Priceline Hotel: 2.5* NYC (Downtown-Soho-Financial District) East Houston Hotel

[Calder]

Hi,

Thanks for a great board. I`ve been looking the calendar for New York in October 2009, because I`m travelling to NYC in October 2010. And there`s a lot of good wins both in Hotwire and in Priceline for 2009. Do you think these two years can be compared? That the prices won in 2009 can also be won in 2010?

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Rates are very date specific, but you can probably get a good 'feel' based upon October 2009 as the "global" economic recovery was already underway... although NYC hotel rates have firmed further since then (for example, we have not yet seen the really deep summer discounts one would typically expect for this time of year) so to err on the side of caution i would expect slightly higher rates than what you're seeing in October 2009, but if you let us know the actual dates of your travel we'll be able to give you a better idea of what it may likely cost.

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

[Calder]

Okay, thanks. The actual travel dates are 10/12/10-10/19/10, just after the Columbus Day. My budget for a 2 person room is maximum $ 150 per night and the goal is to get at least a 3-star hotel with that money. Almost all the zones in Manhattan area are okay for me, so there should be a lot of bidding options.

[thereuare]

Have you been to NYC before, as i wouldn't necessarily recommend every zone on the island. With this noted, based upon current rates i think this is going to be tough to fill within your budget, but we can certainly give it a shot, and as i referenced above, we haven't see rates drop for summer yet (hopefully they will), perhaps these dates will follow suit... although this is a typically expensive time in NYC.

Let us know if you're familiar enough with NYC and the zones and we'll take it from there.

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

[CheapZone]

Hi,

I’ve also been bidding for a few weeks for October dates (October 4-9) without success. My target zones are Times Square and Midtown West and so far I’ve bid up to $202 for a 4 star, $160 for a 3.5 star, and $110 for a 3 star.

I know it isn’t exactly the same profile as what you are looking for but hopefully this little bit of extra info helps you.

I am coming to terms with paying more/accepting less stars myself. I know I have a lot of time but I want to get this part of the trip firmed up in the next month or so.

If I happen across any other insights for October I’ll post them here and, of course, when (if) I finally do come up with a win I’ll post it as well.

*PS – Don’t worry thereuare I always start my bid from the PRICELINE link at this site. That Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins feature alone is worth its weight in gold. :)

[Calder]

Thereuare, no I haven`t been in NYC before, but the main criteria for me is the price, so I`m willing to compromise a little bit on the location if the price is right. And all recommendations are welcome from more experienced NYC travellers...

I checked out the zones in Priceline, and the top zones for me are: CPS, TS, MTE, MTW, MSG and ESB.

Cheapzone, thanks for the intel :) I`ll post my failures and hopefully the one BIG success here also. I haven`t started bidding yet.

[thereuare]

Calder,

At the 3* level i wouldn't bid the UES or UWS zones as both of these zones go a bit further north than you would really want to bid.

Even with the Millenium UN in the MTE zone being a bit further east than desirable, for the right price, it's still perfectly acceptable (i don't feel the same about UES and UWS). The zones you list (CPS, TS, MTE, MTW, MSG and ESB) should all be fine, but i would add Cheslea to the list, and since price is important, Downtown as well.

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

CheapZone,

Thanks for your comments and compliments on the site :)

[Calder]

Thanks for the advice Thereuare. What kind of bidding strategy you would suggest to me? 4-star hotels are probably out of the question with my price range? Do you think a 3,5-star hotel could be possible or should I focus only on the 3-star hotels? Does all the 3-star hotels have a private bathroom?

[thereuare]

Do you want to include all the zones i've listed? What about UES and UWS?

You can try for a 3.5* up to your limit immediately followed by a 3* attempt up to your limit :) ... although i'm doubtful that $150 will be enough for either at the moment (yes, all the hotels you're bidding for will have a private bathroom)

Let us know regarding the zone(s) and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[Calder]

Okay, I will leave UES and UWS out. So my zones will be CPS, TS, MTE, MTW, MSG, ESB, Chelsea and Downtown as you recommended.

