Manhattan

alwysonvac · Jan 19, 2014

Buyer Beware....

bonk2boy said:
That stinks that you got unlucky with Better Bidding. Historically - I've found it pretty accurate in identifying the hotel. The star ratings are, IMO inconsistent across a lot of sites. Having a Trip Advisor rating available is a lot more helpful. With Hotwire - if you are looking for only a "true" 4 star luxury hotel there is a pretty big risk these sites won't work for you. Some of these sites consider certain Courtyard Marriotts in prime locations (as an example) to be 4 star caliber which many people would disagree with. Yet a couple years ago, I got Hilton Times Square for a 3 star bid on Priceline. Very arbitrary distinctions in star classes.

However - if your objective is simply to pay a reasonable price for a hotel chain (or comparable) with a decent reputation in NYC and know the amenities you will have in advance, I am pretty confident that you will be more than okay taking a chance on a 3 star place from Hotwire that gets a good Trip Advisor rating. You will certainly NOT get a Motel 6 or Econo Lodge type brand for 3+ stars - I'd be willing to bet my mortgage that would never happen.

My last post on this topic...

Folks can do an internet search and review the Hotwire complaints for themselves.

Here are some example:
2005 - Proposed lawsuit accuses Hotwire.com of overrating hotels
2008 - Hotwire Facing Possible Class Action Lawsuit For Selling 2-Star Rooms As 3-Star
2009 - Hotwire - 2-star hotels. 4-star prices
2010 - Is Hotwire’s new advertising slogan, “2 1/2-star hotels. 3-star prices.”?
2010 - Two-star hotel sparks a five-alarm complaint
2011 - A two-star hotel at three-star prices. How I Got a Hotwire Refund

twinmommy19 · Jan 20, 2014

Yes - in line with what I said. You may well end up with a Holiday Inn labeled as 3 stars in NYC. No doubt about it. If a Holiday Inn gets 4 out of 5 rating on Trip advisor though, in Manhattan, $128 is still a darn good price at that time of year. You could also get a Hilton or a Double Tree or a Crown Plaza. Ive used the service many times in NYC. 4 stars can pull the W or the Courtyard. It's very arbitrary, but not to the point where you will ever get a certifiable dump aka Motel 6, Super 8, Econo, etc. as long as you go for 3 star minimum. So if the price is reasonable, it's worth the chance IMO. Especially if the alternative is a Fairfield Inn in Queens. I'd bet my mortgage that a 3 star bid on Priceline or Hotwire pulls a significantly more upscale hotel line plus your right in the heart of town. Of course - when you are traveling with kids, this may not be an option as these discount sites cannot guarantee you two beds in the room. That, IMO is their biggest limitation.

Beaglemom3 · Jan 20, 2014

Glynda,

I was on Redweek last night and saw some listings for NYC in March.

Glynda · Jan 20, 2014

Thanks everyone!

Thanks everyone! I've learned from this!

As I posted yesterday, daughter wanted to stay at the W in Times Square and her dad said OK so that's where we are booked.

Davey54321 · Jan 21, 2014

Dont forget about vrbo - you never know!

Heres a link to try browsing for midtown:
http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/new-york/new-york-city/manhattan/midtown

Good luck and enjoy the Big Apple, Glynda!

Vicki

abbekit · Jan 22, 2014

Affinia Manhattan

We stayed here twice, once on a great deal via Travel Zoo, once on an RCI trade (Platinum) and loved it. But it never shows up in RCI now. But you can book it directly, about half the rooms are apartment sized, half are regular hotel rooms. Both times we stayed we had lone BR apartments, second trip it was very large. Tiny kitchens and tiny bathrooms. Great midtown location, a few blocks south of Macy's. My reviews are in the TUG review pages and photos are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/vinolover78

hvsteve1 · Jan 22, 2014

I've had good luck bidding on Priceline with The Bidding Traveler www.biddingtraveler.com . They seem to do a good job of letting you know what hotels Priceline is appearing to offer and showing recent winning bids. The site uses a bot to bid for you and suggests low and high bids so you don't over bid. The bot also seems to be able to get around some of the difficulties of bidding directly on Priceline, such as having to change your parameters if you are unsuccessful.

The OP seemed to be looking for a short term stay at a NY apartment in midtown. I know many people had apartments which they rented out by the night or week, but I seem to recall a news story a year or so ago where the city was cracking down on folks who were renting out short term space and not licensed as hotels or paying the hotel tax. I don't know where they are at with that now but, be aware, what seems like a great, prepaid deal may fall through at the last minute if the renter gets in trouble with the city or their condo or coop board (most apartments in the area you're seeking are going to be in condos or coops.

Mike&Edie · Jan 29, 2014

After much thought and search, we decided not to stay in the Long Island City (Queens) Fairfield Inn and Suites, even though it was a good deal and the price dropped even more. We've booked a two bed room at the Hilton Garden Inn New York - Central Park South. Apparently it's a brand new hotel in the area we wanted. Cost for six nights was $903.57. No parking or breakfast included but it's in the area and we'll do discount parking somewhere. We booked it through Skyauction.

Hope your trip is wonderful!

Edie (Mike & Edie)
www.fulltimetimeshare.com

MarcoMar · Feb 16, 2014

So how was your stay? I think I'm going to book there, because http://new-york.hotelscheap.org/ have a some sort of promotion with them at the moment. Would you recommend it?

MULTIZ321 · Feb 16, 2014

Mike&Edie said:
... No parking or breakfast included but it's in the area and we'll do discount parking somewhere...

Hope your trip is wonderful!

Edie (Mike & Edie)
www.fulltimetimeshare.com

Hi Mike & Edie,

If you're not familiar with http://www.bestparking.com/ - check out their website, plug in the city of interest (for this example - New York City), plug in the other parameters that apply and you will find the lowest parking rates for your location.

It's a great site and one that I've use to save money in NYC and other cities too.

Richard

Mike&Edie · Feb 16, 2014

We are loving New York City, and loving the Hilton Garden Inn. We found out, after we booked through Skyauction (buy it now), that we were booked two rooms (not one with two beds) - so that's even better for the $903 for six nights. It's a lovely brand-new hotel and the employees are awesome. It's so close to everything and lots of fun. Rooms are smallish but nice and modern.

Also, we found parking for $20 a day - so not too bad for Manhattan.

Would highly recommend NYC to anyone.

Edie (Mike&Edie)
www.fulltimetimeshare.com

Manhattan

alwysonvac

twinmommy19

Beaglemom3

Glynda

Davey54321

abbekit

TUG Review Crew: Expert

hvsteve1

Tug Review Crew: Rookie

Mike&Edie

MarcoMar

MULTIZ321

Mike&Edie