LyndseyP Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 I currently have a reservation in long island city that is fully cancellable at $89 per night pre tax at the fairfield inn and suites queensboro bridge.I'm looking for advice as to whether there would be a chance of winning a hotel in manhattan for around $100?I saw a PRICELINE EXPRESS deal last week for what looked like the empire for $102, however this looks to now be $119 and people look to have won the new yorker later in the month for around the $100 mark.We're looking for a neighbourhood vibe, so arent interested in times square and while we dont love the location of the new yorker, if we could get it for $100 we'd definitely be interested. In terms of stars, we'd probably be looking at 3 and up, we certainly wouldnt want to accidentally end up at the Pennsylvania (we've stayed for a night and wouldnt be in a rush to stay for another).I've never used PL before so any advice would be appreciated.thanks in advance Link to comment
thereuare Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Welcome to BetterBidding! I think you have a shot at a 3* or better at $100 or less... but a much better chance if you are willing as high as $110; not sure how flexible your budget is. Please let us know which zones, by PRICELINE name, are acceptable, as well as confirm your maximum bid (keep it at $100 or are you willing to go a little higher) and we will suggest a strategy for you to follow. Also, is your goal the least expensive 3* or better OR are you willing to pay more for a higher rated hotel? In other words, did you want to first try up to your maximum bid for a 4* hotel, if that is rejected try for a 3.5*, if that is rejected try for a 3*... OR is the goal the least expensive 3* or better for this stay? Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 I think $110 would be pushing the budget a bit (my partner is putting his foot down as we only booked the trip because we got such cheap flights/hotel), but I think maybe $105 would be okay.Any area aside from times square would be fine, we would even consider brooklyn but it makes me weary as I know some of the hotels are quite far from subways.I would say our pref. Would be UWS, UES, dowtown financial district, CPS, but MSG, MTE/W, soho all fine too.I think we'd probably like to get the best we can with our little budget, so maybe bidding to our max for 4* first and then downwards? Link to comment
thereuare Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Would be UWS, UES, dowtown financial district, CPS...Are all of these your first choice of zone, as each has a bit of a 'caveat' associated with it. UWS and UES both go pretty far north, which may not be that convenient if most of your activities are in the midtown and downtown areas CPS - well located but has the Hudson Hotel as a possibility which has notoriously small rooms by NYC (this may or may not be an issue for you, but your stay is for a full week, so room size becomes a little more of a factor for most vs. a one nite stay, where i say i can usually put up with just about anything for one nite) Downtown - not as convenient as midtown locations, but as with the others above, is do-able for the right price So based upon the above do you want to stick with all of the zones you previously listed (if so that's great as the more zones you include the better your chances of having a low bid accepted, but i want to make sure you understand the 'issues' (which may not be issues for you) that some users have with some of the zones you have included) I'll also add that HOTWIRE has a 3* hotel in the Times Square zone for $99/nite, which i know is not your desired zone, but it's within the right pricepoint so i at least mention it for your consideration (my guess for this property is the Washington Jefferson, but i'm not certain) Let us know your thoughts/questions and how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there. Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. PS- don't stay in Brooklyn... you're close enough to your budget that if you had to go another $5/nite it would be worth it for convenience sake and to make the most of your vacation. If Brooklyn was going to save you a substantial amount of money per nite then it's worth considering, but not to save $10, imo. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Thanks for your response :D I was aware of the Hudson in CPS and I'm not convinced that we would be too worried about the room sizes (we recently stayed in an "EasyHotel" in Berlin, the rooms in which are also notoriously small) as we're barely in the room. I've had a look at it on Tripadvisor and it looks like we'd manage. I'd say I probably wouldn't pay full price for it, but if it came up within budget we'd happily stay there. We're not fussed about being far from the main touristy sites as we've been to NYC before, so the UES/UWS/downtown are fine. We actually stayed downtown last time and loved it. We booked Long Island City quite purposefully this time as as long as we're walking distance of the subway we're happy, the only reason we're considering manhattan is that we might want to be somewhere where we dont need to get on the subway to go for food at night if we don't want to (always best to bargain for jet lag!). I mentioned Brooklyn as an option as we're going to be spending a few evenings there and it's an area we want to explore more, however, as you say it's not necessarily all that convenient travel wise. I hadn't seen the Hotwire deal, probably because i had excluded Times Square last time i looked. That looks like a very decent back up indeed. While we both hate times square, being nearby definitely has it's positives and for $10 a night more than our LIC hotel, it'd potentially be worth the saving in commuting time. Is it best to bid sooner rather than later? I'm very aware we've got less than a month to travel now. Is it best to hold out until the week before/2 weeks before to bid or will it make no difference if we start sooner? Link to comment
