Priceline Hotel: 4* NYC (MTE) InterContinental The Barclay

[tanyaviola]

I know you have to wait 24 hours before you can rebid. BUT...is it 24 hours from your first bid? 24 hours from your first rejection? 24 hours from your last bid? Or 24 hours from the time on the very last email they send giving you rebidding tips?? Is there an easy way to tell what time you can rebid on the site, once you're signed in?

Otherwise, I'll just try with 24 hours since my last bid.....since they waited about 15 minutes to send me that email.

[tanyaviola]

I've already tried a ton of bids, up to $165 (plus $5 bonus cash) for 4* and $150 (plus $5 bonus cash) for 3.5*.

I know these numbers are low, but I was really hoping to keep the price under $175 if possible....if I HAVE to, eventually, I may go up to $200.

If it's 4*, I'm interested in these zones (in order of pref):

MTW

MTE

ESB

HK

TS (although this area is quite noisy, so that's why it's last on the list)

For 3.5*:

MTE

MTW

TS (again, as a last resort)

What are my bidding options? Let's try for 4* first.

Thanks,

T.

[slruud]

24 hours from your last poop.

[thereuare]

I'm assuming that you're looking for the least expensive 4* hotel in any of the above zones (as opposed to willing to pay more to be in a zone higher up your preference list)? If this is correct...

At the 4* level you have FIVE 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 4* MTW, MTE, ESB, HK, TS...

Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $155, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $175

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, although i'll add that at the moment i don't think your budget is doing to be enough for a 4* for these nites.

[slruud]

24 hours from your last poop.

Sorry to be so flippant (sp), but just start bidding roughly 24 hours after your last session. If you are not out of the 24 hour window, PRICELINE will tell you. Then wait a while and try again.

[tanyaviola]

Well the reason I ask is because the first time I tried....I guess it wasn't quite 24 hours, and then it started my whole 24 hour waiting period over again. And THAT sucks....so I was just wondering if there was an exact science to this.

[thereuare]

....I guess it wasn't quite 24 hours, and then it started my whole 24 hour waiting period over again.

That's not how it is supposed to work, but sometimes this does happen.

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

[tanyaviola]

Ok, so I bid up to $175 (plus $5 bonus cash to make $180) for both 4* AND 3.5*. No luck.

I'm ready to go up to $200 for a 4*. And if that fails tomorrow night, maybe I'll go up to $225. Let's start with $200 max bid for a 4*. Then maybe I'll try it ($200) with a 3.5* after, before going up to $225.

Same areas for those star ratings, but let's add CPS & UWS to the 4* bids. What's the plan?

Thanks!

[thereuare]

Which zone(s) did you include at the 3.5* level? Did you first bid for a 4* up to your limit, then start over for a 3.5*, just lowered your star rating for the last bid at 3.5*, or did you bid for a 3.5* or higher from the start?

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

[tanyaviola]

Which zone(s) did you include at the 3.5* level? Did you first bid for a 4* up to your limit, then start over for a 3.5*, just lowered your star rating for the last bid at 3.5*, or did you bid for a 3.5* or higher from the start?

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

I included MTE, MTW, & TS for 3.5*. I first bid for 4* up to $175, then started over with 3.5* up to $175.

[tanyaviola]

Just wanted to add that maybe we can try to $225 tonight. But...if we could do zones in 2 parts or something. Like 1st try MTE, MTW, & ESB up to 200, then TS, HK, CPS & UWS up to 200, then go on to MTW,MTE & ESB to 225....you get the idea. Just because my first choices would be MTE,MTW & ESB for 4*. But you guys are the experts!! AFter that, we can try for 3.5*.

[thereuare]

OK, so to clarify (i won't worry about the 3.5* bidding at the moment, we'll just focus on the 4*)...

You want to:

Bid 4* MTE, MTW and ESB up to $200, if rejected...

Bid 4* TS, HK, CPS and UWS up to $200, if rejected...

Bid 4* MTE, MTW and ESB up to $225, if rejected...

Bid 4* TS, HK, CPS and UWS up to $225

Is that correct? Can you also confirm if you have yet bid the CPS or UWS zones? (if so, when and how high did you bid)

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

[tanyaviola]

That looks about right. Is it as simple as that? I'd add the other re-bid zones in between, right? No, I haven't bid at all on CPS or UWS yet. (although I'm not seeing good reviews for that Empire hotel on the UWS...maybe I should leave that zone out for now??)

