Priceline Hotel: 3* NYC (MTE) Radisson

[springbreak]

Thank you for this great resource!

Going to NYC for the first time this month, not sure where to stay though. I am assuming Midtown would be the best as I don't intend on renting a car.

Looking for 2* or above, with a max of about $150US a night I think. Friends of mine got a room at the Paramount for about that price in May, so I was hoping to try to target that hotel. Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

[thereuare]

What is more important... star rating or price? (ie- would you prefer a higher priced 3* vs. a lower priced 2*, or is lowest price the only concern?)

I'll also add that bidding less than 3* in NYC is usually not recommended.

Let us know and we'll advise accordingly.

[springbreak]

Price is definitely my #1 concern, and I would be willing to stay in a lower priced 2* in the example provided.

Are the 2* hotels really bad in NYC? Should you be expecting bed bugs and cockroaches?

[thenewbie]

In some hotels, it's not a big stretch to expect them.

Currently available for $188/night is a 1 Bedroom suite at the Beekman Tower. Reviews are good for this property. You'd have to prepay for the reservation, but it is refundable up to 72 hours prior to the check-in date.

[thereuare]

Are the 2* hotels really bad in NYC?

They can be, and since you aren't choosing the specific hotel, you need to be prepared for the worst when bidding this low in a big city.

Then again it all depends upon what you're used too... if you're used to staying at hostels you may be content with a 2* property... if you're used to staying at Marriotts, Hiltons, Hyatts, etc, you may not be so content.

I advise avoiding less than 3* properties in NYC since there are properties among them that i would not want to stay at and the higher star rated properties are where the best value usually lies.

If you want a lower star rated property i would recommend not using an opaque service but looking at EasyClickTravel. I too saw the Beekman Tower above and if your budget allows i would use that as my back-up and then try to beat that price using the opaque providers.

Ultimately it's your stay, so let us know your thoughts and how you want to play it and we'll advise accordingly.

[springbreak]

Success!

Here are the steps I took:

Midtown W, 3* -$120. Rejected

Midtown W, 3*, 4*-$130. Rejected

Midtown W, Midtown E, 3-4* - $135. Rejected

Midtown W, Midtown E, Downtown - SoHo - Financial District - $137. Rejected.

Later i tried:

Midtown W., 3* - $140 - Rejected.

Midtown W., 3* 4* - $145 - Rejected

Midtown W., Midtown E - 3*, 4* -$150.00 ACCEPTED.

Got a room at the Radisson Lexington for 3 nights (incl. Friday, Saturday).

I am sure I could have done better had I held out and kept retrying, but these were the areas I was hoping to stay in and I really wanted to be sure that I had a hotel in advance so that I didn't have to go into panic mode as the date approches (that 72hour window between re-bids would really start to weigh on me I think!).

Thanks for the advice, and I hope my feedback helps! Will definitely click on sponsored links and pass this site on to all of my friends (and continue to use it myself for that matter!).