Priceline Hotel: 4* Newark (Jersey City) Westin

[dodo77]

Hi. I am new to PRICELINE/HOTWIRE and 2 of us are visiting NY for the first time, from Singapore. Would appreciate help on getting a hotel in New York for 30 Sep to 4 Oct. We do not mind small rooms as rooms in U.S. are large by our standard. Budget of $100-150 a day doable? Anywhere within walking distance of subway, can get to Manhattan within half an hour, safe, clean and not too dated hotel would be nice.

[thereuare]

...can get to Manhattan within half an hour...

So are you willing to stay outside of the city and commute to Manhattan?

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

[dodo77]

Yes, that will be fine as long as it is nice neighbourhood.

[thereuare]

A hotel in Manhattan within your budget may be a bit tough... i'm guessing the closest you'd come would be a 3* hotel for ~$180 or so.

If you're trying to stay within budget i think your best option would be the Hoboken-Jersey City zone where HOTWIRE has what appears to be the 4* rated Westin for $148/nite. This hotel is close to the PATH train which will take you to Manhattan in ~15 minutes and runs 24/7. You do lose a bit of the 'feel' of NYC by staying in NJ, but this would be a good choice and a relatively easy commute into Manhattan.

You can either go for this or try bidding this equivalent zone via PRICELINE to try and save a few dollars (but the would be subject to any 4* hotel in the zone and not necessarily being able to target the Westin).

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

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

[dodo77]

My travel dates in NY is now 29 Sep to 4 Oct 2011. I tried bidding number of times unsuccessfully, including $105 for a 3* in Long Island City. I am considering Howard Johnson Inn or Verve Hotel in Long Island City. The retail price range from 129 to 170. Would appreciate advice on what's the lowest price I can go for this? And I guess I have to go for 2* or 2.5* in that area? Thanks.

[thereuare]

I'll re-iterate my suggestion for a 4* hotel in the Hoboken-Jersey City area which would likely be had for ~$135 or so and would provide a much nicer experience the Long Island City, imo.

If you want to bid for LIC, what do you want to bid for first... a 2.5* up to your limit or the least expensive 2* or better for this stay? What is your maximum bid for staying in LIC?

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

[dodo77]

The Howard Johnson Inn in LIC is available for flexible booking at $130. So I was hoping bidding may get me lower than that. But I don't want to end up with an rundown bed bugs place. The max in LIC I was hoping for $100. I thought that would be cheaper than a Hoboken-Jersey 4*, lower than 4* in Jersey area seems to have hotels which are farther away and not so desirable. Thanks

[thereuare]

The Howard Johnson Inn in LIC is available for flexible booking at $130. So I was hoping bidding may get me lower than that. But I don't want to end up with an rundown bed bugs place.

As per my comments in your other thread, in theory all hotels should be clean, but the chances of finding something that doesn't meet your standards increases as you go lower down the star rating chain. Given that you're choosing a hotel sight unseen, it's generally recommended to stick with the higher rated properties whenever possible (unless you have a very good idea of the area and/or hotel you're likely to receive). You have to decide if saving $30 is worth the risk of purchasing an 'unknown' hotel.

The max in LIC I was hoping for $100. I thought that would be cheaper than a Hoboken-Jersey 4*, lower than 4* in Jersey area seems to have hotels which are farther away and not so desirable.

A 2* hotel in LIC will be cheaper than a 4* hotel in Hoboken... but that doesn't necessarily make it a better value. A Hundai is cheaper then a BMW, but if the BMW only costs x% more, than the BMW is probably a better value. (each person will have their own opinion as to what 'x' needs to be to make the slightly higher priced property a better value)

All the 'known' 4* hotels in Jersey are well located near PATH trains and, imo, are worth the extra money vs. a lower rated hotel in the LIC area. As i've commented previously on the board, i'm just not a fan of the LIC area at this point in time (they're trying to turn the area around but just not there yet, imo).

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

[dodo77]

I was offered to increase my bid to $150 for Jersey City for 4*, which is more than what I want to spend. I see Candlewood Suites Jersey City looks a good place to me, it is only 2*, but as you mentioned, if I bid a 2* I may end up much further from PATH. So if I want to stay near PATH, the least I should go is 3*?

[thereuare]

I was offered to increase my bid to $150 for Jersey City for 4*, which is more than what I want to spend.

How much was your bid? What is your maximum bid?

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

[dodo77]

I purchased Hotwire 4* Hoboken - Jersey City area hotel for $128 for 29 Sep and got Sheraton Lincoln Harbour.

Amenities:

Suite, Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access

It is a good hotel but bit worried that it is not as convenient as it is not near PATH.

I do not see anything in this price range for the subsequent days of my trip.

May I know if 3* hotels are near PATH for the Hoboken-Jersey City? What would be the bid price range for them?

Thanks.

[thereuare]

I purchased Hotwire 4* Hoboken - Jersey City area hotel for $128 for 29 Sep and got Sheraton Lincoln Harbour.

Amenities:

Suite, Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access

It is a good hotel but bit worried that it is not as convenient as it is not near PATH.

Can you please post your win to the board as a NEW TOPIC so that others will be aware of your win when searching the topic titles on the board and in the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins. Please include the star rating, city, zone, room rate, dates and amenities shown before your purchase... you can still view all of this by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

This hotel is not near the PATH train but there is bus access to Manhattan across the street from the hotel (it's a short ride). If you did need PATH access, or just want to visit 'downtown' Hoboken, you could take the Light Rail to the PATH ('uptown' Hoboken is easily walkable from this hotel... but the 'heart' of Hoboken's stores are more downtown)

May I know if 3* hotels are near PATH for the Hoboken-Jersey City? What would be the bid price range for them?

At the moment, the current boundaries of the Jersey City zone, all the 'known' hotels are near (or at least somewhat near) the PATH station... it's HOTWIRE where the zone extends far West to Tonnelle Ave and that is where you don't want to be.

We don't see wins at the 3* and under hotels too often as it seems they don't seem to offer deeply discounted inventory to the opaque suppliers as much as the higher rated hotels in the zone. Let us know how high you're willing to bid for a 3* hotel and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow. (i won't bother re-iterating my thoughts above that you should be biding for a 4* hotel in the area.. i think you could have received one hotel for this complete stay for maybe $10 more per nite then you received for the Sheraton)

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

[dodo77]

Thanks for your really helpful advice. Would really appreciate if you could please advise strategy for bidding the 4*, maximum $138. And for 3* maximum $120?

Thanks so much ..

[thereuare]

Let's start with the 4* where you have SIX re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 4* Jersey City...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $133, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $138

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[dodo77]

Thanks so much for all your help. I bidded for 4* and got Westin at $130! That is a great deal for $2 more than the Sheraton I got :) I'll post the win on a new topic for the record as before.

[dodo77]

With info given by this forum by thereuare, using the PRICELINE link in this forum:

Select 4* Jersey City...

Bid $85, rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $90, rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $95, rejected add re-bid zone..

Bid $100, rejected add re-bid zone..

Bid $125, rejected add re-bid zone..

Bid $130 won Westin!

Thanks.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Excellent deal for this Westin property! Hope you are looking forward to your stay.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[thereuare]

Glad you were successful... you'll be much happier here then in LIC, imo.

Best way to get to this hotel from your previous hotwire hotel win at the Sheraton Suites is to take the LightRail... the front desk can direct you and make sure you stamp your ticket (stamping validates the ticket, otherwise it's not valid for travel, and if you get asked to present it's a hefty fine)

Have a great trip.