Priceline Hotel: 3 rooms NY midtown 01/01/2011-01/05/2011

[michaela50]

Hello,

we are family from the Netherlands (Europe) and are looking for 3 rooms in a 3 star or better Hotel. (arrival 01-01-2011 and departure 01-05-2011.)

We would like to stay in: Times Square, midtown west or east or madison square garden. We looked for prices at hotwire.com and priceline.com

What will be the best strategy? What will be a realistic bid per room?

Is there someone who could give us advise?

Thank You!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

How many guests in total will there be? Are you willing to pay more for a higher rated hotel OR is your goal the least expensive 3* or better for this stay? What is your expected budget?

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

[michaela50]

Hi,

we are with 6 or 7 adults, our goal is the least expensive 3* or better.

Our budget is about $ 110,- per room.

Thanks for your help.

[thereuare]

Two more things before suggesting a strategy...

1) if you end up being 7 adults, 3 rooms could be a problem. PRICELINE only guarantees double occupancy and this could be a room with only one bed. While you can request a room with two beds, in NYC this can be more difficult then in other areas as there are a high percentage of rooms with only one bed and rooms with two beds can often be considered an upgrade.

2) At the 3.5* level in the MTE zone there are some hotels which can be up to a 15 minute walk to the subway, would this be acceptable?

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.

[michaela50]

Hi,

5- 10 minutes walk to the subway is no problem, 15 minutes is just a bit to long.

Meanwhile we know for sure that we are travelling with 7 adults.

Would it be better to bid for 4 rooms, or take the risk for an upgrade?

Thanks for your help!

[thereuare]

5- 10 minutes walk to the subway is no problem, 15 minutes is just a bit to long.

Then i wouldn't bid the MTE zone.

Meanwhile we know for sure that we are travelling with 7 adults.

Would it be better to bid for 4 rooms, or take the risk for an upgrade?

This would be something that you and the group need to decide if you're willing to take the risk, but i don't recommend it in NYC given the notoriously small rooms and high percentage of rooms with only one bed... in a family friendly area such as Orlando which is used to catering to families it's a different story, but not in NYC, imo.

Another option would be HOTWIRE where you can search for up to quad occupancy per room... although searching for more than double occupancy will likely increase the room rate beyond your $100 budget.

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

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

[michaela50]

Hi,

we skip the MTE zone and we are going to bid on 4 rooms!

Thanks so far.

[thereuare]

So to confirm you're looking for a 3* or better hotel in the TS, MTW or MSG zones with a maximum bid of $110. If this is correct...

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* MSG...

Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* MTW...

Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* TS...

Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* MSG and MTW...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $100, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* MSG and TS...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $100, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* MSG and MTW and TS...

Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $110

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.

[michaela50]

Hi,

I used your strategy, but my $110 highest bid has been refused.

Probably 01/01/2011 is the problem because this hotelnight is much more expensive then the other nights I saw on Hotwire.

Do you have other tips?

Thanks

[AaronJB]

If you can extend your budget a bit further, I'd try bidding up to $125 (if $110 is not accepted, then try $115, then if that's not accepted $120. If that's not accepted, $125.) While some of the possibilities are a bit of a walk, you could also try MTE up to $110.

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

[thereuare]

Assuming you're arriving by plane, what time and which airport are you arriving in to on 1/1/11?

Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option?

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