Priceline Hotel: 3* NYC (CPS) Holiday Inn Midtown 57th St

[sharonanne]

I need help finding a hotel for (hopefully) 5 nights for 2 people, one bed. Our plane tickets going are flexible but we have to leave on Sept 4th and the hotel budget is small at $800 for room, taxes and service fees. We've been to NYC a few times and we're pretty good about not needing fancy facilities. One of my favorite places to stay was Leo House if that gives you an idea!

We can do spartan but would like clean, safe and with a private bathroom.

We can stay longer if we spend less per night. I think 5 nights should be possible.

I would like to be downtown-Soho or Chelsea because I know the areas but would consider moving further afield though I really don't want Times Square. We've stayed in Chinatown and liked it better. I lived in a dorm in Chelsea when I was studying art.

I have been to Brooklyn a few times and liked some parts (Williamsburg) but got a touch lost once and ended up in a part of Brooklyn I did NOT like so I'm a little worried about bidding in that area.

Thanks

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Your $160 all-in budget ($800 / 5 nites) amounts to about a $135/nite bid, which may not be enough for these dates in Manhattan as the city is getting busy with the US Open taking place during this time frame.

If you let us know the minimum star rating you're willing to accept, and the zones (by PRICELINE name) you'd like to bid, we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[sharonanne]

Thanks for your reply. I think we'd be willing to go as low as 2 star IF that included a private bathroom. I can't find anywhere official that will tell me that they do. We really don't care about free wifi or a restaurant in the hotel just want clean and our own bathroom.

The areas I want most are Downtown-Soho-Financial District or Chelsea but would be fine with Empire State Building, Hells Kitchen, Madison Square Garden-Convention, Midtown East, Midtown West, Central Park South, Upper East Side, Upper West Side,

Would accept Times Square but I just don't particularly like it. Would do some parts of Brooklyn but am worried that I cannot choose as the map lumps them all together.

I know that 135 is low so if we can't make it for that then we'll make our visit shorter by a night but it has to be at the beginning so 08/31 to 09/04.

[thereuare]

I have never seen a hotel thru 'name your own price' without a private bathroom (there are a few thru their 'retail' service) but you can email PRICELINE if you want to confirm before bidding.

Let us know once you're ready to move forward and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[sharonanne]

I'm ready to move forward now. Looking for advice.

[thereuare]

The areas I want most are Downtown-Soho-Financial District or Chelsea but would be fine with Empire State Building, Hells Kitchen, Madison Square Garden-Convention, Midtown East, Midtown West, Central Park South, Upper East Side, Upper West Side,

Would accept Times Square but I just don't particularly like it.

Given how difficult i think these nites are likely to be, did you want to include TS at the onset or try all the other zones up to your limit, then include TS should that fail (and i'll add my .02 that i would be hesitant to bid UES and UWS at the lower star levels as each goes pretty far north which is not the ideal location for the average user)

Did you want to start at the 2* level or were you looking to try for a higher rated property first?

Let us know the above and we'll take it from there.

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

[sharonanne]

Been bidding daily with no luck yet. I have been rebidding by adding zones and have gone as high as $130 and as low as 2 stars. Still hoping things will look up as we get closer to the dates.

[AaronJB]

Sorry to hear that bids remain unsuccessful, but hopefully inventory will open up as the date/s get closer.

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

[thereuare]

Please read your messages and use the requested PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your future bidding, searches and travel purchases.

Thanks.

[sharonanne]

No luck yet at $140 as low as 2 star in all Manhattan areas and 4 star in Brooklyn.

[thereuare]

Have you considered Hoboken-Jersey City (NJ) and/or SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID?

You could get a 4* hotel in Manhattan for under your current bid amounts for 8/30-9/2, then get a 4* hotel in Jersey City (easy commute via PATH train) at a similar price for 9/2-9/4.

Let us know your thoughts and we'll inquire/advise further.

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

[sharonanne]

I've thought I might end up splitting the visit but I have never been to Jersey so I haven't considered that. I did think about Staten Island. Any advice would be appreciated and, of course, I am using the links in your message when I access Priceline.

[thereuare]

You don't want Staten Island, there are few hotels there and it's not an easy commute to Manhattan.

Some users like the 4* Brooklyn hotels, and some like the budget hotels in the Long Island City area, but i favor the 4* hotels in Hoboken-Jersey City over both of these options... newer hotels, cleaner area, and things to do (restaurants, bars, etc) in the immediate area.

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

Let us know once you decide how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

[sharonanne]

I bid today for a 4 star in Jersey City for 130 and failed.

[thereuare]

The Jersey City deal was not for your complete stay, only for the sub-set of your dates indicated above. However, at the moment that hotel/rate is gone and is a bit higher but i still think you can do well for the earlier dates in Manhattan.

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

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

[sharonanne]

I understand that you were suggesting to split the stay but I thought I would try to avoid that by bidding for the whole stay but it just wasn't happening. I would have thought that if they had rooms for the weekend then they would have rooms for the week days too.

I will think about what to do next, one option is to cut our visit short but that would mean cutting Tuesday night and that doesn't actually save all that much. Saturday is the real issue and we have to be there then. Another is to up the price. I have the feeling that if I increased the budget to 1000 for the 5 nights I would be more successful. Finally, I can wait, hoping that something shows up as a last minute deal but the dates are getting close and my nerve is beginning to falter.

[thereuare]

Let us know once you decide how you'd like to proceed and we'll try to assist further.

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

[sharonanne]

Sorry for being such a pain.

We decided that splitting the stay and upping the price would be best. Saturday, Spetember 3rd seems to be the biggest problem so I tried for a hotel by the Newark airport. My logic was that hotels by the airport would likely have shuttles to the airport and we could catch the PATH train from there. I am afraid of being a long way from a train station in other parts of Jersey.

Using the links from this board I tried $70, $75 and $80 for a 3 star by EWR. On the last one I got a one time only offer of $97. From my reading I assumed that meant I was getting close so I closed the browser and went back in through a link from this forum and tried $85 but it was rejected as a duplicate bid. I then tried with my husband's e-mail address and a new whole new session from a link on this forum but it was again refused as a duplicate bid. I thought this would work but guess I have to wait till tomorrow.

I will now try a bid on the 08/30th to 09/02 in Manhattan willing to go up to $200.

Any suggestions before I try that? Even if I have to pay the $97 plus tax for 09/03 it is better than what was shaping up to be $350 a night and allows us to up the weekday bids.

One last question, what area does Union Square appear in? Is it added into the downtown/Soho category? That's one BIG zone.

Thanks

[sharonanne]

Actually, our flight was cancelled so this is on hold for a bit.

Good luck to those of you who live in the area.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the update... let us know if/when you reschedule.

Sorry the weather has put your plans on hold.

[sharonanne]

Got a flight rebooked for Thursday which increased the per day rate I could bid, got a 3 star in MTW, the Midtown Holiday Inn for $210. The reviews are variable but at least we won't be looking for a park bench. Thanks

[thereuare]

Glad to see you were able to get this trip re-schedules, are your dates now 9/1-9/4 or were you also able to extend the check-out date in order to keep this as a 5 nite stay?

Also, is this the Holiday Inn Midtown on 57th St? If so, i believe this property is located in the CPS zone and have edited your topic title accordingly, can you please double check your winning bid confirmation page and indicate the correct zone this property is located in (it's under the hotel name but above the address)

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

Thanks, enjoy your stay.

[sharonanne]

Yes, the hotel is in CPS. We have to be somewhere else on Sept 4th so the trip is Sept 1-3 now.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the follow-up!