Priceline Hotel: 3.5* NYC (MTE) Millennium UN

[LetsGetSerious]

Hello all,

This coming May, I am graduating from college and going to be taking my girlfriend on a trip to NYC. She has never been there whereas I have been there 3 times in the past few years.

I always stayed with friends or was able to get by in friend's hotel rooms without having to pay/book anything directly myself, this trip, however, I would like a nice hotel to really make my girlfriend feel like I put some effort forth in planning the accommodations.

Dates of the stay are somewhat flexible at this point:

Anytime between 05/17 and 05/31 with a stay lasting 3 nights / 4 days.

I was thinking at least a 3.5* hotel and my desired ammenities are:

-free/cheap wifi

-nice view

-large single bed

-LOCATION!

Zones Id be interested in:

-Soho Downtown Financial

-Midtown East

-Midtown West

-Times Square

We're both vegans, so restaurant food is generally irrelevant as it will be nothing we can eat.

We won't be driving, so parking is not a concern.

I would love to pay under $150/night, but I'm willing to make small concessions to get a better deal.

Also, do those airfare + hotel deals ever make sense? or can you get better pricing yourself by bidding?

Most of all, thank you for your help, five long years in college have worn me thin and this trip is really the light at the end of the tunnel at this point.

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding and Congrats on your Graduation. :)

20th-24th would (to me) appear to be the best choice based upon the regular rates I'm seeing and the rates that are showing on HOTWIRE.

The problem would be:

There's no way to guarantee view or free wifi with either PRICELINE or HOTWIRE. Views (for hotels that do offer them) are often upgrades, and neither PRICELINE or HOTWIRE reservations are eligible for upgrades, given the discounted nature of the service.

Overall, I think a 4* for $150 or less is possible via bidding on PRICELINE for these dates (HOTWIRE has a couple of 4*'s for $169-179 for these dates in Midtown.) Would you be more interested in trying for a 4* at the high/er end of your range, or would you be more interested in the most reasonably priced 3.5*?

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

[LetsGetSerious]

I guess if there's no way I can guarantee such amenities, then I'd just like to find the least expensive place that is still has a somewhat upscale feel. Are the listings on HOTWIRE for amenities accurate? I could always base my bid around that, as having wi-fi access is fairly important to plan each day on hopstop.

I also thought of settling for just a 3* since there seems to be so many more of them in the city (and the price could be great), but I would hate to be in an uninspired, economy hotel.

Basically, $150 is the most I'd like to pay for a 4* if I can be fairly certain that the hotel offers wi-fi.

What prices can I expect from 3* and 3.5*?

[edit: I saw on the main Hotwire site, they list a 3.5* Soho/Downtown hotel for $129/night, so the name your own price option would presumably be for less than that... but how much less? Soho would be great and if wi-fi isn't an option in the hotel, I'm sure I could find free wi-fi somewhere close considering the neighborhood.]

[thereuare]

I would think just about all 3* hotels and higher would offer wi-fi, no guarantees and it may come at a cost and not be free, but NYC is a business destination and most hotels would lose the business segment of travelers if they didn't offer internet access. Should you happen to land a hotel without internet access, there are plenty of places around the city to get short term internet access on a free/low cost (Starbucks, library, Kinkos, etc, etc... even many McDonald locations now offer it)

Before looking into this further... while you may like the Soho area of the Downtown zone, this zone covers much more than Soho, and based upon the hotels that are typically received, odds favor you landing a hotel in the Financial District rather than Soho. As well, this area is not typically the most convenient for the average visitor, are you familiar enough with the city to know that this area will work fine for your needs?

Let us know the above and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[LetsGetSerious]

I wouldn't consider myself a stranger to NYC, but I am certainly not an expert and it always takes me a day to really get my bearings as to where the closest trains are and such when I visit.

I picked the Soho/Downtown/Financial zone because of Soho, but if it's unlikely to end up in SoHo specifically (which makes sense because I don't remember a huge number of hotels in that area) I would prefer to stay somewhere else with more attractions and restaurants and bars etc instead of the Financial district. I should emphasize that I really want this trip to be special for my girlfriend who has never been to the city, so a hotel that is slightly tourist-y might not be the end of the world (but having to deal with all that Times Square nonsense everyday would be hell to me).

Thank you for your continued help, it means a lot to me.

[thereuare]

One more question then...

