Priceline Hotel: 3* Newark (Jersey City) Hyatt Regency on Hudson

[peridot]

Hello,

I am looking to book a hotel in New Jersey for arrival on Wed June 29th, departure on Monday July 4th. I would love to score the Jersey City Hyatt Regency (I stayed there before - with help from thereuare and loved it!) but am worried the prices have gone up.

Please provide a bidding strategy based on the following:

1. Check in June 29th, check out July 4th

2. Price is most important - Would love to get something very cheap, around $50 a night, but would be willing to go up to $70 or $75 max if I knew I could get a nice hotel like the Hyatt.

3. Location is important - if not the Hyatt I would still need to be very close to a train (PATH) into Manhattan

4. I don't want a dump - and am not familiar with any of the other hotels in that area.

5. I would be willing to split a bid - how does that work exactly?

Please let me know, I'd like to start bidding by tomorrow night. Thanks in advance for your help!! This is a wonderful site!!

Also...I would be willing to switch hotels for the Saturday and Sunday night if need be...I don't need to be near the PATH station on the weekend as we will have a car....any advice on parking on the weekend would be appreciated!

[thereuare]

Is being close to a bus to NYC (rather than the PATH) sufficient?

Alternate zones will likely put you out by the Meadowlands area (commute by bus) which is certainly do-able, but somewhat less convenient than the PATH train... is being near the PATH in Jersey City worth anything to you (like an extra $10-$20/nite) or is price (regardless of convenience) the ultimate concern?

[dahammer]

Also, how will you be arriving? Car? If flying, into what airport will you arrive?

[peridot]

Thanks for the quick response!!

Put it this way, a difference of $10 is not really a big deal. If I knew I could get the Hyatt or a similar type hotel with easy access to the PATH than I wouldn't mind paying my max of $70-75 but seems like the Hyatt is not going to be easily available in that range....??? I guess I am just not sure what the other hotels are like around there and what a realistic $ range is these days....Is Hyatt out of the question?

A bus to NYC does not sound too bad as long as it is close to the hotel and runs often. Like I said, it is more important that I am close to transportation to NYC on the wednesday, thursday and friday - but not important for saturday and sunday. And again It is imporant the hotel is safe and clean.

I am still confirming my travel arrangements but I will most probably be flying in and out of Newark. And we will not have the car until the weekend - friday night onwards, so parking would be an issue.

Which other hotels are situated along the PATH train??

[thereuare]

I have already researched this but please let us know when your plans are firm and we'll type out a complete strategy for you to follow.

[blindman]

I have booked the Hyatt for 3 and 4th July at the (highish) rate of $71, as this seemed to be the going rate at that time.

Have you looked at the Candlewood Suites in NJ

Candlewood review

This hotel has FREE parking and is round the corner from the Hyatt.

Hotel web-site

This is a 2* and IF you get "upgraded" to the 2.5* the Courtyard at Newport is opposite the PATH station

Newport Courtyard

Review

Hope to see you at the Hyatt :)

[peridot]

thanks thereuare and blindman,

thereuare: I will confirm my travel arrangements by tonight and let you know. Just not 100% sure on the airport - hoping for Newark.

blindman: $71 for Hyatt sounds good....when did you score that deal?

The other hotels sound great....especially with kitchenette - that would be useful for my stay. What should I expect to get the Candlewood Suites for or even the Newport for?? Could I get those for the $50 range or even $37?? Or is that wishful thinking??

Thanks.

[dahammer]

wishful thinking, the $37 Hyatt rates are history, just a fond memory for those who were lucky enough to score at that ridiculously low price. I just paid over $100 for the Ramada Ltd in Jersey City, a 2* property :) This is shown for your dates of travel at $108. Candlewood is a nice property, but how many are in your party? I believe the Candlewood only has Queen beds at the PL or HW rate, but would be a great hotel to base your NYC vacation. About two blocks to the PATH station, but the hotel shuttle bus will take you and pick you up, and you will be close to a grocery store for provisions. The Hyatt appears on Hotwire at $136 for your dates of travel. Both sites can be accessed through savingsbarn.com and will support message boards like this one.

[thereuare]

If you travel dates are firm (and only the airport is up in the air) then you can move forward now....

The $37 Hyatt rates are a thing of the past.

