Priceline Hotel: Advice needed on NYC trip in June...

[Mrsl80]

Hi everyone! I am new to the board and new to Priceline as well. I've tried reading up on it a bit, but would still appreciate any advice.

I will be taking my 19 year old niece to NYC for a week in June (6/23 - 6/28). This will be her first trip to NYC so we will be hitting a lot of the tourist areas (I'll list a few below if it helps determine where we should stay). I am looking for suggestions on which areas I might have the best chance of getting a 3.5* or 4* room at a good rate while also remaining in a somewhat centralized location with easy access to the areas we want to vist.

A few of the main areas she wants to visit:

Central Park

Times Square

Little Italy / China Town

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Empire State Building

Bronx Zoo

...and about 100 more places, but these are the "must see" areas for her.

Preferred Rate: Under $100 per night is ideal and would be terrific, but I would imagine during the summer the odds are not good. I'm trying to avoid it, but up to $150 (including taxes and fees) per night is doable if necessary.

Questions:

1. What are the odds of getting a deal on the lower end of the $$$ spectrum and would waiting until closer to the date be the best time to begin bidding?

2. I just want to be sure I read a few things correctly. When bidding on Priceline is it correct that you can place a bid every 24 hours without changing anything about the bid? Otherwise you will need to change something such as a zone or * rating to rebid sooner? Is there a time limit one how many times you can bid on the same trip? For instance, if I start now could I keep bidding for months if I don't find something to my liking or does it make you start over at a certain point?

3. Which zones would you consider "safe" and centralized in terms of being able to walk to several of our destinations and taking buses/subways to the remaining destinations? She wants to stay in Times Square, but I think price wise it is going to be out of our range.

4. Not sure if I should post this one elsewhere, but should I begin looking for airfare now or closer to the date? I was considering using Pricelines "Name Your Price" for this as well as we are willing to depart at any time if we get a good enough deal. Right now buying roundtrip tickets at full price is about $200+ per person at most of the websites I have checked.

This may be a little off topic, but if anyone has any good links or suggestions where to get discounts on Broadway shows and other attractions on NYC it would be greatly appreciated as well. Trying to give her a great NYC experience by doing as much as we can, so discounts will mean more money for more activities!lol

I will stop here because I am already asking so many questions! Any advice would be appreciated and I completely understand that any information about getting the best deals is not a guarantee and merely opinions based on previous experience...there will be no shooting of the messenger if the advice doesn't work out! :)

Thanks in advance!

Kim

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Advice regarding which zones are best differs depending upon star rating, but at the 4* level MTE, MTW, CPS, ESB and TS generally all work well for the average users.

At the 3.5* level MTW, ESB, TS and MSG all typically work well as, well as the following with the attached caveats:

MTE - some of the hotels can be up to a 15 minute walk to the subway

CPS - has the Hudson hotel which gets decetn reviews except for their notoriously small rooms (even by NYC standards)

You'll need to decide if you want to include the above two zones or not if you choose to bid the 3.5* level.

Summer is usually a slow time in NYC but rates are currently on the high side for this time of year. I'd begin to bid, but stay near the bottom end of the expected range (i'd stay $100-$120 for a 3.5*-4* hotel... although if rates don't come down in the coming months realize you'll likely need to lower your star rating or increase your budget). Also see the related 'Bid Early or Close to Check-in' link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

Once you place a bid and that bid is rejected, that bid is 'dead' and you have to wait 24 hours if you're not willing to change any part of your bid. After 24 hours your next bid is treated as an entirely new bid and has nothing to do with your previous bid. If you haven't seen it yet you should read, learn, and ask questions about re-bidding (see Priceline Re-Bidding Explained) which enables you to get multiple bids, essentially for the same stay, all in the same bidding cycle.

I think that covers your questions above, let us know if/when you're ready to begin bidding or if the above raises any additional questions we can assist with.

