loisco

I have a problem finding what I need. Will have to be in NY City on a Monday and Tuesday in May. We want to do theater, Ellis Island and the like.

I looked up on tripadvisor some of the very cheaphotels recommended by various people and on the Expdia bargain site. The reviews were just awful..lots of unclean rooms. I don't mind small but dirty I object to and these sounded really bad.

So now I realize I need to look for hotels around $150 or $200. That sounds fine but when I go to book the price goes up considerably for a Monday and Tuesday.

If anyone has any recommendations I would appreciate them...would waiting last minute help?..bed and breakfast? Would the Entertainment book help?..AAA???

Thanks..

circa2

Have you tried priceline??

I used priceline...got Murry Hill E. Suites....2** for $65 (that was in April 04)....See bids on bidding for travel 1/21/05 of $61.

Was good location, clean, and worked for me...((I had a one bedroom suite, with kitchette))

wantsomesun

Try www.hotels.com. I have seen good prices there for hotels all over the city.

Also the Hotel Grand Union just off Madison Ave in the 30's, is very well priced and very nice. It's a fairly new hotel so all the accomodations are new.

Prices are usually higher on the weekdays in the city for business travel and less expensive on the weekends.

Also some theatres are dark on Monday nights, so you may have to be flexible on what you want to see.

Enjoy your trip.

loisco

Never thought of Priceline...so what do you do ...Put in the price you want to pay????..and they come up with the hotel?..

What about location?..

Thanks for your help.

circa2

Go to www.biddingfortravel.com and read the info. It is a bit confusing at first, but hang in there. Read the FAQ. It explains alot. ((Biddingfortravel is a website designed to assist you in bidding on priceline.))

Also visit the Priceline website and review the bidding process.

hsv

if the Priceline bidding affair does not appeal to you, you might also want to check

http://www.hotwire.com

It is to some extent the same concept, being a consolidator, but you don't have to bid, but rather can choose a star rating and see the amenities of the hotel and its location along with the price. You don't know which hotel you will be getting, but it's sometimes possible to figure it out from the description.
Prices might slightly exceed Priceline's, but it's worth a look anyway (you can also get an idea of what you might bid on Priceline).

mclaurie

It's so funny you should mention this Mon/Tues thing. I just happened to notice yesterday or the day before that stays starting on a Monday are more expensive in many cases than stays starting on a Fri. I guess the computer assumes it's business rather than leisure.

Anyway, I agree with the Priceline (assuming you're a single or a couple-Priceline not good for more than 2 in a room in NYC) and Hotwire recos. Biddingfortravel has a list of hotels used by both. easyclicktravel.com is another option. Some of their listings are "blind" like Hotwire (they don't give you the hotel name) but you can figure it out b/c they use the same descriptions the hotels do. So if you copy part of the hotel description into your address bar and do a search, the results will tell you the hotel.

You might also check travelzoo.com to see if they have any specials listed. It may be a bit early for specials for May.

Finally, I don't know what cheap hotels you checked, but there are a number of them (Comfort Inn Midtown, Super 8, Travel Inn) that get good reviews both here and on tripadvisor. You can do far better using the other methods, but these places are "cheap and cheerful."

nytraveler

You may want to sign up at affinia.com. this is a group of moderately priced hotels that get generally good reviews. They often have special offers - and you can get the info by signing up on their website.

TC

Go to www.quickbook.com or www.express-resv.com. Very reputable booking sites with good prices and lots of information about hotels. You should have no trouble finding what you want there.