Hotwire Hotel: 2.5* NYC (MTS) Holiday Inn Express

[jones721]

We are looking to spend 3 nights in New York before taking an early flight from JFK bank to London. I have seen the following hotels on Hotwire and any help would be appreciated (entered 2 adults and 2 childre).

21 to 24 February

4* Hoboken Jersey

$119

Fitness pool restaurant business internet

Accessibility to Manahattan and also early departure from JFK are my concerns.

Other option is

2.5* Midtown South

Continental breakfast (useful with 2 children) fitness business internet

$95

This does not show available at this price fir 21 to 24 so I entered 21 to 23 and thought about moving to a cheap motel at JFK for the last night - making the transfer to the airport easier on the Sat morning. However, messes up the Friday.

Any information at all would be great.

Thanks

Tracey (England)

[thereuare]

The 2.5* MTS property has not yet been identified, but was most recently guessed in THIS POST (guesses, and fears, are 3-4 posts down for that one).

The Jersey City hotel is a match for the Jersey City Hyatt. This property provides easy access to Manhattan as there is a PATH Train at the doorstep of the hotel... and another perk is that almost all rooms have a view of NYC (some downtown, some midtown).

If you choose to stay here i can give you some options regarding getting to/from the hotel and JFK... depending upon price/convenience factors. Just how early is your flight?

If you move forward before replying to the above please remember to use our HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase.

[jones721]

I had lots of great advice from this forum a couple of years ago when we spent 3 weeks on the west coast of the US. We got the Hyatt in LA, Embassy Suites in San Francisco and Embassy Suites in Seattle. I did post the info on there at the time.

The Hyatt would be a great hotel, we stayed at a hotel about 8 years ago at the entrance to the Holland Tunnel (I think) and opposite a shopping mall and the train into New York. I am sure it was the Quality Inn, but they no longer seem to have a hotel there now. It wa a great location with an excellent view of New York.

Our flight back is at 7.30, we can check in on-line but I would imagine we would need to be at JFK by 4.30 to 5.30 am!!! Rather early.

i was looking in the NY section to try and find the hotel, guess I should have been looking in the NJ section instead.

Many thanks for your help,

Tracey

[jones721]

Thereuare,

Been looking at the Hyatt and if that turns out to be the correct hotel, may well be worth forgoing the free breakfast (which may only turn out to be muffins and pastires anyway) and paying the extra to stay in this beautiful hotel. The girls have lovely memories of the Hyatt in Anaheim (booked with Priceline through advice on here) and this would also be a hotel to remember rather than the 2.5* one in Midtown south or going for a budget motel out at the airport. I will do some more research but may well try for this one.

Thanks,

Tracey

[dahammer]

I am sure it was the Quality Inn, but they no longer seem to have a hotel there now

there was a Quality Inn near the entrance of the Holland Tunnel, but I believe this property was torn down.

[thereuare]

If the old Comfort Inn is the property i'm thinking of, it is currently in the process of being torn down and will be the future site of a Home Depot.

If you take the Jersey City hotel, you have two options:

1) take a taxi to JFK for ~$70 thru a local taxi company (alternately you could take the PATH to NYC and then get a taxi where the fare woulc be closer to $50... but with four people, and at that hour of the day, plus PATH fare, it's hardly worth the $15 savings)

2) stay in Jersey City and 'move' to a JFK airport hotel the last nite of your stay. You can have the Jersey City hotel hold your bags while you enjoy your last non-travel day of vacation... then at nite return to the hotel to pick-up your bags and go to a JFK airport property

If we can be of more help let us know as i do know the area very well.

If you do book please remember to use our HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase.

Let us know whatever you decide to do.

[thereuare]

As per this Hotwire post made today, the 2.5* is a match for the Holiday Inn Express... so that would be the best guess.

Please use this HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase.

Let us know which you decide or if we can be of further help.

[jones721]

I am sure that it was a Quality Inn and not Comfort Inn as I remember seeing the shampoo sample in my toiletry bag a little while later! It also had a pool because the ground was covered in snow and I remember wondering why they had an outdoor pool.

Thanks for the details on the Holiday Inn. I had just been reading that post and had just left a message that I had found the prices had shot up today. From $95 to $175 and from $119 to $299. Is a fluctuation of this amount normal?

Will watch the prices and let you know what I decide. Is it too much of a gamble to try Priceline for the New Jersey one? The two showing up at the moment are Doubletree and Hyatt - and they all have rooms which cater for 4 people. I know NY hotels are smaller and not to take a gamble, but with those two . . . ?

[thereuare]

Rate jumps such as that are not the norm, but they do happen frequently enough that we often tell users to be prepared to take an offer when they see a good deal. More often we see a user 'watch' a hotel on HOTWIRE and then it disappears... either going up substantially in price, not being offered at all, or replaced with a different hotel offering.

It's not so much a question of whether they have rooms that will accomodate quad occupancy... it's more if you will get, or they will give you, one of those rooms. The Hyatt has been pretty good about giving rooms with two beds and/or honoring requests... not so sure about the Doubletree as i think they have a large percentage of one bedded rooms (although some have a pullout couch). Some users take the risk frequenlty and seldom have a problem... others have tried it once or twice and do encounter a problem; it really depends upon how much risk you're willing to take.

[jones721]

Had I know that the 2.5* might have been the HI then I probably would have gone ahead and booked there and then. But at the time, it hadn't been reported. I will keep watching and have a couple of other options up my sleeve. Won't hold my breath for it to go down in price again then! Will report back when I have booked something.

Thanks again,

Tracey

[thereuare]

As an FYI, the 4* in Jersey City on HOTWIRE is back down to $125... if that is of interest to you.

[jones721]

Just an update, been following the prices and the 2.5* has been very high in price (up to $175). Booked PanAm Hotel in Long Island as a back up. Decided against the 4* in Hoboken (Hyatt) as no breakfast included and lengthy taxi ride to JFK for a very early morning flight.

Tonight the 2.5* showed up at $98 so went ahead and quickly booked it and about to cancel the PanAm Hotel now (fully refundable booking).

Yes it was the Holiday Inn Express Chelsea as expected.

Hotwire price $345 as opposed to $561 on the Holiday Inn Express own website so a substantial savings. 2 adults 2 children including breakfast, $115 per night.

Used the HOTWIRE link you provided.

Thank you for all the advice and will use this forum again next time we need a hotel in the States.

Tracey

(England)

[thereuare]

Glad it worked out well for you and thanks for using our HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase.

Enjoy your stay.

[jones721]

At the hotel at the moment and can thoroughly recommend it. Very close to a subway station (28th Street - less than a 5 min walk with cases). Good breakfast and 24 hour drinks in lobby. Very clean and modern (small rooms but the same in all hotels in NY I presume), internet access and loads of takeaways and cafes nearby.

Tracey

[jones721]

Looks like this hotel may have been upgraded to a 3* hotel. Have just returned and Hotwire have sent me a survey to fill in. On this survey it listed the hotel as a 3* and not the 2.5* I booked. Just filled in a Hotwire enquiry for next month to see what is available and a 3* with the same facilities is showing up in MTS but no 2.5*.

Can recommend this hotel.