Priceline Hotel: 3* MTE/MTW 11/16-11/17

[Darknessmage]

Hey guys,

First time new comer and trying to read as much as i can.

My gf's bday is in nov. and i'm trying to find a good deal on a hotel for her in NY. She has only been there once when she was younger and she is turning 21, so i figured i'll treat her to some mid-day sightseeing and then a night on the town (hence why i'm trying to find a cheap room). I'm having problems though with finding a room for the date of 11/16 - 11/17. I would ultimately like to stay for around $150 a night, highest i'm willing to go is $200. If anybody know of any good places to look at and so forth please let me know.

The reason i chose this area is because i've only been to times square once, but i wasn't old enough to really SEE New york and have fun. So i figured why not stay where the lights are bright.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

My thoughts/comments...

Your budget is a stretch for this nite but i do think you have a good chance at being successful for a 3* near the top end of your budget. However, if you're looking for the best deal i would recommend not focussing solo on the Times Square area and be willing to bid any of the midtown areas (MTE, MTW, UM/CPS, and MTS... also see our thread on Hotels Near Times Square).

Lastly, if you're looking for the best deal in the area you'll need to look outside of NYC, as i think you could get the Hyatt in Jersey City for less than $100/nite... there is a PATH train entrance 50 ft from this hotel which will have you into Downtown Manhattan in 8 minutes. Only issue here is that 1) you lose some of the 'NYC Feel' of staying in the city itself (which seems to be part of the 'effect' you're looking for, and 2) if you intend to come home after 2am the train begins to run on a 30 minute schedule, so you want to make sure you time it correctly (as waiting for a train at the wee hours of the morning is not fun) or be willing to take a taxi home (~$35.... which compared to a NYC Hotel would still be less expensive). On the plus side the rooms are built on a pier over the Hudson River, so the rooms have a great view of the Manhattan Skyline (either uptown or midtown depending upon which side you're on)

Let us know your thoughts regarding the zones above and/or Jersey City and we'll take it from there.

[Darknessmage]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I prefer to stay in NY as i have a few friends coming up from philly as well as a friends in staten island that is going to be driving us around that evening and i don't want to put them out of there way. I am willing to try other areas that you suggested MidtownEast, MidtownWest, and UpperMidtown/CentralParkSouth.

I tried priceline and i can't find any 3 stars in those areas for $200. Would it be wiser to wait for the last minute or would i pretty much not see any difference? I also tried hotwire (i followed the link) and the cheapest one i found was in MTE for $202. It's a 3.5 star but i thought it was a little sketchy when i saw the Trip advisor rating was 2/5. The amenities are Fitness Center, Boutique Hotel, Business Center, High-speed Internet Access

I hope that can clarify some things to help with finding me a good deal on a hotel.

Thanks

[thereuare]

I tried priceline and i can't find any 3 stars in those areas for $200.

You have already tried bidding for this stay up to $200 or were you using the "retail" version of priceline where the names of the hotel were shown? If you already bid, was it jsut for MTE and MTW? When was your last bidding attempt?

Where are your friends from Philly staying? As far as staying in NJ (i'm not pushing you in this direction but not sure if you understand entirely) i'm not sure how this would put your friends 'out'. You could take the PATH train to Downtown Manhattan (8 minute train ride) and meet your friends in the city... just making sure you understand since the price is so inexpensive (relatively speaking) vs. staying directly in Manhattan.

Would it be wiser to wait for the last minute or would i pretty much not see any difference?

See the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ... but i will add, that this is a very busy time of year in NYC.

[Darknessmage]

Well my friends are staying with the kid that lives in Staten Island. They're either going to stay at his parents in Staten Island or at his apt in Brooklyn. Reason i don't want to stay with him is because i still want to be intimate and have a good time with my girlfriend. I know from previous weekend adventures there, we usually party in Manhattan. I guess a cab ride from there back to the hyatt shouldn't be THAT expensive.

