Priceline Hotel: 4* NYC (MTE) Grand Hyatt

[baslerin]

After a million tries, i won my bid for a 4* in ME - the Grand Hyatt for $150.

This seems higher than other bids, but:

a) Fall rates seem pretty high, and

:) i wanted to book early, rather than wait until the last minute.

Considering chain hotels like the Super 8 and Red Roof are charging more for Oct,

i'm think i got a good deal. Does anyone have any feedback on this hotel? Is $150 reasonable for Fall?

As for my bidding technique - i followed the advice here: i changed the area & split my bid.

I only actually won my bid for Oct 4-6, then i added 2 additional days on PL. I still had to get a room for Oct 1.

So i went back into PL and chose the same criteria: 4* ME for $150 and was lucky to get the same hotel again. :)

One thing i did note, was that the 72 hour rule didn't apply if i fiddled with the attributes.

So i kept closing the browser & starting over. And when the 72 hour warning came up, i changed something.

Then when i was rejected, i could go back to my original dates, location, & star.

Now, does anyone have any advice on getting theater tickets? We want to see the Lion King. Is it best to

book in advance or upon arrival? The tickets are listed at the New Amsterdam theater as $20-90, but the

online ticket sellers are charging much more!

Thanks!

[thereuare]

Thanks for sharing your bidding history and results with the rest of the board. Looks like they're really made you jump thru some hoops.

I'm not into the theater 'scene' (although i did see Lion King a few years back and it was excellent) so i don't know how hard tickets are to come by. I think they still sell-out every show in advance and are not yet on the 'discount circuit' but i'll ask some people that would know better than i would and follow up (if i don't reply within a week or so please PM me as it means i forgot :) )

Here is a thread on NYC THEATER TICKETS and here i had also made some comments about the TKTS BOOTH.

[KatiesMom]

I have never seen Lion King available at TKTS. It might be possible for a discount via a Web site special so you can plug in Lion King and do a search. If you have your heart set on Lion King I would order tickets in advance.

TKTS offers unsold tickets for performances for the same day and works best if you are flexible about what shows you are willing to see and where you are willing to sit.

[Thespian]

Lion King continues to sell out after all these years. They do sell standing room tickets on the day of the show ($20 orchestra, $15 mezzanine) if they're completely sold out of seats.

A good website for checking "rush" and standing room ticket policies is here. Most rush tickets require a student ID, but a few don't. Depending on the show, you either go to the box office when it opens or put your name in a hat a couple of hours before showtime.

Above all, don't buy Lion King tickets online from anyone but Ticketmaster (you can reach their website directly or from the official Lion King site). They charge face value plus a few bucks "convenience charge," but it really IS convenient -- you can sit there and try different dates and see what kind of seats are available, for an hour if you like (MUCH longer than a phone rep would be willing to deal with you, I suspect). Other online sources are resellers, and prices will almost certainly be much higher. I checked, and good seats are currently available for Saturday night, Oct. 2 (other performances should be even easier to get). Note that Lion King isn't performed on Monday or Tuesday.

Have fun!

[christieman]

I haven't seen the New York show, but I did attend the Toronto production of the Lion King and I'd have a lot of trouble recommending it to anyone not looking to take children. The costumes and set were great, but the show was a little boring and felt shallow on content. With all the original shows in New York, I would personally recommend renting the Disney movie and taking the time to see something else instead.

If a light show is what you

[mr.drew]

Whoever is reporting that Hotel business is picking up... they are right!

It looks like Oct hotel rates are between $130 and $175, for 3 to 4 stars.... at least at this point. I will be leaving the Hyatt the same day you come in. Great location, if you asked me. Since I lived in New York, I can say that early October is a great time to visit, as thereuare can attest...

Have fun, and heck, I may pass you in the lobby when you are checking in..