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Tried $45, no go.

Added another zone with no 3* (airport north) @ $50 and it worked.

Used the BB PRICELINE link!

Thank you! :)

Used the BB PRICELINE links.

Thanks!

$60 per night - 3 nights - 5/4 to 5/7

Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay 4 Star

Tampa Airport (TPA) & Westshore

2900 Bayport Drive

Tampa, Florida 33607

Check-In Date: Mon, May 4, 2009 / After 03:00 PM

Check-Out Date: Thu, May 7, 2009 / 12:00 PM

$60 per night

This site has helped me 2x already, so I do owe a big thanks to all the people here!

Enjoy your vacations!! :)

Keep trying! Don't give up!

Are you using the re-bidding strategies given here in the forum?

You should really consider the MTS and MTW zones. The difference in distance is not that great!

Just an update: I booked 2 nights at The Americana Inn (located at 69 West 38th Street). It's not what I had in mind, but I'm sure it's a more realistic choice for me. It's a small little Double Shared Bath room. According to the reviews on TripAdvisor, people seemed to like it. Everything came out for $301. I called The Chelsea Lodge this morning, but they were booked for next week. I will still keep looking and trying to find something else since I can cancel within 24 hrs of arrival.

I'll keep the thread updated. Thanks!

Thanks thereuare.

I think I found out why I'm not getting my of my bids accepted. Most of the "below $400" hotels in the areas I originally wished to stay at are sold out for my dates of 5/07-5/09. I'm not sure if there is anything going on.. or if it's just the season where people finish school and can travel.. or what. Most likely, I was just a little too late finding a hotel. Maybe if I bid above $300, I might have gotten a 3* or 4* hotel, but that's way beyond what I can spend.

I'll definitely try to plan ahead next time. ( I couldn't this time because I just found a deal on my airfare to NYC, so it was kind of a last minute decision to go).

I'll check to see if I can get the Chelsea lodge reserved.. and if I can't, I'll try PRICELINE and include UWS to my bidding plan and try to get a good deal. If not, I'll go directly to the site and book it there.

So I looked around today and this is what I found:

HotWire: Lowest around the areas I was searching was $269/night

Orbitz: $249 Comfort Inn Convention Center - Total $600 (includes fees)

Expedia: $156/night Hotel Alexander on UWS - shared bath, double bed. (actual Hotel's site showed $103 per night)

Does anyone have any info/experience on this hotel? Tripadvisor's reviews seem ok. How difficult is it to get to Time Square from UWS?

I tried all my areas up to $175 on Priceline for my dates and didn't get any bids accepted.

Any ideas?

EDIT: I tried 4* and 3* hotels. Still got nothing up to $175.

EDIT #2: I found a Lodge called Chelsea Lodge. It's located at 318 W 20th St. Prices are $120/night and reviews are very good. Is this a location that would be difficult for me to get around Manhattan? (ie. Is there transportation that takes me around?) I need to research how to get around NYC. The subway and bus lines seem to be the most effective way to get around.

Awesome deal! Congratulations! :)

Report back here after you've done a bit of research and we'll advise further... as i'm guessing you're going to hit a bit of a wall.

Sadly, I predict the same. Just did a quick search, and it doesn't look too good (that airport is looking mighty comfortable).

I'll check back later on today with any findings. Thanks for the help!

I haven't looked outside (PRICELINE and HOTWIRE) much..

I guess I'll need to look into it since you said I can't base my bid limits on what other people received.

I have no back-up plan as of yet. (airport maybe? :) I'm jk.. ) I'll do some more research and maybe try 3* hotels with re-bidding process with my previous $155 limit. I'll figure something out I hope..

Thank you for the reply thereuare.

I am over 21.

About the rates, that bums me out a little. I saw a few people in the forum that got rooms in the Grand Hyatt for less than $150/night for this month, so my bids were based on that. I will be arriving into the city via plane. I arrive at the EWR airport and leave from the LGA airport.

As far as my vacation, I do have 1 week, but the airfare deals that I got are only for those 2 days. I arrive on the 7th (morning) and leave on the 9th (early afternoon). I am coming from GA to NYC.

Should I try to include all areas of Manhattan into my bidding process? Should I try a 3* property? Like I said in my previous post, I really don't mind a crappy hotel as long as it's safe and I'm able to sleep :)

Thanks!

Hey guys.. First post of hopefully many more as my travels begin!

First off, awesome site. LOADS of AWESOME information! (I need to try that bagel place!) :)

Now to my issue:

I've tried re-bidding combinations for 4* in NYC (using MTE-MTW-MTS-TS-UMCPS and the 4 re-bidding free zones) up to $155 and nothing.

This is what I need: A safe place to stay at night. I'm a college student (can't really spend above $155+fees) per night.

I'm going to NYC alone during my 1-week vacation from school to just visit it for the first time. My flight dates are 5/07 - 5/09. I just found a $150 round-trip deal for airfare, so I know it's very last minute.

I don't care about comfort (although I discarded the idea of a Hostel). Since I've never been to NYC before, my main concern is safety . I won't have a car, so I'll rely on public transportation (which I read NYC has lots).

I really just want to visit TS, Wall-Street, Central Park and walk around Manhattan all day! :) (Maybe visit the Statue of Liberty!)

Can anyone give me some tips/pointers? Should I just lower my * rating? Should I include other areas? I'm out of ideas... TIA! :o