Priceline Hotel: Hotel Advice for NYC, Travel dates 5/21-5/29

[Raistline]

Hello Everyone,

My wife and I are planning a trip to NYC from 5/21-5/29. We already booked our flight for only $215ea($490 total after tax/fees)a ticket thanks to Priceline. Any help in my situation is appreciated.

I am a brand new user here and have already used the re-bid options when trying to get bot a 3.5 star and a 4 Star hotel. I ended out going up to $150 a night, which after taxes and fees are at the top of and maybe a bit above my price range if I don't want to have to use my credit card for entertainment while in NYC. I realized after I purchased the tickets for my trip how much hotel prices jump (almost triple) for the day before, during and after memorial day. With a lot of research I see a few 2.5 star and one or two 3 start hotels advertised on Priceline's hotel listing that are around $140-$240 during the dates I will be there. I see a lot of them in the Long Island and Brooklyn Neighborhoods though.

I know now that I made a bit of a mistake on my planning and should have booked my Hotel first so that I knew how much it would cost.... live and learn.

So here are my questions. Do you guys think it would be possible, or even smart, to try get a 2.5 or 2 start hotel within the 0-$130 range in Manhattan? The only neighborhood in there that I wish to avoid is the northern portion of Morningside Heights. I do not mind not having any major amenities, all I care about is having a clean room without bedbugs that I can relax and sleep in comfortably. I don't need a gym, pool or restaurant in the hotel as I plan on eating out the whole time. Would bidding on a 2 or 2.5 Star hotel put me at great risk of getting a crappy shack of a room? I would prefer to stay in Manhattan but if you guys think that Long Island would be a good compromise in my situation I would consider it.

Finally do you guys know of areas regions that I should avoid at all costs if trying to bid on a 2 or 2.5* hotel?

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding.

Given the length of the stay, breaking up the stay between two hotels may improve your overall average price per night. Would splitting the stay be of any interest?

Rates may come down closer to your date/s (although this is a busy period, so I would not count on it - rates can also go the other way, as well), but as of right now, $150 is not going to be enough for a 4* (although I think you may not be extremely far off - it may take around $170-180) and may not be enough at the 3.5* level. However, you may be successful at the 3* level at $150 or under. Going under 3* is a risk in NYC as quality can start to vary more significantly - you may get something you like, you may get something you definitely do not. If possible, I would recommend trying to stay in Manhattan, as it's more convenient and there is cost and time/effort in getting back/forth from outlying areas.

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

[Raistline]

I don't have a problem with splitting into two hotels. It could give me the chance of experiencing different regions that I otherwise may not have visited. Thanks for the tip. Now I just have to figure out how to split it... When going 3 Star...is do you still suggest avoiding CPS as you have for 3.5 star hotels?

[thereuare]

This is not going to be an easy split since your stay is Tuesday thru the following Wednesday. As rates in NYC are usually a little lower from Friday-Monday it's best to separate these nites, but that is not possible for your stay (unless you want to stay in three different hotels) since these days of the week are in the middle of your stay.

Which zones did you already bid at the 4* level... did you bid all of these zones up to $150? Which zones did you bid at the 3.5* level and did you bid all of these zones up to $150?

Are you willing to go up to $150 again as i see a 4* hotel on HOTWIRE for $161/nite from 5/23-5/29 (Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business) which seem to be the best value for these dates (as evidenced by your rejection for a 3.5* hotel in this area at $150/nite).

Is the above a consideration? If bidding first on PRICELINE did you want to try for a 3.5* or 4* hotel again for the sub-set of your complete dates up to $150 (some other amount??) OR begin at a lower star level?

Are you flying in? What airport and time of day do you arrive?

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

[Raistline]

I am flying in on the 21st and will land in LaGuardia. I did check HOTWIRE and 161 is sadly a bit rich for my blood right now but if all else fails I could still take it. Late last night I starting bidding all territories and at first did not use the re-bid process that this site suggests. I then later bid for a lower start using the Re-Bid process described on this site but stopped at $132 with 3.5 stars. After that I decided to wait a day since I know hotel listings change and I also wanted to better head the re-bid process and also get more advice.

[thereuare]

What amount would you like to use as your current maximum bid price? Which zones and star rating do you want to try for? Are you willing to pay more for a higher rated hotel OR is the goal the least expensive hotel at the minimum star rating you choose?

The star rating you choose on PRICELINE is the minimum you're willing to accept, and PRICELINE will always try to upgrade you to a higher rated hotel if one is available at the price you name. So if there is an issue/warning about a zone at the 3.5* level, the same issue/warning would apply for any star level below 3.5* as well since bidding a lower star rating in this zone could always be upgraded to the higher rated 3.5* property. If this isn't clear feel free to ask any questions.

As well, feel free to confirm your re-bid zones with the board if you're unsure (see Priceline Re-Bidding Explained). At the 4* and 3.5* levels you have FOUR re-bid zones... at the 3* level ONE re-bid zone.

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

Let us know the info above and we'll take it from there.

[Raistline]

Thank you for all your help. I had bid 4* and 3.5* start last night up to 170 after splitting the my trip in two and still had no luck. I again tried the same with the full 8 days. I guess my luck is a little bit run down right now.

To answer on my budget, right now I can only budget for a grand total on 1300 to 1550 at most for hotel stays. Things came up making my money tighter than I would have liked.

With the splitting my trip in two however I did find a solution that seems very reasonable to me. There is a HOTWIRE deal for a 4 star at 162 a night in state area for my last 4 nights. I am pretty certain I will take this one way or another before I lose it like the 4-star for 161 near Upper West.

For the first 4 nights I found a two hotels near JFK airport, The Lexington inn on Jamaica Ave. This is only 2 blocks away from an always running Subway line, line E. There is also another hotel in near the same area and 4 blocks away from the F line, this is the Ramada Queens near 164th on Hillside Ave. Both of these hotels can be had for less than 110 a night and both are near the subway line. If anyone is familiar with the area, I really only have one question, should my wife and I worry about taking the subway back in the late evening near either of these hotels? If you think this is a bad idea please let me know, I am open for suggestions.

Honestly I don't mind the idea of taking the subway in and out they city every day and planned on buying 7-day metro passes anyways.

A bit of Clarification, I live in the Twin Cities and have no issue walking downtown Minneapolis late at night after bar close, if this helps clarify my ideas of bad vs. good neighborhoods

[Raistline]

Well I Split my stay into two blocks of four. I got a great win on Hotwire...it has been posted in the HOTWIRE section. I reserved the room in Queens, Jamaica Hills area only 4 blocks from the subway on the F line. I can cancel this at anytime if a good deal comes along. Sadly I did not get any luck through PRICELINE.

I am still looking for peoples input on the Queens Jamaica Hills neighborhood if anyone is familiar with it.

And once again, thank you everyone for you advice an input, it has been very helpful for me in planning my NY trip.

[thereuare]

To confirm the remaining nites are 5/21-5/25?

Where, and how much, is your back-up reservation?

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

[Raistline]

My backup reservation is the Queens Ramada, 2.5 star hotel in the Jamaica Queens neighborhood and is 4 blocks away from the F metro line. I have it reserved at $98 a night for 5/21-5/25. I am still looking for deals until then of course.