Priceline Hotel: wondering about 1 or 2*'s

[isthisit]

Hello All....

I've been reading through this forum for a couple of days now and I've found all these tips very interesting. However, I do have a couple of questions.. I read through the thread that contains all of Priceline's hotels but never did I see a 1* in the Manhattan area.. Is it because Priceline doesn't do business with any 1*'s there??

You see, I'll be visiting New York City next month ( end March-April ) for a couple of nights and since I'll be travelling solo, I don't want to spend alot of money in lodging. I even considered staying at a hostel if I needed too, so that I could save money. I wouldn't mind staying at a 1* or 2* anywhere in Manhattan... although I would prefer Lower Manhattan or Midtown West or East..

I've looked through several pages of topics and for the most part I've seen people requesting 3 or 4*'s so I don't know if anyone has ever "won" or stayed at a lower star hotel..

Based on your experience ( or what you've read), what has been the least expensive room that someone has "won" that's located in Manhattan ?

and

Do you think that I should even attempt trying to bid for a "cheap" room in Manhattan or should I just be realistic ???

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[AaronJB]

What would your max be for a room; additionally, it's hard to help w/o knowing specific dates - let us know what some dates are that you're at least thinking about.

I don't think anyone has ever reported winning a 1*, but I believe they're offered in NYC areas on PL. The downfall of such hotels is that you could end up with a shared bathroom or in a hotel like the Hotel Carter (not sure if that is a Priceline 1*, but it is a famously awful NYC hotel that recently made it onto trip advisor's 10 most dirty hotels list at #2.) There's also the New York Inn, which was number 6 on the Tripadvisor worst list.

You could also look into staying out by Newark, but not sure what your budget is.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

If you let us know your anticipated budget and actual dates of your stay we'll be in a better position to advise.

I don't think any priceline hotels would have a shared bath (even at the 1* level) but there are other (equally good) reasons why we don't advise booking 1 star hotels (the 2nd more important than the first):

1) the value lies in the higher rated hotels... all hotels have fixed costs, and it is much easier to discount a higher priced hotel than a budget hotel.

2) while there may be 1* hotels you'd be comfortable with, there are probably some you won't be, and since you're buying an opaque hotel you can't pick and choose which type you will get. NYC hotel rooms are typically very small to begin with, and some can be really bad, which is why we recommend sticking with the higher rated hotels.

On a separate note, not sure if you've ever been to NYC, but 'downtown' and 'midtown' are very different areas, the former not being the best for the typically tourist, so not sure if you want to do a bit more research or ask some additional questoins before you actually bid a given area (see our NYC ZONE DESCRIPTIONS thread).

[isthisit]

Thanks for the welcome!!

I have been to New York before ( only once and w/ a friend ) and we stayed at a hostel by the Bowery and even though the neighborhood seemed a little seedy at times... I loved it!! Sure, we had to walk a couple of blocks to the subway but there was so much nightlife and overall everyone was really friendly.. So that's why I would prefer staying in the East Village... I remember being able to walk everywhere.. Chinatown, Little Italy... Soho. even Battery Park..

I wouldn't want to spend... let's say.. more than $100 a night ( I know, it seems impossible for a HOTEL room ) but I'm 24 and I'm not really looking for much.. Just a place to sleep and store my things while I'm out..

Last time I was there, like I said, we stayed at a hostel.. we paid next to nothing for a "private" room.. it was the size of a cubicle w/ a twin bed and only enough space to stand up and walk like 2 steps.. and we had "shared" bathroom with the entire floor.. I didn't really care since I spent all my time outside and I was considering staying there again but I was wondering if there perhaps was something better out there... ( i like to reach for the stars, what can I say ?? )

I will be arriving in New York on 3/30 and leaving on 4/3...... I'd want to stay in Manhattan.. and if that's not feasible through priceline at my budget, then I'd just end up staying at the hostel where I would only pay $40 a night..

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

[thereuare]

Well HOTWIRE has a 1* for $109, but as i said above, i wouldn't necessarily recommend taking it.

I would sooner look at EasyClickTravel which often has hostel, shared bath, etc. situations in the sub-$100 price range (or stick with your existing hostel). If you do want to try Priceline, what is the minimum star rating you are willing to accept based upon our comments (ie- warnings) above?

[isthisit]

well.. if $109 is the lowest I would pay for a 1*, then I don't think it would be worth it..

Maybe I'll try using PL when I visit NY in the future with friends!

Thanks for all your help!!

I don't think I"d be able to afford a 3 or 4* hotel this time around!