Hotwire Hotel: 3* NYC (Chelsea-MSG) Holiday Inn Express Madison Square Garden

[monkeysee]

Hi,

Love the forum and the great deals. Now I need some strategy for getting a NYC hotel for a Dutch friend visiting NYC for first time

Dates: 11/16 Tuesday - 11/20 Saturday

Star: 4* ideally

Price range: $200 but would love to get something for $150 for less because after adding taxes etc I like to pay less than $200 per night (I see that MTE Hyatt and MTW Hilton have gone for mid-100s)

Location/zones: flexible since it is NYC the home of great public transport, but ideally around near flatiron/gramercy so Midtown East or perhaps Chelsea (I don't know much about Fashion 26, the only 4* listed for Chelsea) are probably first choices, while Empire State Building, Midtown West, and Central Park South are OK. If pressed, I would also consider Downtown-SoHo-Financial District (for 60 Thompson, Soho Grand or Tribeca Grand, but Andaz is in Wall Street area so that's not a convenient location) or Madison Square Garden (but I don't recognize any of the hotels in MSG, none of which are 4* in any case). I would like to avoid Times Square even though it's very convenient because it's too loud, bright and touristy, but then again I don't know any of the 4* hotels there so maybe it's ok after all as a last resort.

Thanks so much!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Are you willing to pay more to be in your first choice(s) of zone vs. your second choice(s) of zone... or is the least expensive 4* in any of the acceptable zones the goal for this stay?

A first glance at current rates i'm guessing a 4* hotel is going to be out of your budget, but let us know your parameters and how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[monkeysee]

I don't have particular 4* hotels in mind, so finding the least expensive hotel in any acceptance zone is the goal.

Of course, if my budget is unrealistic, I will move up somewhat or go to plan B (3.5*), so if it's not too much trouble, please also consider what would be an appropriate bidding strategy if I go w/ plan B.

Ideally, I want 4 nights in the same hotel, but I understand that it may be easier to get a hotel if I split the bid (since my date range covers both cheaper Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday weeknights and more expensive(?) Friday night.

Thanks!

[thereuare]

At the moment, i'm guessing a 4* will run you about $225-$250... a 3.5* about $200.

Depending upon your needs perhaps one of the better values is the 3* on HOTWIRE for $152/nite with:

Complimentary Breakfast, Fitness, Business, Internet

Best guess for this property is the Holiday Inn Express Madison Square Garden. While it is lower rated than the properties above, it does have a good location, includes breakfast, and has a very good 95% recommended by HOTWIRE user and a solid 4.0/5.0 Tripadvisor rating. For the price, it seems like a pretty good deal given the high ratings, but at the same time, you shouldn't have the same expectations as you would at a 4* hotel.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly. If you'd like to move forward with PRICELINE, let us know exactly which zone(s) you're willing to accept at each star level and your maximum bid.

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

[monkeysee]

Thanks for the Hotwire suggestion. That's a good fallback if I can't get a better deal on Priceline. The 4* zones I can accept are MTE, Chelsea, MTW, Empire State Building, and Madison Square Garden.

[thereuare]

What is your maximum bid at the 4* level? At the 3.5* level?

Did you want to bid up to your maximum at the 4* level before trying for a 3.5* property OR is the goal the least expensive 3.5* or better for this stay?

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

[monkeysee]

I am willing to get the 4* at/below my 4* maximum bid level. Getting a 3.5* at/below my 3.5* max bid is a fallback.

For now, maximum bid is 200 for 4*. For 3.5* I am not sure what the right discount (to 4*) level should be, but I would start with $150 as the max for 3.5*.

Thanks!

[thereuare]

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: MSG doesn't currently offer 4* hotels so we're not including this in the strategy)

Select 4* MTE and MTW...

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

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

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

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $145, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* Chelsea and ESB...

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

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

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

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $145, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* MTE and MTW and Chelsea...

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 close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* MTE and MTW and ESB...

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 close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* MTE, Chelsea, MTW and ESB...

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

Bid $180, if rejected add re-bid zone...

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

Bid $190, if rejected add re-bid zone...

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

Bid $200

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.

[monkeysee]

Great. I'll start applying the strategy. One last question: for 4* in New York City, the free re-bid zones are:

Long Island City (3* is top rating)

Upper East Side (3* top)

Brooklyn (3.5* top)

Coney Island (top rating is ???)

