jbjayhawk

Hey gang! Happy Holidays! We're back for some advice regarding our next trip as everyone has been so good to us in the past. We are just getting started so we have lots of research to do. I'm sure this will be the first of several post from either my wife or I. Let us say upfront that we appreciate the help!

Here's the plan, we have decided to visit NYC April 23rd-28th 2008. We are traveling from KC. We are flexible to stay in different areas of the city. Mainly we've been looking at the Chelsea area, Greenwich Village and Midtown for accommodations. So far we've been looking at 4 star properties & places highly rated in travel books / trip advisor etc. i.e. The Washington Jefferson Hotel. I'd really like to find a nice, clean hotel with a good location & private bath for $250 per night or less.

Here are my main questions to get us going on our planning...we have never used Priceline but from doing some research on biddingfortravel.com it looks like people have been getting 4 star hotels in NYC in Dec. for $150-$200 per night. Would you recommend using Priceline for NYC and are we too far out to try to get a good deal on rooms? It looks like most people place their bid within 30 days of travel. My personality is such that I like to have things planned out so generally my personality would not fit waiting until 30 days before our trip to find a hotel. That being said, there are so many hotel rooms in NYC & we aren't traveling on a holiday weekend so maybe it's not a problem to wait. Thoughts?

Also Midwest airlines is offering direct flights from KC for around $300 each including taxes. Seems reasonable for a direct flight but we don't fly Midwest so maybe $300 is a little steep from KC. I know a colleague of mine went to NY via Midwest in 2006 & air was around $200.

Thanks again!

bethke14

Hello!

I completely understand wanting to have a hotel booked in advance, but still wanting to get a good deal! You might want to book something that is cancelable, and then try bidding on priceline as your trip approaches. That way, if you get a great deal on a 4 Star via priceline, you can cancel your original reservation, but you also won't be stuck without a hotel.

I fly Midwest a fair amount, and $300 seems a little high to me. I get a lot of discounts via email from them, so I would consider signing up for their "Midwest Miles" program so that you get their email, and keep your eye open for fare sales. I just checked a past email, and fares from Kansas City to Newark or Laguardia were about $198 (but this sale has expired.)

Anyways, enjoy your trip!!

mclaurie

First, The Washington Jefferson is most definitely NOT a 4* hotel. You can do a lot better I would think. I totally agree that you should book something now that's cancelable and try bidding on Priceline, but make sure it's something you'd be happy with b/c you could very well not get anything on Priceline if it's a holiday weekend. You should also keep an eye out on travelzoo.com as they often have good specials.

The best hotel options I see right now that are cancelable are:

on quikbook.com
the Millenium UN Plaza (midtown east) for avg. $261
on kayak.com
Murray Hill East Suites (midtown east) for $223
Washington Square hotel (Greenwich Village) for $225
Eastgate Tower (midtown east) for $249
You may find these prices (or better) on the hotels' own websites. Remember there's hotel tax of ~ 15% on top of these prices.

I can't help on the airline. I would pick the flights with the best prices that are most convenient for you.

jbjayhawk

Thanks for the help! Good idea on booking a room that we can cancel then seeing what happens on Priceline. We understand the Washington Jefferson is not a 4 star. I was just trying to give you an idea of hotels we were looking at. I think we would prefer to get out of the Midtown area and into a real NY neighborhood area so might punt the Priceline idea anyway. Looks like Chelsea, Greenwich Village or SOHO would all be good "neighborhood" areas to stay.

mclaurie

The Washington Square hotel is ideally located in the village. It's a small European type hotel but the location is lovely. If you would consider something that's not a traditional hotel, west-eleventh.com is a b & b that rents what are like apartments, also in the village. Chelsealodgesuites.com is a similar option in Chelsea. If you prefer a regular hotel, the Hampton Inn in Chelsea or Four Points Sheraton Chelsea are other options. None are 4* but all pretty decent.

Aduchamp1

Perfect time to visit NYC. The weather is wonderful and is not the height of any tourist season.