Priceline Hotel: 4* New York City (Madison Square Garden - Convention) Ramada Plaza New Yorker Hotel

[Beecatdog]

Hi was wondering what area I should aim for if I will be spending most of my time in time square? And what starting bid do you all recommend. Thanks

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

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Hi was wondering what area I should aim for if I will be spending most of my time in time square?

How about Times Square?? ;) However, do you have business to take care of in this area or is this a tourist trip and you think this is where you will be spending the most amount of your time? Have you been to NYC before? What is your maximum bid (per nite before taxes/fees) for this trip?

Let us know the above and we'll advise accordingly.

[Beecatdog]

Hi thanks for the quick reply.

This will be a tourist trip, and our first trip there! Maximum bid would be 150 per night. We will be mostly around there and near there.. Not really sure where tourists usually hang around but I've heard to get a hotel around there.

Thanks!

[thereuare]

It's your trip so you should be comfortable in the zone(s) you select. While Times Square is centrally located, you will likely spend far less time in this immediate then you expect... it's a great area to visit, especially at nite and see all the lights, but otherwise it's many of the same chain stores and restaurants you have in your home town (Red Lobster, Chilis, TGI Friday's, etc) and you should be encouraged to get outside of this immediate area and explore the locally owned places that are the heart and soul of NYC. See this Hotels Near NYC thread for more info.

So with the above noted, if you'd like to only bid Times Square we will offer a strategy to follow, and i do think you have a decent chance at success up to your $150 limit, but there are likely better values/deals in the city this time of year if you include some of the neighboring zones which can be just as convenient.

Also, if your $150 budget is bid price (before taxes/fees) i think may even be able to get a 4* hotel in the Times Square zone... if still within your $150 budget, are you willing to pay more for a higher rated hotel OR is your goal the least expensive 3* or better for this trip?

Let us know your thoughts on including other nearby zones, as well as if you're willing to pay more for a 4* vs. a 3* and we'll take it from there.

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

[Beecatdog]

Yeah I have been hearing that alot, that we should visit other places then time square to explore.

For jan 10-20 to be honest, I dont mind staying any area, as long as its nice, and the travel wont take too much of our time. Even if its close to time square (midtown east and west). We are really look at just maximum $150 per night hotel. Even if possible, lower. 3* least expensive is our goal.

Nearby zones would be great as well, 3* we wouldnt mind, were thinking of getting the best value (lowest price) so that we have more to spend in NYC.

Also, is there a big difference in terms of quality in 3* and 4*?

Thanks!

[AaronJB]

It's difficult to say that there's a substantial variation in 3* and 4* properties, as properties at a particular star rating may vary quite a bit and a hotel that someone may enjoy may not be someone else's cup-of-tea.

This is generally the slowest time of year, so there's generally (it will vary by zone and other factors) not going to be a very wide spread between 3* and 4* prices. Personally, I'd recommend *not* staying in Times Square; there's so much to see in NYC in other areas of the city. A real joy of visiting NYC is finding great NYC-specific shops, restaurants and sights. TS is also crowded, hectic and hotels there are generally at least moderately more expensive than other zones in NYC. I don't think you need to go up to $150 for these dates, and may be able to get a Midtown 4* for around $85-115.

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

[thereuare]

I agree that rates are very reasonable for these dates (winter in NYC usually is).

PRICELINE also uses a 3.5* rating in their system, but one of the biggest differences in which star rating you choose is which zones become acceptable based upon the 'known' hotels in the area. For example, at the 4* level MTE is usually a very good area to bid as all the known hotels are generally of good quality and well located... but at the 3.5* level there are some hotels which are less desirable and not as well located.

If you're looking for a 4* hotel i'd feel 'safe' bidding MTE, MTW. TS, CPS and ESB... if you're looking for a 3* hotel i'd possibly consider HOTWIRE and choose a hotel that is within your budget and has a high user recommendation and TA rating (if shown); if you're able to take a guess as to the likely hotel even better. A HOTWIRE 3* will likely cost you a little more than a 3* on PRICELINE, but you'll have a better ability to take a guess as to the hotel beforehand as well as have a better chance at ensuring that it is one of the 'better' ones at that star level... if you want to try for a 4* then i'd go the PRICELINE route... 3.5* like someplace in-between and it comes down to what much you expect from your hotels, how easily you can adjust if the room falls short of your expectations, etc. For a 10 nite stay quality/comfort becomes a little more important than if just a 2-3 nite stay.

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

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

[Beecatdog]

Sounds awesome! Thanks for all your help.

We're looking for something with free breakfast. We honestly don't know much about stars and what other benefits there r.

It might sound stupid but were looking for:

Free breakfast

Free wiifi would be a bonus but not necessary

No bed bugs :)

Do any come with hot tubs/ steam showers?

Any other perks I'm missing that's important?

Thanks!

[AaronJB]

In terms of free breakfast, I'd suggest looking on HOTWIRE for a listing with free breakfast as an amenity. If you are seeing a listing with breakfast, please provide the full list of details (amenities, price, star rating, zone) and we would be happy to take a look and try to ID.

With PRICELINE, if you bid for a 3* in a particular zone, you have to be willing to accept *any* 3* in that zone. There is no way to specify a particular property and while PRICELINE does have some guaranteed amenities that show during the bidding process, breakfast is unlikely to be one of them in NYC, given that there's a fairly limited amount of properties that offer it.

Overall, both services really require flexibility - both are more about getting *a* hotel than a specific hotel and specific amenities are not always possible.

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

[Beecatdog]

Just won this. Not sure if I got a good deal. Is this hotel any good? Also, how far is this from times square?

Thanks for all your help!

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success.

Certainly not a bad deal for this property. Personally, I don't think it's a terribly far walk at all to TS.

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.

[thereuare]

It's about a 10 minute walk to Times Square... or less then a 5 minute subway ride (just one stop) if you don't feel like walking (and have an unlimited metro card)

Enjoy your stay.