Priceline Hotel: NYC New York- Which areas are best?

[AllBusiness]

First of all, I'm a new member here on BB. I think the whole community is incredible and it's thanks to dedicated members and moderators. Traveling will never be the same for me!

Anyway, before devising a bidding strategy, I need some general travel advise. I'm going to be spending a week in April in NYC for a little business/pleasure. After monitoring some of your posts, it seems you have a good grasp on the city. I was hoping someone would be willing to offer some expertise.

Here is my situation:

Mon - Friday I have to be at a 9:00-5:00 work function in the SOHO-Financial district. My girlfriend will be flying in on Thursday to spend the rest of the week/weekend in the city. She has never been before so we will want to visit all of the typical tourist destinations. I'm trying to determine if I should stay in the Financial district for the duration of the trip or if I should switch to a nice hotel in another region for the last 3 nights. I don't know enough about the city to determine if staying in the financial district would be fun/convenient for both of us. (Restaurants/Shows/etc.) Not really interested in the subway. Could you make a recommendation as to whether staying in SOHO would be a good option for us?

Also, are there any particular regions that I could get better bargains than others? I'm staying for 7 nights and am concerned that this will make it difficult to get good prices. Also, I don't know if I should already be bidding or if I should wait until it's closer to April. Lastly, NYC any better at PRICELINE vs. HOTWIRE?

Thanks,

Brandon

[dahammer]

Welcome!

can you please list your dates of travel, minimum star level and a maximum budget per night?

[AllBusiness]

April 11thish - 17thish dates not completely determined

If I switch rooms, I'd like to stay in 2-3 star for beginning of week and then go to 4+ for second part of trip with GF.

Thanks!

[thereuare]

Not really interested in the subway.

I hope you change your mind about this as it's not only the quickest, but the most economical, way to get around the city. I can understand you not wanting to ride late at nite (and i recommend that you don't ride too late at nite), but during the daytime the subway should be your friend. If not the subway, then how do you plan to get around the city?

What is your expected budget for the second leg of your trip?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[AllBusiness]

For the first half of the trip I wasn't planning on a taxi. Just gunna try and land a cheap 2*-2.5* in SOHO that isn't too far. I'm really more concerned with Fri-Sun. I would like to stay somewhere nice, budget is 200+ a night. Really don't care how much I have to pay if it is a good value. Want to try and be nearby things to do/see and won't might taking the subway for these days.

Thanks!

[thereuare]

I'm really more concerned with Fri-Sun.

April 16th-18th??

You'll have your gf stay with you in the 2*-2.5* hotel Thursday nite of her arrival... or have your/her plans changed?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[AllBusiness]

This is a bit of an amendment to a previous thread I started.

I'm trying to tack on a few days with my girlfriend to a week long business trip in New York in mid-April. I have no spending limits for the hotel but really want a good VALUE. Are there particular hotels/zones on HOTWIRE / PRICELINE that provide luxury at a good value? I also don't really know which zones to even stay in. My girlfriend has never been to New York so she will want to see the sights!

Thanks in advance.

[thereuare]

Please don't start a NEW TOPIC for the same stay... keep all posts for this stay in this thread.

Please answer our question(s) above (two posts above this one) so that we can continue to try to help you find a hotel which suits your needs for this leg of your trip.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[AllBusiness]

My apologies. Yes, the plan now is for her to stick it out with me and then we will go Fri-Sun in something upscale.

[thereuare]

I focussed more on HOTWIRE since you can take an educated guess as to the hotel offered before your purchase, and therefore decide of the hotel is 'luxurious' enough for your needs... but unforutnately nothing luxurious jumps off the page at the moment. There are some decent values, but nothing i would consider to be 'luxury' at this point in time.

[AllBusiness]

I focussed more on HOTWIRE since you can take an educated guess as to the hotel offered before your purchase, and therefore decide of the hotel is 'luxurious' enough for your needs... but unforutnately nothing luxurious jumps off the page at the moment. There are some decent values, but nothing i would consider to be 'luxury' at this point in time.

What exactly should I be looking for on HOTWIRE and how often do the offers change/update? Will a 5 star hotel ever make itself available?

[AaronJB]

I've not seen a 5* property in NYC on searches or has one been reported to the board. The offers can change at any time.

Please refer to the site's Hotwire Hotel List for NY to see what hotels have been reported to the board.

[AllBusiness]

There looked to be a few 4.5* hotels that popped up occasionally. I guess I'm really just at a loss as to which zones to even consider bidding on. Hard to develop a strategy with such little working knowledge of NYC. Been reading other threads about the various zone options but still a little uncertain and don't want to end up staying in a bad area...

[thereuare]

First thing i think you need to decide is what you want from this stay...

If your goal is "luxury" i would use HOTWIRE. Not because any of the PRICELINE hotels are 'bad', but because you may receive a business-minded hotel, which doesn't appear to be what you're looking for from this stay.

If you're looking for a nice hotel at what is likely near the lowest rate possible, then i would try bidding PRICELINE, but you'll need to be a little more flexible in the style of hotel that you receive.

If you can decide which of the two factors is most important to you we can probably provide a bit more insight for this stay.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... and your searches too please!

[AllBusiness]

Ok,

Here is what I'm thinking... per some feedback from some people that live in the city and know me (and hopefully you can confirm their suggestions)

soho/tribeca/village areas would be good

Specifically, people that know me and what I like told me suggested these places in this order:

Ace Hotel

Bowery Hotel

Soho Grand or Tribeca Grand...both of the "Grands" have a young crowd, a modern/new york feel and usually have

Maybe this will help you know a little more about me and what I'm looking for. I'm a twenty-something that isn't afraid to act like a thirty-something.

Thanks!

[thereuare]

HOTWIRE has the 4* Gild Hall in the Downtown zone, one of their new non-opaque offerings, for $167/nite... gets good reviews. Would this work for your needs?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[AllBusiness]

HOTWIRE has the 4* Gild Hall in the Downtown zone, one of their new non-opaque offerings, for $167/nite... gets good reviews. Would this work for your needs?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Gild Hall looks fantastic but the only concern is that the financial district is likely the area that I will be staying for the first leg of the trip. Although this is a bit more than I wanted to pay for the business portion of the travel, it is tempting to jump on this anyway. For the last few nights with the GF, it might be nice to explore another area.

Once again, I really appreciate your feedback and expertise. I will certainly be using one of the provided links to purchase!

[AllBusiness]

Are there any suggested alternatives to Guild Hall or do you think that staying the financial district for the duration of the trip would be advisable?

Thanks!

[thereuare]

Downtown is not the ideal location but if the price is right, and it meets your 'chic' standards, it's certainly do-able.

The Inter-Continental Barclay gets hit or miss reviews (see HERE) but is available for $149/nite and would be more centrally located (although not as "cool" as the Gild Hall)

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.