This is how i would bid (using value and your budget as the main criteria)...

Select 3* Jersey City 6/29-7/4 and bid $71, if rejected change dates to 6/30-7/4 and try $71 again, if rejected change dates again to 7/1-7/4 and bid $71.

I believe the first two bids will likely be rejected, but i think you have an excellent chance of success on the last bid (7/1-7/4).

I would try the above first and then see if you need to bid elsewhere for the entire stay or for the remainder of the stay.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[peridot]

thanks!

I have One more question:

I just confirmed with my tavel agent that I will be flying in and out of Newark - my dates are June 29 - July 5th departure (leaving one day later).

Dahammer: We are 2 guests. 1 Queen would be perfect.

I realize that for us price is #1 (I just found out my plane ticket is more expensive than I thought!!)

Along with importance of being close to PATH (within 10 minute walk for wed - fri), rather than a bus.

I am not stuck on the Hyatt anymore given the other possible cheaper choices.

Now that I have heard about the other 2 hotels...I am curious of the price range for Candlewood and Courtyard as they sound pretty good and like I said a kitchenette with microwave would be great - also parking would be super and I know Hyatt does not offer this. Do they also have high speed internet??

With that in mind - should I start my bid lower to try and target those properties?? Is that realistic - can I get those for the lower price range? Then, if not available - go higher - to $71.00 in hopes of the Hyatt?? And again - I don't mind splitting the bid or properties if I can save $$$.

Sorry if I am annoying with these questions....I appreciate your help!!

[blindman]

The links I provided gave you the info.

Bid for Hyatt

I'm sure thereuare will give you a good bidding strategy and considering your arrival\dept airport Jersey City would suit better than Manhattan.

All the possible hotels (reported so far :) )are not too bad with regard to location and reviews.

What used to happen in the past is that the Hyatt would come up at $37.00 usually for the weekend (Fri-Sunday)for a 3* if not then it took about $65 to hit the Doubletree PL rate.

The 2* Candlewood could be got for about $55 with the 2.5* Courtyard being around $60.

However

It depends on lots of variables so nothing is certain :)

Follow the advice, be prepared for possible worst case scenarios and have fun.

[peridot]

thanks blindman,

I would be happy to get the Candlewood for $55.00!

I will wait for thereuare's response to my last post in case he can give me a different bidding strategy considering my hopes of getting the cheaper $50 price and willingness to stay at Candlewood.

:)

[blindman]

I would be happy to get the Candlewood for $55.00!

I think that may not be possible :)

Good luck.

[thereuare]

The Candlewood is sold out for a few nites of your stay, so i think that is not going to work out in your favor... and it's at least one 'middle' nite which means that using it near the beginning of your bidding is going to force you to change hotels more frequently.

Although i know think that your depature on the 5th is going to put a wrinkle in some of the above bidding plans (which is why we always prefer to wait until plans are firm).

For the nite of the 4th, did you plan on staying in a 'commutable' area or do you have an early flight and would stay closer to the airport?

[peridot]

In that case I won't worry about the night of the 4th...We may just be able to stay with friends our last night or I may just try and book something online last minute. I wouldn't think it would be hard to get a hotel on a Monday night...

So I guess I should not try and bid lower than $71 in hopes of getting the other cheaper hotels...can you tell me which nights the Candlewood is sold out on...

Thanks!

[dahammer]

Be my guest... Candlewood Suites

[thereuare]

The beginning of your stay has the more difficult dates.

I would still bid the same strategy above, using the dates in the following order:

6/29-7/5

6/30-7/5

7/1-7/5

6/29-7/4

6/30-7/4

I don't really think the above will be successful (but no harm in trying). But if you don't mind staying elsewhere for the nite before your flight, i would then try:

7/1-7/4 (which i do think has a good chance of success)

You stand to save $10-$15 for lower star rated hotels in the JC area, but if you try and are rejected you won't be able to then bid for a 3* without waiting 72 hours (and you don't have that much time). If the above fails for all of the dates listed, you can then try lower bids incorporating lower star ratings and other zones.

[peridot]

Out of curiosity I checked the availablility for Candlewood on their site and it appeared to be available for my entire stay 6/29 - 7/5... So I decided to give it a shot and bid $55 for 2* Jersey City and was rejected....I had to try. I know I can continue bidding by raising the star level or changing dates so I wasn't worried about the 72 day lockout.

