Priceline Hotel: NYC June

[newyork2005]

Hello. I'm looking to go to Manhatten for a week during restaurant week (June 20-25) and have never bid using Priceline. Any suggestions on what neighbourhoods i could get a 2.5-3* hotel for around $100/night?

Thank you,

Joshua

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Will you be here for all 5 nites?

I'd recommend staying away from 2.5* properties as you really don't knwo what you'll end up with. Downtown will likely be the least expensive, but it is a bit 'away from it all' (although there may very well be some excellent restaurants in that area that you want to try) which would make it convenient, but i'd still question your success at under $100/nite.

I'm a bit biased (and even a bit more frugal :) ), but if you're willing to except downtown, i'd first try for midtown locations at your price point, and then look towards Jersey City (yeah, NJ). There is very easy PATH train access into Manhattan at the doorstep of the hotels, you can be in NYC in 8-18 minutes, and the hotel will cost you a fraction of Manhattan. Of course the downside, is that you're not in Manhattan... but if budget is a concern i'd at least consider it and/or splitting your stay between Jersey City and Manhattan... leaving you a bit more money to spend on lodging on the Manhattan side of the river (which you may very well need to find success).

Let us know your thoughts and we'll suggest a strategy.

[newyork2005]

Thanks for the speedy reply, this is my first time using this site and I'm very impressed.

I would like to stay in the same hotel in Manhatten for the whole 5 nights for convenience purposes.

My best quote so far was from Quikbook.com at the GRAND UNION hotel in midtown for $114 a night. As this is only a 2-star hotel, i would like a strategy for priceline so that I can find a better hotel around the same price. An extra 10 or 15 dollars a night isn't an issue (max 130/night).

Is that possible during this week according to past bids or should i stick with the Grand Union?

Thanks, Josh

[thereuare]

I don't think you're going to beat the rate at the Grand Union, but you could try... do you want to stay in the 'touristy' areas?

Also, if you book the above, please use the board's QUICKBOOK link, but i have also found the Grand Union HERE for $109/nite which is a much better deal, as it's cheaper, there is no booking fee (making it even cheaper), and is fully cancellable up to 72 hours before check-in date so you can continue to explore other options. :)

If you want to try Priceline let us know the zones you are willing to accept and we'll outline a strategy, but i would still book the above as a back-up in the meantime.

[newyork2005]

Ok, thanks for checking that. The link you provided showed a rate of $109 but when i proceeded it turned out to be 130. Although without the booking fee it still was $15 cheaper overall than quikbook.com

I would still like a bidding strategy however for Priceline, in MS, ME, and MW for June 20-25, 2005 for a 3* hotel. Thanks

Josh

[thereuare]

You have one re-bid zone at the 3* level in NYC, if you're not sure which one it is please read RE-BIDDING EXPLAINED and ask any questions you may have and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board.

Select 3* MTS and...

Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone and...

Bid $110, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* MTE and...

Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone and...

Bid $110, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* MTW and...

Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone and...

Bid $110, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* MTS and MTE...

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

Bid $120, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* MTS and MTW...

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

Bid $120, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* MTS and MTE and MTW...

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

Bid $130.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and please keep us updated as to your progress.

[newyork2005]

Thank you for that bidding strategy,

As I am a bit weary of this whole priceline thing, i was wondering if you could give me a list of the 3 star hotels that Priceline awards in MW, ME, and MS. That would be greatly appreciated so i could have an idea of what i would be getting.

Thanks, if this is not possible, don't worry about it

Josh

[thereuare]

Everything that has been reported is in our PRICELINE HOTEL LIST.

[newyork2005]

Hello,

Thanks for the link. Unfortuantly, i have been rejected in all three of my areas up to $115/night. Since my dates are not set in stone, is their any days such as weekends to avoid?

My second question is how much more I would have to bid to get a 4*? I saw someone else on the message board getting a 4* for $110 a night around my dates in Midtown.

Thanks, Josh

[thereuare]

You mentioned above you were willing to bid up to $130 and we gave a strategy based upon those amounts... what happened that you stopped at $115?

[newyork2005]

I stopped at $115 after I read a post by "KRXNLS", topic "New York June 17 to 22" on this message board. You gave him almost the exact same bidding strategy as me but his was for a 4*.

In his post he says he won the Hilton(a 4*) in MW for $110!!!!!

I am a little confused on how that works since i was rejected in all areas at 115 and I was bidding for a 3*. My dates are only 3 days after his (june 20-25)

Josh

[dahammer]

the availability of the Hilton at $110 for your dates of travel is mutually exclusive from the recent win by KRXNLS. Each hotel has "X" number of rooms to sell a night, if the hotel is near capacity for your dates of travel, they don't need to accept lower bids. That's why thereuare provided you a bidding strategy for your dates of travel starting at $100 up to your maximum target price of $130. You can always wait, but if you do, you may not even get a room at your maximum bid as the hotels may sell out.

[thereuare]

If you look closer at his PRICELINE NYC post he was able to get that rate for 6/17-6/20 and had to look elsewhere for the last two nites of his stay (which is when your stay begins).

Let's backtrack a minute and start near the beginning again... what are the options for your dates and what is it you would like to get in terms of price and star rating?

[newyork2005]

Thanks both of you,

I really do appreciate all the work that goes into keeping this site running.

I like the idea of backtracking. Now that I have had some time to think about what things actually cost, I have negotiated with the wife to split our stay between New Jersey and New York

I would like a bidding strategy for a 3* hotel in Jersey City for June 20th - 24th plus a bidding strategy for a 3* hotel in NYC(ME, MW) for Fri June 24th and the 25th. I will post the Jersey strategy on that page as well.

Thank you for your patience, I promise this is the last strategy.

Josh

[thereuare]

I would obtain the NYC portion of your stay before the NJ portion.

Before bidding 3*, would you consider the Eastgate Tower for $151? The reviews are better than your typical 3 star hotel, the location is good for getting around the city (ie- close to Grand Central), and another user and i were discussing off-board this morning how the Affinia Group (owner of this hotel, the Beekman, the Dumont, etc, has been building a very good name for themselves).

Not sure what your current budget is for the two NYC nites.

[newyork2005]

Ok,

I used the previous strategy for a 3* in NYC to no avail. I even added $5 to make my final offer $135 for ME, MW or MS.

I guess there is quite a lot of demand for these nights, as Hotwire's prices are pretty high also. That $151 3* is looking pretty good if I can get a good deal on the NJ side.

Thanks

Josh

[thereuare]

So book the above Eastgate Tower as it is cancellable up to 72 hours before check-in date... once you receive a confirmation then you'll be prepared to move forward on the NJ side of things.

If for some reason NJ falls thru, then you can always cancel the above reservation. If NJ works out as planned, you can still continue to try to monitor/beat the above up until 3 days before check-in.

Your thoughts?

[newyork2005]

Ok, i bought the Eastgate towers for $151, looks like a nice place. I used the link you provided so hopefully that helps out the site.

Now I'll move onto the New Jersey side of things.

Thanks,

Josh

[thereuare]

Great!

I'll look at your New Jersey Post.