Priceline Hotel: 4* New York City (Times Square - Theatre District) New York Marriott Marquis

[Twirlie]

Hey all I'm hoping you can help me! I'm no stranger to priceline, I used it back in 2010 to score the Hilton in Arlington, TX for $50 a night. :D Because of that I have several reward codes in my account offering me up to $32 and $25 off a name your own price bid respectively!

However I'm having problems this time.

Basically a friend and I are going to NYC in October. I'm flying out the 28th, she's flying out the 29th and we're flying back on the 4th November.

We've been told by a friend of ours in NYC that getting a 4* hotel for $150 should be "no problem" and that we need to be in Midtown East.

I've bid billions of times already and been turned down each time.

While we kind of do need double beds, I think we can stretch the budget to $150 per room for 2 rooms, if indeed these $150 rates exist!

My questions are:

1) Am I looking for rooms too early? Another website told me that the dates I'm looking for are more expensive than usual, so I'm worrying now that prices will carry on rising and we'll be even less likely to get what we want at the price we want if we leave it until the last minute.

2) Does using my reward credits make me less likely to win a bid?

3) Is $150 per room really unrealistic for what we're looking for?

4) How would you suggest I bid? I'm happy to stay anywhere in the general region but my friend is pretty fixated on Midtown East. If getting a super cheap room the night I'm there alone is do-able somewhere else in Manhattan I'm happy to do it and face the hassle of moving hotels the day my friend arrives, but really I'd rather not if there is any other way.

This trip is kind of important to us - we're both single mums and are planning on using this time as a way to escape the stress of our usually hectic responsibility filled lives! My friend is a SUPER light sleeper so double beds are a must (which I know isn't at all guaranteed in NYC on Priceline) but in a way this makes the idea of separate rooms even more attractive. Whatever happens, I can't screw up this bid - my life wouldn't be worth living if I did! :P

Please help! :D (PS if you've realised that I'm from the UK, fear not. I have a US debit card which I'm happy to use to shamelessly take advantage of the better options you guys in the US get!)

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding.

A few thoughts/notes:

What bids have you made so far in terms of max price/star rating/zone?

You are definitely not looking too early for a room - this is discussed in more detail in the FAQ.

If you do need more than one bed, you can request it after the purchase with the hotel, but PRICELINE only guarantees one bed/double occupancy (and this is especially true in NYC, where rooms are small and rooms with two beds often go for a premium.)

Unfortunately, $150 is not going to be realistic for these dates. The Fall/early Winter in NYC is one of the busiest periods of the year, but the other issue with these dates is that the NYC Marathon takes place on 11/4. For a 4* for these dates in Midtown, you are likely looking at over $200, and quite likely in the $225-250 range, depending on the zone.

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

[thereuare]

I have several reward codes in my account...

A reminder that you can still use bonus money along with the board's link as follows:

1) click the bonus money link and enter your email to deposit the bonus cash into your account

2) close the current browser

3) use a link on the board to access PRICELINE

4) go to the MY PROFILE >> MY REWARDS link at the top right of their home page

5) use the bonus money link in the MY REWARDS section of your profile (not a link from an email) and bid as usual

Thank you.

Unfortunately, $150 is not going to be realistic for these dates.

Agreed.

[Twirlie]

Just wanted to drop a quick message and say thank you for all the advice you gave me in my last post.

I'm travelling with my best friend for a week - I get into NYC a day before she does, and we're hoping to stay in MTE for the majority of our stay. We're provisionally booked with Booking.com for a 4 star hotel in MTE, but it works out at $900 EACH for 5 days of sharing a room with 2 beds in it. Ouch!

Obviously the night I'm there alone (28-29th October) I didn't want to stump up $350-odd if I didn't have to. I'm planning on going to Woodbury Common the day after I land anyway, so I figured the hassle of checking out and leaving my baggage with the hotel and taking a $10 cab to another hotel that evening would be worth it if I could save $$$. So I bid last night using all of your advice.

Started with 3.5 Star MTE at $120 - Rejected

Added Times Square and upped to $130 - Rejected

Freaked out for a second then read the rebidding guide about six times and took a deep breath...

Added Coney Island and upped to $140 - Rejected

Added Morningside Heights and upped to $150 - Rejected

Added Queensborough Bridge and upped to $160 - SUCCESS!