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

[Mrsl80]

Thank you for the information! I'm looking to start bidding in the next few days and will continue up until a couple of weeks before the trip if I don't find anything in the range I'm hoping for. Since I have a lot of time to work with (and patience lol) I'm going to keep the bidding low as you suggested. In the beginning I think my plan will be to aim for 4* only in MTW and TS to see if I can get lucky and find a great deal. As the vacation date approaches I'll open up the search to MTE, CPS, ESB and MSG and lower it to 3.5* if necessary.

If rates don't go down I'll be able to adjust my budget a bit to make sure we're staying in a decent hotel. I've done a bit of research on NYC in June and I'm wondering if the rates are still high because the dates we're going to be there seem to coincide with Gay Pride week in NYC. I thought I picked a week without any major events, but apparently not!

I'll update as I go and will be sure to use the PRICELINE link. Thanks again!

[Romelle]

You may have done this already, but I'd suggest a trip to your local library for an armload of guide books. When you've browsed these thoroughly, then you could purchase your favorite(s) to take with you. There is a link here under the Support/Travel Links to Amazon. I seem to usually end up with Lonely Planet guide books as I like their maps and detail, although there are many other good ones. The LP books are somewhat more geared to younger travelers so might work with your niece.

To add to your probably-already-too-long list is a Harbor tour, seeing the Statue of Liberty?

Romelle

[Mrsl80]

Romelle,

I saw someone else mention the Lonely Planet guide books, so I think I will pick one up for the trip. I've been to NYC several times, but always with a friend who lives in Manhattan and acted as a tour guide. It's going to be a completely different experience trying to find my way around without someone familiar with the area tagging along as we'll only be doing lunch with my friend and maybe visiting a few attractions with her while we're there. I'll need all of the maps and guides that I can get!lol

We will definitely be doing a Harbour tour and seeing the Statue of Liberty. You are right...the list is long! We'll be doing the typical tourist stuff, but I also want to find time to squeeze in a night at Club Wha? and possibly one of the random NY punk rock tours, which she would love. They will be doing Shakespeare In The Park during our stay as well, but I'm not sure if she will want to wait in long lines to get tickets. We'll figure that one out later. :)

I actually found some information on The New York Pass at http://www.newyorkpass.com/attractions that covers 55+ attractions. I'm going to go over the list with my niece and determine if we'll be visiting a majority of the locations listed and whether it will save money to purchase the passes.

Kim

[BobC]

If you are looking to go to a broadway show - you can often get seats for as low as $20 with "rush" seats or lottery seats - read the article at the link below - It gives you the details on how to get these cheap seats for each popular show on Broadway...

http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/arti...m-Only-Policies

[Mrsl80]

Thanks BobC! I bookmarked it and will give it a shot. We'll definitely be going to at least one Broadway show while we're there. We both compromise and agreed on "American Idiot", but I was also partial to "Wicked" and "Jersey Boys", so we might just do a second show if we can get good deals. I was planning on around $75 per ticket, so anything less would be terrific.

[AaronJB]

I haven't used it personally, but there's also this pass program (the link to the NYC card is along the top of the page at the link.)

Gocard NYC

[thereuare]

Viator has lots of things to do in the city as well.

[dahammer]

You might also want to check out the High Line Park. Also, when visiting Central Park, you could see it on a bike, check out Cycle Central Park Inc. for cheap bike rentals.

[Mrsl80]

It's been awhile since I commented on my original post. Since we like to keep everything together in the same post I thought I would respond and state that I am ready to begin bidding and I am hoping for some assistance with a good bidding strategy based on my preferred zones and budget (which has increased a bit). We'll be buying metro card to handle most of our transportation needs so we would like to be somewhat close to subway stations. We're hoping to stay in a hotel that has restaurants and diners nearby to grab a quick bite for breakfast and/or lunch. Hopefully most areas will have something like this nearby.

