Priceline Hotel: 3* NYC (ESB) Marcel at Gramercy

[Radioflyer]

I'd like to spend less than $200/night (excluding taxes) and would prefer 3+ stars, but am open to 2.5 if necessary.

Any zone in Manhattan looks okay, unless anyone advises against the convenience/safety of any zone for the average tourist exploring the city for the first time.

Thanks for your help.

[thereuare]

Welcome (officially) to BetterBidding!

These dates are quite expensive and $200 may prove to be difficult for a 3*, but to give it a try...

UES and UWS are not usually recommended for the average tourist. Each goes pretty far north which can be inconvenient to most sites the average visitor is looking to see. As well, Downtown is a little out of the way, but do-able for the right price.

Also, while mostly well located, when bidding under 4* the MTE zone may contain some hotels which are a bit far east (~15 minute walk to the subway) and the CPS has the Hudson Hotel which usually gets decent reviews except for the notoriously small rooms (even by NYC standards).

Given your budget and high rates i would be bidding Chelsea, ESB, MSG, MTW, and TS... then also decide if you want to include CPS, MTE, UES, UWS and/or Downtown based upon the comments above. (of these i would likely be including MTE and CPS... Downtown is a toss-up depending upon how important your budget is... and excluding UES and UWS)

Let us know which zone(s) you decide upon 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.

[Radioflyer]

Okay, now I understand how you developed the bid strategy for another recent post: Priceline New York City

I tried this exact strategy for a 3* and got up to $181 without any luck. I also tried the exact same approach for a 2.5* up to $170 and also did not win.

Thus, I considered adding more zones in Manhattan and created this post. Perhaps I should use the same strategy and try bidding up to $200 for a 2.5*? My sense from looking at a few reviews is that the 2.5* in Manhattan are similar to the 3* options.

If you have an alternative strategy to recommend, please let me know. Otherwise, I'll report back on bidding up to $200 on a 2.5* and perhaps you can help me develop a different strategy with added zones. At that point, I might also consider staying in Brooklyn.

Thanks.

[thereuare]

Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option?

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

[Radioflyer]

Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option?

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

Yes, splitting the bid is an option if it makes a difference.

[Radioflyer]

I also think that any zone in Manhattan is acceptable, even if we get the Hudson with small rooms or have to walk 15+ min to the subway. It definitely seems that this is a high demand weekend.

[thereuare]

How are you arriving to the area (plane, train, bus, drive) and if not driving, where do you arrive (Grand Central, which airport, Penn Station, etc)

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

[Radioflyer]

LaGuardia, both in and out.

[thereuare]

My thought process was...

If you split the bid, for 10/21 HOTWIRE has 3* hotels in the MTC and ESB zones for $229/nite and a 3* in Chelsea for $239/nite.

Then for 10/22-10/24 a 4* hotel in Hoboken-Jersey City for $186/nite which would put you only slightly over your budget by abotu $30 total... or a 4* hotel in the ESB zone for $224/nite (putting you about $25/nite over your budget... which might be worth it to stay directly in Manhattan for the entire trip, but it depends upon just how strict your budget is)

These could be 'worst case scenarios and you could try bidding for each leg first via PRICELINE for a better rate, using any of the above offerings as a fall-back should bid on PRICELINE and get accepted for one leg of your stay but not the subsequent dates.

Let us know your thoughts and we'll take it from there.

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

[Radioflyer]

Thanks for the research. It looks like splitting out 10/21 makes sense.

I'm drawn to staying in Manhattan (vs. Hoboken-Jersey City) for the 10/22-10/24 leg. The $224 4* option in ESB seems interesting, and encourages a priceline attempt. Could you help me set up a bid strategy that has a decent chance of getting a 2.5-4* in Manhattan for 10/22-10/24 for less than $224? As you mention, if this doesn't work I'll definitely consider the hotwire option.

For 10/21 we are arriving at 8:15 p.m. and I wonder whether a stay near LGA might make sense. Any thoughts on this?

[thereuare]

To try for 10/22-10/24 in Manhattan do you want to try for a 4* first up to your limit, then if rejected try for a 3.5*, then if rejected try for a 3*, etc... OR is your goal the least expensive 2.5* or better for this stay (although i don't necessarily recommend bidding 2.5* in NYC... the quality from budget property to budget property differs greatly and while you may get something which works well for your needs, you might get something which doesn't, and will PRICELINE / HOTWIRE you don't get to choose which type you will get :) )

If/when we get 10/22-10/24 settled we'll look at the nite of 10/21 as LGA is only worth it, imo, if the savings are significant... better to wake up the following day ready to explore the city and have the whole day ahead of you rather then first starting to commute into the city.

Let us know regarding the star rating info 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.

[Radioflyer]

Let's go with cheapest 3-4* 10/22-10/24 in Manhattan, excluding the upper east/west side zones. I'm okay with the Hudson in CPS, or having to walk a bit to the subway from mid-town.

[thereuare]

Please confirm... did you want to include Downtown in your bidding too or are you only using the midtown zones?

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

[Radioflyer]

Please include downtown.

[thereuare]

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* CPS, Chelsea, DT, ESB, HK...

Bid $125, 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...

Bid $125, 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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, TS, MSG, MTE, HK...

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, TS, MTW ESB...

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, TS, MTW, MTE, HK...

Bid $185, if rejected add re-bid zone...

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

Select 3* CPS, Chelsea, DT, TS, MSG ESB...

Bid $185, if rejected add re-bid zone...

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

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

Bid $195, if rejected add re-bid zone...

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

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

Bid $195, if rejected add re-bid zone...

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

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

Bid $205, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $210

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.

[Radioflyer]

Thanks for the bid strategy. It worked.

3* Marcel at Gramercy Park in the ESB zone 10/22-10/24 for $195.

Should I run through the same bid strategy for 10/21 and see what I get?

[Radioflyer]

I just extended my stay to include 10/21 at the same rate.

So I got:

3* Marcel at Gramercy (ESB) 10/21-10/24 for $195

Thanks again for your help.

[thereuare]

PERFECT!

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see it all worked out well and you ultimately won't need to change hotels during your stay.

Looks like a very nice deal for this time of year and this hotel generally gets very good reviews.

If you like burgers and looking for a filling lunch or an inexpensive dinner try Jackson Hole Wyoming up the block from this hotel (on Third Ave at 35th St... east side of the street) for HUGE and delicious burgers... one of the best in the city (although service and comfort inside can be hit or miss)

Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay.