Priceline Hotel: NYC Hotel - 10/29-10/31

[mglam23]

First off - never tried Priceline or Hotwire, but glad to find this site and the resources!  I've read through the FAQs, threads, etc to get a feel for how Priceline and Hotwire works, and was leaning more towards exploring bidding.

 

I was going to book Refinery for these dates, as it was a little over $700 for the two nights.  I am going with some work colleagues, extending our business trip and someone suggested we should do Priceline to find a better price - and our preferred area is Central Park South...maybe Midtown East if we have to.  It's usually where we stay for business and we are most familiar with where the metro locations are, and close to everything we usually visit.

 

Looking at the hotel list, it seems like we would only be bidding for the 5* category - I've personally stayed at the Quin before and it would be where I would want to stay, but I don't want to pay $800 a night for the suite I had again!  But it seems that Priceline adds a ton of fees for that star rating, making the highest bid I would want to put in as $175 before taxes, etc.

 

Do you think that's pretty realistic?  I mean two nights at that bid brings the entire total to just about $590 including everything.  That would be ideal for this trip...  Obviously we won't know until we put in a bid, but just to get an idea and plan ahead while we're looking at everything.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding... we're glad you found us too! :)

Few comments to the above...

1) not sure how many colleagues you are traveling with and/or how many rooms you are seeking, but note that PRICELINE only guarantees double occupancy, after that it's at the discretion of the hotel, and you could receive a room with only one bed. While you can call the hotel you win and request a room with two beds, the hotel may not be able, or willing, to honor your request. If this is not a risk you're willing to accept, HOTWIRE would still be an option as they allow you to search for up to quad occupancy and ensure sleeping accommodations for everyone you include in your search (although this usually means two beds, the second 'bed' could be a sofabed, rollaway, etc)... or PRICELINE EXPRESS is an option as well if the hotel shown shows a 'Bed Choice' option and one of the room configurations meets your needs

2) the 'Resort Fee' shown by PRICELINE is a 'worst case scenario'. If a hotel in the zone charges any additional fees, PRICELINE will list this on the 'PREVIEW YOUR BID' page to show you the maximum the stay could ultimately cost... if the hotel you win doesn't charge any additional fees, then none will be paid directly to the hotel, and your total cost will ultimately be less then the amount shown

3) at the 5* level in the CPS zone for these dates you're likely looking at the $350 area to be success. If you're willing to accept other star rating/areas you are likely looking at the $250-$275 range for a 4.5* in the ESB or MTE zones.

Let us know your thoughts based upon the information above 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.

[mglam23]

Thanks for the reply.

I did read through and understand how Hotwire and Priceline sort out the two beds, etc bookings. Thankfully I (male) am traveling with just two other women, and they are good with sharing a bed, and then I'll have my own room, so we didn't need to worry about a double or single room. We will just need to book it on one persons card, since we would want to bid for two rooms at once, so we don't get split into two different hotels.

The clarification on the resort fee is helpful. It's looking like a $300 resort fee for that area, which is insane. That's probably why it's making a $200 bid turn into a much higher end "preview". We'll keep that in mind. Was looking at the list for the 4* and 4.5* and wasn't too thrilled with the list. Just seems like the Quin gets won a lot and having stayed there last year, can speak to how nice it is. I got 20% off a suite, which still was pricey, but then got upgraded to their O'Keefe suite which is usually $1800 a night. Granted I did opt to have the hotel arrange for a Benz to pick me up at the airport which cost an arm & leg too. Was a nice stay!

The list for the 4.5* in the MTE zone looks more desirable. On Hotwire I did see that the list shows the only 5* for ESB to be Langham Place. Wouldn't mind staying there, but last I checked the 5* "deal" was still pricey.

[AaronJB]

The list for the 4.5* in the MTE zone looks more desirable. On Hotwire I did see that the list shows the only 5* for ESB to be Langham Place. Wouldn't mind staying there, but last I checked the 5* "deal" was still pricey.

As noted at the top of the lists, the site's HOTWIRE and PRICELINE lists only show what has been reported to the board. New hotels are reported all the time.

 

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.

[mglam23]

As noted at the top of the lists, the site's HOTWIRE and PRICELINE lists only show what has been reported to the board. New hotels are reported all the time.

Well, I mean basing it off of what has been reported...

[thereuare]

On Hotwire I did see that the list shows the only 5* for ESB to be Langham Place.

As noted at the top of the lists, the site's HOTWIRE and PRICELINE lists only show what has been reported to the board. New hotels are reported all the time.

The comments above were to re-iterate that if there is only one hotel showing in the hotel list in a given zone it DOES NOT mean that is the hotel you will receive... you could be the first to report a new hotel in the zone.

What is your maximum bid (per room per nite before taxes/fees) 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.