Hotwire Hotel: 4* Newark (Jersey City) Hyatt Regency on the Hudson

[Gary Lewis]

I'm from the UK and looking to get 6 nights between 12/13/06 and 12/18/06 in Manhattan for my good lady and myself. I'm new to all this, but my basic question is.... book now or will I get a better deal later? I don't really mind where we stay location wise as the subway is cheap enough isn't it? I'd like as good accomodation as I can find for $150 max per night. I know it's not much, but I'm looking to do the right thing on top of the empire state if you know what I mean....

Cheers everyone :)

[thereuare]

See the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ as far as bidding early or close to arrival.

[Gary Lewis]

Hi.... New to all this but have been reading up quite a lot recently. One question I can't seem to find the answer. Does anyone have a rough idea as what would be a good deal on a hotel anywhere in central park / upper/west or even mid town areas of New York would be please? I'm looking for 6 nights between 13th and 18th December. I was at the Marriott Marquis for New Years two years ago for about $200 per night and although the room was fine, the lifts were an absolute nightmare. Any recommendations and rough price expectations? Just needs to be clean and tidy and not too far from a subway. Somewhere just to get our heads down at night, after all, we'll be we won't be spending too much time in the room, what with all the sightseeing...

Thanks in advance :)

Gary UK

[thereuare]

Please keep all of your posts for the same stay in the same thread.

You'll need to give an idea of the minimum star level you are willing to accept for anyone to be able to answer.

However, the best way to use this board is to figure out what your best deal would be outside of the opaque suppliers (use the BetterChecker to get hotel direct rates various hotels and agencies) to determine your maximum bid... we can then supply a strategy for you to follow.

If you do go thru the above exercise i suspect you will find rates very high, as this is typically a very expensive time in NYC.

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks for the advice so far.... After following your recommendation regarding BetterChecker, I'm starting to think I need to dig deeper into my pockets and maybe look further afield into New Jersey City perhaps? The Hyatt Regency on the Hudson looks fantastic. Any chance on getting that for around $250 a night perhaps in December?

I did a search using hotwire in Zone E (Hoboken) that came up with a 4 star in Hoboken - New Jersey for $264 per night (Fitness Center, Pool, Restaurant(s), business center, High Speed Internet Access) - "This upscale establishment offers thoughtful features, quality rooms and a high level of service." Could this be the Hyatt Regency on the Hudson? What else might it be perhaps? I could go for it at $264 per night, but would want to be reasonably confident (I know there's no way to be sure) that it is ineed the Hyatt and not somewhere else.

Failing that, a strategy to get me something nice for around $250 a night (4 or 3 stars) anywhere that's reasonably quickly and cheaply commutable to the main sights would be really appreciated. At the end of the day, we just want somewhere to crash out at the end of the day that's safe and gettable to after a few beers.

Thanks in advance

Gary

[blindman]

Here you'll find the list of reported Howire hotels.

The Hyatt (as far as we know) is the only 4* in the area.

Look at this thread regarding staying in NJ

You are way too far ahead to be getting a good PL rate, though occasional bidding is no problem as is looking at Hotwire for rates.

The Hyatt is very difficult to get during the week as it is primarily a busines hotel. Look at it's web-site for rates.

When they fall to around $150 ish then there may be PL or Hotwire inventory.

[thereuare]

For $250+/nite i would sooner try to stay in Manhattan than in Jersey City, even if it meant a 3* hotel. Not sure of your own preference, whether star rating or location is more important to you.

The refundable rate of $273/nite at the hyatt is actually cheaper than the non-refundable .com rate. (and would actually onlybe a few dollars more the the hotwire offering once hotwire includes their booking fee). Before locking in a non-refundable $250+ rate thru HOTWIRE i would sooner book the refundable rate thru HYATT (please use this link) and then continue to try the opaque services for a better deal (which we can help you with once you let us know your thoughts regarding star rating/location preference above).

EDIT TO ADD: the above is based upon a 5 nite 12/13 (check-in)-12/18(check-out), which i'm not sure is correct since above you listed these dates but said 6 nites, so i'm thinking maybe your checkout is 12/19? Please clarify/confirm.

[Gary Lewis]

Just to clarify.... We're looking for a 6 night stay, checking in 12/13/2006 and checking out 12/19/2006. Location and hotel quality I would say are on a par. I'm happy to be a bit further out location wise as long as it's near a subway so that I can get to the sights easily. However, I'm happy to forgo a star if it's in a really good location.

My ideal would obviously be something like a 4 star in the areas between the Empire State Building and the Mid Central Park area for $250 per night (I could stretch this a little if it was for something special).

I've taken your advice, thereuare, and booked a fully refundable stay at the Hyatt Regency, so that's my banker, I guess.

Point taken, blindman, about it being to early for PL. Does anyone have any experience of whether hotel prices are likely to go up, down or stay the same in the run up to Christmas? I don't mind a gamble and would be prepared to leave it until the last minute in order to get a good deal now that I have my banker hotel.

Thanks again.

Gary

[Cartersmom]

Did you already book your flt? Are you flexible on your dates?

Just asking because I am taking a trip this fall to NYC (my first) and was doing lots of digging last night and it seems the hotels are super super expensive early December until December 16, then they come down in price until after Christmas..if thats not cutting it too close to the actual day for you, I think you'd get a much better rate then :)

I, however, am not sure what to do because December 16 is my birthday and after that its the week before Christmas! yikes! But it may be fun to get in on some of the hubbub...anyway , just thought I'd put it out there..(even if you pushed it back a couple days then half of your stay would be in cheapie season, or like you were considering NJ, you could saty high season in NJ, then come into Manhattan for the 16th to 18th )

Just a thought

GL

Tara

[thereuare]

Have you thought about SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID?

[Gary Lewis]

Hi everyone....

I would really appreciate your recommendations for a bidding strategy for securing a Manhattan hotel for 6 nights checking in on 12/13/06 and checking out on 12/19/06 please.

I'm looking to pay in the order of $300 per night and would be prepared to change hotels once during the stay to obtaina better rate (is there a reasonable chance that rates are likely to drop from 16/12/06 onwards?).

3.5* minimum.

Only 'must have' is a private bathroom.

Would prefer to stay in the Central Park, Upper East or Upper West Side area.

Thanks in advance.

[dahammer]

Please keep all posts for the same stay in the same thread.

[thereuare]

3.5* minimum.

Would prefer to stay in the Central Park, Upper East or Upper West Side area.

Priceline does not use a 3.5* rating in their system... so you'll need to decide if you want to bid for a minimum 4* or 3*.

As well, there are no 3* or higher rated hotels in the UWS... and there is virtually no 3* winning bids in the UES.

Do you have reason to be in the area surrounding the park? These are not the most frequently bid zones and are not the most convenient for the 'typical' visitor. Have you been to NYC before and have good reason to bid these areas?

[Gary Lewis]

Hello again... and thanks for the response... Sorry about not adding to my old thread. Should have done that in the first place.

First things, first. After posting yesterday, I quickly realised from reading some other threads that the general concensus seems to be that $300 is about the minimum I could expect to pay. I thought it best to have a rethink and cast my net out as far as the Hoboken area. To cut a long story short I've managed to secure 12/15 to 12/19 in the Regency Hyatt on the Hudson for $108 per night plus taxes (incredibly, it was $316 per night to include 12/13 and 12/14), which I'm over the moon about. I wouldn't have even known that this hotel was a realisitc proposition for tourism in Manhattan without the help of this site, so a big thank you to all the contributors. Of course, I used betterbidding's HOTWIRE link.

So... now I just need two more nights covering 12/13 and 12/14. Because I've saved so much on the Regency Hyatt, I can now afford up to $450 per night for the other two nights.

I have stayed in New York once before to see in the new 2005 new year . I stayed at the Mariott Marquis on Times Square. I was really happy there with the exception of the lifts which, frankly, were a bit of a joke. I appreciate it was just about the busiest time of year, but to wait 30 minutes for a lift was just unacceptable. I wouldn't stay there again.

To be honest, I'm not fussed what area I stay in as long as it's reasonably easy to get to the main area. I chose the upper east/west sides because I didn't get the opportunity to see much of those areas on my last visit, and I chose the Central Park area beacuase, well, it's pretty. I seem to remember reading somewhere on this forum that the times square area (midtown central?) pehaps was not the best area to stay in due to being packed in like sardines, so that's why I didn't choose that area, coupled of course with the fact that I've already stayed there and thought it would be nice to stay in another area. So that leaves Midtown East and West and the Lower Manhattan area, right? My preference would be either of the Midtown areas over Lower Manhattan.

If there's no 3.5* rating on priceline, then given my increase in budget, I'll try for 4* hotels.

In fact.... If you are aware of ANY zone that has a 4* hotel that seems to be offering good savings through Priceline at the moment, that would be more important than the particular zone.

If I can't find anything, I'll simply keep checking the Regency Hyatt ($316 per night currently), to see if it comes down a bit. What do you think the chances are?

Many thanks again...

Gary Lewis

[Blueskies]

Hi Gary,

Have you used the hotel checker link? Looks like you can get the Courtyard on Upper East side (your preferred area) for within your budget ($299 + tax and free breakfast) and its cancellable too. There is a Santa Claus!!

Remember to book through the BB travel links.

Blueskies

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your partial win, and thanks for using our HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase.

While not a 4*, i think i'd sooner spend $299 for a Courtyard property before spending $400+ for a higher rated hotel (that's just not me, some would spend the extra $$ for the higher rated hotel, which is also fine).

If this is acceptable, do you want to rethink your maximum bid for the remaining two nites? Maybe you go slightly higher than $299 for a higher rated hotel, but not all the way up to $450? (we don't have a Courtyard link in our support page, but if you use the BetterChecker we'll get credit thru that tool)

Let us know and we'll advise accordingly.

PS- please start a NEW TOPIC for the remaining two nites as we've moved this thread to the hotwire section of the board and have reflected your Hyatt win in the topic title

[Gary Lewis]

I've not heard of the term 'Courtyard property' before. Could you explain what that means please?

Many thanks

Gary

[Blueskies]

Gary,

Courtyard - It's part of the Marrriott group, a bit lower grade than a Marriott Hotel but with nice extras like free internet and breakfasts. If you are interested in reading reviews on this property then here is the link to trip advisor - this hotel only opened a few months ago. Very good reviews.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-...y_New_York.html

Please remember to use the betterchecker route to support the board.

I stayed in the upper west side recently and really enjoyed that area. It is much more residential. I would certainly snap up this deal. Even if you are not sure and want time to think the rate is cancellable, nothing to lose.

Good luck.

I stayed in a couple of Courtyard brand hotels recently and they were excellent. I don't use 24 hr room service and need a bar and someone to turn down my covers at night so this is great for me - a good clean safe place to rest for the night.

[Gary Lewis]

I'm still considering the Courtyard, but has the Hudson Hyatt New Jersey been re-rated to a 4* now? I've had a look today, and can see a 4* recommendation for $147 per night for the 12/13/2006 and 12/14/2006. If this is a newly classified Hudson, I'll go for it at this rate.

Gary

[thereuare]

PS- please start a NEW TOPIC for the remaining two nites as we've moved this thread to the hotwire section of the board and have reflected your Hyatt win in the topic title