Hotwire Hotel: Help ID 5* Central Park East hotel

[airillusion]

Hello, I am a foreigner and also a new here.

I planned a trip to NY from 29 Jan to 2 Feb 2014, 4 nights in total.

Hotwire offered a 5* Central Park east hotel which charges 391 dollars per night excludes tax.

The amenities includes Fitness center, pet friendly, business center, high-speed internet and spa.

Hotwire indicates that it is one of Le Meridien, Inter-Continental, The Luxury collection or other distinctive hotel.

I guess it is The Carlyle. Do you think I am correct ?

There're 2 more questions.

1. Is 391 dollars too expensive for The Carlyle on Jan? Is there any chance that I could wait for a better deal.( I searched in the forum, the best deal for the hotel is 200+ dollars)

2. I want to find a 5* hotel on upper side east, midtown east or time square zone under 250 per night in the mentioned period, is it possible?

Thanks a lot!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Best guess for the property above would be the Carlyle. Hotel Direct rates at this property for your dates are nearly $500/nite, so this would be over $100/nite savings, but it appears to be a moot point if your budget is only $250/nite. Nobody can can if rates will come down, or move even higher, between now and your stay, it all depends upon supply/demand and how actual new reservations/cancellations come in relative to expected new reservations/cancellations.

While this is generally a slow time of year in NYC the 5* hotels do not typically discount as much as their lower rated counterparts since their are fewer 5* hotels in this region that participate with PRICELINE / HOTWIRE and therefore they often don't need to discount as deeply.

You know your needs for this trip better than we do, but you're likely paying a very high premium to stay in a 5* hotel vs. a 4* hotel which may cost you half as much, you need to decide if the extra star is worth twice the price.

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

Based upon the information above let us know your thoughts and we'll take it from there.

[airillusion]

Thank you so much for your kind and detailed introduction.

I should take a consideration that is it necessary to spend almost twice price to choose 5* over 4* in Manhattan. I mean actually no significant difference worth the price gap.

I also would like to ask a favor that could you recommend some hotels for me? 4* or above, good location. My planned places of interests includes The Met Museum, MoMA, 5th Avenue and SOHO. Thanks again.

[thereuare]

On HOTWIRE what appears to be the Empire Hotel is offered for $188/nite or the Doubletree Metropolitan for $231/nite... do either of these seem to work for your plans?

... or you could try bidding for a lower rate but you're then subject to any hotel in the zone (at the star rating or higher that you selected).

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

[AaronJB]

Thank you so much for your kind and detailed introduction.

I should take a consideration that is it necessary to spend almost twice price to choose 5* over 4* in Manhattan. I mean actually no significant difference worth the price gap.

I also would like to ask a favor that could you recommend some hotels for me? 4* or above, good location. My planned places of interests includes The Met Museum, MoMA, 5th Avenue and SOHO. Thanks again.

With HOTWIRE, you are only presented with one hotel option per star rating per zone. In terms of recommending a hotel, a property may not be everyone's cup-of-tea. It's also a matter of what you need: are you going to be in the hotel a lot and looking to use amenities or are you going to be out for most of the time, and really just are looking for a nice place to sleep?

Rates seem unusually high for these date/s for January/early Feb, but possibly a convention or other event - the weekend part of this period looks noticeably more expensive.

When looking at all date/s, I'm seeing (under $250):

The Empire (not centrally located in Central Park W) - $197

Doubletree Met - $234.

Marcel at Gramercy - $234 (non-refundable reg rate)

There are also a couple of possibilities at similar price points on PRICELINE Express and the FALL5 coupon code works to take another 5% off.

The other idea would be to find a refundable (double check the fine print) hotel at an acceptable rate (although given high rate/s for these date/s that may be difficult) and hope that the rate/s go down over time as you get closer to your stay. If they do, you can cancel the refundable reservation. If not, you at least are hedged with a back-up.

If you are willing to split your stay that may also offer some better (or alternate) options.

When looking at 1/29-31 only, the Bentley is $169 regular rate and PRICELINE Express has a 4* for $198. HOTWIRE also has a promising 4* in the ESB area for $159. However, then it becomes finding something during the much busier second half of these date/s.

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

[airillusion]

Really appreciate. You are so kind.

I will use the Hotwire or Priceline linkage provided by the forum to purchase once I made up my mind.

Thank you again!

[AaronJB]

Thank you for keeping us updated and please let us know if you have any additional questions before purchasing.

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