[thereuare]

You'll need to do a bit of adding zones/closing browsers in between, but decide if you want to include UWS i your bidding or not and we'll take it from there. I haven't see reviews recently, but the Empire Hotel is a historic NYC property, updated to now be 'a scene', and i'm guessing most of the negative reviews have much to do with small rooms (but i'm just guessing based upon my knowledge of the property)

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

[tanyaviola]

You'll need to do a bit of adding zones/closing browsers in between, but decide if you want to include UWS i your bidding or not and we'll take it from there. I haven't see reviews recently, but the Empire Hotel is a historic NYC property, updated to now be 'a scene', and i'm guessing most of the negative reviews have much to do with small rooms (but i'm just guessing based upon my knowledge of the property)

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

Ok, leave OUT UWS for now. In a day or two, if I'm desperate, perhaps I'll add it. I've got about 2 hours until I can rebid!!

[tanyaviola]

I'm ready to bid....do we have a plan of attack? Or should I just make up my own? Need to bid soon.

[tanyaviola]

Ok I have to start bidding now or I'm going to be asleep. So maybe I'll try your methods tomorrow, if you have it up!

[tanyaviola]

Here's what I tried to bid tonight (unsuccessfully):

4* first

MTW, MTE, & ESB from $150-200

TS, HK, CPS from $150-200

then 3.5*

MTW, MTE, TS from 170-200

back to 4*

HK, CPS, MTW from 205-225

ESB, TS, MTE from 205-225

FAIL. Not sure what to do next. I'm wondering if I should try going down to 3*. Are the hotels still pretty decent at that level in NYC? What are the better bets (zone-wise) for a 3* hotel?

I may try a 3.5* up to 225 tomorrow night. Maybe I'll go for 3* first, up to 175 or 200, once you let me know which are the better areas to try for 3* (not including Soho, or anything off Manhattan)

[tanyaviola]

Here's what I tried to bid tonight (unsuccessfully):

4* first

MTW, MTE, & ESB from $150-200

TS, HK, CPS from $150-200

then 3.5*

MTW, MTE, TS from 170-200

back to 4*

HK, CPS, MTW from 205-225

ESB, TS, MTE from 205-225

FAIL. Not sure what to do next. I'm wondering if I should try going down to 3*. Are the hotels still pretty decent at that level in NYC? What are the better bets (zone-wise) for a 3* hotel?

I may try a 3.5* up to 225 tomorrow night. Maybe I'll go for 3* first, up to 175 or 200, once you let me know which are the better areas to try for 3* (not including Soho, or anything off Manhattan)

[thereuare]

At the 3.5* level is there a reason you didn't include MSG, Chelsea and/or ESB?

Also, as an FYI, i'm guessing that you may be within $10-$15 of a 4* hotel in the MTE zone if that is of interest to you.

Let us know the above and we'll take it from there.

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

[tanyaviola]

Hmmm, I don't know. Well, Chelsea is a bit south for me and we don't know what the possible hotels could be. Maybe I'll add MSG and ESB to the 3.5* bid for tonight. So for 3.5*: MTE, MTW, TS, MSG, ESB maybe still up to $200 (since I'm including new zones). So if you could give me the layout for that and a layout for a 4* up to $240 (using MTE, MTW, ESB, then TS, HK, CPS) Can I bid the 3.5 first? Or will that mess up the process so that I can't bid for 4* after?

[tanyaviola]

No bid layout yet?? Ok I've got just under 2 hours. So I guess I'll do my own again...

[thereuare]

Please be patient... although at times it may not appear to be the case, we have lives outside of computers too :)

Have you made a decision if you want to try for a 3.5* first or pay a bit more and try for a 4*... knowing what you want to try first will save a lot of typing on our part and keep this thread a bit cleaner.

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

[tanyaviola]

I did ask in a previous post if I could bid for 3.5* first, or if that would mess it up for trying to bid for 4* right after. Sorry...I do know you have lives outside the computer! I made a tentative layout anyway, just in case.

so yes, 3.5* first (as long as I can try for 4* immediately after, if I'm rejected)

[tanyaviola]

SO I started with 3.5* up to 200. Rejected. Did 4* up to 240 and on my VERY last bid on the very last zone.....I won the Intercontinental Barclay in Midtown East for $240(+$5 bonus cash, so $245).

T.