Davin21 Posted October 5, 2010 Report Posted October 5, 2010 I'm looking to stay ideally in the empire state building area between the 18th and 21st october at a 4* staying in a dual occupancy room, and can go as far as $250 per night (including all taxes etc). I would also be prepared to stay in midtown east, but I figure that since there are so many other areas that are < 4* that it would be best to use them as my rebids rather than settling for an area which I would not like as much? This is my first time in NYC and so would like to be as close to the action as possible :)I've not yet bid on priceline (or hotwire) and mostly understand how it works but a little confused as to how many rebids I can actually have? Is it that they keep going as long as I change the zone or star rating? what I'm most confused by is what actually constitutes a good deal and how to start bidding (as I would really like to have this all wrapped up by the end of the week as I won't be able to go online after that), and although I could go up to the $250 per night I would like to go as far below this as possible!Any help would be massively appreciated, and thanks in advance :)
thereuare Posted October 6, 2010 Report Posted October 6, 2010 Welcome to BetterBidding!The ESB zone is certainly centrally located enough, but not sure if i would consider it where 'all the action' is located. I think you'll also find that with mass transit easily accessible and fairly inexpensive (buy an unlimited day or multi-day metrocard) most central areas work well for the average visitor. At the 4* level MTE, MTW, CPS, TS and ESB should all work out fine, and given that rates are high for your dates, i'd suggest including all zones which you find acceptable in order to increase your chances of success. (ie- giving more hotels the ability to accept your bid) If you ultimately need to lower your star rating then i might suggest other areas and eliminating some of the above, but at the 4* level all of the above should be fine. However, ultimately it's your stay (and budget) so you need to bid whatever areas you think you'll be ok with.Let us know your thoughts on the zone 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. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
Davin21 Posted October 6, 2010 Author Report Posted October 6, 2010 Thanks!To answer your question ESB, MTE were what we thought would be ideal, with TS and CPS being backup choices, but as you probably have a far greater knowledge than us any input on what would put us in the heart of things would be greatly appreciated :)Ultimately we'd like to stay in ESB MTE if there's any chance of getting a 4* for sub $250 there, and if this isn't possible then we'd extend further into TS / CPS. In terms of lowering our star rating this isn't something I'd really like to do, as we may not be able to come back to the states for quite a while, and so while we're in new york we'd like to stay in the nicest place possible (and if this means pushing our budget then so be it)If you have any inkling as to where in any of the four areas I've mentioned above is likely to give us the nicest hotel (and I do appreciate that this is quite subjective, but any input would be great) and would require a slight increase in budget then we'd like to start with that, as getting a nicer hotel is more important than paying the cheapest price (although it would be nice to have both :))Sorry to re-ask but could you please clarify how many rebids you can have (assuming I continually add new regions on?) before waiting the 3 day period on prcieline?Massive thanks,Davin.
thereuare Posted October 6, 2010 Report Posted October 6, 2010 Currently when bidding 4* in NYC you have FIVE re-bid zones, but you can use the permutation method to bid plenty more then just 5 times, so i wouldn't worry about that aspect. (we'll get into more detail of permutations once we suggest a bidding strategy)Rates are currently high for these dates and i'm guessing that it will take at least $275 (possibly more) for a 4* hotel. I would be fine with any 4* hotel in any of the zones you're bidding, but also mention that you're not bidding MTW (in either your first or second round of bidding) which would put you 'in the thick of things', although also has the 4* Sheraton New York which has gotten mixed reviews in the past (although most recently reviews are greatly improved) so you can decide if you want to include this area or not.I'll re-iterate that i wouldn't pay more to be in ESB or MTE vs. CPS or TS... any should work out fine for your plans, but it's your money so if you only want to start with ESB and MTE you can give it a shot...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.(NOTE: 're-bid zone1' is not the same as priceline's Zone1, 're-bid zone2' is not the same as priceline's Zone2, etc, etc)Select 4* MTE...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone2...Bid $180, if rejected add re-bid zone3...Bid $190, if rejected add re-bid zone4...Bid $195, if rejected add re-bid zone5...Bid $200, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* ESB...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone2...Bid $180, if rejected add re-bid zone3...Bid $190, if rejected add re-bid zone4...Bid $195, if rejected add re-bid zone5...Bid $200, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* MTE and ESB...Bid $205, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $210, if rejected add re-bid zone2...Bid $215, if rejected add re-bid zone3...Bid $220, if rejected add re-bid zone4...Bid $225, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* MTE and ESB and re-bid zone5...Bid $230, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $235, if rejected add re-bid zone2...Bid $240, if rejected add re-bid zone3...Bid $245, if rejected add re-bid zone4...Bid $250Any questions feel free to ask. (especially regarding confirming your re-bid zones)Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Good luck and let us know how it goes. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
Davin21 Posted October 6, 2010 Author Report Posted October 6, 2010 That is fantastic :)I'll have a look at MTW to see if it's got more of what I'm looking, and thanks for the advice about the sheraton.Regarding the gaps between the bids you've advised, does priceline monitor how much you go up by each time? This probably is a stupid thought, but I don't want them to think that my budget is higher as I am prepared to increase my bid by more each time (i.e. if I increased by $1 per time they would assume I am a lot less price flexible than if I were to hypothetically increase by $50 per time?)Presumably adding a higher price average region onto the bid when your lower price offer means that you are more likely to get a hotel offered at the lower price region? As i've probably explained that badly the following example might make it clearer:Start with MTE (average price according to priceline is $284) I put in an offer of say $160 and get rejectedAfter adding rebid zones, I then include TS (average price $304) put in an offer of day $180 and get accepted. I presume that as the difference between my accepted $180 and the average price is lowest in MTE that is where the hotel I would win would be? (i.e. price difference between offer and average is $104 in MTE and $124 in TS)?The $275 figure is a bit higher than I was hoping for, but fingers crossed with that awesome strategy I'll be able to whack it down - I'll give it a go later and let you know how it goes...Thanks again, and I'll be sure to recommend this awesome site to everyone I ever speak to again!Davin.
thereuare Posted October 6, 2010 Report Posted October 6, 2010 Regarding the gaps between the bids you've advised, does priceline monitor how much you go up by each time?No, it doesn't work that way. As well, the hotel with the lowest price in the zone isn't necessarily the hotel which would accept the lowest bid. Generally speaking, you should ignore the suggested retail provided by PRICELINE... it's not entirely accurate and not very useful in composing a bidding strategy.The sub-$200 bids have a very low probability of success based upon current prices, but i've included just to exhaust the possibility as you never know when a hotel might have a much lower then expected rate available or left a rate available too long after prices have risen.Thanks again, and I'll be sure to recommend this awesome site to everyone I ever speak to again!We'll expect to see your barber, the guy in the tollbooth, your local starbucks employees, etc around the board soon :) Thanks for helping to spread the word about BetterBidding :) Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
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