balrogget

Both the priceline bids were unsuccessful. I went with Hotwire and the Candlewood Suites for $77 Many thanks for taking the time to help me through this, I'm really looking forward to this now!

Following on from a split bid, In NY, I need to get a strategy together for Jersey City for October 25th to 29th

Ok, I put in the details to the US site and started bidding. Sure enough I was offered Intercontinental The Barclay, at $190 a night. But as soon as the screen appeared, my PC bluescreened and rebooted! I didn't know if I could retrieve the booking again - this didn't help my stress levels any! But when I reconnected, I found the bid details were emailed to me so I got it back again. Phew! Ok, so how do you think I should proceed with the NJ part of it?

> If worst comes to worst, you can bid through Priceline.co.uk . This would work, but is there an advantage to tweaking your details to get the US site to accept it?

Oh no! I found the following in Priceline's help pages! Can I place a request if I am not a U.S. resident? You do not have to reside in the U.S. to place a request; however, the credit card you use to purchase your tickets must have a U.S. billing address. Travel requests may be placed using an American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa credit card. My card isn't to a US billing address! Am I totally lost?

I hit a bit of a snag - when trying to register my address, it requires me to pick a state. The problem is I don't live in the states! Most sites have an "international address" option but I can't find one on Priceline. I wonder what other people did to get around this? I'll try mailing priceline support as well.

I got: MTE: 5* MTW: 4* MTS: 4* SoHo: 4* UE: 3* CPS: 4* UW: 2.5* So if I were to go for 4*, the zones I can re-bid on are UE and UW. Is this right?

If I understand this correctly then, I would work as follows: Select 4* MTE for 10/22-10/25 and... Bid $160, if rejected add MTW and.... Bid $170, if rejected add UM/CPS and... Bid $180, if rejected add *another zone with 3* or less maximum* and... Bid $190, if rejected add *another zone with 3* or less maximum* and... Bid $200. I would check the *other zones* above with priceline by starting over as if creating a new bid, listing what star level a particular area has, even if I have no interest in staying there and bidding in the original screen with a 3* or less area? Have I got this right? Sorry for being pedantic but I don't want to make a mistake! The Jersey City 2.5* thru hotline was: Hoboken - Jersey City - See map Selected amenities include: Fitness Center, Kitchenette, Laundry Facilities (self-service). View complete amenity list and description $73 per room, per night.

I opened the list in Hotwire for Jersey, is Hoboken - Jersey City the area I'm looking for? If so there is a 2 1/2 star there.

When you say "add re-bid zone", what are you adding there?

Well, the 4* if I could get it. Is it possible to drop down to a 3* if unsuccessful?

That sounds brilliant.. Thanks.

I suppose then that splitting it might be a good idea, best of both worlds so to speak. From what I read before, weekends are cheaper? If so, then maybe the Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th/Monday 25th might be best for Manhattan? I'm flying into JFK, from Ireland.

I hadn't considered staying in Jersey City before, but if it's that accessible round the clock it sounds like a good idea. I'd prefer to stay put in one hotel as long as we can get back easily enough at night. Looking at the Jersey transport web page, the PATH train is at 1/2 hour intervals at night, is that correct? I looked at the info for the Hyatt and being beside the PATH station makes it sound ideal. What is the likelyhood of being able to get that particular hotel, or could you end up with one that's far from a station?

Whoops, just had the date in the subject only. The dates are 22nd to 29th October.

Hi, After searching on flight+hotel sites for the above dates, then checking the reviews on tripadvisor et al., I was a bit concerned at some of the reviews of hotels at the cheaper end of things. I then came across Priceline and this forum and I've regained some hope of getting a decent place to stay at an afforable price! I haven't been to New York before so I don't have any specific requirements, so some advice would be greatly appreciated. The kind of place I would like would be convenient to the usual tourist attractions, subway, etc. and handy for getting home after a night on the town. I had worked out a maximum budget of $170 a night for seven nights, including all charges etc. However any savings on this would leave more for spending on having fun! I'd be looking for a double room for two people. I'm not very strict about star ratings, so long as the place isn't a roach motel and the room has a private bath I'm happy. Mind you, the other half would probably be delighted to get a more luxurious and famous place, so if it were possible to get a 4* at or below this amount it would be fantastic. I've only just discovered these hotel bidding sites, so I have only a vague idea of how it works. Any advice on how to translate the above into a bidding strategy would be a great help. Thanks!