angel85 Posted January 4, 2011 Report Posted January 4, 2011 Hi everybody, I'm planning to go to NY in march, it will be our first trip and we have a budget of 130$/night for a 3.5-4* hotel.I already tried bidding on priceline with no succes (up to 120$ for 3.5* in all Manhattan areas).Honestly I don't really know the different areas in NY and as hotel prices are usually very high there, so I was wondering if it's possible to get a win on priceline and how?Thanks for your help (and sorry if my english isn't that good I'm german :) )
thereuare Posted January 4, 2011 Report Posted January 4, 2011 Welcome to BetterBidding!First, i woudln't necessarily be bidding 'all areas' of Manhattan as there are some zones which are less convenient then others.Based upon current rates i think you may need to bump your budget just a little (to $145 or less) to increase your chances of a 3.5* or better hotel for this stay... otherwise you can probably get something at the 3* level within your current budget). If your budget is flexible, i'll also add that there is a 4* hotel offered on HOTWIRE priced somewhat less than the other 4* offerings at $159/nite... so while more than your current budget, it does seem like a good deal relative to the other 4* hotels (which are all $200+/nite for these dates) it may be something to consider if you have some room within your budget.Let us know your thoughts as to how (re: star ratings and budget) you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there and discuss the best zones given the parameters you choose.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. (please click this PRICELINE link before replying) Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
angel85 Posted January 4, 2011 Author Report Posted January 4, 2011 Thanks for the answer and I used the PRICELINE link :)I guess I could get up to 140$ for a 3.5 ou 4* hotel, but the 159$ offer on hotwire is too expensive for me.As to the 3* hotels I'm a bit afraid of being dissapointed by the win but I guess I would try this option if I don't get anything else (for 110$ max or isn't that enough?).Actually, in the first place I thought of getting a hotel in Long Island as they are much cheaper, but changed my mind then because it just seemed to be too far from Manahttan. I think the best zones for us would be around Midtown, a friend told me that Times Square and Broadway are best.
thereuare Posted January 4, 2011 Report Posted January 4, 2011 Ideally you do want to stay in Manhattan as it will be a much better experience than staying in Long Island and commuting in. One of the lures of Manhattan (and most cities) is the convenience factor... you can walk out of your hotel room and have just about anything at your fingertips or a short cab, subway or walk away.I didn't re-look at rates for a 3* but iirc $110 is not likely going to be enough... so let's try for the 3.5* up to $140 first and take it from there.At the 3.5* level the following zones usually work out well for the average user:MSG, MTW, TSThe following zones may or may not work at the 3.5* level depending upon your needs:MTE - some hotels are up to a 15 minute walk to the subwayCPS - has the Hudson Hotel which gets decent reviews except for the notoriously small rooms (even by NYC standards)Let us know which zones at the 3.5* level you're willing to accept (or ask any questions regarding the above) and we'll then 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
angel85 Posted January 4, 2011 Author Report Posted January 4, 2011 Yes thanks for confirming what I was assuming, now I'm sure that I definitely want to stay in Manhattan... MSG, MTW, TS would be great, MTE is absolutely fine, too. I don't mind walking 15 minutes.On the contrary, I prefer not to bid for CPS and the Hudson Hotel.And I also thought of including Chelsea, Hells Kitchen and ESB. Or not? What would be your advice ?
AaronJB Posted January 4, 2011 Report Posted January 4, 2011 Chelsea and ESB are both very nice areas of the city and do have their share of well-regarded properties (especially a couple of the 4*'s in the ESB area). Hell's Kitchen is a newer zone that I believe was added last Fall, but no wins have yet been reported to the board there. There are few hotels in the area, and the hotels that are there (the Ink48 and Skyline are the only two that come to mind) may not all participate in bidding.Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.
thereuare Posted January 5, 2011 Report Posted January 5, 2011 ESB should be fine... the 'problem' with Chelsea is that we just don't have a lot of bidding history and the zone goes somewhat far west, so less predictability in what you might get and where in the zone it may be located.If you want to try for a 3.5* up to $140 in the MSG, MTW, TS, MTE and ESB zones i would begin with the following (if you decide you want to include Chelsea in the bidding too you can add it to the first line of each of the bids below):At the 3.5* level in NYC you have THREE 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 3.5* MSG and MTW and ESB (and Chelsea?)...Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $110, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3.5* TS and MTE...Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $110, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3.5* MSG and MTW and TS (and Chelsea?)...Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3.5* ESB and MTE...Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3.5* MSG and MTW and ESB and TS and MTE (and Chelsea?)...Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $138, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $140Any 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. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
angel85 Posted January 5, 2011 Author Report Posted January 5, 2011 Hi, thanks for the strategy, I followed it as described.At $130 it got a counteroffer for $165 but I continued bidding until $140 and my offer was refused...So I guess I'll just book a hotel in a classic way... Or is it worth waiting some days and trying to rebid?
AaronJB Posted January 6, 2011 Report Posted January 6, 2011 I'd say it's worth waiting and trying again once a week until about the end of the month, and then you may want to start looking for alternative options. March is generally - unless something's going on - not a terribly busy time - so I'd keep trying with the discount services. Do keep us updated and let us know if you have any questions.Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.
thereuare Posted January 6, 2011 Report Posted January 6, 2011 Where, and how much, is your back-up hotel which you would book direct?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
angel85 Posted January 6, 2011 Author Report Posted January 6, 2011 I also thought that there's nothing special going in in march and prices would be less expensive, that's why I chose this month (and even my flight is much cheaper in march than the following months... :) )I haven't chosen a backup hotel yet, but I was thinking of 2 solutions:- maybe taking an apartment : Woogo Central Park (there's an offer on lastminute) or Metro apartments- or a 2-3* hotel but I would at least like to have a private bathroom. In a recent research I fond some offers for the Gershwin Hotel, the Lotus hotel (which offers a room with 1/2 bathroom), the Grand Union...My max budget for those hotels is 600
thereuare Posted January 6, 2011 Report Posted January 6, 2011 It is possible that lower priced inventory opens up in the days/weeks ahead... or rates can go even higher then they are currently. See the 'bid early or close to check-in' link in our PRICELINE FAQ for more info.Best course of action would be to book something which is fully refundable up until a few days before your stay... then at least you know you have a place to stay which is acceptable to you while you continue to try PRICELINE / HOTWIRE in the weeks ahead.Renting apartments can be hit or miss and you also need to be very careful of who you are dealing with, as well as if there are any cleaning fees associated with your stay which can quickly add $20-$30/nite onto your cost of a 5 nite stay (and if there are no cleaning fees who cleaned the unit since the last guest :) ). As well, if something should go wrong there is little recourse and nobody to turn to for help, you're almost at the mercy of the apartment owner. My .02Please 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
angel85 Posted January 9, 2011 Author Report Posted January 9, 2011 Thank u all for the advices!I'll keep you updated if I win anything on priceline.But I start thinking of moving my trip to june, which will let me the time to save some money and getting a better hotel then... :)
AaronJB Posted January 9, 2011 Report Posted January 9, 2011 I would definitely read the tripadvisor reviews of the Woogo properties - they tend to get negative/very negative reviews.You could try bidding once a week to see if any inventory has opened up.Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.
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