Priceline Hotel: Need Help -- 2 Nights in NYC

[ammyphilly]

My family will arrive JFK on June 8 at 2 pm. I will drive from Philadelphia to pick them up, spend 2 nights in NYC and then drive to Boston.

We plan to visit Statue of Liberty, Empire state, Broadway, Ground zero and Grand central.

I'm not a good driver, so I decide to leave my car at the hotel and use public transportation.

Here is my scenario.

1. Need 2 rooms for 5 adults

2. 2 nights (June 8- 10, 2012)

3. <$100/room/night

4 Close to public transportation + parking (with or without fee)

I've never used the priceline before, any suggestion would be really appreciated!

Is a LGA area good for me? I look on the map, it not far from manhattan and close to the exit to Boston.

Thanks

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

1. Need 2 rooms for 5 adults

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. 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)

3. <$100/room/night... Is a LGA area good for me?

I wouldn't recommend staying in the LGA zone as you could land a hotel that is not necessarily close to a subway. Ideally you would want to stay directly in Manhattan, but your budget isn't enough for a Manhattan hotel. You'll need to clarify the risk you're willing to take as per #1 above for us to determine your best options.

I'm not a good driver, so I decide to leave my car at the hotel and use public transportation.

One option:

1) you take the bus ($10-$15) from Phildaelphia to NYC

2) your family takes mass transit to meet you at the hotel

3) you all take the bus from NYC-->Boston (could be as low as $5 but more likely $20-40 per person)

4) you take the bus back to Philadelphia when your family heads back home via JFK

This way you don't need to drive at all.

We plan to visit Statue of Liberty...

Note that if you intend to actual visit the Statue it will most an almost all day affair... better to see it from Battery Park or take the Staten Island Ferry roundtrip in order to sail right by it.

Is your budget flexible at all?

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

[ammyphilly]

Thank you so much for your helpful advice. I will surely come back to post the final results.

[AaronJB]

Thank you for keeping us updated on what you decide and please do let us know if you have any questions at all.

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