Priceline Hotel: 3* NYC (ESB) Jolly Hotel Madison Towers

[pmenon]

Good morning everyone,

This is my first post here, and Im quite a newbie at using sites like Priceline/Hotwire for bidding/naming your own price. My situation is as follows:

Im looking to be in NYC (Manhattan) for the nights of December 8-13, inclusive. Im there to visit a friend, so I wont really be spending a lot of time in my room, except for sleeping. I would also prefer to be in the Chinatown/Lower East Side area (this is the area my friend lives in) ... or anywhere in the Chelsea/Flatiron district. From what Im told, these areas are all quite close to one another and really well connected by subway.

Having said the above, can anyone offer suggestions on what star-rating hotels I'd be best off with ? Im trying to spend $125 or less per night.

Please let me know if more info is required. Thanks in advance !!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

You can't pinpoint a location as much as you're trying to, you can only work within the pre-defined zones that PRICELINE and HOTWIRE have set. Through both services, the zone which contain the Chinatown/Lower East Side area is larger than just Chinatown/LES and the Chelsea/Flatiron district is spread out between two different zones (and each of these zones have areas i wouldn't consider to be Chelsea or the Flatiron district)

HOWEVER, the bigger issue than location is going to be your budget, as this tail end of a very expensive time of year in NYC and i'm doubtful your budget will be enough for something 'decent' (if anything at all) for this time of year.

Have you checked prices for thru conventional booking channels? What is the best rate you're able to find for an acceptable hotel?

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

[pmenon]

Thanks for the quick reply. I guess I just wanted to be as close to my friend's location as possible, which is why I had suggested those two areas. Given that this is still a requirement, is there a specific area, or hotels, that I should focus on ? And is NYC always expensive at that time of year ? Would it help if I pushed my dates out by a week ?

I did look into what appeared to be some really conveniently located hotels, but the prices were upwards of $200 I believe, and availability was limited ... maybe there's an event going on ?

[thereuare]

Your dates above are at the end of the 'peak season' for this time of year, if you could extend your stay by a week (or more... but still before 12/29 or so as that begins to get into the more expensive nites of New Years Eve) i think it would help a lot; although $125 may still be a tough win, you'll be a lot closer to a realistic price.

What would your alternate dates be? Exactly where in Manhattan is your friend located?

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

[pmenon]

Thanks again. I wont be able to extend my stay for a week, but could potentially shift it out one week (i.e. check in on the 15th, check out on the 20th).

My friend stays in Chinatown, I believe. She's told me that anything below 23rd Street should be OK for me to stay in, because its all walking distance, or well connected by bus/subway.

I was debating staying in Jersey, but the whole reason for this visit is for my friend and I to spend as much time together as possible, so that might not be a realistic option.

What if I were to up the budget to $150-$175 ?

[AaronJB]

The 12/15-20 period looks considerably less expensive, and your original $125 budget would certainly appear to be within reach and would likely go further than it would have for the initial set of dates. If you are just looking for a place to sleep, you could likely start lower than $125 for a 3* for 12/15-20, and $125 may be able to get a 3.5* or possibly 4*, given the prices I'm seeing.

Would you prefer to try upping your bid further for the original set of dates, or start trying for a lower price on the 12/15-20 set?

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links.

[pmenon]

Hmmm. Tough call. I think I might prefer to stick to my original set of dates, and maybe upping my bid. Is 150-170 a little more reasonable ? Youre right, all Im looking for is a place to sleep in, shower in, and not be too far away from where my friend is at.

[pmenon]

Alternatively, lets say that I wanted to do the 15th-20th dates, what sort of bid can I put in to get a 3* (which I assume is the minimum for a a decent 'just to sleep' place in NYC).

[AaronJB]

For the 15th-20th, it would depend on which zone you were looking for, but I'd start at $115, but you may have to go up to $120-130. However, I think an accepted bid in that range seems rather likely.

[pmenon]

Thanks a lot. And if I wanted to keep my original dates (8-13), what range of bids are more realistic than $125 ?

[thereuare]

If you let us know the zone(s) you're willing to accept (by PRICELINE name) and your maximum bid we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[pmenon]

Going by the Priceline zones, Zone 4 (Downtown-SoHo-Financial District) would be my first choice, with zone 3 (Chelsea area) being my second choice. Lets say my max bid is 150

[thereuare]

Are you willing to pay more to stay in the Downtown zone vs. the Chelsea zone OR is your goal basically the least expensive 3* or better in either of these two zones?

