Priceline Hotel: 4* NYC (UM/CPS) Swissotel The Drake

[Muz]

I have been looking for a hotel in NYC for 2/12/05 - 2/19/05, I have found a 3.5* hotel in the Upper West Side for $143 per night with Selected amenities: Restaurant(s), Fitness Center, Business Center. I am assuming this is the Hudson Hotel. I also found a 4* (MTC) hotel for $196 per night with Selected amenities: Restaurant(s). I assumed this is the Algonquin hotel.

Have any of you stayed at either of these places and do you have any recommendations as to which one I should choose? I am planning a surprise romantic getaway for my wife and I and this is her first time to the city. I am open to any and all suggestions.

Great site by the way, lots of good advice and you have helped me on many occasions to find a great hotel room so thank you for all of your help.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Revies of the ALGONQUIN and the HUDSON HOTEL.

Neither of these would be at the top of my list but of the two i would choose the Algonquin based upon the history there (although be aware of the notoriously small rooms). I also wouldn't bet the ranch of the 4* being the Algonquin as the last time this hotel was reported it also contained a shuttle icon... it's possible that this icon has been dropped, but i wouldn't count on it unless you have some information suggesting that it is no longer being shown for this property.

I also think both of these rates are high for February. Did you have an objection to the 4* MTE for $150 or so? Would you consider using Priceline and/or SPLITTING YOUR STAY?

[Muz]

I went to Priceline first and couldn't get a thing. I tried Central Park South and Midtown West along with the two free re-bid zones and didn't get a hit. I started at $150-180 in $10 increments just 4 days ago and then I tried $175-$200 yesterday, still nothing. I don't know what to do, I have never had such a difficult time with Priceline. I have never used hotwire for hotels, just Priceline, and I am trying to figure out what to do next. I really appreciate your quick response and all of your help.

[thereuare]

This stay is over 3 months away... i wouldn't rush it as i think you'll be overbidding (unless there is some convention or other similar event inflating prices... i didn't look yet)

Is there a reason why you're avoiding the MTE zone?

[Muz]

I just thought it would be out of the way. I have nothing whatsoever against the (MTE), in fact I am thinking that will be my best bet. This is Valentine's day week so I wanted to be sure to get my reservations soon. Should I wait until a later date to get these reservations? How long? And at what price should I shoot for. I am open to anything up to $200/night but would obviously prefer to spend less.

[thereuare]

If you bid the MTE zone i think you stand a very good chance of getting the Millenium UN for substantially less than you have been bidding. This hotel is a little bit out of the way but works fine for the needs of most users... i'd look at this hotel's location and see if it's ok with you. No guarantees that you'll get this hotel (although i think it's likely), but if you're ok with this hotel's location i think you'll be fine with the location any hotel in the zone.

If you're aprehensive about your the 'home base' of your vacation being on the east side, but also concerned about getting this taken care of due to Valentine's weekend, why not consider splitting your stay between two different hotels (and zones). You could 'lock-in' 2/12-2/15 now and then continue to be a bit more patient for 2/15-2/19 on the assumption that demand won't be as heavy for those dates since Valentine's Day will have already passed.

Let us know your thoughts on the above and we'll recommend a strategy to follow.

[Muz]

I don't think I want to break up our stay. If I stay in MTE I would like to be as far to the West as possible. I found a 3.5* in MTE for $133. I think it is the Roosevelt becuase the amenities listed were Restaurant(s), Fitness Center, High-Speed Internet Access, Business Center. Do you have any intel on this place? Can I still receive the $10 per night discount for 5 of the 7 nights if I use the code GIFTCARD06 upon purchase. This will be my first Hotwire purchase. By the way, you seem to know the city well, could you recommend any nice romantic restaurants or a link for a website that would give me some options? Thanks.

[thereuare]

I haven't stayed at the Roosevelt but i had friends that stayed there a few years ago and they had some problems that caused them to not like their stay, but these REVIEWS are good as is this one from a PRICELINE STAY.

As you can imagine, living in the area i have little reason to stay at a NYC hotel, but i have a somewhat different take/outlook than you (neither of us is right or wrong, just different tastes and 'invonveniences' that we are willing to tolerate)....

I'm much more value oriented, and although location is usually everything, just about any location in midtown is fine with me. The east side properties are currently showing much better value, and even Millenium UN mentioned above is less than a 10 minute walk from the Roosevelt... that type of 'inconvenience' i can tolerate in order to get a better value. As well, i'd be expecting to take mass tranist most place anyway, and there is a crosstown bus nearby that can take you to just about any subway line that you want to hook up with. I know most tourists want to be 'in' Times Square, but many often find that they see it and then don't return... instead venturing elsewhere in the city. To give you an idea of some of the value in this MTE zone, i think the BEEKMAN TOWER REVIEWS has a 1BR suite for $149 and the MILLENIUM UN can probably be had for sub-$150.

The location of both of these hotels is acceptable to me, although admittedly not the perfect location, which is why i would also favor switching hotels mid-stay. Besides helping me to get a better overall deal, each area of the city has its own personality, and staying in different areas for an extended stay allows you to get a flavor of each. Like i said earlier, this doesn't make me 'right' and you 'wrong', it's just differing takes on the situation.

To answer your question regarding the Hotwire coupon code, that offer has expired at the end of October.

If you want to stick with your current strategy of excluding the MTE zone let us know when you can bid again and we'll update a strategy; if one of the alternate strategies above are appealing let us know that as well and we'll advise accordingly.

[thereuare]

Oh yeah...

Romantic + NYC = EXPENSIVE!!

What type of restaurant and budget were you considering?

[Muz]

I would like to spend no more than $200 which includes a nice bottle of wine for $100 and under. Any ideas? Thanks. By the way, I have decided to wait a while longer to see what I can get at Priceline and/or hotwire.

[thereuare]

I just had a very good birthday dinner at Il Mulino (site appears to be down), one of the top rated Italian restaurants in the country, but reservations can be tough to come by. Depending upon the wine you choose you could probably come out for close to $200 (side note: when we ate there a special of the day was some truffle ravioli, we were told that truffles were in season and very, very, good... but also very, very, expensive. When we heard this recited to the table next to us they patrons were somewhat offended that he would make a point of saying it was expensive (as if they couldn't afford it) so they asked him why he would say that to them. He replied "The appetizer portion is $60 and the entree is $120" :) ). Typicall appetizers here are $15-$25 and the entrees $30-$45.... wine was somewhat expensive as i had a $10 glass.

Babbo is another popular place that is romantic and has a good wine list. It's very highly regarded, but i was in a bad mood the nite i was there so i can't comment as much as i did on Il Mulino above.

I'd have no problem recommending either of the above and would be confident you would have a good meal... service is excellent at both places but be prepared to wait past your reservation for a table and tight quarters.

[Muz]

Thank you so much, you have been a tremendous help. I will look into the two restaurants you recommended and will report back with my review. Also, I was able to get a hotel room on Priceline at the Drake for $175/night from 2/12-2/19. It was worth it for me to have peace of mind knowing that the hotel was taken care of. I thought I would mention that when I searched 4 star CPS for $165, it gave me the option to raise my bid right away without changing star level or location. They asked for a re-bid of $185 but I decided to roll the bones on the free re-bid zones UWS and UES. Nailed it on my second try. Thanks again for all of your wisdom the past week, I will be a regular on your site and look forward to great bidding success.

[Muz]

I was able to get $175 at the Drake for Valentines Day week. Any personal experiences you would like to share? Thanks.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your win.

You can read these HOTEL REVIEWS and THESE TOO.