You have been upgraded from 3.5* to 4* at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square for $160.

Quick check of the website (wow!) and the cheapest room is $329. Ironically, they are the only hotel I've seen in NYC that doesn't charge more for a room with 2 beds in it, so I'm assuming that had I booked for the entire duration of our stay, I probably could have requested a room with 2 beds in it for that price. Doh! We're both pretty set on MTE but the savings are SO tempting and the risk taking side of me REALLY wants to bid again for the rest of our trip and take the risk... but for now we're going to be sensible and stick with what we've got as we don't want to ruin our trip by being stuck in a double bed together as my friend is the lightest sleeper in the history of the world! I'm so impressed though and I owe you guys a huge thank you. That $169 saving for the night I'm there before my friend arrives is going to fund SO many amazing Xmas presents for my 5 year old at Woodbury Common, and I get to stay in 4* luxury while I'm doing it. So thank you! :)

Hope my breakdown of what I did helps someone else too. :D

[Twirlie]

Just to let you know that I won a night in Times Square in the 4* New York Marriott Marquis for $160 for the first night of my trip. :D

I've posted a separate priceline win for it in this forum (Hope that's the right place to have put it?) as I've seen that's your preferred way.

Thank you for the replies and your super helpful site. It's been VERY much appreciated. :D

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you received a nice deal for this nite and are pleased with the results. Do keep in mind that Sunday is typically the slowest nite of the week for NYC hotels, so there is a good chance that you will not be able to replicate this same rate for the remaining nites of your stay (but could still get a very nice deal relative to prevailing rates).

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

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

Enjoy this leg of your stay.

[thereuare]

We're glad to hear you're finding the forum useful :)

From your previous thread, what is the back-up hotel that you have reserved? Does the $300/nite include taxes or is that just room rate?

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[Corleone]

wooah, congrats...

i would love to get that hotel for even up to $250 a day.

if you have any advise regarding my post at Priceline New York City

would appreciate it

[Twirlie]

I've reserved the DoubleTree by Hilton Metropolitan New York City, on Lex for 5 nights, 29th Oct - 3rd November. Its a double room for $2005, without taxes. (Unfortunately I accidentally booked it as a single occupancy to begin with, which is where the $1800 came from! I've now amended it) Its cheaper on Travelocity, but non refundable and to be honest, I'm hoping to find something cheaper. :(

[thereuare]

Its a double room for $2005, without taxes.

So actually $401/nite plus taxes/fees?? ($2005 / 5 nites)

Some better options (always double check refundability during check-out):

Affinia Shelburne for $353/nite with two double beds and refundable until a few days before your stay

Affinia Dumont for $362/nite and has 2 beds, luxury bed, 400-600 sq. ft. (large by NYC standards) and a kitchenette (not that you'll be cooking... but i'm sure the refrigerator can keep wine cold ;) )... this hotel gets great reviews

Both of these would be cheaper than your current back-up (and i'd highly recommend the Affinia Dumont for the extra $10/nite... there are two room types listed for $362 at the link above... make sure you look at the one marked 'luxury' and 400-600 sq. ft. if you go this route)

So to confirm, are you willing to risk the one bed possibility if using PRICELINE... or are you searching HOTWIRE for 2adults/2children (which would ensure more than one bed in the room... but the 2nd 'bed' could be a pullout sofabed, rollaway, etc)

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

[Twirlie]

As you've probably seen from my other posts on this forum I am planning the most EPIC of EPIC trips in October.

I'm now flying into Newark 3 days earlier than planned with the sole intention of spending Saturday and some of Sunday shopping in the Outlets! I need a hotel for Friday & Saturday night, as I am then transferring to a Priceline won hotel in Times Square for Sunday, then moving onto the Alex in Midtown with a friend for the remaining six days of my trip. *Phew* :D

Bearing in mind I will 1) Be jet-lagged so probably awake at crazy hours Friday night and 2) Going on to Manhattan hopefully laden with shopping and suitcases I need a hotel that is near an Outlet and Newark, isn't going to cost a bomb to get to and from, and has things to do around it.

If anyone can suggest somewhere that has a Target and an IHOP / Dennys nearby you will officially be given superhero status by me. :P (I lived in the US for a while so would love to spend some time in 'real' America instead of just in the Manhattan bubble. Plus I figure I will hopefully be able to find a hotel around the $100 in NJ, which is good since my bank balance is already crying given the amount I've paid for the rest of the time in Manhattan!)

