Priceline Hotel: NYC 6/16-6/22: Help!

[luke_133]

Hi all,

new to PL but understand the concept having played around on here for the last day or so! Going to NYC for the 6/16 leaving on the 6/22 and want to try and find a 4* hotel in TS. First time in NYC so keen to be right in the heart. The problem I have is that whilst i would be delighted with any of the 4* Hotels suggested on the PL list on this forum (Hilton Times Square, Marriott Marquis, Millennium Broadway, The Muse, Renaissance, Westin) when you search for 4* hotels in TS on PL the Sheraton Manhattan comes up as the cheapest option (still down as 3* on here). Having heard some pretty poor things about it i would be gutted if i was to 'win' this. Would really appreciate knowing whether people think the Sheraton Manhattan is a 3* or 4* on PL and if it is correct to presume - given it appears to be the lowest quality of those above - that it is the most likely result were i to put a 4*, TS bid on

Thanks very much. Any help really appreciated

Luke

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Few things:

Start by reading our thoughts on Hotels Near Times Square... it's your stay so you can make your own decision, but i'd advise otherwise and would expand your options to other midtown locations.

There is little correlation between the hotel with the lowest retail price and the one you will receive when bidding for a hotel on PRICELINE.

As well, the 'retail' version of PRICELINE and the 'opaque' version each use different boundaries for their zones. Also, there are two Sheraton properties in the NYC Midtown area... Sheraton New York (rated 4 stars) and Sheraton Manhattan (rated 3 stars). Are you confusing the two, as I still believe these ratings to be accurate... do you think otherwise?

What is your expected budget (per nite before taxes and fees) for this stay?

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[luke_133]

As i say I'm entirely ignorant about staying in NY. I appreciate that its pretty easy to get anywhere and ultimately you're going to be heading all over the place so shouldn't really matter where you're based. Saying this, was speaking to a friend from NY and they said TS would be most central and lively and that heading too far south into MT means you end up in the business district and too far north (up to central park) puts you out of the way. Completely accept this is solely their view and as may be completely wrong. Any advice would be great!

In terms of the Sheraton, i think i was confusing the two - it is the Sheraton Towers not the Sheraton Manhattan that comes up - apologies! The retail search on PL for TS though brings up the region 'MT west - TS'. Do you think the 'apaque' TS region will differ from this - is it likely to be narrower?

Thus far, give or take, $300/night (inc tax) seems to be the knid of budget. Clearly in the TS this equates to a 3* at very best if i were to book directly. If i were to use PL it would then be to try and get a better hotel (i.e. 4*) at a similar rate. Do you think this would be possible?

Thanks for the contiued help

[thereuare]

You can see the PRICELINE zone for the 'opaque' version of priceline by clicking this PRICELINE link (which goes to the opaque version of the site), entering your city and dates, then using the map details and zoom in/out when hovering over the shaded region on the map.

The Sheraton New York is located at 52nd St, which would put it in priceline's MTW zone (you should confirm the address and location on the map yourself as it's your responsibilty to make sure you're comfortable with the zones you bid/select).

I agree with your friend that Times Square is "central" as it is indeed the center of the city, but the other comments regarding that you'll be traveling all over the city is true too, and to limit yourself to only Times Square will needlessly cost you money that could be better spent enjoying yourself in the city (and trust me... you'll need it! :) ) I also agree that you don't want to be too far South (and the "business district" is in the Downtown/Financial zone) and we're not suggesting/recommending you bid this area... but MTS is usually convenient and not what most consdier to be 'too far south'.

Again, it's your stay and your money, so you have to bid zones which you're comfortable with. If you're trying to avoid the Sheraton New York than you can choose to not bid the MTW zone, or if you want even more 'control' over the hotel you stay in, you could use HOTWIRE for which you can often take an educated guess as to the hotel you'll receive based upon the star rating and amenities shown before your purchase.

Lastly, i think you coudl save some money if you're willing to SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID. This would cause you to likely have to change hotels during your stay, but woudl also give you the opportunity to stay in two different areas of the city Switching hotels during your stay can be an inconveience, and some are willing to do it to save some money, others not willing to do it no matter how much the savings, so not sure if this would be an option for you or not.

Let us know your thoughts regarding the above and we'll take it from there.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[luke_133]

Cheers for getting back to me! I know it could save me a bit of money but i'm not so keen to have to change hotels. (maybe naively) i'm hoping PL will improve on what could be achieved through booking directly whilst not causing too much added hassle.

In terms of location my problem with extending the areas in which i bid is that (e.g.) MTS and MTE are far larger than TS. As such there may be a greater chance of ending up somewhere further away from the centre - for example soemwhere down near 18th and Park Ave for MTS or FDR Dr/UN for MTE both seem a long way. Maybe i'm wrong and am being overly fussy - having looked at the hotel lists on here it may be that the dispersion of 4* hotels isn't so significant but its whether there is still the risk.

I did have a look at Hotwire and it shows for TS, 4* at $329 (pre tax)/night with fitness centre, business centre, restaurant and internet - this appears a match for Millenium Broadway. The hotel would be ideal (if i am right) just hoping to get a better rate if i use PL - is this likely? I really don't know what scope there will be for discounts if i'm bidding 6 nights in mid June.

I did have a little play on PL last night (used the link!) just for TS. Started from $125 (v. optimistic!) raising up to about $175 using the 4 rebid zones i could see (Brooklyn, Long, Island, UES and UWS) but got nothing. Any help would be great! Oh also I'm from the UK (prob should have mentioned that before!) but used CA 99999 which seemed to work fine

Thanks again

[thereuare]

None of the hotels reported in the eastern most area of the MTE are 4* rated, so while possible you're the first to report a 4* property near 1st Ave, i'd considering it HIGHLY unlikely.

If you want to spend $300+ on a hotel room i'd sooner book HERE for the Affinia Dumont for $311/nite. It's currently the 5th highest rated hotel in Manhattan based upon user reviews and is centrally located enough to walk to Park Ave for the 4-5-6 Train (green line) or walk a few blocks further to Sixth Ave where you can catch the B-D-F-N-Q-R-V-W (Orange and Yellow lines)

Ultimately it's your stay (and your money :) ) so you have to make decisions that you're comfortable with, but as i mention in the Times Square Hotels thread, you will not be spending the majority of your time in that area... you'll see the lights at night, take in the scene, and then move on. As well, remember that your day will also likey be a big 'circle', starting in the morning at your hotel, then going to PointA, then to PointB, then to PointC, etc, etc, and ultimately returning back to the hotel at nite (or in the evening to get ready to go out for dinner before heading out again)... so to focus on the Times Square area because it's in the center doesn't seem logistically sensible, since most of your travels will be from one attraction to the next attraction... not returning to the hotel before each 'event' to start your journey from there.