Priceline Hotel: Sept 16-19 NY

[Shoob]

Hey guys! It has been a long time since I've gotten on here. We haven't been on a proper trip in a couple years where a hotel was required (PL even deleted my past trips it seems!). I had not realized that the NYOP on Priceline is being hidden so effectively by PL! It was a much more straightforward thing before. Well, I'm taking my wife on a 2 day trip to NY; I've only been once before, and this is her first time. I want to show her parts around Times Square, and Lower Manhattan; possibly Astoria-Queens. We're coming in from JFK. Now we need help finding a safe, nice place... Thereuare -- If i remember correctly, you're from NYC, right? Maybe you can help?

 

I'm thinking 3 or 4 star place, any of the places you think are appropriate to bid (I trust you guys), arrival 9/16 evening, depart 9/19 early morn. I'd like to keep nightly price to 150 if possible (I can't tell what's appropriate out there in this star range). Please Help! Oh, and as always, I've clicked through your link.

[thereuare]

Welcome back!

For quick and easy access to the priceline bidding page use the following site we have set-up: BiddingForHotelRooms.com

 

12 minutes ago, Shoob said:

I'd like to keep nightly price to 150 if possible (I can't tell what's appropriate out there in this star range).

Not sure if this $150 figure is room rate only vs. all-in, but either way i think it's going to be tough.  Do a search using our BiddingHelper.com tool and after completing your search:

in the PRICELINE EXPRESS tab:

1) on the left side select 3 star and higher (if you hover over the '3 star' text you will see an 'and higher' link that will automatically leave checkmarks for everything 3* and higher and UNcheck everything that is below 3 stars

2) above the search results look for 'Sort by' and click the PRICE link... this will sort all results from lowest to highest

3) scroll thru the list and see where acceptable zones within Manhattan begin and you'll see the least expensive inside of Manhattan starts at $183 per nite (even though this may not be the best of locations)... consider scrolling to see where the pricing begins for more centrally located zones

 

NEXT repeat the above 3 steps in the HOTWIRE EASY VIEW tab.

 

I understand that you're interested in Name Your Own Price, but the exercise above will at least give you a realistic idea of what pricing is for your dates, with the star rating and zones that you are interested in.

 

If budget is not that flexible you can also consider some locations outside of Manhattan, such as Long Island City (or also potentially Brooklyn and/or Hoboken, Jersey City, etc) but it becomes a trade-off between budget and convenience, what type of experience you're looking for this trip, if you want your wife's first trip to be 'immersed' in Manhattan or commuting to get to the heart of the city, etc, etc.

 

Let us know your thoughts regarding flexibility in budget and how that plays out with the trade-off in location, star rating, etc and we'll take it from there.

 

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[Shoob]

My work life is not making it easy for me to respond or go through the process as I used to do!  Really, we wouldn't mind taking the subway in as a commuter if that's the best option. More important is the relative safety of the area. I don't know NYC and it associated city nuances. As a native Chicagoan, I know (for instance) I'm not going to get a hotel or AirBnB near Englewood -- I don't know the same about NYC. 

 

150 bucks per night is simply for the room rate only.  I have some wiggle room... but minimal overall. 3-star tends to give you decent options I  have found in my experience... 2.5* always seems to give you varied places. 

[thereuare]

59 minutes ago, Shoob said:

3-star tends to give you decent options I  have found in my experience... 2.5* always seems to give you varied places. 

True for the most part, although in NYC you want to try to go a little higher in star rating if you can (unless you're able to determine the likely hotel and you 'know' that it's a good one)... especially if you intend to BID for a hotel room since you then have no control/guess over the hotel within the zone that you may receive.  Most NYC hotel rooms are small, but at the lower rating they tend to get even tinier, and at the non-chain hotels housekeeping and general upkeep can often be less than stellar. (i've stayed

 

54 minutes ago, Shoob said:

Really, we wouldn't mind taking the subway in as a commuter if that's the best option.

It depends how you define the 'best option'... it may be the most economical; but it's not going to be the most convenient.  Here are some decent options and you can try to determine which you think would be 'best' based upon your needs/budget (of course you can feel free to ask questions about any of them and we will do our best to comment/advise accordingly):

 

3* HOTWIRE Red Hook - Brooklyn South for $112
Complimentary Breakfast
Free Internet
Smoke Free
Fitness
Business
==> Days Inn by Wyndham Brooklyn Boro Park

... not my first choice as i don't think it will give you an 'city feel', but i included as it's the least expensive option (and you can also get a feel for what would be available at a lower price vs. if i didn't include this hotel).  I don't know much about this area, but it's close to a subway station, although the commute to Times Square/Midtown would be about 55 minutes (that's a bit far to be considered convenient, imo... imagine staying by O'Hare and using the blue line to commute to Downtown).

 

4* HOTWIRE Long Island City for $168
Free Internet
Boutique
Smoke Free
Fitness
Business
==> The Paper Factory

... a short walk to a subway line that will have you into Midtown in about 20 minutes.  Hotels gets good decent reviews.... but note that there is also a $23/nite resort fee at this hotel

 

4.5* HOTWIRE Long Island City for $184
Free Internet
Pet Friendly
Boutique
Smoke Free
Business
==> Boro Hotel

... also close to a subway and about 20 minutes to midtown.  This one has the best reviews out of any of the above, here there is a $19/nite resort fee so about a $12 difference between this one and the one above; you'll have to decide if that is money well spent or not in exchange for the higher star rating and better reviews.

 

From PRICELINE EXPRESS...

3.5* Long Island City (<-- CLICK HERE and confirm your dates on the landing page) for $170/nite with:
Pets Allowed
Business Center
Restaurant
Free Internet
Free Internet in room
Fitness Center
==> Wyndham Garden Long Island City

.... no reported resort fee here so a little more affordable than the last two above, similar in terms of convenience

 

Unfortunately anything in Manhattan that gets a better than 65% recommendation from previous guests is looking to be in the mid-$200's.

 

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

 

Let us know your thoughts/questions and we'll take it from there.