Priceline Hotel: Need a NYC Hotel in MSG or TS

[Macleod518]

Hi there,

I've just started trying to bid on a hotel for my trip to Comic Con in NYC. I need two nights (Oct. 8 - Oct. 10), preferably within walking distance of the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

Two years ago, I did this and just stumbled on Priceline and nabbed the Best Western President's Hotel for 2 nights at $70 per night. They've unfortunately remodeled, so they are way too expensive now. Their distance (near Times Square) was fine for the Jacob Javits Center, but I wouldn't want to go much further.

Considering I spend all day at the Convention, I don't really need a great hotel... just some where to crash.

Here is what I've bid thus far:

MSG - $75 ***

MSG/TS - $75 ***

MSG/TS/HK - $80 ***

MSG - $75 **

MSG/TS - $75 **

MSG/TS/HK - $80 **

MSG/TS/HK - $85 *

I've read a few posts, but I'm not sure if I'm doing this right. I know I'm a bit low, but I figured I would work up to the level where they would accept. Does anyone have any experience with hotels during this time?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

October is a tough time of year for NYC, and prices for this year have appeared to be on the rise in comparison to last year.

What would be your desired max per night for these dates, and which zones would you be willing to accept?

THank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[Macleod518]

My desired max per night would probably be around $120... but I'd like to get off as cheap as possible.

I'd like to stay within the MSG or TS zones... pretty much I'd like to be within about a mile of the Jacob Javits Center.

[thereuare]

It may be a moot point given rates for these dates, but it may as you continue to increase your bids, but it's not recommended to increase your bids and lower your star rating at the same as you have done above... it can easily lead to an overbid.

Did you want to bid up to your limit for a 3* hotel first, then if rejected lower your star rating to a 2.5* property, and so-on... or are you looking for the least expensive (your minimum star rating) for this stay? If the latter, what is the minimum star rating you're willing to accept? (NOTE: we really don't recommend the lower rated hotels in NYC... while there may be some which suit your needs just fine, there may be others which do not, and with PRICELINE you can't choose which type you will get :) )

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[Macleod518]

Thanks for the heads up about raising my bid and lowering my star rating. I didn't think about it that way. Honestly, I'd be fine with a 2 star hotel. Based on the list shown here, the only 2 star hotel in MSG is the Best Western Convention Center, which would be perfect... that's why I dropped into the lower star rating hotels. Also, the first few bids were utilizing the $5 per day bonus, that required a 3 star hotel or higher.

I'm really just looking for the least expensive hotel that is close to Jacob Javits. All the hotels listed in MSG & TS seemed to be fine with me.

[thereuare]

Keep in mind that we don't see a lot of 2* bidding in NYC (for reasons outlined above) and that the hotel lists are only hotels reported to the board... there could always be others, as per the comments at the top of the Priceline Hotel list.

At the moment i don't think you'll be successful at $120 or less in these two zones, but if you want to try, you can do so as follows:

Select 2* MSG...

Bid $85, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 2* Times Square...

Bid $85, if rejected add MSG..

Bid $90

You can follow the above, repeating and increasing your bid by $5 every 24 hours (so next you would bid $95/$100, then $105/$110, then $115/$120)... should take you 4 days to reach your maximum bid amount.

Please use the PRICELINE links on the board to start each bidding cycle.

Good luck! Keep us updated as to your progress and let us know how it goes.

[Macleod518]

Tried a few more bidding options tonight:

10/8/10 - 10/10/10

MSG – 2* $85 - rejected

MSG / TS – 2* $85 – rejected

MSG / TS / HK – 2* $85 – rejected

MSG – 3* $115 – rejected

TS – 3* $115 – rejected

MSG / TS / HK – 3* $120 – rejected

I had my wife try her account too. She tried the 3* ones, because of the $5 bonus cash they were offering. I'll keep posting here so people can see what bids get rejected.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to improve my bidding strategy, feel free to chime in. I still don't think I'm doing this 100% correctly, but it seems to work.

[AaronJB]

Given that this is a busy time period, I think it's just going to take persistence and possibly a moderately higher bid. While you do have a lot of time between now and your stay, I'd keep trying, as locking in a reasonable rate for NYC in the Fall in advance would be a very good idea.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[django]

on this weekend there is also the open house new york (www.ohny.org), so it may be even harder to get a room at a low rate

[Macleod518]

More bidding last night:

MSG - $90 2* - rejected

TS - $90 2* - rejected

MSG / TS - $95 2* - rejected

MSG / TS / HK - $100 2* - rejected

MSG - $105 2* - rejected

MSG / TS - $110 2* - rejected

MSG / TS / HK - $115 2* - rejected

Hopefully I'll get something accepted soon.