Priceline Hotel: 4* New York (Empire State Building Area) Iberostar 70 Park Avenue Hotel

[IlyaIvanov]

Hello!

We are travelling to new york on 3 may -  8 may. It is our first time in New York and we are a family of 3 (me, my wife and daughter - 2.8 year). We are looking for something in Manhattan, potentially 4 or 5* and are willing to pay $150-180 all in. We are first time using such services like Priceline and Hotwire any suggestions will highly  appreciate!

Also would like to ask - is it ok that room for double and we will come with daughter 2.8 year?  anyway we all sleep together on one bed.

 

Thanks for the help and any suggestions.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

 

I'm local to this area so i'll give you a rundown of the issues based upon your comments above and we can take it from there...

 

1 hour ago, IlyaIvanov said:

is it ok that room for double and we will come with daughter 2.8 year?  anyway we all sleep together on one bed.

Possibly, but i would only risk it under certain conditions.  To begin, you will generally find that NYC hotel rooms are much smaller than almost anywhere else in the country.  As well, given the space constraints, most hotels have a high percentage of rooms with only one bed, and rooms with 2 beds are often considered an upgrade and cost more than a 'standard' room.  Additionally, depending upon the hotel, rooms with only one bed may only have a double bed, which is tight for 2 people, i'm sure even more so if trying to add a 3 year old. 

 

With the above noted, i would seek out the following:
PRICELINE EXPRESS - find a hotel that shows a Bed Choice where one of the choices shown is a room that will accommodate all 3 members of your family.  Technically all PRICELINE reservations are for double occupancy, but you should be relatively safe if you choose a specific room type is designed to accommodate the number of guests you have.  If the hotel further indicates 'Kids Stay Free' when using existing bedding, that's  further bonus and virtually eliminates any possible issues.

 

HOTWIRE - allows you to search for up to quad occupancy and guarantees accommodates for everyone that you include in your search.  The 'problem' is that in NYC adding a 3rd guest to the reservation will frequently (not always, so it does pay to check) increase the price.  So i would at least begin by searching for 2adults/1child, see if anything is of interest and within your budget, if not (or if looking for more options), repeat your search for 2adults/0children to see if prices are lower and/or any additional options are offered.  Some HOTWIRE hotels will also show a 'Bed Choice' and if you can find a property that offers a room configuration that is designed for 2adults/1child it can eliminate one layer of 'risk'.  The other thing about HOTWIRE is that they define 'children' as ages 2-17, so if your nearly 3 year old is small and can pass for 2 years old (or if you have one parent wonder the lobby of the hotel or hang out at a nearby coffee shop while the other parent checks-in) you could potentially book for 2adults/0children, call the hotel after you win and let them know that you need a room to accommodate a child just under 2 years old; if they don't have such a room (or require an additional fee) you can then call HOTWIRE to assist in resolving, although the 'resolution' may be to just cancel the reservation.  This entire scenario is not ideal, but it's at least an option should you need it (which i think you may given my next comment below).

 

1 hour ago, IlyaIvanov said:

4 or 5* and are willing to pay $150-180 all in

This is not realistic for this time of year in NYC.  If you using our BiddingHelper.com tool and start in the Priceline Express tab, you can filter to 4+ star rated hotels and then sort by price... the least expensive 4* hotel in Manhattan is at $179/nite before taxes/fees (and that is for double occupancy and a Queen Bed... a King Bed can be had for $184/nite (+taxes/fees which adds another ~$175 over this 5 night stay)

 

Switching to the Hotwire Easy View (still within the BiddingHelper.com tool) you can see the least expensive 4 star hotel starts at $150/nite for a Wall St./Downtown hotel (which is do-able but not necessarily the most convenient for the typical tourist), but this too will put you over your goal of $180/nite all-in (and not to mention we would further need to look into the double/triple occupancy for this property and how well that will/won't work for your needs).

 

OK, i think that is enough for you to think about for the moment, let us know your thoughts/questions and how you'd like to proceed... is stretching the budget and/or lower the star rating an option?

 

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

[IlyaIvanov]

58 minutes ago, thereuare said:

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Thank you, pleasantly surprised by your very detailed answer. Thank you so much. 

Really awesome answer!

 

58 minutes ago, thereuare said:

$179/nite before taxes/fees

Actually, now I thinking about this one, with my coupon it will be cost me $994,1 per night include all taxes and fee for 5 nights. How do you think is it ok price and place for the 4* hotel? 

 

58 minutes ago, thereuare said:

is stretching the budget and/or lower the star rating an option?

For me, I need hotel just for sleeping - we will get early, and come back late evening and go to bed. So I need good location, because I will have only 4 days, and don’t want to spent it for subway journey). And also, as I going with child I would like clean room, with private bathroom. For me it’s doesn’t matter how many stars hotel has, just need decent room and location for price about $150-200 include taxes and fees.