After looking at the Hyatt and looking at other factors, I believe staying there in Jersey City would be the best bet, I can still do the things that i want to do and i dont have to worry about terrible parking. Plus i could use that money for other things. So since that's the case. I figured i might as well stay there from 11/16 - 11/18 (if i can get it for under $100) That way we dont have to try to do NY all in 1 day. But do you think i'd be able to get such a nice hotel for that price. If so, then this is the best site ever :).

Once we get the hotel situation taken care of then we'll move on to site seeing and all that.

Thanks alot for all your help.

[Darknessmage]

Ok, so now that i know i'm not staying in manhattan, let's come up with a gameplan to get me in the hyatt. :)

I know with priceline you can't choose your hotel, but i know there has to be something that can be done. I just need it for one day, 11/16-11/17. We're just going to go up early on friday so we can do some sight seeing and then go see Hairspray on saturday afternoon. Then head home afterwards.

[thereuare]

Parking at the Hyatt is not cheap (for the area) at about $25/day (i'm off by a few dollars, but it recently went up). However, if you're willing to park about a 20 minute walk away (or a PATH ride away) you can park on the street over the weekend.

If you check the Hyatt website you'll see that they're sold-out for the nite of 11/17, so the chances of receiving this hotel for both nites is very slim.

If your plans are flexible, you could book a 3* in Jersey City in order to lock in at least one nite... then, if presented, use the "add a nite feature" at a later date (if availability becomes available... although no guarantees that the add-a-nite feature will be offered). There is a chance at the 3* level that you received the Douubletree, but odds favor the Hyatt (imo)... if you want to increase your chances of the Hyatt you can use HOTWIRE asa 4* option in Jersey City is offered at $99/nite (believed to be the Hyatt).

As stated above, a cab ride from lower Manhattan to the Hyatt would be about $35... a bit more if coming from midtown. Since NYC taxis can't <legally> pick up a fare in NJ, the rule is "double the meter" once you cross the NYC/NJ meter (which is why milagewise it may only be a few miles, but you're paying twice as much). The rule is really "double the meter once you cross the NJ border since you're paying the taxi to get back to NYC where he can legally pick up another fare... but in reality it doesn't work that way and doubling the entire fare is standard practice.

[Darknessmage]

Parking at the Hyatt is not cheap (for the area) at about $25/day (i'm off by a few dollars, but it recently went up). However, if you're willing to park about a 20 minute walk away (or a PATH ride away) you can park on the street over the weekend.

I was reading on either trip advisor or here that there is a self park area a couple blocks away.

There is a chance at the 3* level that you received the Douubletree, but odds favor the Hyatt (imo)... if you want to increase your chances of the Hyatt you can use HOTWIRE asa 4* option in Jersey City is offered at $99/nite (believed to be the Hyatt).

Yea i was looking at the information on that and it does appear to be the Hyatt, and $100 is fine with me so i might take that route. Since it's a little bit more reassuring per se.

As stated above, a cab ride from lower Manhattan to the Hyatt would be about $35... a bit more if coming from midtown. Since NYC taxis can't <legally> pick up a fare in NJ, the rule is "double the meter" once you cross the NYC/NJ meter (which is why milagewise it may only be a few miles, but you're paying twice as much). The rule is really "double the meter once you cross the NJ border since you're paying the taxi to get back to NYC where he can legally pick up another fare... but in reality it doesn't work that way and doubling the entire fare is standard practice.

I was reading something about pass cards and things of that nature. Are those necessary for let's say 2 people that will ride it probably a total of 5 times max?

[thereuare]

The pass card (i assume you're refering to the 'card' for the PATH train) aren't necessary but are a convenience... it quickly gets you thru the turnstile to enter the train without having to fumble with change or dollars bills that don't easily get accepted into the machine (and usually no line either, standing behind somebody else who is fumbling with change or a bill that is rejected). Miss a train once because you're standing inline at a machine that takes currency and you learn to carry the card with you. :)

There's no charge for the card (other than the fare) and you can buy them for as little as $3 (one roundtrip)... although there is a slight discount for a 10 trip card and more of a discount for a 20 trip card. Two people can share the same card, but this can be an issue if by chance the two people won't to part ways (ie- one person going home early while the other stays in the city)