Hotwire Hotel: 4* New York City (Midtown Central) Sheraton New York

[curo57]

Hi,

I am going to be travelling to New York City for the first time from 03/31/2013 to 04/09/2013. I am not overly familiar with all the areas of NYC but, from what I've read here, it looks like MTE, MTW, TS, CPS and ESB are all centrally located so I will probably want to stay in one of those areas. I will also be going to the IZOD center and Met Life Stadium during that time so if any of those areas make it easier to get to NJ that would be good to know. Given that I am staying for 9 days, I'd like to stay as cheaply as possible, but I don't want to stay in a dive either. I would like to, and I don't know how realistic this is, but I would like to keep it under $150 a night. So, my questions are:

1) At $150 a night, what star rating should I be aiming for? Can I get 3* at this price?

2) My trip is not until April of 2013. Is it too soon to be bidding?

3) Right now on Hotwire I can get a 4* in MTE for $170. Should I just bite the bullet and get that? Am I likely to find better on Priceline (I'm also a priceline noob)?

Any help would be appreciated.

[travelguy2]

A 9 day stay may be difficult, especially in that week which includes spring break for some parts of the eastern US.

If you are willing to switch hotels, try plugging in different dates into Hotwire and seeing if you get lower/higher rates for some days; it may make sense to split the trip into 2 (or potentially more than 2) segments.

I'd try throwing some low bids on Priceline as well. It can't hurt, as you are so far out that you have plenty of time to try. Of course, you may also be so far out that you're not going to get much.

From looking at old posts on the board, what did prices look like LAST year around that time?

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

Feb/March is generally one of the slower periods of the year, aside from some patches of that period. Once it gets later in March, rates start to rise and go up further in April. I'm seeing a 4* in MTE for this period w/fitness, business, restaurant, internet, spa for $169 (the price you see may vary slightly.) This would be a possible match for the W New York. My guess is that you could likely get a 4* in the MTE area on bidding for $135-155. Otherwise, rates at the 4* level in other zones appear quite a bit higher. Rates appear fairly consistent across this period.

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

[curo57]

4 stars

Midtown Central area hotel

Recommended in 80 % of Hotwire customer reviews

Amenities: Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access

The dates are Mar-31-2013 to April-9-2013 at $120 a night. Seems like a great price. Any help identifying would be appreciated.

[AaronJB]

This would be a potential match for the Sheraton NY.

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

[curo57]

I ended up pulling the trigger on this and it was indeed in the Sheraton New York. The best I was able to find for this time frame before this was $170 on HOTWIRE and I was unable to win anything on PRICELINE for less than that either. So I'm thrilled with $120, especially where I'm staying for 9 nights. Maybe I could have gotten better by waiting longer, but $120 for a 4* in Midtown sounds good to me! Thanks for the help.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Very nice win for this Sheraton property, especially for 9 nights! Glad you are pleased with the win.

Thank you for sharing your win and please use the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links to start your purchases and searches.

Enjoy your stay.