 

And also would like to ask you is there a lot of sense to try “Name your own price” option or price $994,1 for 5 nights in 4* in Empire State Building Area is ok?

[thereuare]

17 minutes ago, IlyaIvanov said:

pleasantly surprised by your very detailed answer. Thank you so much. 

You're welcome... it's how we do here!

 

25 minutes ago, IlyaIvanov said:

I will have only 4 days, and don’t want to spent it for subway journey

NYC is a compact city, while also being geographically spread out, you should embrace using the subways as you won't find one location that is close to EVERYTHING and the subway will usually be the quickest and most economical way to get from Point A to Point B.  Not sure where you're traveling from but if you can bring an umbrella stroller (lightweight collapsible stroller: example) or plan on buying an inexpensive one at Target, Kmart, etc once you arrive it will make your life easier with the subway stairs (for any stations that don't have an elevator) as well as walking (or strolling) thru Manhattan.

 

 

For the $179/nite hotel:

4* Empire State Building Area (<-- CLICK HERE and confirm your dates on the landing page) for $179/nite with:
Pets Allowed
Business Center
Free Internet available
Free Internet
Fitness Center
==> Iberostar 70 Park Avenue Hotel would be my best guess for this one.  Location is good, about 4 blocks from Grand Central for easy subway access, about a 15 minute walk to Times Square (or easy subway ride from Grand Central if weather is poor or you don't feel like walking).  As the name implies the hotel is located on Park Ave which at this location is mostly residential and there are not many stores, but there is plenty of places along 42nd St (4 blocks) as well as on Third Ave (which is where most of the residents in this area likely go for their own shopping, groceries, restaurants, bars, etc).  If you do go for this option i would definitely go for the King bed option at an extra $5/nite, as the Queen will certainly be tight, imo.  Unfortunately this hotel doesn't show any 'kids stay free' info.

 

36 minutes ago, IlyaIvanov said:

is there a lot of sense to try “Name your own price” option

I wouldn't given your scenario above... what if you get a room with only one double bed.  You're going to be tired after multiple days of sightseeing, if you ended up with a small bed for the three of you i think you will be tired (and dragging) after the first 2 days rather than waking each day with an attitude of seeking adventure and what the day ahead has in store for you.

 

SIDE NOTE: if you do end up at the Iberostar above, there is also Bryant Park an easy 5-10 minute walk away which has a carousel that your child might enjoy, as well as some open green space where s/he can run around to burn off some energy (if trying to 'force' a nap at some point in the day)

 

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

 

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

[IlyaIvanov]

18 hours ago, thereuare said:

==> Iberostar 70 Park Avenue Hotel would be my best guess for this one.

 

I've just use your PRICELINE link and made reservation - and it's really Iberostar 70 Park Avenue Hotel with king bed, as you advice me :-). 

 

Do you know is it ok, if I will come to hotel at about midnight? My plane arrived to JFK at 10:30. Taxi - is the best way to get to the hotel from airport with child?

 

I am very grateful to you for your help. Now I will advise your website to all of my friends.

Thank you very much!

 

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see this was the hotel you were hoping for and you were able to get a hotel within your budget.

 

At 10:30pm a taxi would be the easiest from JFK and traffic should be ok (although it's always a crapshoot).

 

Two recommendations in this area:

Ess-A-Bagel (Third Ave at 50th St on the east side of the street)

-one of the city's best bagels and you should try at least once for breakfast during your time in NYC.  It's a 'moderate' walk (~15 minutes) but one day that you're heading in that direction make that your breakfast stop along the way (or you can take the 6 train from Grand Central, but it's only one stop, or the bus is always an option as well).

 

El Rio Grande (Third Ave between 37th and 38th St, west side of the street at the base of the beige residential building)

-great (ie- strong) frozen margaritas.  I can't comment on the food as i haven't eaten there in ages, but they have a nice outdoor seating area, so perhaps try to go during an off-hour and hopefully they'll let you sit outside just for drinks and maybe an appetizer or two (which will perhaps keep your child busy or while s/he is taking a nap in a stroller)

 

If you have any other questions about the city feel free to ask.

Thank you for sharing your results, using the HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your purchase, and helping to spread the word about BetterBidding and what we're doing here in our little corner of the internet.

Have a great trip.

[IlyaIvanov]

Thank you for recommendations - I will try 🙂.

 

After NYC I will going to Miami for 8-13th may, I think I also can use you site and PRICELINE and HOTWIRE services, what do you think?

 

[thereuare]

6 hours ago, IlyaIvanov said:

After NYC I will going to Miami for 8-13th may

Sure, but for help with this leg of your trip please post in the FLORIDA HOTWIRE section of the board and we will be happy to assist you there.