Hi ziggy, be patient, it took me a little over 2 weeks of daily bidding to get a deal. I think you can limit yourself to 4* only (MTW, ESB, CPS, TS) if you are prepared to bid up to the 160 USD range. Give yourself 2 weeks, if nothing has happened by then go for 3.5*. You are going in may so there is no need to panic. You must be disciplined in your bidding strategy! Good luck.
Hi nitad, yes, I can confirm they are accommodating. I had a mail exchange with them to request a queen bed, which I got without a problem. I have a paper trail now for when I check in :) I mailed with Alfredo who responded within 24 hours.
Congrats! We both got on that gravy train today :) I am actually pleased that we got the same price (I'm staying 8 nights in March). We are both paying a little over half price it seems. I am sure this will be a nice HQ for a fantastic NYC holiday.
I have got my hotel! Finally. It has been a long road. I started bidding on 4 Jan and only won today, 19 Jan. Today, I went in with 4* in TS, MTW at 155 USD and won immediately. I am a little annoyed I didn't go in lower seeing as others have recently got it for 130 USD. Oh well. I think I got an OK deal - I cannot find it cheaper then 287 USD for my dates. My only concern is that it is ranked so lowly in TripAdvisor (#226/428 @ 77%). I hope it does not disappoint. Anyone have experience with it? Thanks for the insights on this forum and, of course, I did go through the PRICELINE link here!
And another bidding round done without success. (Went through this board's PRICELINE link of course.) Strategy followed for a 4* (rebids not included): - TS @ 153 USD - TS, CPS, ESB @ 140 USD (Got counter offer @ 135 USD for 170 USD.) - TS, CPS, ESB, HK, MTW @ 137 USD - TS, CPS, ESB, HK, MTW, MTE @ 130 USD We'll see tomorrow what happens. I quite like this strategy, leaving me with higher bids on zones I really like and lets me bid lower on less desirable zones.
No luck today - even no counter offer. Eventually went up to 150 USD on 4* TS, CPS and ESB. Then went up to 140 USD on 4* TS, CPS, ESB, MTW, HK. Tomorrow once more into the breach.
Again, no luck today. Followed same strategy and got same result as my post #22. I even got the same counter offer. I'm a patient man. Better luck tomorrow!
It seems to be improving for me! Although still no win :) I went in 4* TS, CPS, ESB at 131 USD and got counter offer for 35 USD more. I declined. Then for 145 USD with no success. Then added HK for 131 USD and didn't get that either. Then added MTW and MTE for 138 USD with no luck. More luck tomorrow! PS: Went through the PRICELINE link on the board!
Oh right, I though priceline did not average rates as a rule. Guess I misunderstood the faq! Thanks for your insights, I will probably resort to splitting my bid next week. Until then, I will stick to the following strategy for a 4* hotel: - ESB, TS and CPS until 160 USD - Add HK, MTE and MTW but reduce max to 140 USD. I am actually curious if HK would be a good hotel. No idea what to expect there. I must say, this is pretty addictive - trying to explore all the dimensions and trying to get a deal. I am curious what the page looks like when you do finally get a win.
Wow, thanks very much for your time and effort. I am now actually considering splitting my bid, seeing as priceline doesn't average a bid. So: - Block1: Friday 11 March to Monday 14 March - Block2: Monday 14 March to Saturday 19 March I would then like to bid in different zones for each block so we can experience different parts of the city. Do you think this is an improved strategy? Do you think Block2 would have a lower rate, eventhough it includes the Friday night? I will keep you updated on my bidding progress! Thanks again for your time.
Thanks! Indeed it sounds pretty good. Also, which hotel on hotwire do you think the 4* 179 USD a night with Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business in Midtown Central is? Thanks again for your time, I will click through your site when I book. I do think I will be a little more patient with priceline until the weekend. QUICK EDIT: I just checked the site of St Giles The Court and in fact I can book there direct for 161.85 USD/night. May be worth considering as my safety if priceline falls through.
Quick update, today I tried: 4* NYC ESB, TS, CPS, MTW, MTE for 155 USD with no luck. I then also added Hell's Kitchen and reduced price 131 USD as I don't know anything about HK. All were rejected. Tomorrow I'll try again and see if anything has been updated. PS: I did click through to PRICELINE from this board.
@Mr Hammer, I understand the rules of the game and am aware it is a little against my nature. I am a little risk averse. However, in my defense, I am booking an 8 night stay which will cost me more than 1200 USD. So if I end up with a dud it will have a significant impact on my holiday. If it were only a 1 or 2 night stay I would definitely be less conservative. @Mr Reuare, before discovering Priceline and this site I was thinking of going for Hotel Metro for about 170 USD (incl. tax). Thanks for taking the time to reply!
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I think I'll just continue bidding daily on TS and MTE until this weekend on 4* hotels. If I luck out - great - otherwise I'll probably just book direct.
Hi Mr thereuare, I will be clicking through this site to bid. You are have provided me with valuable insights and am happy to pay it forward. I am a bit of a conservative and prefer to limit the chance of an unexpected result. That is why I went exclusively for TS, it seemed to only result in Hilton. Are any other areas more or less limited to just 1 or 2 possible results in the 4* 100-150 USD range? Or what do you suggest - should I just say 'f#ck it' and take MTE, TS and CPS in my bidding strategy? However, I was inspired by the guy who got The Kitano pretty randomly (posted here recently). But taking risk is against my nature :) Thanks.
Hi Mr Hammer, I am already feeling the seductive and addictive pull of the hunt! But yes, unfortunately it seems to be just as unpredictable and potentially disappointing as the stock market. It is a special holiday so I just want to maximise everything. My maximum bid per night is 150 USD (excl taxes) - or better of course. I want to just go for 4* hotels as I believe my budget is sufficient. I do not know NYC at all but I think TS and MTE would be great. Then again, I am open for suggestions. As mentioned in my previous post - I focussed solely on TS because I am reasonably sure that could net me the Hilton. I am prepared to keep on trying until the weekend - otherwise I will just book direct with the exact knowledge of what I am getting. Thanks for any help!
First of all, this site has given me confidence to try Priceline and I thank you for that! On to my First Quest. How did it go? Well, first I used the PL Calendar on this site to figure out winning bids for March in 2010. This showed me that TS Hilton (4*) has been going for 150 USD. No alternative 4* hotels were won so I assumed that if I win the bid in TS for that period I would get the Hilton. Anyway, I started bidding at 131 USD and ended at 155 USD using all my rebids (using zones 3* and below). In the end I resorted to also selecting MTE which does have a 4* but I reduced the price to 105 USD - thinking it would take me to the Grands Hyatt. All were rejected. Anyway, just thought I would tell my sorry tale here. Tomorrow I will try again... If you have any tips to help improve my chances of a decent 4* for that period I am all ears! (PS: I do not want to split my bid.)
