Priceline Hotel: 4* NYC (MTE) InterContinental The Barclay

[s1mon]

First post on the site, but I've been browsing the forums and looking at the wins posted.

We are off to NYC, looking to stay Downtown - SoHo - Financial from 4th July to 8th July o8.

Will being there on 4th July be a problem for hotel availability? Budget is up to $170

Thanks for any help people can give.

Simon

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Surprisingly (to me) July 4th is usually not a problem with hotel availability, although this year having it land on a Friday things may be different. (and as per below, limiting yourself to just one zone may be an issue if this stay does turn out to be problematic)

Before suggesting a bidding strategy, just want to make sure that you're somewhat familiar with NYC? Downtown usually isn't the most convenient area for the typical visitor, who usually prefer to stay more in midtown (some visitors assume that "downtown", given the name, is the prime location of the city, which isnt' really the case).

Is Downtown indeed where you want to be? Is this the only acceptable zone? (adding more zones increases your chance of finding a hotel to accept your bid price, and increases your chances of getting a better deal... but of course you would only want to include zones which you'd be happy staying in)

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

Let us know the above and we'll suggest a strategy to follow.

[s1mon]

Thereuare, thanks for your reply.

Not at all familiar with NYC, last visit was very brief 9 years ago, when I stayed somewhere near Central Park.

We are looking at Downtown following advice that it is a good area for restaurants for our evening meals. We had heard that midtown doesn't have that many reasonably priced restaurants, but that advice could very easily be wrong.

Ideally we would prefer 4*, but looking at the win histories, 4* was a little too expensive downtown. Would 4* be an option at our budget in midtown?

Thanks,

Simon

[thereuare]

For the average visitor the midtown loations are more centrally located. Downtown may give you better views of multiple firework displays (able to view those in the East River as well as those near Jersey City Liberty State Park) but other than that i would recommend first trying the midtown locations. (if budget turns out to fall short for midtown then consider downtown, but that would be a second choice for me vs. midtown)

I'd disagree that only downtown has good reaonably priced restaurants. In NYC 'reasaonable' is a relative term :), but generally speaking you can find reasonable restaurants, as well as very expensive restaurants, all over the city. As well, mass transit is easily accessible and relatively inexpensive in NYC, so you could easily stay in midtown and simply commute to 'downtown' for dinner... although i think this probably isn't necessary unless there is a particular restaurant you're interested in.

Lastly, you may be able to get a 4* hotel within your budget, would you want to try for that first up to your limit OR is your goal the least expensive 3* or better hotel for these dates?

Let us know regarding the zone and star levels (or ask questions if you have any) and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[s1mon]

Thanks for the advice, its really useful. There aren't any particular restaurants we want to go to, so we would probably eat near the hotel or wherever we happen to be in the evening. We would be happy to stay in midtown or downtown.

If a midtown 4* hotel is possible within budget I would like to try that first, and if that isn't possible go for a 3* hotel in either down or midtown at the lowest cost. Any suggestions for a bidding strategy would be gratefully received.

[dahammer]

many mid town restaurants have pre-theater fixed price menus that are easy on the wallet.

[thereuare]

At the 4* level you have SIX re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 4* MTE, MTW, TS, CPS, ESB and Downtown...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone4...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone5...

Bid $145, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* MTE, MTW, TS, CPS, ESB and Downtown and re-bid zone6...

Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $155, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone4...

Bid $170.

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[s1mon]

We got the Inter-Continental The Barclay for $186 per night. After not getting anywhere at $170, and not getting anything for $150 on a 3 star so I decided to up our original budget.

Thanks for all the advice.

Simon

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your win and thank you for sharing it with the board.

Since you were concerned with places to eat affordably, here are some in the immediate area:

Ess-A-Bagel: Third Ave at 51st St is has one of the best bagels in the city and makes for a great, and inexpensive, breakfast with locals

Jackson Hole Wyoming: (Third Ave at 35th St) HUGE hamburgers which are enough for meal. Nothing fancy and the service can be hit or miss, but the burgers are big, juicy, and will leave you satiated

Katz's Deli: not in the immediate area but worth the train ride to the lower east side. Not sure if open for dinner, but go for a late lunch and a pastrami or corned beef sandwich (the things to order here, the former more popular than the latter, will easily last you until dinner)

Chicken and Rice Cart: (53rd and 6th Ave, SW corner) OK, i don't eat street dogs and i wouldn't ordinarily eat food from a street cart ("street meat" as it's often refered to in the city), but this place is widely known and attracts quite a crowd. Amazingly they're open from 7:30-4:00, but note, it's 7:30pm-4:00am :) The meal here is any one of their platters (chicken, lamb, or combo... with rice, salad, and pita bread... as is it's "OK", but this dish shines by the white sauce served on the side. If you like your food spicey, try the hot sauce sparingly as it's some of the hottest sauce i've ever tasted (i'm undecided if i like it on my platter or not). For $6 it's an amzing deal, and perfect for those stay at the Hilton New York as it's directly across the street from the south corner of the hotel. You can see a video of the food cart 'in action' here:

Pizza: Arturo's on Houston, Lombardis in SoHo, or John's Pizza (Bleeker St in Greenwich Village for the original... Times Square location on 44th b/w Seventh Ave and Eigth Ave for a bit more upscale)... all make for an inexpensive, and memorable NYC pizza experience

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

Enjoy your stay.

[s1mon]

Thereuare,

Thanks so much for the food suggestions. I'll make sure I take this info with us.

Really looking forward to going now.

Simon