Priceline Hotel: 3* Newark (Jersey City) Hyatt Regency on the Hudson

[blkjck1]

This is just an informational posting. As may have been mentioned in other forums, the NYC area is a busy place in mid May, as I have found no success in the MTE and Times Square zones for 4* hotels. I have bid in the Jersey City zone for a 3*, and using the rebid zone with a starting bid as low as $100, and bidding up to $140 with no success. I have also bid for a 2.5* only in the JC zone going up to $150 on the hope I could also hit one of the 3* hotels in the zone and be happy, but no success to be had.

In terms of the 3* hotels on their own websites, the JC Doubletree rack rate is $270-300 for a non-smoking room, while the Hyatt is fully booked from 5/14-5/18.

[dahammer]

FYI, HOTWIRE has a 3.5* in the Secaucus-Meadowlands zone for $139 with the following amenities: Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, Laundry Facilities, High-speed Internet Access. This appears to be the Crowne Plaza in Secaucus. The bus to Manhattan stops less than a block away and before 10:00 AM, the trip to the Port Authority Bus Terminal is 25 minutes. The dates are 5/14-5/19. The 3* that you see for $89 is the Sheraton: Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-speed Internet Access, Golf. Not very good for access to Manhattan.

Here is a Review of the Crowne Plaza from Blindman

good luck!

[blkjck1]

My concern would be more along the lines of the schedule the bus from Manhattan has. Which NJ Transit bus are we talking about?

[thereuare]

The NJ Transit 124/129 lines.

[blkjck1]

Thanks for the bus info. Stupid me found it about 15 minutes after my posting went up. While taking the bus is an option, the issue for us would be what to do after the buses stop running at night. The way I read the schedules, we'll have an 11ish pm curfew everynight to make the bus. I already know about how usurious the cabs are if you enter NJ from NY, and know nothing about options from Secaucus Junction.

[dahammer]

I can't comment about options from Secaucus Junction, but if this location is acceptable, I would call the Crowne Plaza directly. This property sometimes comes up through PRICELINE, but you may get another 3* that could be located in the Harmon Meadow/ Mill Creek complex, which also has frequent bus service via the Route 320.

[thereuare]

The way I read the schedules, we'll have an 11ish pm curfew everynight to make the bus.

Yes, the majority of NJ Transit busses typically stop running at midnite or so, with a few going until 2am to the more heavily traveled/popular areas.

There are not many affordable options to get to the hotel once the busses stop running (i'm guessing taxi would be ~$50+ dollars... taking PATH to Hoboken and then taxi to hotel would probably be about $35 + PATH fare)

[blkjck1]

Trying to get a hotel in Jersey City for the May 14-22 timeframe for our annual trip into New York. Was finding the goings pretty tough, so we booked the Eastgate Towers for our trip at a great rate through Expedia, so we did have our ceiling rate.

Checked on HOTWIRE, and saw that they were offering the Hyatt at $169 for May 19-23. Changing the checkout date to May 22 didn't help in terms of getting a price, but I certainly don't mind staying in New York an extra night. Went to PRICELINE and offered $140 for 4 nights, and accepted on the first time. Details as follows:

Hyatt Regency Jersey City On The Hudson

Jersey City

2 Exchange Place

Jersey City, New Jersey 07302

201-469-1234

Check-In Date: Mon, May 19, 2008

Check-Out Date: Fri, May 23, 2008

Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $140.00

Subtotal: $560.00

Taxes & Service Fees: $104.18

Total Charges*: $664.18

Tried to extend it on the beginning, but turned down. Figures, since their own website shows the hotel is essentially sold out right now for May 16-19. We always check what the prevailing rate on the hotel's own website it, and it came in at $354, versus the $166 via PRICELINE (including taxes) for a savings of nearly 60%.

As always, we support BetterBidding via the dedicated PRICELINE link.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your win!

Glad to hear your research and diligence paid off! This is really a nice hotel in the area and it's easy enough to get into Manhattan.

Thanks for keeping us up to date on your progress and for using our PRICELINE links to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay.