I hope this is OK to post this here.

I have never tried priceline but with the high price of New York hotels I figured it was worth a shot. However, not sure what area to pick.

first have any of you had any luck with Priceline in New York?

What area do you recommned? We hope to walk to almost everything and just looking for the basic safe, clean hotel and neigbourhood, we will be 2 adults and 1 teenager, what are do you recommend.

Thank you

Kim

I have twice choosing midtown east as my section. It worked out well. Once a Marriott and the other time The Roosevelt.

Tried but had no luck...I figured as high as the bidding was getting I might as well choose my hotel!

You could have a problem trying to get a room for 3 people in Manhattan. Priceline only guarantees rooms for 2 persons, and many rooms in NY are simply not big enough for either two beds or a bed and a rollaway. It might be worth the risk to you (get a room and then call the hotel to ask for a 2-bedded room or a room with a rollaway), but be aware it isn't a sure thing.

Priceline only guarantees a room for 2 people - not 3. And many NYC hotel rooms have just one double bed - and no place to put a cot - even if your teen (or the hotel) were willing to sleep on one. So - you really can;t do Priceline in NYC with 3 people.

Have a look at hotwire, travelzoo etc - where you can reserve a room for 3 without a problem.

Second - there are no hotels close to everything. Major sights in Manhattan are spread over an area 8 miles long, a couple wide and several islands in the harbor. No matter where you say you'll need to use the subway to get around.

Suggest you get a good stret map and a subway map - and plot the places you want to see - and you'll see there is no one place that allows you to walk to most sights.

With 3 people, you should look into using Hotwire. It allows you to put in 2 adults & 1 children in the search, so guaranteeing you that you'll get a room that can sleep 3.

Go to Betterbidding.com for list of potential hotels using hotwire.

I agree that you should not use Priceline for three people. I've had terrific luck with Hotwire, but everything turns on your dates, and sometimes you can get two rooms on Priceline for less than one through conventional resources.

Definitely have a look at www.betterbidding.com and Travelzoo. And, sometimes there are terrific bargains on Quikbook.

You'll do much better if your dates are flexible.

There are 2 different ways to book rooms on Prlceline. The "name your own price" approach definitely books for only two people.

But when you go to the PL home page, you are shown the other way of looking for a room, which is more traditional: Name your city and dates, and up comes a grid based on zones and star rating, with the prices filled in. Click on the price and up comes the list of hotels for that zone, click on a hotel and you're shown the available rooms, some of which can accommodate 3 or more people.

I would not do Priceline in NYC if more than 2. As already mentioned, priceline only guarantees rooms for 2, and many NYC hotels, are business style, with only 1 bed. They also tend to have small rooms so a rollaway or 3 in a room may not be allowed (fire codes).

I've used Priceline many times, when travelling with my family (4 of us) but in certain areas, particularly the larger cities (NYC, Boston) I wouldn't take the chance.

biddingfortravel.com and betterbidding.com

are websites designed to help you understand and bid on Priceline, but as others have said, Priceline is not really an option for a party of 3. Hotwire is a good option though and betterbidding.com has a list of Hotwire hotels and can help you figure out what a hotel is by matching the star level and area along with the amenity icons (ie restaurant, business center etc.) I'd worry more about the specific hotel than the neighborhood. As long as you're near a subway stop you should be fine.

Kim - Do you want one room for 3 people, or 2 rooms, especially since you have a teenager?

If you want 2 rooms, PL is for you.

If you are bidding for a room for 2,
I always start with a 4* in MTW and add another area at a time and go up a little bit at each rebid.

I "won" my bid on the first go in March - $120/ night! As usual, I got the Hilton on 6th - which I love.

No we are only looking for 1 room. Wouldn't let DD be in a room alone.

Thank you for all the info it was most helpful

Kim

I think you get a king by default with priceline.

You get what they have extra inventory of.