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Unfortunately unexpected issues came up and we have to postpone the trip. Luckily we didn't yet buy airline tickets. I do appreciate all the help and I am saving everything I learned (which is a lot) for our next trip. I let you know when it happens and before I bid. Best, Sue

Interesting, thanks. Yes, I love learning and I am saving the "lesson" for the future. I appreciate the guidance and suggestions.

Thanks a lot. I believe I understand the strategy and I appreciate your patience and time. I learned a lot in the process. With this understanding, I will ponder a little about what's most important and then decide about the final approach. I assume that: - (theoretically) I could go through one of these "bidding cycles" using the final strategy once in each 24 hours, as long as I close the browser as indicated, leaving the last group for the end (and after checking that the quality levels in the free re-bid zones did not change) - if I decide to increase the upper bidding limit, then I can adjust the increments and mid-level breakpoint accordingly, but just repeat the same strategy with these new parameters Thanks for the link to RefundableRates, it will serve as a backup, if needed. I will obviously use your link for bidding but in the mean time I located your "donate" link and you should have received my modest support for your very useful site. Thanks again.

Maybe my reply as of yesterday (below) never got there as I do not see it posted..... Thanks a lot for taking the time to provide this strategy that I would have never come up with on my own. A few questions: - when you state “at this point I would switch to your second group”, I assume you mean starting with Times Square, Lower East Side, West Village, Union Square and if needed following with Soho, Lower East Side, West Village, Union Square (your example uses gain Group 1). - I assume that if I were to increase the max after the first two sequences (Group 1), I would have to start from scratch after closing the browser - any reason why I should not continue with Group 3 after trying out Group 2 up to $145? Thanks again.

Thanks. I will try to bid, assuming for starters the max of $175 before taxes and any other fees. So here is the prioritized grouping, as I like your suggestions: Group 1: Grand Central Terminal Rockefeller Center Empire State Building Chelsea Group 2: Times Square SoHo Lower East side West Village Union Square Group 3: Downtown - Wall st Midtown West Upper East Side Midtown East So using the link to PRICELINE from your website I will start with the zones in Group 1 at $120 and then add $5 and one of the 11 free re-bid zones at each turn, and hope for the best. Is this correct?

Thanks a lot. You are right about the transportation... I will reconsider the list and grouping and send back the changed list. I am concerned based on the reviews about the 2 hotels in question, particularly since quite a few of them mention dirt, maintenance issues, etc. , beyond just room size. I also much prefer new vs. "historic". LES (based on our last visit) seems to be an acceptable area by now. As long as I am decently close to the subway, we should be OK. Would you know which hotels are a potential in LES?

Thanks for the helpful comments and advice. I was trying to pick hotels that are closer to transportation options for EWR, that's why MSG and Wall St are on the top.... I will take a look at the hotels that you mentioned and probably group the hotels and bid the groups sequentially. What do I have to do before restarting with group 2 if group 1 didn't not end with an accepted bid? After I make the final decision about the zones in each group, will you provide the actual strategy (to make sure that I did not misunderstand something)?

Thanks for your quick reply. Based on your answer I would like to bid and set the max (before any taxes and fees to $175) for a 4 star hotel in Manhattan, for 8 nights (2 people), Sept 11-19. While I am willing to take any hotel in any zones in Manhattan, if I had to prioritize them, they would be in the following order: Madison Square Garden Downtown - Wall st Times Square Midtown East Grand Central Terminal Rockefeller Center Central Park South Midtown West Upper West side Empire State Building Lower East side Chelsea SoHo Upper East Side West Village Union Square Based on this, how many should I include in the first bid? Should I start with $120 and use the 11 free bids by increasing the price with $5 at a time? Thanks.

Hi again: I just did my homework and identified the highest quality levels for all 32 zones listed by Priceline for NYC, one by one. I only care for hotels in Manhattan. I would like to start with level 4 hotels. Based on what I see, there would be 11 zones (out of the 32) available for free rebidding, zones that have only up to level 3.5 quality level hotels. Ideally I would like to avoid paying a "resort fee", would like to find a 4 star hotel in Manhattan for around a $200 max including taxes. I need 8 nights (Sept 11-19). I would appreciate help with the bidding strategy: - how much to start with - should I include all acceptable Manhattan zones that show 4 star hotels in the first bid Thanks in advance.

