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Priceline Hotel: 4* New York City (Central Park South) Hudson, a Morgans Original


Thespian
By Thespian,
in

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We're going to NYC next March. We have tickets to two Broadway shows (Fri 3/18 & Sat 3/19), but we haven't booked our room yet. Prices in Midtown are quite a bit higher than I'm used to seeing.

 

A 5-star hotel in the Financial District, which I'm pretty sure is the Conrad, shows up on both Hotwire and PRICELINE EXPRESS for $150-$160 a night. This sounds like fun, but I'd like to know what the surrounding neighborhood is like. I grew up in Greenwich Village in the 1950s and '60s, and Lower Manhattan was a ghost town on weekends. Using Google Maps, I can see lots of businesses near the Conrad, including a Whole Foods Market, fast food outlets, and bars. There's also a public school, so there must be families living nearby.

 

We usually stay near the Theater District, but we don't mind a moderate subway ride. Do you think we'd be happy staying at or near the Conrad on a weekend?

 

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The area is not as much of a ghost town as it once was... but much of it is still fairly quiet (vs. the rest of Manhattan)

From the Conrad, to the east, Vessey St (on the other side of West St) is actually quite busy with the World Trade Center Memorial... to the west is mostly residential, with the path along the river getting busy (if the weather is nice) as it goes all the way up to Chelsea Piers so as actively used by bicyclists, runners, roller bladers, etc.

Generally speaking the 'action' will still be a subway ride away.

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.

Let us now what you decide and how it goes or if we can be of further help.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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I decided I wanted to be closer to the theaters, and PRICELINE EXPRESS was showing a 4-star in Central Park South at an attractive price, which actually went down every time I rechecked. I finally hit the button today at $136.

 

It turned out to be the Hudson, and I'm very unhappy. I had eliminated it as a possibility because it has a resort fee and there was no mention of such a fee before my purchase - or after it, for that matter. If you use Name Your Own Price for a 4-star in certain NYC zones, including CPS, you are alerted to the possibility of a fee; if you look up the Hudson on Priceline's transparent service, the fee is fully disclosed. This led me to believe I wouldn't get the Hudson (or the Park Lane or Park Central, which also have fees).

 

The worst part is that Priceline's own Terms and Conditions state that for Express Deals you will be shown both the amount due to Priceline and the total amount you'll end up paying, including both the Priceline charge and the hotel fee. The fee was not disclosed either before or after I paid. It's particularly galling because I could have gotten a better hotel at a lower total cost if I had booked directly with any of several properties not too far away.

 

I contacted Customer Service, first through the chat function and then (at the suggestion of the chat rep) by phone, and ran into a brick wall. The phone rep insisted that I had agreed to the possibility of a fee when I authorized payment. He said he had a screenshot to prove it, which he e-mailed to me. All it said in the relevant area was "I agree to the Terms and Conditions," with a link to the T&C page. As I noted above, the T&C say that for Express Deals any fee will be shown, so the screenshot proves nothing.

 

This experience has soured me on Priceline, which I've used for years with no complaints. Even when the hotel was worse than I expected or treated me badly because I had booked through Priceline, I accepted it as the occasional price of getting a good deal. But when I'm forced to pay a fee that I never agreed to, I get so mad I can't see straight. I think hotel fees ought to be illegal anyway (if something is mandatory it should be bundled into the room rate), and I never expected to be boxed into paying one. I'd dispute it with my credit card company, but I don't think it would help; after all, *Priceline* isn't directly charging me more than I agreed to pay *them*.

 

I greatly appreciate the help I've received from BetterBidding over the years, and of course I used the PRICELINE link for this purchase. But honestly, I don't know if I'll ever buy another hotel this way. I don't like doing business with companies that blow their customers off.

 

For the sake of completeness, the amenities shown before purchase were Pets Allowed, Business Center, and Restaurant.

 

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Sorry to hear you're having an issue resolving the resort fee with PRICELINE. I would give it another day (let your frustration calm down a bit) and send them an email, quoting their terms where it says that any mandatory fees will be shown/included... you may have a bit more luck if you're able to copy/paste the section of their terms that you're referring to within your email so that the person reading it can see it in black and white.

Thank you for using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your purchase and sharing your win.

Enjoy your stay... let me know if you have any questions regarding NYC that i can assist with.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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For the record I have stayed at the Hudson a few years ago.While not a 5 star,I thought the room was nice,if a bit small.It's close to the subway and the park.Having said all that,I feel your frustration with the resort fees in certain zones and the way PL deals with it.I'm interested in an update with your dealings with them and your trip in general.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I got a full refund. (I actually got it fairly quickly, but I wanted to make sure it showed up on my credit card statement.)

 

After three tries with Priceline's customer "support", two by chat and one by phone, I followed to the letter the procedure required by PL's Terms and Conditions: I wrote a "Notice of Dispute" and sent it by certified mail to PL's Legal Department. PL then had 60 days to settle; if they didn't, I could go to arbitration, which would cost me a $200 filing fee and would cost PL a minimum of $750 if they settled before an arbiter was appointed, $2250 if they didn't.

 

About three days after I sent the letter, someone from PL's executive offices phoned and offered me a choice: I could stay at the Hudson and PL would cover the resort fee, or I could get a full refund. I chose the full refund primarily because the first option would perpetuate the fiction that I had a valid contract with PL for the Hudson. As PL violated its own Terms and Conditions, I firmly believe the contract was invalid.

 

My latest credit card statement shows a credit from Priceline in the exact amount of my original purchase. Ironically, the line item says "Priceline Hotels - No Refunds."

 

I don't recommend trying this unless you're 100% sure you have a valid claim.

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Glad to see you ultimately got this resolved to your satisfaction.

If you'd like help with a replacement stay please feel free to start a NEW TOPIC.

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.

Thanks.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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