Hotwire Hotel: confused about rooms/beds

[Trying]

I love this site, everything in it seems to be so helpful. It has gotten me very excited for our upcoming trip to NYC!

We are staying from March 26-30, 4 nights.

I am having some trouble figuring out whether I can safely use hotwire to buy a room for 4 of us-- my friend and I and our two teenage daughters (ages 13 and 14). We need two beds, at least doubles if not queens. When I search with hotwire, I find properties that I think I can identify from your postings; but when I check out their rooms on their websites or other travel websites (ie Travelocity, trip advisor, Expedia), the room descriptions often show only a single bed in the room or a policy limiting to 3 guests per room. Does hotwire guarantee that the room will sleep 4? What happens if we get to the hotel and it doesn't?

Also, I seem to be coming up with a lot of properties that I can't recognize from your posted list. I was wondering whether lots of new properties came online in January or something.

I would appreciate any strategies or help you can provide for finding a room. I was looking for a 4* and I saw lots of people who've managed to get a room at the Westin Times Square for $150 and less. I have a back-up reservation there at $269 but I'd sure love to have that room for half the price. Ideally I would like near theatre district but not right on times square-- more toward midtown west or central. I keep seeing references to rooms being "released" and I am wondering whether I ought to wait until closer to our travel dates?

Thanks so much.

[Trying]

Dates searched were 3/26-3/30 in Midtown South.

Came up with a 3.5* hotel at $212 with Restaurant, Complimentary Breakfast, Fitness Center and Business Center.

Both the Michelangelo Hotel and Hotel 41 at Times Square offer breakfast and seem to be in that class, but neither says it will accomodate 4 in a room-- which was a search criteria.

Any ideas?

[thereuare]

HOTWIRE guarantees sleeeping accomodations for the number of users you have selected in your search... although they include 'pull out couches' and/or the possibility of cots.

With you and 3 girls/women, you may also want to re-consider one room for the 4 of you. NYC rooms are cramped to begin with, and getting ready to go out may be tough with only one bathhroom/shower.

If you want to see something 'strange' click HERE and do a search for 2 rooms/4 adults... you'll see a 4* hotel in MTE for $138/nite. Now change that search to 1 room/4 adults and you'll see that same room (presubably, as the amenity icons match up) jumps to $292/nite! That's right... cheaper to get two rooms there with 2 in each room than it is to get one room for four (we often see this when adding occupancy over 2). By the way, i highly suspect that this hotel is the Grand Hyatt.

So although it's about the same as your back-up reservation and i ideally you'd like to be paying less, you'd be getting a lot more for your money. I'm not saying that this is the property that you have to go with (although i think the property is good and an excellent location), but rather as a good example of how two rooms can often cost the same/less as one direct. Figuring out your total costs of this, or your back-up, and then bidding it on Priceline, we'll help suggest a bidding strategy, up to the same total cost is also an option (trying to save a bit in order to compensate for the Priceline/Hotwire fee).

One more idea is ECT where you can a 1BR at the Beekman Tower for $149 when you search for only two people in the room. This hotel does not appear when searching for more than two guests per room, but the hotel's website shows that their 1BR suites hold a maximum of 4 guests (2 would be on a pull-out sofa i imagine... as there is only one bed in the room as per ECT's website). If you go this route there is some risk invovled, but you could make the reservation, then call up the Beekman to see if the couch actually pulls out and/or the other specifics of the room that you're booked into.

Let us know your thoughts on all of the above and we'll try to help further.

[thereuare]

Regarding your MTS question above (merged here since for same dates), the Michelangelo wouldn't be in the MTS zone (it's by Rock Center, no?)

I just did a search and while i don't know which hotel this is, i'm getting a price of $278... are you still able to see it at $212 on HTOWIRE? If the $212 is not correct i think the options above are better from a price standpoint; and even at $212, may be better from a comfort standpoint.

[Trying]

Answering your second posting first, yes, I still get the 3.5* in Midtown South, accomodating 4 guests, at $212. I'm really wondering what property this is.

Looked at Grand Hyatt, it has good reviews for location and sounds fine. I am less enthusiastic about the Beekman Towers location.

We'd really like complimentary breakfast and/or refrigerator and coffeemaker in our room, which Hyatt doesn't have, but the location is great. I'm open to other options.

We could go the 2-room route, but half the fun is staying together, so I think we would prefer one room. I'm wondering if we got one room at the $138 rate with 2 double beds-- could all 4 of us stay there? Would they nail us with an extra $30 or $50 per night for the extra guests? Or would they refuse to allow all 4 of us to a room? It looks like some NY hotels have a policy of max 3 guests to a room-- is that enforceable if the beds would accomodate 4?

If we end up doing 2 rooms, then do you recommend priceline over hotwire?

[thereuare]

We'd really like complimentary breakfast and/or refrigerator and coffeemaker in our room

Except for the coffee maker, the above amenities are somewhat rare in NYC.

I wouldn't recommend using Priceline for one room for four people in NYC where rooms are notoriously small, many rooms only have one bed, and as you see often only have a maximum occupancy of 2 or 3.

If you go for one room your forced to go the non-Priceline route (Hotwire, EasyClick, other sources)... if you go for two rooms you could then safely add Priceline into the mix.

I don't ever recommend one service over another as each situation is different and there is never any one "best" all the time. Once you decide what you want to do regarding the number of rooms then we can begin to find the best deal/value given your parameters.

[Trying]

We would like to spend about $200/night, we will take one room at that or two at around $100, whichever is our best value (probably $125 max). Sadly, I can't seem to find the $138 deal you found a few days ago. In fact, I have been searching daily for a week or so and I seem to see rates rising each time. Have I waited too long already?

Meanwhile I keep seeing others getting 4* hotels at $108 and $111 and wondering can I do that? Any strategy you can suggest would be great.

Thanks.

[jbhall]

I took interest in your posting, because My family and I are trying to come to NYC the same time, but we want to stay until 4/2. Also there are 5 of us, so this makes it a little more difficult.

I have also been searching hotwire on a daily basis. Have you looked at easyclicktravel.com yet. There seems to be some very good deals. The better hotels with the better deals are listed as, "Off the Record", but the give enough information in their description, that with a little searching on Google, you can find out what hotel it is.

These are much better prices than Hotels.com, Expedia, etc.

good luck.

[jbhall]

I just went to easyclicktravel.com for your dates and for 2 adults and 2 children. An "Off the Record" hotel came up for $189. I spent about 9 seconds searching on Google and found it to be the Drake Swiss Hotel. Don't know much about them, but found it for $289 on nyc.com, which is similar to Expedia, etc.

[thereuare]

All of the 3* and above "Off the Record" deals in NYC have been identified and are listed in the left most drop down menu of our EASYCLICK TRAVEL SEARCH TOOL.

Here's a direct link to Drake Swissotel, but keep in mind that you're still 'fuding' things somewhat with this reservation... they'll allow you to book 2 adults and 2 childres for $189/nite, but change that to 4 adults and the price jumps to $259/nite.

[Trying]

Was about to book the Drake when I realized I have lots of travel reward miles to be used! Am staying at the Ritz Carlton, gratis. Thanks to all for your tips. This board is the hot tip!