Priceline Hotel: Advice - NYC 11/7 - 11/10/11

[jstjumpin]

Hello! We are coming for the NYC Marathon - my husband is running! We will stay with family in Manhattan and then are looking for "down time" from 11/7 - 11/10 (3 nights).

We want to be "tourists" and soak in the City. We will visit Ground Zero and Central Park, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and shop a bit. I have been researching areas to stay and here is what I have found:

4*

MTE

MTW

TS

CPS

These all seem to be right in the center where most things are located (subway, restaurants, shopping)... We want to relax and have some fun. My idea of a BAD place, is having to be too far from Subway and being in a super cramped room. We'd like service and a great place to stay.

We would like to stay in a 4* hotel and we'd like it to be a wonderful experience.

So far I have been unsuccessful in bidding....

I have bid on all of the above places up to $205. We are willing to go up to $290 per night.

Questions:

Am I looking at the right areas based on what I have described?

What do you feel the best bidding strategy is? I don't want to up my bid to a large number and get a sub-par hotel... Any advice on how I should proceed would be appreciated.

Thank you!!

-Amy

[AaronJB]

Best of luck to your husband in the marathon! :)

One concern:

"My idea of a BAD place, is having to be too far from Subway and being in a super cramped room. We'd like service and a great place to stay. I don't want to up my bid to a large number and get a sub-par hotel"

There is no way to ensure being near a subway and most rooms in NYC are on the small side, with some rooms in upscale properties as small as 150-180 sq ft. When bidding on PRICELINE, you have to be willing to accept *any* properties at the star rating and within the zone/s you are bidding on. For example, if you bid for 4* MTE, you have to be okay with potentially getting any of the 4*'s in that zone.

I think you are looking at the correct areas (although I'd reconsider TS, which is usually the most expensive - and crowded), but do let us know your thoughts on the above - there's no way to guarantee specifics (aside from star rating and general area) with PRICELINE. Additionally, rates are quite high for these dates (likely due in part to the Marathon) and $290 may not be enough for a 4* (although if more than that, not likely substantially more than that).

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