Hotwire Hotel: Help Identifying 4* in Midtown East

[JessiMommy]

Here's the details of our trip:

CheckInDate:Wed, Oct 24, 2007

CheckOutDate:Sun, Oct 28, 2007

$289 per night 4* in Midtown East

2 adults

Hotel Amenities:

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High-speed Internet Access

Tennis Nearby

Does anyone have a guess as to what the 4* hotel in Midtown East is? TIA!!!

[JessiMommy]

Hi,

I've been reading through everything here for days & I'm beginning to get the concept of how this all works but I still feel very confused and nervous to try Priceline. Could anyone walk me through this? We are in need of 2 rooms from October 24-28. We would prefer 4*. We are a group of 4 friends who will be visiting the typical attractions while in NYC and going to at least one show, possibly two. We know by using Priceline we may only have 1 bed in the room. We prefer to be somewhat in the "thick of things" without being right in Times Square. However the more I'm reading here, the more I see that a lot of other locations are just a quick subway ride to Midtown West. Any advice there? I know this is a very expensive time to stay in NYC, ideally we'd like to pay no more than 300 a night but realize this may not happen. We would go up to $400 but no more for a 4*. Where do I begin? Any advice or help would be so greatly appreciated!!!

[thereuare]

While $400 is a LOT to spend on a hotel room, there is a great deal at that price at the Affinia Dumont, one of the top rated hotels in NYC.... $389/nite thru GTA Hotels. GTA says "the vast majority of our hotels are cancellable but the actual terms will be shown during the check-out process" so you may want to try booking this, see the terms, and use it as a back-up reservation (assuming fully cancellable).

The Grand Hyatt is also available thru GTA Hotels for $397/nite, but of the two i recommend the Affinia Dumont (regardless of the fact it's $10 cheaper per nite).

There are some excellent 3.5* rated hotels which can be had for the low $300's... not sure if savings $75-$100 is worth the drop in star rating to you or not. Perhaps the 4* rating would only apply for an "opaque" (ie- unknown before purchase) hotel? As an example, the Eastgate Tower can be booked thru Quickbook for $338/nite and gets very good reviews.

In regards to your question "where to stay" you are correct in our bias that most midtown locations (MTE, MTW, UM/CPS,a dn MTS) are fine for the average tourist. Subways, busses, and taxis (especially when there are four people traveling in a taxi) are quick, convenient, and fairly inexpensive that it's easy enough to usually get where you need to be in a short/reasonable amount of time.

I would consider the above two options first to determine your maximum bid. As you point out these dates are expensive, and the difference between the above 'back-up' hotels is nearly $75/nite... so i'd determine if any of the above are fine with you, which would then set your "price to beat", and we can then suggest a strategy for you to follow going up to that price.

I'm sure you have questions so feel free to ask... if not, let us know your thoughts regarding the hotels/prices above and which zone(s) you're willing to bid and we'll take it from there.

[JessiMommy]

I'm sure you have questions so feel free to ask... if not, let us know your thoughts regarding the hotels/prices above and which zone(s) you're willing to bid and we'll take it from there.

Thanks for the very helpful advice, I will review & decide or get back to you.