Priceline Hotel: 4 star in Time square

[lgcanuck]

I am a first-time user of Priceline and not sure about the process. I notice people ask about descriptions for hotels, however, when I have bid (and lost) no descriptions for the hotels come up. If I make an acceptable bid, does a hotel description come up before I commit or will I only get the description and no hotel name even after purchase?

I will be in New York City May 20-24 and am looking for a 4 star in TS (the Westin looks great!) What might I expect to pay?

Thanks :)

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding.

PRICELINE and HOTWIRE are two separate services. PRICELINE is a service where you bid on a particular star rating in a particular area (for example, 4* in Times Square-Theatre District in NYC) and if a hotel at that rating in that area accepts your bid, you are locked into that hotel for that price for those dates - you do not choose the hotel, the service searches to see if any will accept your bid.)

HOTWIRE is a service where you are presented with a set of listings, each of which has a star rating, set of amenity icons, zone (area of the city the hotel could be in) and price. You can make an educated guess as to which hotel is showing based upon the info given, but there is no way to guarantee 100% which listing is which hotel. You are not told the hotel name until after the purchase and at that point, the reservation is locked in.

Neither service (especially PRICELINE) is a good way to try to get a particular hotel, they are more about getting a hotel for a discounted rate.

If you bid on PRICELINE and your bid is accepted, you are then told the hotel name and the reservation is locked in.

Please let us know what your budget is per night and we will be happy to suggest potential options.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchase.

[lgcanuck]

Thanks for your reply and I now understand this forum better. We are looking to spend around 160 a night for a 4 star. Is this possible?

What I would really like is a very nice place as close as possible to Times Square. So any recommended strategies to ensure this would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

[AaronJB]

Would your budget be $160 "all in" (including taxes/fees) or $160 + tax/fees additional?

[Momma Joe]

Thanks for your reply and I now understand this forum better. We are looking to spend around 160 a night for a 4 star. Is this possible?

What I would really like is a very nice place as close as possible to Times Square. So any recommended strategies to ensure this would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

We went to NYC ( May 2009) approx the same time line as your planned trip dates , we got a 4* in MTE (Midtown East) via Priceline (linked thru this site) for $120 night. Suggest you not limit your hotel seach to TS , actually most forums recommend not staying right in that area (noise etc) . We stayed at the Intercontinental The Barclay - loved the hotel - next door to Grand Central Stn , and Times Sq and Theatre District was not a far walk (we had two teenagers who did not complain-so it must not have been a hike: :) Suggest you hold off and watch the "Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins" to get a feel for what's being won for the time period that you'll be in NYC. Also, when you're ready to bid, bid only for the 1st night of your stay - that way if you don't like what you get you can try again for your subsequent nights ...BUT - if you're happy with your win - these sites then offer you the option of extending your stay for the duration of your trip @ your winning bid rate . :)

Hope this helps !

[AaronJB]

One note - the "extend your stay" option is not always available and not always available at the same price. Also, rates do vary by date/s.

[lgcanuck]

One note - the "extend your stay" option is not always available and not always available at the same price. Also, rates do vary by date/s.

Thanks, we are looking to spend about a total of $175 a night or less in total. We have been to New York before just have not used this method of booking Hotels. If we can save $200 or so or more that gives us more to spend on shows and dinners etc.

Thanks for all the replies.

[lgcanuck]

Thus Far I have bid 130 for a 4 star in Time Square district. The Hotel does not have to be a 4 star but just a nice place close to time square. Any suggestions are welcomed. I have used the links provided from this site to bid.

[AaronJB]

Are any other zones nearby of interest? The MTW zone is also worth considering nearby. MTE is a bit farther, but it's still not a terrible walk from most MTE 4*'s. If you do start bidding on other zones, I would start lower again, as TS is generally the most expensive zone, and given the rates I'm seeing, you may have better luck in MTW or MTE. If you do bid for a 4* in either of those areas, I'd start again lower at $110. $110 may be a "low-ball", but it's not outside of the realm of possibility, given the rates I'm seeing for these dates. Overall, I'd go lower if you are willing to bid for 4* MTE/MTW, and I wouldn't bid too high at this point.

Thank you for using the site's PRICELINE link.