[thereuare]

At the 3.5* level you have FOUR re-bid zones; at the 3* level you have ONE re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 3.5* CPS, TS, MTE, MTW, MSG, Downtown...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* ESB...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* CPS, TS, MTE, MTW, MSG, Downtown and ESB...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $150.

If the above is rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* CPS, TS, MTE, MTW...

Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $110, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* MSG, ESB, Chelsea Downtown...

Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $110, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* MSG, TS, MTE, MTW...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, ESB, Chelsea Downtown...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, ESB, MTE, MTW...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $130, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* MSG, TS, Chelsea Downtown...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $130, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, TS, Chelsea, MTW...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $140, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* MSG, ESB, MTE, Downtown...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $140, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, TS, MTE, Downtown...

Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $150, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* MSG, ESB, Chelsea, MTW...

Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $150

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Calder]

Thanks, I`ll try with those instructions. :)

[AaronJB]

Good luck bidding and thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches. Please let us know what you decide and if you have any questions.

[Calder]

Does the 24-hour timer start all over again if I bid a duplicate offer?

[AaronJB]

The timer starts after the first failed bid.

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

[Calder]

"We`re still working on your request"- and "Thank you for your request"-screens.

Sometimes when I bid the answer takes a bit longer and those infos pop-up. The info screen says that I`ll get my answer within 15mins. Should I wait for 15mins? Or should I press the button to check my offer status. Does waiting increase my bids chances to be successfull?

[thereuare]

Clicking the button to check your request has no bearing on the outcome.

The above is the 'old' system and how things worked for all bids (before the current system where you know if your bid is accepted in less than 60 seconds) If/when PRICELINE gets backlogged, either as a result of processing many orders, communication issues with the reservation system, etc, etc the process will revert back to the old system.

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

[Calder]

I Have been bidding for a while now, but no success. I`ve upped my max to 160$ per night.

Should I try to split my bid? How should do it? Is 3+4 nights a good way of splitting?

I`ve also thought of taking the 2,5-star hotels in bidding my range. Does all the 2,5-star hotels have a private bathroom? What areas would you suggest if I would bid on those?

So many questions, thanks for the answers :)

[thereuare]

While i commented above that this is an expensive time of year in NYC, and i do think you'll eventually have to do 'something' different (SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID, increase your budget, lower star rating, etc) i also think 4 months before your stay is a bit early to compromise.

How often are you bidding?

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

[Calder]

I`ve been bidding 3-4 times a week, up to 160$.

[thereuare]

I'd scale it back to 2-3 times per week... since your budget is a bit of a stretch at this point in time, you're just going to get frustrated bidding as frequently as you have been.

Please remember to use the requested PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your bidding/purchases.

[Calder]

Success!

Maybe I was a bit hasty, but I took the 2,5-star hotels to my bidding range because they also fit to my standards. A 2,5-star hotel (East Houston Hotel) accepted my bid $ 155 per night + taxes (10/12-10/19). It has good reviews in tripadvisor so I`m quite pleased with the result. Retail price in their homepage is $ 249 per night, so I got a reasonable discount by using priceline.com.

Thanks for the help!

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success! :)

This is an excellent result, I think. This property has never been seen as a win, and thank you for letting us know about this new PRICELINE property so that we can update the site's Priceline Hotel List.

It's a little surprising that this property is a 2.5*, as it certainly looks like quite a nice (and rather sleek) independent boutique property, and reviews are excellent. I'm guessing that this may be rated as it is because it does not appear to offer a restaurant.

Thank you for sharing your win and please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

Enjoy your stay.

[Calder]

Thanks, I`m happy too :)

The missing restaurant is no problem because Little Italy and Chinatown are in a walking distance from the hotel. Looking forward for a great vacation in NYC, thanks again for your advice!

[AaronJB]

Glad you're pleased with the deal. Certainly a very nice location with a lot of options nearby. The Affinia 50 in NYC

is also rated 2.5*, seemingly for lack of a few amenities (restaurant.) The East Houston Hotel is 3* on Expedia and Orbitz, as well.

Additionally - although there's no mention of it on the East Houston Hotel website - this property appears to offer

free breakfast, too - this is noted on Orbitz and a few recent tripadvisor reviews.