Priceline Hotel: 3* NYC (UM-CPS) Wellington Hotel

[JasonP]

I need a room for nearly 2 weeks. Is it advisable to try and bid that whole stay, or break it up into smaller dates? If so, what is the max length of days I should try and bid to be successfull?

Thanks

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

What is the minimum star rating you're willing to accept? What is your expected budget per nite? How many times are you comfortable changing hotels?

[JasonP]

3 or 4 stars would be nice. I would rather not pay over 150 a nite. I would like to be in the SOHO area, as that's where I'm working each day but I realize that's probably not realistic. I would rather not change more than 2-3 times.

[thereuare]

The Soho zone also includes Downtown Manhattan, where exactly do you need to be for work each day?

How would you rank each of the following in terms of importance:

-location

-price

-star rating

[JasonP]

I'll be working near Spring & Greene. Location is only important as if I have to take the subway, I'd like to be near the N,Q,R,W. and I dont want to travel any further than CPS. Cleanliness is of utmost importance. So however that pertains to star ratings. Last September I when I arrived in NYC, I found the lodging I secured wasn't going to be ready for me that night so I needed a room right away, and I bid $150 and lowered to a 3*, I ended up getting the Westin in Times Square by being upgraded by priceline. The Westin was great. I would be thrilled to have that.

[thereuare]

I have two 'easy' options for you first which you may or may not be interested in, so we'll start with those and take it from there (splitting if necessary)...

1) You can book a private bath room at The Pod hotel for just $115/nite. The hotel is not the Westin, and is more of a budget property (it's been described as "youth hostel meets the W Hotel"), but it is clean and the reviews are generally very good. This property is close to the 6 subway line which you can take the the Spring St station (as long as that's not too far east for you) and you won't have to change hotels during your stay.

2) What appears to be the Jersey City Hyatt is available on HOTWIRE for $135/nite. This is a great hotel, located right on the Hudson River (NJ side), all rooms have a great view of the Manhattan skyline, and a PATH train right at the doorstep which will have you into Downtown Manhattan in 8 minutes! Once downtown you can easily take the subway to the Springs St C,E subway station. This is also a good option if you're looking to save a little on meals and such (if you're paying your own way) since NJ is inevitably cheaper than Manhattan, but might not be a good choice if you intend to be in the city each nite until the wee hours of the morning (not knowing what type of work you do or after work activities). Also note that on weekends this area gets pretty dead, but it's still just a quick subway ride into Manhattan or you can easily get to Hoboken to spend some time there. Again, this option will prevent you from having to change hotels during your stay.

Let us know your thoughts on the above and we'll take it from there (if you do book any of the above please use the links provided)

[JasonP]

I appreciate all the advice. From your previous post, I take it that trying to book hotels in Manhattan for that length of time will cause me to have to change hotels more than 2-3 times? Or is my budget too low?

I guess we are not opposed to staying in Jersey, although we've never done it before. Last time I rented a place in DUMBO, which was great, because there were plenty of restaurants there as well as Brooklyn Heights.

I'm not familiar with Jersey at all.

[thereuare]

I appreciate all the advice. From your previous post, I take it that trying to book hotels in Manhattan for that length of time will cause me to have to change hotels more than 2-3 times? Or is my budget too low?

Your stay is during low season, so i suspect your budget should be ok for at least a few nites of your stay, but trying to string together multiple nites might be problematic. As well, note that your stay covers Valentine's Day, at which point rates for most hotels in the city jump drastically, so at the very least that nite (and perhaps the weekend after) would likely be difficult within your budget.

Seeing Valentine's Day in your date span i first searched for possibilities for your complete stay which would work location-wise for your needs. I really didn't expect to find much, but did come up with the two above, which i thought might work as well as offer convenience of not having to change hotels.

I'm very familiar with the Jersey City area so if there are any questions i can answer feel free to ask. There are some restaurants in the walk-able area, with even more if you're willing to hop on the light rail to the Newport area or a bit futther to Hoboken (Hoboken is the 'real' nightlife in the area, which at one point had the reputation of more bars per square mile than anywhere else in the country). The thing to note though is that the immediate area does get very quiet on the weekends (some restaurants don't even open on the weekends) and at nite after all the workers head home, although there is a nightlife easily accessible just a few minutes away via mass transportation (including the Manhattan).

Thoughts?? (and if you move forward before replying please remember to use the links in my post above)

[JasonP]

How does HOTWIRE work? And how do I find the Jersey Hyatt?

[thereuare]

Start here: I've Never Used Priceline or Hotwire

From there, if you search HOTWIRE for your dates and match what is offered (look for the 4* in Jersey City) which matches what has previously been reported for the Hyatt in the Hotwire Hotel List.

Please use this HOTWIRE link to begin any purchases you make.

Let us know how it goes or if there are any other questions we can help with.

[JasonP]

I just got this through priceline.

I started with 4* at $90 and chose downtown soho, then added CPS at 100, then added Times Square and 3* at 110 and got it.

hope this helps for all those that are trying to book 10 plus days through priceline.