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

[pmenon]

Are you willing to pay more to stay in the Downtown zone vs. the Chelsea zone OR is your goal basically the least expensive 3* or better in either of these two zones?

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

Hmm, I suppose for me it really depends on location. As I mentioned, my goal is really just to get somewhere to sleep and shower, while being as close to my friend as possible.

Im not too familiar with the Manhattan layout, but going by her recommendation, she suggested anything south of 23rd street should be OK.

Also, is a 3* and up required in NYC, even if I just wanted a place to sleep ?

[AaronJB]

Some of the 2.5* hotels are fine, but there very well may be some unreported ones. 2.5* is probably okay in most areas, but I definitely wouldn't recommend going down to 2*.

[pmenon]

Thanks. Yes, I've heard of some scary stories about NYC hotels. It's also unfortunate that Priceline won't let you get more granular with the zones. Is it quite easy to get around from the Financial/Downtown district, or Chelsea, to LES ?

And should I bother putting a bid in @ $150 for a 3* for my dates (Dec 7-13) ?

[AaronJB]

I've always found NYC quite easy to get around - there's a lot of public transit, but personally, I think half the fun of NYC is the journey - walking around above-ground and finding some cool, NYC-specific shop on the way to your destination.

I'd definitely try $150 for a 3* for your original dates, if those are the days you would prefer. While the likelyhood of that bid being accepted isn't high, it's within the realm of possibility and PRICELINE occasionally does deliver some surprises. Worst case scenario, the bid isn't accepted and you aren't charged.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links.

[thereuare]

It really depends exactly where you're starting from and where you need to go (ie- which subway is nearest to where you need to be), but generally speaking most of the city is very accessible via mass transit.... and given the anticipated difficulty of these dates, i would include as many zones as are acceptable as possible in hopes of landing a deal within your budget.

Please read your messsages.

Thanks.

[pmenon]

Thanks much. I figure I'll keep the zones the same then, and probably just bump up my bid. Im also new to rebidding, and just went through the FAQ sticky on that. Cant say that I fully understand it yet :), but am working on it.

In terms of strategy then, any advice on how I should go about this ? Thanks again !

[thereuare]

Feel free to ask any questions you have regarding re-bidding, but it may be a 'non-factor' for this stay as you don't have any re-bid zones available at the 3* level.

To confirm... you want to first try for a 3* or higher hotel in the Downtown or Chelsea zone, with a maximum bid for $150, for the dates of 12/7-12/13?

Also, can i ask exactly where (cross streets) your friend is located, as i'm very familiar with the city and there may be other zones which may work equally well for your needs.

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

[pmenon]

Thanks, Ive sent a message asking her for this information, and will put it up here as soon as I get it.

I've been visiting various hotel websites and comparing the prices between the two weeks, and its quite amazing what a difference there is !!

[AaronJB]

Yep, NYC can see significant price swings from week-to-week.

[pmenon]

So Im leaning towards actually pushing my dates out a week , from the 15th-21st. My only concern around this was the weather situation. I know things are unpredictable, but for whatever reason, I assumed that the earlier I go in December, the less likely it is that flights get cancelled/delayed due to snowstorms. I dont suppose there is anything I can really do about that, though .... will just have to hope for the best !!

[AaronJB]

Being from the Midwest, I would think that while there's a somewhat greater chance of snow later in December, there could be a snowstorm at any time of the month (here's hoping there's not, but I think there's a chance of snow at any point.)

In terms of NYC, what did you plan to do, if I may ask? If you plan to be out and about seeing sights with your friend, maybe being more centrally located in Midtown might be a good idea. Just my 2 cents.

[pmenon]

Yeah, Im from Toronto, and last year we got some in November, not much in December, and then got walloped in January and February.

Re: NYC, I didnt really have any plans, and am letting my friend run the show as she's the local. It'll only be my second time there, but first time in December, so Id love to go skating in Central Park, see the big Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza.

Re: Midtown, heck, as long as it's well connected to LES/Chinatown by subway, Im game for it. Although my original dates of 7-13 seem somewhat pricey, as pointed out by thereuare :-(