Hotwire Hotel: First-timer, looking for best deal for single room

[puck71]

This is my first time to New York, and I'm pretty overwhelmed trying to find the best option for me without paying too much. I want to try to keep it under $100 a night if possible, but don't really want to stay in Newark, where most of the cheap Hotwire results seem to be.

I think I'd prefer to stay right in Manhattan (MTS, MTC, or MTE) if I could, so I don't have to waste a lot of my time getting into the city, but the best I can find for those zones is around $200.

Today I saw a 3* come up in LGA-Flushing for $99 a night. Here's the information I hope you need to identify it:

LaGuardia Airport LGA - Flushing Area: Budget-friendly option in northwest Queens, close to sports venues

Hotel Amenities: Airport Shuttle, Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, Laundry Facilities, High-speed Internet Access

$99 per room per night; Retail: $179.00; You save: $80.00

Total price for your trip

Best Value!

Rooms:1

Nights:5

Rate per night::$99.00

Subtotal:$495.00

Taxes And Fees:$93.41

Total:$588.41

I know this would definitely be a good deal for a 3* in the Midtown zones, but I'm not sure what I should expect in the LGA zone. I am flying into LGA and am going to a Mets game, so it would be convenient for those, but I'm also doing plenty of other things all around the city (tourist stuff) so I want to make sure I can easily get anywhere in town for not too much money.

I'd appreciate any advice in general, and what you think about this deal. I'm willing to try Priceline, but I'm nervous about getting stuck in a crappy hotel. Thanks!!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

I'd agree that you don't want to stay near Newark Airport, but i'll also add that you also probably don't want to stay out by LGA for your first visit to NYC.

Is it possible to extend your budget at all as $100 doesn't usually go to far in NYC.

[puck71]

I think I probably can afford more, but I'm trying to be as thrifty as possible, so I was hoping to start low and maybe creep higher later if I have to. I don't need any kind of luxury, but I really don't want to get stuck in a dump either. Does that mean I should only go for 2.5* (or 3*) and up, or what kinds of hotels do I get for 2* in the Midtown zones? I was looking at booking the Pod Hotel as a cancellable backup, they have a single available for $149 for 4 nights and $129 for 1 night. I know it's a shared bath and I'm OK with that - I've been in Europe a few times. :)

The bottom line is I can probably easily afford up to $150 or $160 a night, but I don't know if I could justify spending that when I could spend half that to stay in Jersey City or LGA, etc. If I'm anywhere near a bus or subway stop, it won't really cost anything to get into the city since I'll probably buy the 7-day Metrocard for $24. Is the biggest risk not getting near one of these stops? That would be a problem.

Thanks again - I've been reading around here and there's a lot of good information!

[thereuare]

Could you get a hotel for half othat in Jersey City... i'm not so sure you safely can for these dates. I say 'safely' because there are hotels/areas of the Jersey City zone you don't want to stay in. Not all the hotels in the LGA zone are easily commutable... you may be taking a shuttle to the airport, taking a bus from the airport to the subway, taking the subway to Manhattan... not a fun way to spend vacation, nor something you want to be doing late at nite.

[puck71]

OK that's what I was afraid of. Thanks for the info. Is there a star level I can safely stay at in Jersey City? Or would I have to try to ID the specific hotel to find out what location it is? Are there any kind of magic numbers that I should jump on if I see them for these dates? Like a 3* Midtown under $160 or something like that. I'm not even sure what's realistic at this point - I've seen some pretty low Midtown rates on here, but I'm sure that's the exception. Thanks.

[thereuare]

You could probably safely bid the 3* level on Priceline for Jersey City as the only known hotels at that level (Hyatt and Doubletree) are both well located... and i dont' know of any others in the zone that could qualify (of course those at priceline that rate hotels could think otherwise). Once you get below the 3* level i think HOTWIRE becomes a better option since you can then have a reasonable guess at the property and its location. I belive the Candlewood Suites is currently available thru HOTWIRE, but at nearly the same price as The Pod it becomes a decision of location vs. private bath.

[puck71]

I'm still looking for a good bargain on Hotwire or Priceline. I booked the one-bedroom at the Pod Hotel as a backup, so I'm only looking for stuff under about $130, which looks like it's possible but fairly rare in the Midtown zones.