travelgirl23

I was looking for a hotel for a brief sight-seeing trip/visit with relatives in Brooklyn. I was hoping to stay in NYC, but was open to Brooklyn. I bid using the PRICELINE link on this site. I first bid at 4* hotels in each of the following areas using re-bid zones: MTW, MTE, Times Square, Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Chelsea, SOHO, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, South Central Park, & Brooklyn. I bid from $135 up to $160 for most areas, though I bid up to $180 when I was bidding for a hotel in SoHo (trying to get the Millenium Hilton that I think is likely a current 4* on Hotwire for $204). No luck. Then I bid for a 3.5* up to $165 for all the areas listed above. Not accepted. Finally, I bid for a 3* at 135, 145, 155, 165, and 170 and was upgraded to the Marriott Brooklyn Bridge (3.5*). As I had previously bid up to $165, when bidding on 3.5* properties, $170 is probably close to the lowest bid that would have been accepted for this hotel. I sorta wish I'd ended up with a hotel in the city, but this property received very good reviews to TripAdvisor, so hopefully it will work out ok. It's close to my relatives as well. Marriott NYC Brooklyn Bridge 333 Adams Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 718-246-7000 Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $170.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Room Subtotal: $170.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $36.38 (USD) Total Room Cost: $206.38 (USD)

Thanks for the responses... I will try out Frank Pepe's if I get a chance!

Well, I definitely should have been more patient in my bidding and taken the time to do more research... I am ok with the Fairfield and the price, but I didn't realize that Wallingford was so far away from New Haven (again, my fault). Hopefully it's not too much of a pain to get back and forth. Had I realized there were 2*'s in New Haven (they do not appear on the list of hotels here), I wouldn't have added another zone (I would have rebid for a 2* in New Haven only at a higher price), or would at least have added a zone closer to New Haven... oh well, live and learn. At least it's cheap! Bid $55 for 4* in New Haven - rejected Bid $60 for 4* in New Haven (and another zone without a 4*) - rejected Bid $45 for 2.5* in New Haven - rejected Bid $35 for 2* in New Haven or Meriden-Wallingford - accepted

Hello! I am planning a visit to New York city and need a place to stay 12/2. I'd like to be in Manhattan but am not super picky about the area (as long as it's reasonably safe). I'd prefer a central location (since I'm planning to go to a show, Central Park, etc.) and a 3-4* hotel, but I definately need to spend <$200 and obviously cheaper is better. The rates I have seen for this date on search engines like Orbitz are $375 and up. Yikes! Any ideas for a bidding strategy? Any other recommendations? If I don't use Priceline or Hotwire, I'd be willing to share a bath, etc. to save money as long as the place was safe and clean. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

I helped my parents bid on a hotel for their trip to Maui. They were in a hurry and wanted to avoid spending a lot of time bidding so they started at $176 based on the prices posted here and got a room at that price. They just returned from their trip and were very happy with their room and with the hotel. They ended up in an ocean-front room, which according to the front desk, was priced at $550/night.