on the 12th for an event.

[Aisling]

One other thing that has me wondering.....

Hopefully this is not a confusing post but this has been the oddest bidding experience I've ever had on Priceline throughout the years. When I bid on a 4* hotel and adding my free re-bid areas the "search" for a hotel is LITERALLY 5-6 seconds long before the "Sorry, Try Again" screen appears. I am wondering if Priceline is even taking my bid seriously into consideration! :) ---- But, when I bid for the 3.5* hotels just moments later.... the usual 30-45 sec. "search" takes place. Has anyone experienced this?

[thereuare]

The US Open takes place thru Sept 11th, plus it's the 10 year anniversary of the WTC terrorist attacks, so the city will likely be crowded over these dates and as a result, hotel rates are up (and why you can't really compare your dates to the following week)

I can't speak too much for the fast rejections you're experiencing on your 4* bidding, but perhaps just take a full 24 hour break from bidding to see if there is any difference.

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

[Aisling]

Well, sadly all my attempts were futile with PRICELINE at bids up to $195.00. After a discussion with my friend and her uneasiness with Jersey City I checked again with HOTWIRE (thru these links, of course) and found a 3* for $195.00 near The Empire State Building for my dates 9-10 to 9-13. It was The Murray Hill Suites. Decent reviews and an added bonus...a KITCHEN! Nice LARGE rooms, too.

Feel free to move this to the Hotwire win list. I may be attempting the Jersey City hotels again for myself on 9-13 & 14 since I am considering staying an extra day or two. I'll start another post if I decide to do this.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you found something which both you and your friend are happy with.

Can you please add a reply to this thread with the amenities shown before your purchase... you can still view this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

Thank you for sharing your results and using the HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your purchase.

Enjoy your stay.

[Aisling]

Amenities were:

Suite

Kitchen

Fitness

Laundry

[thereuare]

Thanks for the follow-up.