Priceline Hotel: 3.5* New York City (Midtown East) Fitzpatrick Grand Central Hotel

[lisaharrison]

Hello,

 

3* or higher

Zone:  Would like a good zone for walking, exploring the city, taking the subway

The less expensive the better!  Had hoped for something around or under $150 but would go to $170

 

I tried bidding on Priceline and was rejected for $130 and $150, but I had mostly a 4* listed.

 

I'm about to try to bid again, but wanted to have a good game plan. I can see that there's a definite system for this.   I'd appreciate any advice.  Thank you!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

As you started by bidding for a 4* hotel, are you willing to pay more for a 3.5* vs. a 3* OR is the goal the least expensive 3* or better for this stay? (ie- did you first want to bid up to your maximum for a 3.5* and then, if rejected, try for a 3*... or do you prefer to try for a less expensive 3* from the onset?)

For a 3* or better you're likely looking at the $160-$180 area.

HOTWIRE does have a 3* hotel in the MSG zone for $150/nite but it has a low 50% recommendation by previous HOTWIRE guests (and a 3.5/5.0 TA rating)... i'm not sure which one this is but not sure if budget is more important than comfort.

If you want to move forward by bidding on PRICELINE the following zones are generally considered well located and convenient (comments noted next to some):

MTE - some hotels can be up to a 10-15 minute walk to the subway

CPS - well located but has the Hudson Hotel with notoriously small rooms

MTW

TS

MSG

Chelsea - some hotels can be up to 10 minutes to the subway but this is a 'hot' area so is still considered to be quite desirable

ESB

Let us know your thoughts, confirm your maximum bid and acceptable zones, and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[lisaharrison]

Thank you so much for responding.

 

I'm traveling with my teenage daughter, and it's something we generally can't afford to do.  We went to NYC before and stayed in a hostel and honestly, it met our needs of a place to sleep.  When I checked the hostel prices this time, however, they were about $130/night for two.  If there's a chance of getting something worlds nicer for not too much more I think it's worth the extra money and research.  I thought I'Id shoot for a 4* and see what happens as I've seen people report getting them for around $150/night.   That didn't happen, though.  A clean, safe hotel that's convenient for a good price would be great.  I got as far as a 3.5 for $170 and was rejected, but that's with gradually dropping down from a 4 and gradually going up in price.  If my goal is a 3* or better at a good price should I start low with a 3* and one area, and then go up by $ and sections until I get one?  What would you recommend as a good low price? 

 

It seems like it would be ok to stay in Brooklyn as well.  We want to visit the Brooklyn Bridge anyway, but if we were there I'd want something either in a neighborhood or interesting area or right near the bridge.  Priceline says "Brooklyn area hotel".  For all I know I'd be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a long commute to the city.  Is there a way to avoid that?  Long Island City also seems reasonable and with easy access to the city.  Not sure if that's for all the hotels there, though.  I could look at the list of priceline hotels in NYC and Brooklyn and make sure at each star level that they have easy access to transportation.  Any advice would be appreciated.  I may be able to figure it out with the lists provided on this website.  Thank you.

 

[thereuare]

It seems like it would be ok to stay in Brooklyn as well... Priceline says "Brooklyn area hotel". For all I know I'd be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a long commute to the city. Is there a way to avoid that?

If you look at the map on PRICELINE's bidding page you can see the boundaries of the Brooklyn zone... the hotel you receive can be anywhere within the boundaries of the zone (and yes, the zone is geographically big and your commute to NYC could be do-able, but less than ideal, in terms of time)

 

I could look at the list of priceline hotels in NYC and Brooklyn and make sure at each star level that they have easy access to transportation.

This would be a good start, but not considered complete. As per the message at the top of the Priceline Hotel List, the lists only contain hotels reported to the board, so they can never be considered complete and you could be the first to receive a new hotel reported to the board. As well, the 'retail' side of PRICELINE uses a different universe of hotels, so you can't use that either as a 'finite' list of possibilities... you would still very well receive something that is not in the 'retail' list of possibilities either.

If my goal is a 3* or better at a good price should I start low with a 3* and one area, and then go up by $ and sections until I get one?  What would you recommend as a good low price?

If you let us know which zone(s) are acceptable, and confirm your maximum bid, we can suggest a strategy for you to follow.

I would also suggest looking at HOTWIRE where there are:

3* hotel in the MSG zone (Smoke Free, Free Internet, Kitchenette, Laundry) for $141/nite. This property has not yet been reported to the board, and has a low 50% recommendation by previous guests... but compared to a hostel i suspect it would be nice/better. (are you able to even find a hostel for less than $150 for these dates??)

There is also a 4* hotel in Hoboken (NJ) for $162/nite (with Boutique, Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry, Tennis, Spa, Room Accessible, Handicapped Parking, Pet Friendly) and this matches previous reports for the W Hoboken which would be an easy commute to the city via the PATH train (3 blocks from the hotel)... and the hotel is beautiful.

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

Let us know what you decide and/or how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

[lisaharrison]

After unsuccessfully bidding for a 3* in LES MTW ESB TS up to $172, I chose to go with Priceline Express.  I ended up with the Fitzpatrick Grand Central.  It was listed as 9.0 rating, 3.5 stars, and a Guest Favorite.  The only ammenity listed on PRICELINE EXPRESS was "Restaurant".  It's OK and centrally located, but in looking at their regular rates, this isn't a very deep discount.  I'm not sure what makes up the star ratings, but it doesn't seem comparable price-wise and feature-wise to the other 3.5 stars in the area.  It is very well reviewed though.  I used the metro6 code and savide 5%.  Thank you for your help.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

This is a well located and well reviewed property... i'm sure it will suit your needs quite well for this trip.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and helping us add this amenity set for this property to the Priceline Hotel List.

Enjoy your stay.