Priceline Hotel: Bidding help 4* and above 4/12- 4/13 one room MTE or UES

[mary228]

Hello. Attending a reunion event on the upper east side and need a place to sleep that night. Hoping for some luxury without the big price tag - it's not too often that we get away without our kids, and it would be great to drop an impressive hotel name while we are at the event. Is it too early to bid?

 

We will probably need to cab it wherever we stay so I am open to CPS and MTE. The least expensive places I can book directly (and would be willing to stay) are The Westin Grand Central and the Lexington for $239. so I'd be willing to pay that for a 5 star of course!

[yellowdog]

I'm sorry to say that with current rates is a 5* or 4.5* not within your budget. 

 

I think your best bet would be a 4* in the MTE zone. But we would be happy to help you with a bidding strategy.

 

Please confirm the zones you're willing to stay in. You mention MTE and UES in your topic but saying MTE and CPS in your post.

 

And your max budget would be $240 before tax/fee's?

 

Let us know your thoughts and we'll go from there.

 

Please use the PRICELINE and hot.wire links on the board to begin your purchases and searches.

 

Yellowdog.

 

 

[mary228]

Hi Yellowdog. Thanks for taking the time to help me. I would see no point in paying $239 to PL, since with taxes and PL fees it would be more than I would pay on my own, so I suppose my target price would be something significantly below that. There were a couple of reported wins for March stays in MTE of the Intercontinental Barclay for the $130's but the bidding strategy reported was too complicated for me to decipher. I would be content with MTE, CPS and Upper East Side.

[AaronJB]

I think the one note would be that, if you are looking for a "special night", my concern is that with PRICELINE bidding you could potentially get any of the 4* hotels within the chosen zone. Would you be okay with, for example, the Roosevelt or Doubletree Met (both at the 4* level in MTE?)

 

Price.line bidding would be cheaper than Hot.wire or Price.line Express, but you may be able to pinpoint a hotel that would be more appealing.

 

The other idea would be bidding at the 4.5* level, I do think that you could get something, but it would probably be similar to the Westin price. I think you could get a 4* with bidding for $175ish, but a 4.5* is probably going to require in the vicinity of $225. I'm seeing what may be the Benjamin for $249 on Hot.wire and the St Giles Tuscany (which is further South in the ESB area) for $244.

 

Overall, you could bid for a 4*, but for a "special night", I just am concerned that there's the risk you might get something not as appealing for the occasion. A 4.5* bid or Price.line Express/Hot.wire would cost more, but might be more of a "sure thing".

 

Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[mary228]

I think you are correct Aaron. Even though I will only be in the room from 10pm till checkout on Sunday, I would like to feel like it is a special property. The Doubletree Met would not fit the bill. I guess I will just make a reservation at one of the more desirable properties using traditional means and see what appears on Hot.wire as I get closer to the date.

[thereuare]

Please check for and use the links in our Support Page for your hotel direcrt purchases... or you can also try our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for an easy way to view what is offered near almost any address in the world and easily see how much more/less it would cost to go up/down in star rating OR to stay closer/further from your ideal location.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Let us know whatever you decide to do for this stay or if we can be of further help.

[mary228]

I appreciate the help received. I ended up getting a "family" rate at the Intercontinental from a friend. It was a beautiful property. Not the area I wanted to stay in but the savings covered my cab fare and then some.

[AaronJB]

Thank you for closing the thread. Glad you enjoyed your stay.