Priceline Hotel: Info Request NYC 06/14/10-06/18/10

[bayouconway]

My husband and I will be going to NYC 6/14-6/18/10 for our 10th anniversary. This will be our 1st trip to the city & we will also be attending a Yankees game. Any help on hotels, neighborhoods, etc. is very much appreciated! Also, how far in advance do I need to book our hotel using priceline or hotwire? Thanks so much!!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding and Happy (early) Anniversary! :)

If your dates are confirmed, you can book anytime. In terms of the zones available on PRICELINE, are there any you would be interested in staying in? If you are unfamiliar with the city, let us know some other attractions that may be of interest during your stay and we can then go from there in terms of suggesting an area to stay in.

Additionally, what would be your desired budget per night?

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchase.

[bayouconway]

As far as attractions, we have no real preference. I've been looking into the Upper West Side area or Midtown East areas. We would like to stay in a 4* hotel around 150+ a night. We kind of want to be near everything but away from it all (if that makes sense). Thanks!

[thereuare]

Some parts of the UWS are a little too far "away from it all" for my own tastes to reccommend it to most travelers, but if that's what you're looking for i do see what i believe to be the On the Avenue Hotel available for your dates for $153/nite, if that suits your needs. You're just 2 blocks to the nearesst subway station, but unless you're heading to do something on the west side, most other destinations will require a subway transfer (not a big deal but does add time to your journey)

If the above does not work for your needs, i would typically recommend the 4* hotels in the MTE and ESB zones in order to be easily accessible to everything but also not feel like you're in the heart of crowds too (ie- MTE is mostly a business area so may be crowded during the a workday but will quiet down substantially in the evening) However, based upon current prices your budget of $150 may be a little tough for a 4* hotel in one of these zones.

As far as when to do bid you can see additional comments and our thoughts in the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

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

Let us know if you're interested in the On the Avenue above and/or how/when you'd like to proceed.

[AaronJB]

There is a 3.5* in MTE for $139 w/fitness, restaurant, business, internet. This would be a match for either the Roosevelt, Doubletree Met or Tudor. The Tudor would appear to not have any availability for these dates, making the other two more likely. Given the prices I'm seeing for the Doubletree ($219 on Expedia) and Roosevelt ($234 on Expedia), this would be a pretty good deal for either of those properties. While a 4* may not be possible at $150, you could attempt bidding for a 3.5* at $120.

If you were to bid, the Millennium UN and Tudor (although again, the Tudor appears unavailable) are 3.5* possibilities that are a bit far East in MTE, but MTE is quite a nice area. MTE would be my first choice - as I'm very much in the same camp as wanting to be "near everything but away from it all" - and MTE (in my opinion) fits the bill quite nicely.

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

[bayouconway]

Thanks for those recommendations. What area is the "safest"? Also, in your opinion, which hotel is the best to stay at in terms of value, location, star rating, etc.?

[thereuare]

You should take care as you would in any large city, but generally speaking, NYC is fairly safe these days... i'd be comfortable in just about any of the midtown area and south... most of UES and UWS are safe, but there are some areas to the north you'd likely want to avoid.

At the moment the 3.5* MTE property or the 4* Central Park properties seems to offer the best value relative to the other options, as each is priced about $50 less per nite than the other offerings at the same star levels. The 4* is higher rated but i've commented regarding the location/subway access above... the 3.5* is lower rated but may offer access to multiple subway lines.

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

Let us know what you decide and how it goes or if we can be of further help.