Priceline Hotel: 3.5* NYC (Downtown-Soho-Financial District) Club Quarters Downtown

[fgnangel]

I'm looking to book a hotel in NYC in October. I really don't care which zone I stay in as long as it's in Manhattan (not Brooklyn, LIC, Coney Island, etc.) That leaves me with about 11 zones to choose from and I have no idea if there's a good strategy in terms of starting with just one zone (and if so, should it be my most desired or least desired zone?) and then expanding from there, or should I try for 2-3 zones at once?

I'm planning to start low (around $100 for a 3 or 4 star hotel) so I have a feeling I'll probably get rejected and have to work my way up to the mid 100's or higher. That makes me think that starting with just one zone and adding the others as I get rejected would be my best bet, but I've never done this before and just wanted to get some advice before I start so I don't mess up.

Thank you!!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

Please provide the exact dates of travel and we would be happy to offer suggestions on how to proceed.

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

[fgnangel]

It would be checking in on Friday 10/15 and out on Sunday 10/17.

Thank you!

[thereuare]

Are you willing to pay more for a 4* vs. a 3* or is your goal the least expensive 3* (or perhaps 3.5*) or better for this stay?

Unless you're only bidding 4* i personally wouldn't recommend bidding UWS or UES at this point as each zone goes 'pretty far' North which is not convenient for the typical visitor.

My guess for a 3*/3.5* hotel for these nites you're looking at the high $100's/low $200's... is this within the range you were expecting? What is your maximum bid for this stay?

Let us know the above 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.

[fgnangel]

My goal is to keep it as inexpensive as possible w/out having to stay in a total dive, so nothing below 3 stars. If I had to, I could bid on the UWS or UES as a last resort - it wouldn't be the end of the world for me if I ended up being kind of out of the way if it meant I could save the $$.

I currently have a reservation at a Marriott in the financial district as my last resort back-up and that's $250/night, plus taxes. I'm looking to spend less than that, so less than about $550 for two nights. My maximum bid would probably be $215 a night, although ideally I'd love to come in closer to $175.

I'm not too picky in terms of having a fabulous place in a prime location - am willing to trade on those features for price, again, as long as it's not a total dump. I am also familiar with the city from having lived there for three years so am comfortable getting around so am not concerned about staying in less touristy areas. I do love the Union Square/Soho/West Village areas the best though, so those neighborhoods would be my top choices.

Thanks!

[thereuare]

So to sum/confirm you're looking for a 3* hotel or better with a maximum bid in any of the following zones:

CPS

Chelsea

DT

ESB

HK

LIC

MSG

MTE

MTW

TS

UES

UWS

If the above is correct, you have ONE re-bid zones available when bidding 3* in NYC. 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* CPS, Chelsea, DT, ESB, HK, LIC...

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

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

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

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

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

Select 3* MSG, Chelsea, DT, ESB, HK, LIC...

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

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

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

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

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

Select 3* CPS, MTE, DT, ESB, HK, LIC...

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

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

Select 3* MSG, Chelsea, MTW, TS, UES, UWS...

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

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

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, MTW, ESB, HK, LIC...

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

Bid $160, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* MSG, MTE, DT, TS, UES, UWS...

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

Bid $160, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, DT, TS, HK, LIC...

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

Bid $170, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* MSG, MTE, MTW, ESB, UES, UWS...

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

Bid $170, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, DT, ESB, UES, LIC...

Bid $175, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $180, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

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

Bid $175, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $180, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, DT, ESB, HK, UWS...

Bid $185, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

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

Bid $185, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, DT, ESB, HK, LIC, MSG, MTE, MTW...

Bid $190, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, DT, ESB, HK, LIC, TS, UES, UWS...

Bid $190, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, DT, ESB, HK, LIC, TS, MTE, MTW...

Bid $195, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, DT, ESB, HK, LIC, MSG, UES, UWS...

Bid $195, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, DT, ESB, HK, LIC, MSG, UES, MTW...

Bid $200, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, DT, ESB, HK, LIC, TS, MTE, UWS...

Bid $200, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, DT, ESB, HK, LIC, MSG, MTE, UWS...

