Priceline Hotel: New York Novice

[shadybhoy]

In mid April my wife, 17 yr old son and I are riding the train from the south east up to NYC. We are looking to arrive mid day on April 12 and leave on Monday the 16. Do the rates tend to go up since it's spring time? Can any of you lads help me out with some tips for not only securing a 3.5-4* but also where we might need to look? I know about Times square and all but the other zones I havn't got a clue. Which ones should we NOT want to look? Can you jump on the subway anywhere in Manhattan and ride it for a couple of blocks or how often does it stop? We'd like to be in decent part of the city that is within walking distance to shopping and eateries. What's the average cab fare cost? I'm fit enough (and cheap enough too) to throw on a backpack and go hood hiking to my destination but want to be sure we all have a great time while exploring the city.

Please any other tips or suggestions about the city would be a massive help!

Cheers

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Few issues to cover in order to begin...

PRICELINE only guarantees double occupancy, after that it's at the discretion of the hotel, and you could receive a room with only one bed. While you can call the hotel you win and request a room with two beds, the hotel may not be able, or willing, to honor your request. This is especially true in NYC where rooms are notoriously small and at many hotels the majority of rooms only have one bed... two bedded rooms are often considered an upgrade at many properties. Is this a risk you're willing to accept?

If not, HOTWIRE may still be an option as they allow you to search for up to quad occupancy and ensure sleeping accommodations for everyone you include in your search (although this usually means two beds, the second 'bed' could be a sofabed, rollaway, etc) Fortunately, with your son being 17 years old he still qualified as a 'child' thru HOTWIRE, and while the price still often goes up with it being triple occupancy, it may not be as much vs. if you were searching for 3 adults.

If you give us an idea of your target budget, as well as if you prefer to book for double vs. triple occupancy, we'll be able to suggest some of your options.

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

[shadybhoy]

cheers mate. loads of info on your site and im excited to take it all in.

My maximum budget is right at $200 a night (with taxes and all included). From the looks of it, hotwire seems to list prices more expensive than what some have said they'd won priceline. Is the gamble of double occupancy to risky since there is 3 of us? we could alway toss some blankets an pillows in the tub and let the wee man sleep there!

[thereuare]

PRICELINE is usually a little cheaper than HOTWIRE, but HOTWIRE gives you the ability to take a guess as to the hotel being offered before your purchase as well as know the amenities offered at the hotel (in case there is some amenity you need for your stay). HOTWIRE also has a way of ensuring that the room will accommodate triple/quad occupancy, whereas all that is guaranteed thru PRICELINE is a room which will accommodate double occupancy.

Whether it's worth the risk to save a few dollars and book for double occupancy when you'll really be triple is a choice you (and your family) will need to make, but my thoughts is that in a place like NYC where rooms are notoriously small and a high percentage of rooms only have one bed, it's a fairly substantial risk vs. a place like Orlando where the rooms are more accustomed to accommodating families and therefore have a higher percentage of two bedded rooms. As well, the risk in your situation it a bit more too based upon the age of your son... a hotel may be more likely to allow an extra guest (and go out of their way to accommodate you) if your child(ren) are younger than if just a few months away from being considered a 'full fare' paying adult.

HOTWIRE does have a 4* hotel in Chelsea for $208/nite when searching 2adults/1chid, but this property has not yet been reported to the board and the amenities are fairly generic so i don't have any insight as to which one it may be.

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.