This forum has been a lifesaver for me, so I thought you'd be the best people to ask. I've looked around and found that Jersey Gardens seems to fit my shopping needs the best (Kids clothes, Toys R Us, Aerosoles, Victorias Secrets Outlet, Old Navy etc) but I'm concerned because I stayed in Elizabeth overnight a few years back and while it was dark when I travelled I don't remember it being particularly laden with things to do OR pedestrian friendly. Am I wrong in thinking this?

[Twirlie]

Sorry, only just seen this. Thank you for the suggestions, I really appreciate you going to the trouble to find them for me. We've actually now booked a 2 bedroom suite at The Alex for 5 days, which we got for $1800 all in during the hotels.com 30% off sale. This works out amazingly for us as we'll have a kitchen, living area, separate bedrooms and a bathroom each! Heaven! Only problem will be giving up such a luxurious existence and coming back to our child filled, responsibility laden lives afterwards! :P

[AaronJB]

Thank you for closing the thread. Glad you were able to find something that works well and that you are looking forward to your stay.

Please use the site's hotels.com link to start purchases.

Enjoy your stay.

[IslandBB]

If you go to the Jersey Gardens website http://www.jerseygardens.com/info/information you will see there are 2 Marriott hotels (Courtyard and Extended Stay) right near that outlet and other "tourist" information you may find helpful. The outlet and hotels are very close to Newark airport. Next to Woodbury Common this is my favorite outlet with an Off 5th, Last Call and Lord and Taylor Outlet. There is an IHOP and a Ruby Tuesday within walking distance of the hotel and the outlet itself is within walking distance- not to mention there is a food court in the outlet mall. However, I will say the walk from the hotel is a little longer than it looks, but it is literally across the street from the outlet. I can't help with priceline tips, but these are the hotels nearby. Just as an FYI there's a Toys-r-us (separate from the outlet) near the Ikea close to the outlet. I believe it's very walkable, but there are so many highways in between it may be a little confusing so perhaps the hotel offers a shuttle? It's worth asking if you're looking for a particular toy! Have a good trip and happy planning!

[thereuare]

...I need a hotel that is near an Outlet and Newark, isn't going to cost a bomb to get to and from, and has things to do around it.

Besides Jersey Gardens there is nothing in the immediate area of Newark Airport to do... especially without a car. Besides shopping, what is it that you're looking to see/do?

Although not the quickest of most convenient, you can take a hotel shuttle (assuming your hotel offers one) to the Airport and then the Jersey Gardens Shuttle from the airport to the mall (from the Jersey Gardens website):

Transportation

Shuttle from Newark International Airport AirTrain Station P4

• Leaves AirTrain station every 30 minutes from 10 am to 8pm (Sunday from 11 am - 6pm)
  
• Returns from Jersey Gardens every 30 minutes from 10:15am to 8:45 pm (Sunday from 11:15 am - 6:45 pm)
  
• Average trip time is 10 minutes
  
• The shuttle bus will pick up and drop off outside Entrance B on the upper level (by Chilis Too). Tickets are $5 each way ($9 round-trip) and can be purchased from the bus driver on the bus.

If you search within 5 miles of 'EWR' at MAPS and HOTELS.com you'll see which hotels are within the closest proximity to the mall (just southeast of the corner of the airport on the map) vs. those that are further away and to the west of the airport. Unfortunately Elizabeth and Newark Airport are now all part of the same zone so there is no way to target a hotel that is closer to the mall (vs. one that is closer to the airport)

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

[Twirlie]

3.5* Times Square for tonight - $98!!! Anyone ever seen it this low?

I'm in a hotel in Newark right now waiting to transfer to Manhattan.. Thought I'd have a look out of curiosity to see how the storm is affecting hotel prices.

$98 is INSANE! I'm checking into the Marriott Marquis for the now expensive looking rate of $160 before tax - a Priceline win. Still excited about it, just thought I'd put this up if anyone is looking for a last minute steal! :D

Ps - looks to me to be the belvedere or flahotel.

[AaronJB]

Rates do appear to be similar to what one would see more commonly in Jan/Feb, which is likely due to the storm, as otherwise rates during this time period are quite high.