Bid $205, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, DT, ESB, HK, LIC, TS, UES, MTW...

Bid $205, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, DT, ESB, HK, LIC, MSG, MTE, UWS, TS, UES, MTW...

Bid $210, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $215

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.

[fgnangel]

Thanks so much for your help! I hate to sound like an idiot, and I did read the re-bidding thread about the whole star strategy, but I am still confused on one point. Why wouldn't I start with just one zone, and then continue to add new zones one at a time since I have so many to choose from?

[thereuare]

Let's say you bid adding one zone at a time and make bids as follows (the dollar figures are not important, just there for example):

CPS - 105

Chelsea - 110

DT - 115

ESB - 120

HK - 125

LIC - 130

MSG - 135

MTE - 140

MTW - 145

TS - 150

UES - 155

UWS - 160

Now assume there is a hotel available in the TS zone for $120... following the strategy above you'd never win it that low because your first bid in that zone is $150.

To be clear, the strategy we suggested above, you can place all those bids in one bidding session... if you bid as posted, none of those bids would be considered a duplicate, enabling you to try all the zones at one low bid amount before increasing the bid and trying all the zones again, then increasing the bid and trying all the zones again, and so-on and so-on.

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

Any questions further questions feel free to ask.

[fgnangel]

Okay, that makes sense now, thanks for clarifying.

I have one final question before I start bidding, and again, I hesitate to ask it because you've been so helpful and I don't want to wear out my welcome or seem like an idiot again, but I'm just going to do it!

On the re-bidding thread, the way I understood it was that you could only add areas when you rebid that do NOT have any of the star hotels you want, so that you have no chance of actually getting a hotel in those areas but are just adding them to meet Priceline's rules of changing something about your bid.

But since there is only one re-bid zone available if I'm bidding on 3 star places, is it enough for Priceline that I just change my price each time I bid and continue to input all 10 zones (or whatever the number is)? I couldn't tell from your first email because it looked like you were saying I should bid on like the first half of the zones the first price I bid at, then the second half, then, if necessary, start over again with a higher price and follow the same strategy. Is that right? Where does the one zone w/out 3 stars come into play exactly?

Thanks again!!

[thereuare]

I actually posted the strategy wrong but have now corrected it...

You should now be able to go thru the entire bidding strategy above without any duplicate messages. Notice how each bid above is a slightly different zone combination then was bid previously, this difference is what makes each of the above a 'unique' bid combination and each a 'valid' bid.

Hope that answers your question and sorry if my previous error confused you.

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

[fgnangel]

Got it, that makes sense. Thanks much, I will post the details in the New York Priceline forum if I have success.

[thereuare]

I've moved this thread to the New York Forum... please continue this thread and update with any success or failure (as rejected bids help others with bidding strategies for their own stays if on/around the same dates)

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

[fgnangel]

Just booked this at $180/night. Reviews on tripadvisor look pretty good, and since I was having a hard time finding anything for less than $250/night going the regular route (Hotels.com, Travelocity, etc.) this is a pretty good deal, although after Googling it looks like others have gotten it for even less (like $130-$150/night.) However, since I'm going during kind of a prime month/weekend, I think this is a good rate.

Now, I just have to see if I can get them to put me in something other than a twin bed since there will be two travelers (and we're just friends - not a married couple or anything....) I didn't even think that hotel's had twin beds anymore, but I just checked their website and that popped up as an option, so I'm kind of panicking....

Has anyone had success with requesting/securing a particular bed/room type after booking via Priceline? Any tips on how best to go about that?

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success! :)

Nice deal for this property during a busy period. The CQ properties generally have small/smallish rooms and bedding is not guaranteed - you can contact the hotel to see if you can work something out. You could say something like, "I know I booked via PRICELINE so my options are limited, but if there is anything you could do to help me upgrade to one level up and a slightly bigger room, I would greatly appreciate it." You could say that there are two people, as well, and if there's anything they could do, you would be grateful. The hotel may charge you an upgrade fee.

Thank you for letting us know about the change in star rating for this PRICELINE property so that we can update the site's Priceline Hotel List for the state.

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.