New York hotel for New Year's - Priceline?
Nov 20, 2011, 10:07 pm
#16
In Memoriam
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Easton, CT, USA
Programs: ua prem exec, Former hilton diamond
Posts: 31,801
Nov 21, 2011, 3:03 pm
#19
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 3,665
I looked on Hotwire and there are lots of things going for half price that week in excellent districts. It doesn't seem very busy compared to early November. I suspect some bids around $150 for 3* in good zones will be successful. There seems to be no reason to stay in Williamsburg or Jersey City despite their great reputations as the fun capitals of the New York area.
Nov 21, 2011, 3:16 pm
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Greener Pastures
Posts: 10,515
I'm closely related to the travel industry in NYC - and the first 2 weeks of December are generally busier than the week between Christmas & NYE. This year, with Christmas on a Sunday and the holiday on Monday and with NYE being on a Saturday and NYD on a Sunday with the federal holiday on Monday, Jan 2nd, may be one of the busiest within the past several years (last year's snowstorm on 12/26 did impact international arrivals & departures which negatively impacted the 26th to the 29th though).
Next year, December 5-15 will be the busiest times in December in the city. The shopping weekends are usually more busy than the Xmas-NYE week is.
Nov 25, 2011, 2:14 pm
#21
Join Date: May 2002
Location: EWR/JFK/LGA
Programs: DL Silver, AA, UA Silver, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 389
The hotels are busy
I have many friends who work in the hotel industry in NYC, mostly four and five star places - they have already been told that due to the high occupancy expected, that they will need to work overtime and there are to be no vacation days during that period -one of my friends was trying to get a room for the week for her sister using her discount and was told not possible. I live in the city and it is so crowded with tourists, more than I can remember is a long time. I was at Tiffany's two weeks ago to buy a gift and the place was so crowded with tourists, mostly buying, that I was told the wait for a sales person would be in excess of one hour.
Nov 30, 2011, 11:00 pm
#22
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Posts: 177
I looked on Hotwire and there are lots of things going for half price that week in excellent districts. It doesn't seem very busy compared to early November. I suspect some bids around $150 for 3* in good zones will be successful. There seems to be no reason to stay in Williamsburg or Jersey City despite their great reputations as the fun capitals of the New York area.
I hate to admit this but I think Sheryl is right. Book a refundable hotel as a back-up plan. Then book on a non-refundable site as you get closer to the date and you're fairly confident that you've gotten a good deal.
Truth is, you're never going to get rock bottom prices all the time. It's like trying to time the stock market. You can generally know if you're getting a good deal by looking at past prices and current prices on a variety of different sites. It never hurts to throw in a low ball bid on Priceline -- you never know. Of course, there are some good Priceline 'helper' sites out there such as BiddingForTravel and Hotel Deals Revealed which I operative and will be happy to give you more personal direction on Priceline bidding).
I'm in no way affiliated with AirBnB, but the website seems to be hitting it out of the park recently. Tonnes of media attention. It is worth checking out too. Good luck!
Last edited by jabez; Dec 1, 2011 at 3:29 pm Reason: no commercial links
Dec 3, 2011, 12:44 am
#23
In memoriam
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 1,697
We continue to see "random Internet postings" at (her site) for fantastic deals in early December through Priceline in New York City, as low as $100/night for a 4* in the Midtown West zone. We never even see deals this low during non-holiday periods. I'm confident the hotels are hurting.
Last edited by jabez; Dec 3, 2011 at 10:39 am Reason: no links-advertising
Dec 3, 2011, 2:15 pm
#24
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 436
Last year, New York City welcomed a record 48.8 million visitors who collectively spent $31 billion. The City is on track to reach a record number of visitors this year. Room rates are steadily increasing, and occupancy remained at close to 85 percent, the highest in the nation.
While some nights are tight, I never give up on Priceline, as I've scored last minute rooms at great prices on New Year's Eve, as well as during Fashion Week and UN week.