Before I continue with your bidding strategy for the hyatt I just want to clarify a few things:

I am hesitant about the hyatt (although I love the property) due to the parking situation. We do not want to pay $15.00 a day...we would prefer free parking. So - are there any alternatives for parking near the hyatt? How is street parking, has anything changed with that. I read in past posts that it is a problem. My concern is specifically for the thursday night through Monday night. We plan to do little day trips all weekend so parking in the morning and overnight is the problem. If there are no alternatives for parking then I would need to consider another hotel. I'm hoping parking around there is somehow doable.

Considering that, what are your thoughts on the other surrounding hotels - you mentioned meadowland area as an option with a bus into Manhattan. Transport is only an issue for me the wed and thursday, so I could sacrifice that for a nice hotel - cheap (around $50) range with parking. Are those area hotels available for cheapie rates??

Changing hotels once is not a problem as of Saturday onwards, but early in my stay it would be an inconvenience.

Much appreciated!

[thereuare]

There is an area i know about 15 minute walk from the Hyatt that has on street parking (usually available) starting on Friday nite until Monday morning... no parking during the day midweek.

You could park your car in another area and take the PATH train from there, but it will still likely cost a fee, although cheaper than $15/day (out in Harrison, for example, where another user saw rates of $5-$8/day). Board member dahammer just stayed in the Journal Square area of Jersey City and found a new lot that offered free parking, but this is believed to be for a limited time and it's unknown when it will end (i also forget if it was only free overnight parking or what the exact deal was).

Other areas are cheap, but likely a bit more than $50... the hotel market is stronger than it was a few years back, and the weather is 'prime time' right now.

[peridot]

ok - thanks for the info thereuare.

if dahammer has any more specific info on that free parking lot - please fill me in.

I'll let you know how my bidding goes.

[thereuare]

Looks like it is free parking up to 12 hours.

More info in this thread: JERSEY CITY PARKING

[peridot]

thereuare:

Here are my results for Jersey City 3* - all failed bids at $71:

(I changed the order of dates a little from your strategy - trying to avoid changing hotels too early in the trip and then again at the end) this would be a hassle since we have some appointments on the thursday and friday.

6/29 - 7/5

6/29 - 7/4

6/29 - 7/1

7/1 - 7/5

6/30 - 7/5

I tried to add a 2.5* for 6/29 - 7/5 and wouldn't allow me, it said that I already requested that trip. I don't understand this because it was the first time I added a 2.5* rating (yesterday I tried a 2* for $55 and was rejected).

I have not tried the 7/1 - 7/4...Before doing that I am thinking that it would be best if I attempt bids for another area that is still relatively convenient to transportation and a nice hotel as well...with parking and pref. shuttle to and from Newark. I would still prefer for one property the entire trip. If I had to split I would prefer 6/29 - 7/1 and then 7/1 - 7/5. You're right, the weekdays are most likely the problem...

Any suggestions?? What would be the other "best" hotel areas to target - that are in the $55-70 range??

:)

[peridot]

ok so I got nervous and decided to try the last option for the hyatt at your advice and it worked!! :)

Hyatt Regency Jersey City

Winning bid $71

3 nights

7/1 - 7/4

At least I know I scored a great hotel for 3 nights and can probably park on the street overnight.

Now...I need to solve my problem with 6/29 - 7/1 and 7/4 - 7/5

What do you think my chances are of getting the Hyatt for those dates last minute??

Should I try for the Candlewood for those nights at $60??

Help! :)

[dahammer]

At least I know I scored a great hotel for 3 nights and can probably park on the street overnight.

At least the doorman at the Hyatt can call you a cab in case your car isn't there when you return. :) Hope you don't have a Honda or a VW Jetta they are among the top 10 stolen cars, the chop shops love 'em

You are really lucky to get the Hyatt, a great hotel and a great price, just use your savings and pay to park, this advice coming from someone who hates to pay to park.......

[peridot]

It's an old car....nothing eye catching so I am not going to worry too much. Is it really that bad around there? Once we left the car parked in Queens for a few weeks and never had a problem...

What about the free 12 hour parking that theruare mentioned...is that safe? How far is it from the Hyatt?