Priceline Hotel: A shot in the dark? Bed Bug Free Zones in NYC?

[lindmar]

I'm paranoid of bedbugs. :)

I have to travel to NY in October and am looking for a bedbug free hotel/zone.

I checked all the 4 star hotels out listed in the New York City (Empire State Building) list and none of them have reports of BB (yet) Any of the Downtown areas should be fine, just want a bug free hotel at a decent price. Is that too much to ask? :-)

What would be a decent bidding strategy/price? I need to be in NYC for a Saturday/Sunday for sure and maybe Monday night.

Happy to click the BetterBidding PRICELINE links for some advice.

[thereuare]

Please start by following-up your previous Priceline Chicago thread with whatever you ended up doing for that stay.

While bed bugs are real, i personally feel reports are a bit over-rated and at the first mosquito bite from being outside or unhappy guest (for some unrelated reason) they claim 'bed bugs'.

However, as this appears to be a concern of yours, why not book with HOTWIRE where you can take an educated guess as to the hotel you may likely receive, and therefore research before your purchase to make sure you're comfortable with the hotel you think you may receive?

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

Your thoughts?

[lindmar]

Well how accurate do we think the priceline possibilities are?

I like priceline much better than hotwire....

[hohogap]

Priceline bids are totally opaque. You bid a zone and star rating and you've booked yourself a hotel if the "price is right." What Thereuare was saying regarding Hotwire is that you can research star level compared to the ammenities listed on the Hotwire "opaque" hotel offer and come up with a very educated guess as to the specific hotel you'd be bidding on. In that way, you'd be able to be more comfortable with the specific hotel you would receive prior to actually purchasing it. No guarantees, of course, but the moderators are awfully good at what they do and have a high likelihood of pinpointing the exact hotel you'd be bidding on through Hotwire. BTW - I do agree that I prefer PL over HW, but in this instance you may be better off with the HW bidding scheme.

[lindmar]

I understand the opaque'ness and how it works. But I'm curious if you have any data or updates to the suggested lists of hotels/per zones..

What I'm saying is I've looked at all the 4-star in a certain zone , they all check out and sounds good, I'd take any of them.

So now I'm considering a bidding strategy and suggestions.

I'll look at hotwire a bit further though - thanks for your tips.

[AaronJB]

The lists are updated as new information comes in and new hotels and/or star rating changes happen frequently. New hotels/star rating changes (and in the case of HOTWIRE, amenity set changes) can appear at any time. Please confirm your desired budget per night/desired zones.

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

[lindmar]

4+ stars - budget $150-$250???

zones - Not really sure. Times Square/Midtown East/Soho/Etc..

I have to be in the Union Square area for a day and have another day to see as much as possible. Don't mind cabbing around.

Want to check out the Ground Zero/times square/empire state or whatever the heck I have time for :-)

[thereuare]

What are the actual dates of your stay?

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

[lindmar]

check in Oct 22 - check out Oct 24

[dahammer]

I have to travel to NY in October and am looking for a bedbug free hotel/zone.

I travel with a roll of 4" wide double faced carpet tape and set up a perimeter on the mattress, so far this has worked for me. Additionally, I prefer tonic with quinine and gin in the summer and I have yet to contract Malaria.

[thereuare]

zones - Not really sure. Times Square/Midtown East/Soho/Etc..

Let us know once you decide which zones are acceptable for this trip, then click each of these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links, and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

Thanks.

[lindmar]

ESB Zone is the one.

[thereuare]

To confirm, MTE and/or Downtown are not longer an option and you only want to bid the ESB zone?

Your maximum bid is $250?

Please verify and we'll suggest a strategy to follow.

[riley5555]

I can definitely understand the fear of bed bugs! But I've been to NYC a few times since all of the news reports started coming out, and no problems so far (knock on wood!). I try to book in 4-star hotels and check the mattresses when I arrive before settling into the room.

[lindmar]

Tried bidding last few nights...

have gone all the way up to $250 and gotten nothing.

Since I can basically book a few of the hotels on the list for around the same price, I might do that. Any idea why that would be?

[thereuare]

Is ESB the only zone you're been bidding? Best rate i see for a 4* hotel in the ESB zone is just over $300/nite... what hotel(s) are you finding in the ESB zone at ~$250?

As well, on HOTWIRE i'm seeing what i believe to be the Kitano for $216/nite, which is less than you have already bid... is this property not acceptable to you?

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