Hell's Kitchen (top rating is ???)

[Madison Square Garden also if it were included in the 4* strategy since its top rated hotel is 3.5*?]

[thereuare]

At the moment Chelsea is not a re-bid zones (and DON'T use the hotel lists to determine your re-bid zones!!!) You need to know how to determine your re-bid zones on your own since they need to be checked before every bidding cycle to make sure that nothing has changed since you last checked. See this thread: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained for the correct method to determine your re-bid zones.

If you're confused by the previous link just post back and we'll break it down for you.

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

[monkeysee]

I tried the entire 4* strategy (occasionally I upped the bid level by $5 or $10 above yoru suggested levels). No success, so even at $200 bidding for MTE, MTW, ESB and Chelsea plus 5 free re-bid zones I had no luck. Even though I am thus far unsuccessful, thanks so much for providing a methodical strategy.

[i checked the free rebid zones on Priceline for a 4* strategy and they are/were: Brooklyn, Coney Island, Long Island City, Madison Square Garden and Upper East Side. For a 3.5* strategy, Brooklyn and Madison Square Garden fall off the free rebid list because they currently indicate 3.5* rated hotels.]

What should I do next?

(1) My date range is for 4 nights, but I am willing to try just the first 2 nights (Tuesday and Wednesday nights, so presumably cheaper on average than the full 4-night range through Friday night?). Do I have to wait 24 hours to do a 2-night 4* strategy or can I go in Priceline and do it now? (Should I stick with price range of $150 preferred and $200 tops or should I raise it a bit higher?) If it works, then I'll need to go in and execute the same strategy for the last 2 nights.

(2) If I am willing to go down to 3.5* , what would you recommend as the strategy? Assume my preferred zones are still MTE, ESB, and also MTW, Chelsea (and I will also add Central Park South since it's not that far from Flatiron/Gramercy area). Not sure how much I should adjust my price point for 3.5* versus 4*, but is a reduction of $25 (or even $50?) off my 4* price range about right?

[thereuare]

If you decide to SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID, unless your plans don't allow for it, i would sooner try to get 3 nites on your first purchase rather than two. Therefore, bidding the following date combinations:

11/16-11/19

11/17-11/20

if each of the above are rejected then try:

11/18-11/20

11/16-11/18

Whether your next step is to SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID or increase your bid is up to you, depending upon how flexible your budget is and/or how much of an inconvenience you consider changing hotels mid-stay to be. However, note that at the 3.5* level in the MTE some of the hotels can be as much as a 15 minute walk to the subway, which is fine for some but too far for others, so you'll need to consider your own outlook on a 15 minute walk if you want to include this zone in any 3.5* bidding.

Similarly, you'll have to consider just how much extra a 4* or 3.5* is worth to you, given the well reviewed MSG-Chelsea property currently offered for just $145/nite... an extra $75/nite savings can go towards something extra special to do in the city that you might have otherwise not have considered (ie- extra fancy dinner, bottle of wine at dinner you wouldn't have otherwise considered, overpriced drinks at a bar with a view of the city, etc, etc)

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll try to assist further.

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

[monkeysee]

Thanks.

I tried one more time on PRICELINE using only the first 3 nights, using the rebidding strategy. No luck w/ anything up to $205.

So I took your suggestion and went to HOTWIRE and got the Holiday Inn Express MSG for the first 2 nights for $139/night (with taxes etc it came out to about $375 for 2 nights).

(I see that someone else got the same hotel through a Priceline bidding strategy for only $114 a night, so maybe I'll try that next before going to HOTWIRE for the final 2 nights that I need.)

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your (partial) success!

Given the costs of the higher rated hotels i think this property is a very good value for these dates.

Do note that if you try PRICELINE for the remaining nites of your stay, this property is 2.5* rated thru that service, and you could end up with a different 2.5* property... one which isn't as well rated as this one.

Please start a NEW TOPIC for the remaining nites of your trip.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[JF1980]

I'm actually looking into this particular hotel and thought it was a 3*, but the title of this thread says its a 4*?!?!? Please confirm

[thereuare]

This property is 3* rated on HOTWIRE... 2.5* rated on PRICELINE.

If you'd like help with your own stay please start a NEW TOPIC.

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