thereuare Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 There is no way to know if prices will come down, or move even higher, between now and your trip. Your stay is right at the end of low season in NYC, and the following week rates start to ramp up higher and continues thru the Spring... there is always a chance that higher demand creeps in a little earlier than expected this year. There are hotel right around your current budget, and if you are successful around the $100-$105 area, i think there is a greater risk to rates moving substantially higher vs. substantially lower (as there is a floor to hotel prices where at some point it pays for the hotel to let the room sit vacant)... we just don't see too many wins below $100 in NYC, and when we do, it's usually earlier in the 'low season' when occupancy levels are at their lowest. However, the HOTWIRE offer is not really a back-up to keep your back pocket as that offer can (and likely will) disappear at any time (and usually that happens when you decide you want it ;) ) Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Let us know if you'd like to proceed now, and if the following is correct: Acceptable zones: UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE, MTW, Soho... do we include TS or not? Maximum bid: $105?? Star Level: first try for a 4* up to {maximum bid}, if rejected try for a 3.5* hotel, if rejected try for a 3* Do i have the fact above correct? Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 It actually looks to have already gone!Yes, that seems right. I think forget TS and I can always add it later on if needs be. I forgot ESB, again isn't a favourite area but would be acceptable. Link to comment
thereuare Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 When bidding in NYC you have THREE re-bid zones at the 4* level, TWO re-bid zones at the 3.5* level, and ONE re-bid zone at the 3* level. Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. You an try the following: Select 4* UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE, MTW, Soho... Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $83, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $85, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 4* UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE, MTW, ESB... Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $83, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $85, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 4* Soho, ESB, UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE... Bid $88, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $93, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $95, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 4* Soho, ESB, UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTW... Bid $88, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $93, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $95, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 4* UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE, MTW, Soho, ESB... Bid $98, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $103, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $105 If the above is rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3.5* MTW, Soho, UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG... Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $83, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3.5* MTW, Soho, UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MTE... Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $83, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3.5* MTW, Soho, UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, ESB... Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $83, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3.5* UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE, MTW, Soho... Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $88, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3.5* UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE, MTW, ESB... Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $88, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3.5* Soho, ESB, UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE... Bid $93, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $98, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3.5* Soho, ESB, UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTW... Bid $93, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $98, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3.5* UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE, MTW, Soho, ESB... Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $103, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $105 If the above is rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE, MTW... Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $80, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE, Soho... Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $80, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE, ESB... Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $80, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* MTW, Soho, UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG... Bid $83, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $85, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* MTW, Soho, UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MTE... Bid $83, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $85, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* MTW, Soho, UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, ESB... Bid $83, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $85, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE, MTW, Soho... Bid $88, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE, MTW, ESB... Bid $88, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* Soho, ESB, UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE... Bid $93, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $95, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* Soho, ESB, UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTW... Bid $93, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $95, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* UWS, UES, Downtown, CPS, MSG, MTE, MTW, Soho, ESB... Bid $98, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $100 Any questions feel free to ask. Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Good luck and let us know how it goes. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Thats excellent, thankyou :)I've just spotted a three star express deal in CPS at 101 a night, with restaurant and fitness centre, so I'm guessing the Wellington. I'llget bidding today and fall back on that if needs be/if it sticks around. Link to comment
thereuare Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Good luck and let us know how it goes. Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 I will do! Can i be a pain in the ass and just check the rebid zones with you? I'd hate to have gotten it wrong. At 4* should i be looking at Morningside Heights, Meadowlands, Newark & Newark Airport, then Coney Island for 3 star? Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Hi, Can anyone help identify a hotel for me please? Priceline Express Deals is showing a 3* hotel in the Lower East Side area for $110. It has the following listed amenities: Fitness CentreBusiness CentreFree InternetFree Breakfast I've looked at the hotel lists and it looks like the Holiday Inn NYC- Lower East Side, which i would book in a heartbeat. However, the hotel lists do show the Blue Moon as a 3* in the area. It doesn't have a fitness centre, but does provide passes for an off site fitness centre, would this meet the requirement for it to show as an amenity on PL? I would be less inclined to book if so. Thanks in advance! Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Hi, Can anyone help identify a hotel for me please? PRICELINE EXPRESS Deals is showing a 3* hotel in the Lower East Side area for $110. It has the following listed amenities: Fitness Centre Business Centre Free Internet Free Breakfast I've looked at the hotel lists and it looks like the Holiday Inn NYC- Lower East Side, which i would book in a heartbeat. However, the hotel lists do show the Blue Moon as a 3* in the area. It doesn't have a fitness centre, but does provide passes for an off site fitness centre, would this meet the requirement for it to show as an amenity on PL? I would be less inclined to book if so. Thanks in advance! Link to comment
Romelle Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 .... just check the rebid zones with you? I'd hate to have gotten it wrong. At 4* should i be looking at Morningside Heights, Meadowlands, Newark & Newark Airport, then Coney Island for 3 star? Something must have just changed. I only see two rebid zones at the 4* level, unlike the three thereuare noted yesterday. An excellent example of why one must always check just before bidding. (Just one at the 3.5* and 3* levels). And, no, your list isn't right yet. Sorry. You need to be checking for rebid zones right on Priceline. For instructions CLICK HERE. Romelle Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Hi Romelle, Thanks for the reply. Priceline have sent me a 10% off code which brings a number of express deals within budget. While I'd love to commit to bidding to get an even better bargain, it's even more time consuming than i thought haha. I got up to nearly $100 and had to stop for the day just because i ran out of time. Link to comment
Romelle Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 I'm a member, not a board official, but IMHO it would be good to just jump on that 10% off coupon deal. One doesn't always do better bidding anyway. And probably not when you have a coupon for PE. Romelle Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 I appreciate your comments :D I think it brings 6 different hotels into our budget which would not have been previously...which doesn't help my indecisiveness! I am quite sure i know what the majority of them are (Jolly Madison, Wellington, Empire, Ameritania. I am stuck on the Lower East Side offering (3*, 8+ rating, bed choice (queen/king/2xqueen), fitness centre, business centre, free internet, free breakfast), which is troubling me as if it's what i think it is (Holiday Inn LES), I'd snap it up, but i'm not sure about the other potential option (Blue Moon)! Link to comment