You've left out CPS and ESB, are these zones not acceptable? At the 4* level they're generally considered just as convenient as the MTE, MTW and TS zones.

Also, Times Square has gotten much better now that it is mostly car free (still have to watch out for cars at the cross streets)... everyone is no longer confined to the sidewalk and are able to spill out onto the streets, making it much easier to walk thru when you're in a hurry.

Let us know regarding if you want to include ESB and/or CPS in your bidding, and TS is 'ok' to include too?, and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[LetsGetSerious]

Okay, I've looked at the map again and I'd be willing to stay in MTE, MTW, ESB, TS, and CPS. Reading the descriptions of hotels in MSG make me not want to stay there... they seem made solely for tourists and traveling business people. I definitely value the comfort of a nice hotel room after a long day walking and doing things in NYC.

I spoke with my girlfriend, and she could care less about the hotel at this point, she is just so excited to go on this trip, so it looks as though a 3* would even suffice. I'm just worried about being stuck in an old, smelly hotel that is falling apart.

After reading other threads on this board, particularly the one regarding tipping, it seems as though I can probably call ahead and explain this trip is special and ask nicely and maybe have a staff member help me... but in the end it's not that important as my girlfriend doesn't care :).

With so many 3* and up hotels within those 5 zones, what should my strategy to get the best deal? and what kind of price points can I expect at each star rating?

[thereuare]

If bidding 3* then the recommended zones change somewhat...

The MTE zone has the 3.5* Millennium UN, which is a very nice hotel, but is about a 15 minute walk from the subway... would this be acceptable? In the CPS the 'standout' is the Hudson Hotel, which while the 'cool' factor may suit your needs and what you're looking for from a hotel, their rooms are some of the smallest in NYC (fitting a bed and that's about it) Keep in mind that if you bid for a 3* hotel you an receive any 3* hotel in the zone(s) you select, and while there may be some 3* hotels which are acceptable to you... there may be some which are not (given your comments/reason for avoiding the MSG zone)

There are other caveats at different star ratings in each zone, but with all the changes in goal, i'm not really sure what you're ultimately looking for at the moment... the least expensive 3* or better in any of the zones you decide OR are you still considering a higher rated hotel?

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

[LetsGetSerious]

My goal is a nicer hotel in any of the aforementioned zones.

Least expensive is nice, but not my primary concern.

Cool/hip factor is more important than price.

3.5* sounds best for the price/quality tradeoff.

[thereuare]

At the 3.5* level would the Millenium UN, a 15 minute walk to the subway, be acceptable? What about the Hudson Hotel, which has very small rooms?

Also, note that you can't choose a cool/hip hotel, you could receive something like a Hilton, which although should be nice, is more business-y than chic.

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

[LetsGetSerious]

Small rooms are not a deal breaker by any means, we live in a smallish one bedroom apartment now anyway. May in NYC should be perfect walking weather, so 15 min walks won't kill us... and if it rains we'll buy umbrellas.

:)

[thereuare]

At the 3.5* level you have THREE re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 3.5* MTE and MTW and CPS...

Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $110, if rjected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* TS and CPS...

Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $110, if rjected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* MTE and MTW and CPS and TS...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $130, if rjected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* MTE and MTW and CPS and ESB...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $130, if rjected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* MTE and MTW and CPS and TS and ESB...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $150

You can follow the above for any date combinations you choose. If you're rejected with one date combination you can change the checkin and/or checkout date and immediately bid again without waiting the required 24 hour lock out period.

AaronJB looked at dates previously and noticed 5/20-5/24 seemed to be some of the least expensive nites, so you may want to start there and then shifting dates by adding/subtracting one day to both the checkin and checkout, then add/subtract two days, etc, etc.

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[LetsGetSerious]

Ill bid as soon as I buy my airfare and let you guys know how it goes!

[AaronJB]

Thank you for keeping us updated and for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches. Good luck on bidding, and please let us know if you have any questions.

[LetsGetSerious]

Kept getting shut down and getting very frustrated, but finally bid again tonight and got the Millennium UN Plaza Hotel for $135/night for the May 19th, 20th, and 21st.

The hotel seems a bit dated in some photos I've looked at, but hopefully we can get a nice view and just have a great time.

Thanks for your help everyone.

[yellowdog]

LetsGetSerious

Thank you for sharing your result with the board!

Enjoy your stay.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links to start future purchases.

Yellowdog.