Priceline Hotel: NYC in early December

[aspjap]

I'm going to a conference (held at the Grand Hyatt in midtown) and need a hotel from 12/1-12/5. The only hotels that post any rooms available are posting $350/night, even for just 3*. Others are $400+. I'm new to Priceline and Hotwire...any chance of scoring something with either of them in the midtown area? Apparently the first week of December is a very popular time to be in NYC...

Thanks for any help!

aspjap

[gleff]

Honestly not alot of availability through ANY venue, especially for the Friday and Saturday nights.

Priceline is just not likely to have anything to sell you. That doesn't mean you'll definitively be shut out. I've gotten Priceline rooms at otherwise sold out hotels before, but that's the exception and not the rule.

The first two nights of your stay actually don't look too terribly bad in the city. You might try to split up your reservation if you don't mind moving hotels. You could bid, perhaps successfully, for the first two nights. And then pay whatever is necessary for the second two.

If you tell me where precisely in the city that you are and aren't willing to stay.. what quality level... what you'll do if Priceline is a 'no go' (i.e. won't make the trip, will pay the conference rate at the Grand Hyatt) I could offer you some specific bidding suggestions.

Another option... are you willing to stay across the way in New Jersey? (Within reach of public transit)

Or are you willing to stay out on Long Island, perhaps by one of the airports?

Potential to save alot of $.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

I recently just checked for a friend of mine for the nite of 12/4 and there isn't much available within the city nor in nearby Jersey City... this person will be staying out by Newark Airport and commuting in (it's just for one nite).

At the very least i think you will have to SPLIT YOUR BID to be successful with Priceline or Hotwire at reasonable price levels.

Do you have a back-up reservation? (if so, where and how much) I won't re-iterate gleff's other questions but that info will be very helpful too.

[aspjap]

Thanks so much for your advice. Here are my details: I get the conference rate (a mere $325/night before tax) at the Grand Hyatt for 12/2, 12/3, 12/4. I'd prefer to pay less somewhere else and take a cab/subway to the conference as needed, but would prefer that it not be a long trek.

I'm pretty flexible regarding where in Manhattan but am not really interested in Long Island/NJ. (To be more precise: my wife isn't really interested in those options.) Ideally we'd be at the same place the whole time.

I know I'm being pretty restrictive here...

Thanks again for your help!

aspjap

[thereuare]

As much as i hate to say it, i think $325 is a good rate for the 3rd and 4th. Given the extremely high rates for these dates i think getting a continuous stay on Priceline is going to be very difficult. There is a chance you may be able to get something with a very last minute bid, but there is also a chance that many hotels will remain sold-out and those that are available will become sold-out.

This is what i see as your realistic options:

For 12/1-12/3:

Hotel Pennsylvania @ $119/nite REVIEW

New Yorker Hotel Ramada Inn @ $149/nite REVIEW

Beekman Tower (1BR suite) @ $159/nite REVIEW

I did read above that you ideally don't want to change hotels, but now you have some alternate prices and you can decide if the $150+ per nite savings is worth it. These hotels may not be as nice as the Grand Hyatt, but they may represent a much better value considering the price difference (and the Beekman gives you a 1BR suite and isn't too far from the Hyatt)

If the savings are not worth it, i think you can get the Grand Hyatt for $289/nite for the first two nites, then book the convention rates for the last 2 nites. This will save you about $70 which isn't much on a $1300+ hotel bill :), but it should certainly pay for some 'odds and ends' in NYC :) .

Let us know if you'd like more details on any of the above and/or what you decide to do.

[aspjap]

Thanks again. How do I get the Grand Hyatt for $289/night on those first two nights? I haven't seen anything that low...

Thanks

aspjap

[thereuare]

Do a search at ECT for 12/1-12/3. On the bottom of the second page you'll see an "off the record" property for $289. If you read the description, and you know the area, you can confirm that this is the Grand Hyatt. (note: so that you know we're looking at the same property, the descriptions begins.... "9 miles from La Guardia and 18 miles from Kennedy Airport....")

Any questions let us know... and of course if you go this route let us know that as well (and we'll then continue to search/monitor for a better rate for the remaining two nites).