thereuare Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 The Holiday Inn doesn't offer a free breakfast so that would not be the PRICELINE EXPRESS offer you're currently seeing... best guess for the offer above would be the Best Western Bowery Hanbee Hotel. Also note in my signature there is currently a link to $7/nite off a Name Your Own Price hotel (up to $70). Also, as noted above, Queensboro Bridge now offers a 4* property (the Bentley was upgraded) so it is no longer a re-bid zone... at this moment there are TWO re-bid zones at the 4* level, and only one each at the 3.5* and 3* levels. Please see Priceline Re-Bidding Explained if you are not familiar with re-bidding and if you're still confused let us know and we will break it down further for you. Please remember to use the requested PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board for all your bidding, searches, and travel purchases. Let us know what you decide or how we can be of further help. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Thanks! I've had another bidding session today and been rejected at $115 dollars at 3.5* and 4* level. This has surprised me since the Empire is available on express for $120 (with the 10% code is becomes $108, hence why i decided to bid up to $115 with the $7 off code.) Do you think there is a chance of getting anywhere better than the Empire in that price range? I've seen that people have won the New Yorker for less in March. My partner has said that he doesn't want to stay there (because of the location), I have and would again. As a result, I've not been including MSG in my bidding, is there anything else in 3.5/4 that is likely to be in the price range in that area that I should add it for? I figured it's too much of a risk. Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I take that back, he has now said he's okay with the New Yorker/ that area. So the budget is now up to $115, thanks to the $7 off code. Any ideas on the likelihood of a win under that? We've decided to so one more round of bidding and if unsuccessful, we're going to just go for the express deal that looks like the empire. Thanks for all of your help :D Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I feel like a crazy poster right now! This is very frustrating. I've just gone to book the Empire to find 25% added for taxes and fees...now i know taxes are 14.75 % +$3.50 per night, which would leave me assuming that they also charge a resort fee (which i find slightly odd considering that there is also a $12 daily fee for wifi!). I've looked on the Empire's website and their fees and charges seem to equate to the usual amount (the taxes on the priceline room and the directly booked room are the same, despite the price being over $50 a night different!). Maybe it isn't the Empire after all? Do priceline tell you slightly more in case there is a resort fee that they aren't aware of and then not actually take that money, or does the discrepancy become sort of priceline profit? The total cost with those fees puts it out of our reach budget wise ($915 or £600 at the absolute top, although we'd prefer to be as far under that as possible whilst still having a reasonable hotel). I'm just a bit confused :S Link to comment
AaronJB Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Price.line charges taxes and service fees. (https://www.priceline.com/hotelxd/taxesAndFeesPopUp.do?jsk=334a050a354a050a20150211174623080010239487&plf=PCLH&hdsk=i610flev) This would still likely be the Empire. I'm seeing about the same taxes/service fees if I (+/- $1-2 or so) were to try and bid for the same price as the express deals listing. If you are looking to be $915 "all-in" including taxes/fees, that is about a $105 maximum bid (plus, you could use the $7 off per night bidding coupon, so that would help and you could then have a $112 max if need be using that coupon.) Keep in mind that that coupon ends tonight. What zone/s have you bid on? Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 All of the areas with the exception of BK and LIC, up to $115.I'll look at what the offerings are at 3* and put in some lower bids later.There are some 3* express deals in that price range (I think I'm seeing the Wellington, Ameritania and the Jolly Madison (prefer not to get that!)). I wasn't expecting such high taxes/fees as I've been working on the idea of then being around about 50%. Link to comment
thereuare Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 All of the areas with the exception of BK and LIC, up to $115.To avoid any confusion, please list the zones you are willing to accept and your maximum bid (and will you be starting at the 3* level?) and we will suggest a strategy for you to follow. Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
LyndseyP Posted February 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2015 Areas that we would consider bidding in are: UES, Downtown, CPS, Union Square Soho, Chelsea, LES, MTE, MTW, MSG, ESB, Hell's Kitchen. (and that is probably also our order of preference). I have been unsuccesful in getting a 4* or 3.5* up to $115. I would probably want to reinstate my budget of $100 a night for a 3*, so $107 if the $7 off a night is still valid, but i don't think it is. I'm seeing what looks like the Wellington (3* fitness, restaurant, 7+) at $101 a night on the Express deals, and a 10% off code which would bring it within the budget making it the one to beat i suppose. I'm also seeing a 2.5* in soho (fitness, internet, business centre 7+) for $101 a night... would this be the tribeca blu? I haven't seen it on the hotel lists, but noticed that it is cheaper than many other hotels on such as booking.com. If so, this might be our preference over the wellington. I've removed the UWS from the bidding list at 3* as I definitely don't want to win the Marrakech (there are rumours on TA that it is operating illegally and it doesn't have an elevator?) and also, if the Hotel Pennsylvania is a 3* option in MSG, I'd not want to bid there either. Link to comment
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