Thanks. I asked the question re. Priceline and Hotwire zones because the prior reply mentioned that "QUICK SEARCH box (upper left corner of the page) where one search will give you results from both PRICELINE and HOTWIRE".. I feel awfully stupid after navigating left and right. I "practiced" and identified as described the highest star rating for some zones. When I come back I will do it for all the zones I am interested in. But I could not find anywhere (unless I missed) a first time "user guide" to tell me what to do step-by-step. Is there one posted someplace? I have no idea what to do.... Also is there any info available about which website (Hotwire or Priceline) offers the best chance for getting the best prices? I appreciate the help, I would love to learn how to attempt to bid and hopefully succeed.

Thanks, now I understand. Two questions: - do Hotwire and Priceline have the same zones and star system? Is whatever I get valid for both? - how often does this list change? I could compile it today but I will be away until the 24th and I would not want to do it if it will be different by the time I come back... I did not mention in my post that probably I would compromise and also look for a 3.5 rating and that I would find every listed zone acceptable in Manhattan but would like to avoid Times Square and Madison Square Garden. Is the $200/night (including taxes and fees) out of the question? I will get to the next step when I come back. In the mean time, thanks for the help.

I never really bid as I didn't understand how to do it the "right" way, I didn't know the difference between Hotwire and Priceline's systems and I didn't have the time to research everything.... So I used a hotel in SF and apartments in Australia and didn't realize that updates are expected even if I don't bid. Sorry about that, it was quite a while ago when it happened. Maybe now I will be luckier. Thanks.

I ended up renting apartments. Thanks.

I ended up using the backup hotel that I reserved. Thank you.

I am reading the FAQ to learn more about bidding. The FAQ describes how to identify star levels available in each zone, as below. It seems that the website changed since these instructions have been posted as I cannot find what they mention. It might be my problem... How can one determine the stars for each zone? Are there new instructions some other place? Thanks. The way to check what star levels are available in each zone is as follows: 1) Use the PRICELINE search box on the upper right of this page, enter {your city} and your dates, and click "GO". 2) List each zone that is offered in this region. 3) Next to each zone list the highest star rating offered in the zone. The way to determine the highest star rating offered in the zone is by selecting the first zone in the list, then scrolling down to see the highest star rating selectable (ie- not greyed out). NEXT UNcheck the selected zone, place a checkmark in the next zone, and repeat the process for each zone in the region. Each time take note of the highest star rating in the zone, make sure that only ONE zone is selected above. If you're new to the concept of re-bidding you're strongly encouraged to confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding. As well, if you don't follow the instructions above, or would like a suggested bidding strategy for an upcoming stay, feel free to start a NEW TOPIC on the board and we'll try to assist further. We're here to help :)

I have never before used the site for bidding and I'd appreciate some help with the proper strategy. I am looking for a 4 star hotel in Manhattan for 8 nights (Sept 11-Sept 19) if possible for $200 or less including taxes. How should I go about it? Thanks.

Hi: I am trying to figure out if I can get bidding help for Priceline or Hotwire for trip I am planning for the fall to Australia. The cities where I am looking for central accommodation, close to public transport rated equivalent to a US AAA 3 star are: Perth, Adelaide, Hobart. I could not find any info about them on the forum. I could not find maps/zones/ratings for these cities for PRICELINE or HOTWIRE. Am I looking in the wrong place? Thank you.

Thanks. Usually we are happy at AAA THREE star rated hotels. I do not know how the AAA rating compares to Priceline's. So a lower rated PL hotel (not less than AAA 3 star rated one) for less would be my choice. Obviously being lucky and getting a 4 star hotel for the price of a lower rated one is the real win :):) . If you could suggest lower (but not low)rated hotels in USE that usually are available through Priceline, I will try to find them on AAA's site, check their rating and get a sense for how the two rating systems compare - if that's a workable approach.

Thanks, thereuare.I have a "standard" reservation as a backup at the Chancellor Hotel (USE) for $135/night (and a $25 credit/day for food or drinks at the hotel for an extra $10/day). So I am looking for an equivalent or better hotel if possible in the same area and for less. Taxes add quite a lot. Probably the max that would make sense to pay for something that cannot be cancelled would be $120/night. So my goal is to save money but still get a good hotel in an area where we would be comfortable without a car.

Hi: I am a first time user of this website, so please forgive me if I am not posting the "right" way. I would like to use PL for 1 room in San Francisco, CA; 3 nights (02/29/2012-03/03/2012). I would prefer a 4 or 3.5 star hotel in an area where I have public transportation nearby, restaurants and local atractions easily accessible; I would prefer an area that is not deserted after dark. I am not familiar w. SF. Preliminary scanning points to Union Square East. I would like to get a room if possible for under $110/night. Please recommend strategy. Thanks.