etal

Okay, this is my third and last posting on this topic before I leave for my visit to NYC. Has anyone been there or heard anything? If I stay there, I promise to post my impressions when I return home.
Thank you!

Kristen

etal: PLEASE do post your impressions upon return! I have a reservation at the Da Vinci at the end of March and I would like to know what you think of it. I secured a wonderful rate and I hoping that the hotel is clean & safe. Have a great trip!

Sarah

I stayed at the Da Vinci one night (Feb 28) at a rate of $75 for a small single, including a continental breakfast (coffee, OJ, donut). It was okay for a budget hotel, but not a place I'd go to again. There was no way to lock the room from the inside to prevent access by someone with a key (usually there's a chain or something like that), which bothered me. The room wasn't dirty, but it wasn't sparkling clean either. There was no table or desk, which was inconvenient because I had a laptop - and they charge $1 for a toll-free or credit card call (it's $1 plus 5 cents per minute for a local call).

One annoyance was that the rate had dropped to $70/night on the web site, but they insisted that I pay $75, the rate at the time I made the reservation. So if you have a reservation, check the web site a few days before the no-penalty cancelation deadline to see if there's been a change.

One more thing: Consider trying Priceline, using advice from http://www.biddingfortravel.com. Using their advice and information, I made my first Priceline bid, for a trip in mid-April. So the next time I'm in NY, I'll still be paying $75/night (without breakfast this time) - but I'm staying at the Grand Hyatt.

Kristen

Sarah, thanks for your post. I have been waiting to hear from someome who has stayed here. Do you mind if I ask you if the bathrooms were clean, and if the bedding was clean? Thanks in advance for your reply. Our rate is $85 for a double for 3 nights which really makes for an affordable stay, but maybe I should continue shopping around?. . . ?

thereuare

I don't know anything about this hotel, but if your reservations are still cancelable, i would at least try Priceline (and check www.biddingfortravel.com for help/advice on how to bid).

Recent posts show winning bids for 4 star hotels in the $75-$85 price range.

Kristen

Based on what Sarah said, (and now thereuare) I've spent the morning reading "bidding for travel" and looking at what others have booked rooms for - I'm going to try priceline; it sounds like for the same (or less) money we can stay at a nicer hotel.

Alan

Just in case Priceline doesn't come up with what you want, may I put in my two cents' worth for the Madison? Check their website for rates and a phone number, as they don't have an over-the-internet booking service... but just a few days ago their rate for a family (up to four people) room was $88 a night, including a small breakfast at the diner next door. We used this hotel in December, and couldn't have been happier... it left us with money left over for sightseeing.

Kristen

Hi! Just wanted to thank Sarah for giving me a heads up on the Da Vinci. I'm sure we would have been ok there, but why pay $85 for "ok"? I tried priceline, bid the first time for 4-star Midtown East @ $70 (ok - I got a little carried away at the idea of a bargain ...) so I re-bid and got the Grand Hyatt (seems to be a popular priceline hotel) for $75 for a Saturday, Sunday & Monday. Thanks to everyone who helped here - I now have a lower rate at a WAY better hotel.

Sarah

Kristen, I'm delighted to hear that you were successful with Priceline/Biddingfortravel - which I learned about here. I hope you will post your losing and winning bids on Biddingfortravel, since that will be helpful to others. I've seen messages there from people who wonder if they could go lower than $75.

For what it's worth: The Da Vinci bathroom was adequately clean. The linens seemed clean. But there are better two-star hotels - and, if one is willing to deal with Priceline's limitations, better four-star hotels - for the same price.