Priceline Hotel: NYC 4* - 5/11-5/17

[schren]

Hi everyone,

I just booked my flight to NYC (5/11-5/17) and after spending a lot of time here I finally registered and I'm ready ready to make my first bid on priceline. :)

My max budget is 150$/night without tax. I'm looking for a 4* hotel in the following zones:

Times Square, Midtown west, Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden. (at least I think these are the best zones to be centrally located - any advice is really appreciated)

As I'm traveling with a friend we'd like 2 separate beds if possible. I understand you cannot chose that option on priceline, but it is possible to contact the hotel after your winning bid and kindly ask. Is that correct? Any experience on how "considerate" hotels are when you're a priceline customer?

So what should my bidding strategy look like? Of course I'll use your PRICELINE link to start bidding!

Thanks in advance for any help/advice :)

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

There are no 4* hotels in the MSG zone so you can't include that in your bidding. For the average visitor at the 4* level i typically recommend MTE, MTW, TS, CPS and ESB... is there a reason you're not considering MTE and/or CPS in your bidding?

After you win a hotel you can call the hotel and request a room with two beds, but in NYC this can be tougher then in most others areas as space is considered such a premium and rooms are often smaller than usual. In fact there are many properties where rooms with 2 beds are considered an upgrade. If separate beds is a must, rather than a want, you could consider HOTWIRE and search for quad occupancy, but i would suspect you'd see the price jump when adding quad occupancy vs. double occupancy.

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

Thanks in advance for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases (and searches too!)

[schren]

First of all: happy new year :)

There isn't actually a good reason why I left out MTE or CPS. So you're probably right, let's include both in my bidding strategy.

I don't think a room with quad occupancy is an option, I still need some money for shopping. Just would have been nice to have my own bed, but certainly not a must.

[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.

Select 4* MTE, MTW, TS, ESB, CPS...

Bid $125, 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 add re-bid zone...

Bid $150

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.