New York City Hotel Deal- On the cheap

[spankytoes]

Just passing on some info I've researched...

I'm staying in New York City with my son July 9 - 11, 2008. I've gone the Priceline route and my bids up to $200 per night were not accepted. So, as I am trying to take my son for the first time on a budget, I looked into other options endlessly...

On my second week of pricewatching I saw the Best Western City View on my radar. It is in Long Island City, approx. 2 miles out of Manhattan. It's rated anywhere between 2-3 stars and the reviews on it are about an 8 out of 10 from various sites. They offer free shuttle transportation to and from Laguardia and will also shuttle you to the nearest subway stop (40th/Lowery) on demand. (Provided you don't want to walk the 6 blocks or are coming back late at night and want the extra security blanket) They also offer a complimentary continental breakfast with eggs, sausage, waffles, juice, cereal, etc. and free Wi-Fi internet. (Also FREE parking if you are renting a car...which is unheard of in NY)

When the price came up on their website, it showed as $149 per night + taxes. Not bad, but I thought that they could do better. So, I researched around a bit. I found that Orbitz had the same hotel on the same nights and the same type of room (Double bed) for $134.05 per night. According to their website, BW will not only match the competiting price but give you a 10% discount on the lower price to book directly through them. So, I booked on their website and submitted my claim. I got an email response back that I will be paying $119 per night + taxes for each night of my stay. To put this into perspective, the no-frills Portland Square Hotel just outside of Times Square gave me a rate of $99 per night for a double bed, a room the size of a jail cell and a shared bath. Plus, I would have to take a hired car into the city from the airport for about $40 each way and splurge on breakfast each morning. When all is said and done, I am saving myself roughly $100 for a quiet neighborhood, larger room and our OWN bathroom. The tradeoff? It will take us 15 minutes via the #7 train to get to Times Square instead of a 10 minute walk.

I have plugged in dates as late as August and found that Orbitz has a cheaper price on this hotel on almost every day. The best part is that I have until the day before to cancel my reservation should I strike gold with a Priceline bid. At worst, I get to stay a few miles outside the city on the cheap as a backup plan.

If you have any questions on how to manipulate the data post them here. The following is the crux of the email I received after submitting my claim:

ATTN: Mr. X

COMPANY:

26 June 2008

BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL RESERVATION CONFIRMATION

RESERVATION NUMBER: XXXXXXX

GUEST NAME: Mr. X

DATE OF ARRIVAL: 09 July 2008

NUMBER OF NIGHTS: 2

HOTEL NAME: B/W City View Inn

ADDRESS: 3317 Greenpoint Ave

Long Island City (Ny Airport)

New York 11101-2011

TELEPHONE: 7183928400

FAX: 7183922110

NUMBER OF ROOMS: 1

PARTY OF: 2

ROOM RATE PER NIGHT: 118.84 U.S. Dollars

ROOM TYPE: 1 Double Bed,-

ADVISEMENTS:

RATE BOOKED: BEST AVAILABLE RATE

MEALS: Full Breakfast

TAX: 14.3%

CHECK IN TIME: 3:00 p.m.

PRODUCTS:

GUARANTEE: MasterCard

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you should need to change or cancel, please

do so by 4pm hotel time on 08 July 2008 or your

credit card will be charged.

Best Western City View Inn

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Thank you for sharing your deal with the board.

While the above is a very good rate for those on a budget, i'll add that it's not panacea, but could serve a need for those looking for an alternative to high NYC prices and just looking for a place to sleep.

If anyone does book this please note that we're an affiliate of the Best Western and please use our link to book.