Priceline Hotel: Cheap in Chelsea

[elliebella]

Hi,

Thanks for this forum. I'm looking to Priceline a hotel in Chelsea for $100+taxes/night if possible. I plan to stay 4/21-4/25 (four nights).

I realize that barely covers a private hostel for retail in NY. Is this possible? My bids up to 90 have been denied. Star level doesn't matter to me.

Also, if you know NY well enough, maybe neighboring areas are OK? My main business will be in Chelsea and I'm not opposed to walking around a lot, but generally want to avoid any driving. Would it help if I added Madison Sq to my search?

I don't think there are any one-stars in Chelsea, so if I select one-star to get an extra bid, I don't run the risk of ending up in some dump do I?

Regards.

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

Definitely do not add 1*'s to your bidding. What star rating(s) have you bid for in Chelsea so far? The MSG-Convention zone and possibly Empire State Building are nearby options worth considering.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[elliebella]

Hi,

I've bid as low as 2-star/$90 in Chelsea only.

This morning I tried 2.5-star/$88 in Chelsea, which was denied. Sounds like others have gotten sub-100 rates. Perhaps I'm bidding too early for my 4/21 date?

[thereuare]

The current sub-$100 rates are mostly for winter dates, which is slow season for NYC... your dates in April is a busier time of year and will likely require a higher bid to be accepted.

Two Suggestions:

1) not sure what your maximum budget is, but if possible i'd set your minimum star level at 3 stars or higher. While there may be 2.5* properties which are acceptable, there may be others which are not, and with PRICELINE you don't get to choose which type you will get. You mention "star level doesn't matter" but then want to make sure you don't end up in a 1* dump... so obviously there is some concern there.

2) By limiting your bidding to just one zone you limit the number of hotels that are available to accept your bid... selecting more zones enables more hotels the option to accept your bid, at hopefully a lower amount. Where in Chelsea do you need to be? Are you comfortable taking the subway, busses, and taxis (even NYers with cars don't drive unless they're leaving the city)

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

[elliebella]

I will be sure to use your links. Thanks.

I'm going to an event on 28th and 11th one night. The other three days, we're just going to go all around town. Hit up a few restaurants, things like that. So subway, taxis won't be a problem. I just want to make sure that where I stay is relatively close to 28th and 11th that one night because we'll have a lot of business there (don't mind walking a mile or two if we have to), so I don't want to stay completely across town.

Also, I want to make sure that the neighborhood I'm in is fun enough on its own so we can walk around and do things during the day. i.e., I wouldn't want to be stuck in a financial district or something comparable to downtown Chicago or SOMA San Francisco (wish I'd stayed near the Mission).

Seems like trying Chelsea is a cool area and maybe MSG is reasonable, too?

If you recommend 3*+, I'll do that. When I say I don't care about stars, I mean I'd be perfectly happy at a La Quinta or Holiday Inn, which Priceline puts at 2stars. I don't need a good restaurant in the building, spa, etc. Just a good location and a place to rest my head.

Based on your advice, I'm thinking about staying with 2stars and expanding my search to include Chelsea and MSG. Does that sound reasonable or is there a reason you think I should be cautious about anything less than 3*?

[thereuare]

I want to make sure that the neighborhood I'm in is fun enough on its own so we can walk around and do things during the day. i.e., I wouldn't want to be stuck in a financial district

In NYC you're never really 'stuck' as the mass transit is relatively inexpensive and easily accessible. For example, while i don't necessarily recommend staying Downtown, if you did end up there, you're a 20 minute subway ride to midtown, not really a big deal. Should you end up on the East side (opposite east/wesst side of the island from chelsea) a midtown bus would likely have you to the other side in 15-20 minutes (or less) or a taxi for less than $10 will have you there in 5-10 minutes. Unlike many others cities, NYC is very dense and compact, and there are very few 'dead areas' which separate one area from the next... you'd hardly even notice you've left one area and entered another if you didn't look at the street signs.

I'd be perfectly happy at a La Quinta or Holiday Inn, which Priceline puts at 2stars.

Acutally, PRICELINE currently rates most La Quinta properties as 2.5* hotels (some 3*) and most Holiday Inn properties at the 3* level.

Based on your advice, I'm thinking about staying with 2stars and expanding my search to include Chelsea and MSG. Does that sound reasonable or is there a reason you think I should be cautious about anything less than 3*?

As noted above, i would recommend first sticking with the 3* properties, but it's your stay and your budget, and you know your needs and budget better than we do. If you're rejected at the 3* level up to your maximum bid, then consider 2.5* hotels, but personally i'd be sticking with 3* properties at least at first. In light of my comments above, i'd rather spend $20 roundtrip on a cab ride to Chelsea for that one nite and stay at a higher rated hotel in a nearby zone then compromise my star rating for the entire trip to stay in Chelsea, when i reality you only need to be there for one nite. But again, it's your stay and you know your needs best.

Based upon the above let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

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