Hotwire Hotel: 3* New York City (Empire State Building) Bedford Hotel

[costa_rod]

Hello there,

I'll stay in New York with my wife during May 1st to May 4th 2012, then I'm going to Orlando. Is it possible to stay at any of these zones: TS, MSG, CPS, MTW, MTE, or ESB for U$150 maximum (tax included)?

It's our first trip to NY, and as we're staying only 3 days, a well located hotel is essential. We want to stay in a 3 1/2 or 4 Star hotel.

Thanks!!

Hotwire gives me an option of a $137 for a 2.5* Chelsea - Madison Square Garden area hotel, but I'm not sure if it's a nice hotel (even though it says it's recommended in 90% of hotwire customer reviews), and it slightly exceeds my maximum fee ( $170 tax included ).

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

At a $125 bid, that's about $160 after taxes/fees per night. Spring is definitely a busier period than right now, and rates are traditionally moderately/significantly higher than the early quarter of the year. Did you try bids up to $125 at the 4* and 3.5* level?

Given that you are trying for a 3.5/4, are you interested in dropping to a 2.5* at this point?

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

[costa_rod]

Hi Aaron!

I'll use the hotel mostly to just take a shower and to sleep. I don't mind staying in a 2.5* hotel,

as long as it's clean (we're very affraid of bed bugs, and that kind of stuff). Do you think I have chance of staying in a nice clean hotel at those rates?

Can you help me in a bidding strategy?

Thanks again!

[thereuare]

There may be some lower rated hotels which you'll find acceptable, but there also may some which do not, and with PRICELINE / HOTWIRE you can't choose which type you will get ;)

With this noted, you can try bidding on PRICELINE, but i do think that even a 2.5* property may be tough within your budget... are you still seeing the HOTWIRE property you mentioned above, as i'm not seeing any 2.5* hotels offered in the Chelsea-MSG zone when searching HOTWIRE for your dates.

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

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

[costa_rod]

Hey guys!

You were right, I tried to raise my bids up to $150 and lowered the minimum hotel rate to a 3*, but it was still being rejected.

But then yesterday Hotwire gave me an excellent choice, on their hot Rates section. It offered me a 3* hotel in the ESB area for $137, and based on the list of hotels in the area (and their ammenities), I thought it would be the Bedford Hotel (and it actually was). Then I went to tripadvisor to see the reviews and pics of that hotel, and they were pretty good! So I booked it for a 3-night stay (May 1st to May 4th), and I hope I made a good deal! What do you guys think about it?

Here's the hotel details:

Bedford Hotel - 3* $137

118 East 40th St,

New York City,NY,10016

(212) 697-4800

Amenities

Restaurant(s) High-Speed Internet Access

Thanks again for your help! I used your HOTWIRE links to make that purchase.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Looks like a very nice deal for this time of year. We don't see this hotel appear too often, but it's a small hotel and appears nice from the outside.

If you don't mind a moderate walk (~10-15 minutes) you're also not too far from my often recommended Ess-A-Bagel (Third Ave at 51st St) which has one of the best bagels in the city, makes for a nice, and relatively inexpensive, breakfast among local NYers, and would be worth the trip (imo) at least one morning during your trip.

Thank you for sharing your results and using the HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your purchase.

Enjoy your stay.

[costa_rod]

Thanks for the tips thereuare! I'll definetely check the Ess-A-Bagel.

If you have any more tips on nice places to eat and visit, please share them with me.

Thanks!

[thereuare]

If you let me know what types of food you like, and budget (restaurants in NYC can get very expensive very quick), i'll offer some other suggestions.

[costa_rod]

We like all kinds of food, italian, chinese, japanese. I would also like to visit one that is popular among local NYers. I heard a lot about your pizzas and hamburguers, I want to check them too.

Do you think that $75-$100 a day for a couple may be a reasonable budget?

[thereuare]

Do you think that $75-$100 a day for a couple may be a reasonable budget?

It can certainly be done, but if you start to order drinks, it adds up quick! (not uncommon for cocktails to be $12/each... 2 drinks per person during dinner and you're already at $50 before food, tax, tip)

I don't each chinese food too much anymore but the obvious choice is Chinatown. Wo-Hop on Mott St is very popular (go to the one downstairs).

My latest 'find' for sushi is Jin at 252 Broome St (on the lower east side). It's not the easiest place to find (a few block walk from the subway) but they have a $3 Happy Hour menu that is awesome. Plenty of sushi rolls to choose from, a few cooked items, salads (the avocado salad is GREAT and plenty of avocado), and beer and wine... all items are $3. Is it the best sushi i've had, not really, but it's fresh (been a few times and no issues) and it's one of the better food deals in NYC, imo. Happy Hour is Mon-Fri from 3:30PM-7PM and on Sat-Sun from 12:30PM-7PM. It can get pretty crowded.

If you want higher end sushi i'll ask my wife for the places that we've been too... i don't know them by name.

We also just tried this place: Gyu-Kaku which has a location in the East Village and by the time you arrive will have one in Times Square (there is also a location on the east side, not too far from your hotel actually). It's Korean BBQ where they bring you raw meat and you cook at the table... i'm not such a fan of this style as i prefer to have my food cooked for me when i eat out (i can never do it as good as a professionally trained chef) but my wife likes it and we thought my kids would have a good time with it. Overall it was a good experience, and the kids did enjoy it (which means we'll probably be back)... this place too has a nice Happy Hour 'meal deal' with discounts on many of their meats. Happy Hour is Mon-Fri 3pm-6pm, Mon-Fri 9:30PM-Closing, Sat-Sun noon-3pm (you should double check all hours)

Nearby your hotel:

Jackson Hole - Third Ave at 35th St (the burger place i often reference)

Margaritas - Rio Grande Restaurant Third Ave at 37th St... great frozen margaritas, but not too large and ~$12/each, but VERY strong. Good chips and salsa at the bar, but eat dinner elsewhere.

[costa_rod]

Amazing suggestions! Those places seem great. You've been a great help, and I really appreciate it.

Thanks!