Priceline Hotel: 4 or 4.5* New York (Central Park South) bidding help

[mike12345]

Hi There,

 

Nice website by the way - great resource!

 

I'm looking to take a trip to NYC between April 8th and 12th.  Looking to stay central, close to major subways so it's easy to work our way around the city. 

 

I'm attracted to the central park south area but open to other areas in and around that.  Hoping to get either a 4 or 4.5* and looking to HOPEFULLY spend under $200/night.

 

Is that realistic?
 

I'm a newbie to priceline completely.  I find it a little difficult not knowing which hotel you're actually going to get. 

 

Should I try bidding or roll the dice and use an anexpress deal?  Better to get this done now or wait closer to the date?

 

It's just two of us so we're pretty flexibile. 

 

Thank you very much!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

This period is thankfully not so far into the Spring that rates are higher with nicer weather, but unfortunately is still going to be more expensive than the colder periods of Jan-early Mar.

 

With Price.line bidding, the ultimate result is likely slightly-to-moderately cheaper, but you have to be willing to accept any of the hotels at the star rating picked in the zone chosen. Hot.wire and PRICELINE EXPRESS are generally somewhat more expensive, but you can often make an educated guess as to what hotels are showing based on the information given (not always on PRICELINE EXPRESS, given the common amenities often shown, but moreso on Hot.wire.) Additionally, there's currently a $10 coupon on Hot.wire.

 

There's no way to know if rates will come down closer to the dates, but as hotels go, this is already pretty close and there has been less in the way of last minute deals as demand has returned in recent years. Additionally, rates can quickly go either way.

 

Please confirm which zones would be acceptable and whether or not PRICELINE EXPRESS or Hot.wire would be more appealing.  I'm seeing a few options on Hot.wire for around $200, including a 5* in Midtown Central for $230 (you may see slightly different rates). While the 5* would be over budget, thought I'd offer it as an option.

 

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

 

[thereuare]

I'll add a few comments as i'm local to the area...

... but please first read your messages (which will also remove the read box at the top of the page asking that you do the same ;) )

One issue to be aware of is that the CPS contains the Hudson Hotel, which while well located, has notoriously small rooms (even by NYC standards), so if you were to bid this area you would need to be OK with this as an outcome. With this noted, i am seeing what i'm guessing to be the Shoreham on PRICELINE EXPRESS in this zone for $155/nite for your dates, should this be of any interest (i haven't delved deeper to confirm this hotel but if you're interested in this option and ready to move forward let us know and i will investigate further)

I'm also seeing what looks to be the St. Giles - the Court in the Empire State building zone for $164/nite for these dates which would also seem to be a good value.

Whether you move forward by biddng on PRICELINE vs. going with PRICELINE EXPRESS or HOTWIRE depends upon how important the lowest price is (PRICELINE bidding) OR if it's worth a few dollars more to you to know a little more about your hotel, what amenities are offered, and to take a guess as to what it is that you may receive.

While nobody can say if rates will come down, or move higher, between now and your trip, if you're able to get a 4* hotel in the $140-$160 area (such as those above) i think this would be a very good deal for this time of year and would be worth locking in now.

Let's start with the above, let us know your thoughts, and we'll take it from there.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.