Ideally when would be the best time to have the hotel booked? I'm afraid of waiting too long, so I thought bidding through mid-May (if neccessary) would be the latest I would want to risk it because of the length of stay I am requesting. I am also willing to use Hotwire if this is something you think I should consider as well, but for now I will stick with Priceline. I'm still checking around at actual hotel websites and other discount sites (airfare was pruchased through Orbitz) just to shop around, but I think Priceline or Hotwire is going to give me the best discount.

Length of Stay: 6/23 - 6/28 (5 nights)

Budget: $1000 (so $200 pe night including tax and fees), but would love to keep it closer to $150 - $175 per night if possible.

Star Rating: 4 star hotel only (willing to downgrade to 3.5* closer to our arrival date if bidding doesn't work out for a 4* hotel)

Preferred Zones:Midtown West

Times Square

Midtown East

Acceptable Zones:Central Park South

Chelsea Area

Madison Square Garden - Convention Area

Empire State Building Area

I'm looking forward to getting started and would appreciate assistance with the bidding strategy. I'll be sure to use the Priceline and/or HOTWIRE links when I do my bidding.

[AaronJB]

Summer is generally a slower time of year in NYC due to the heat, although it's not the slowest time of the year (that would be Jan-early March.) Late June may fall on the boundary of the slower period (which is generally July-August), but rates should not likely be too bad during this period unless there's a convention or event taking place.

You can try bidding for TS, but I do recommend the surrounding zones more, which are usually cheaper and less hectic. The surrounding zones (MTE, CPS, ESB and to some degree MTW, which can be expensive at times too) generally are cheaper and still offer easy access to TS. Personally, I like the East side (MTE/ESB) and would look to stay in either of those zones if I were to go on a trip to NYC.

There is no way to know for sure whether or not rates will cool off as it gets closer to the hotter Summer months. While late June is generally a slower period, if traffic comes in above expectations rates could stay around current levels. While no one has won hotels for your exact dates, there have been wins during part of of the period in CPS/MTW for around $130-150, as you can see in the site's Calendar of Wins.

Personally, I do believe you have time to try bidding up to a lower level for a while to see if reasonably priced inventory comes online for these dates. I'd start at $105 for a 4* in TS/MTE/ESB/MTW/CPS and work up by $5's to $135. I'd try heading up to $135 once a week for 2-3 weeks (the end of March) and if $135 is not being accepted for a 4* in these zones, then I'd bump up the ceiling and continue trying.

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

[Mrsl80]

Thanks for the advice, Aaron! I'd actually prefer MTW or ESB over TS from what I have read. TS is more for my niece. I'd rather be away from the action and just close enough to walk or take a quick cab ride over. I'll start bidding as you suggested. Last night I bid every zone on my list (Preferred and Acceptable) and went up to $165/night with no luck. It may still be too soon so I'll keep at it every day.

Kim

[Mrsl80]

I've been taking a look at Hotwire today and if something interesting pops up that I want to go for I wanted to confirm if I should post here fpr help figuring out what hotel it might be or should I post in the Hotwire forum?

[AaronJB]

Please post in this thread and I'd be very happy to help try to ID. Surprised $165 wasn't taken; may just be a bit far in advance.

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

[Mrsl80]

Still no luck with bidding yet, but I am trying daily. I did have a question as I was considering expanding my search to another zone. How is the Hell's Kitchen area viewed these days? Is there nearby public transportation and is it a relatively safe area? The name turns people off, but to my knowledge the area is nothing at all like it was back in the day. I'm just trying to determine the pros/cons of the area to see if I should add it to the search.

Right now I am bidding for hotels in MTW, MTE, TS, EPS, CPS and Chelsea. I hate to say it, but I have avoided the SoHo/Financial district so far as I'd like to avoid potentially ending up near Ground Zero - some of the hotels have a view (from what I have read) and that is not something I want to wake up to each morning and start the day off saddened by it. The fact it that has become some sort of tourist attraction under the guise of people "paying their respects" does not sit well with me. :)

Kim

[AaronJB]

UES/UWS and Downtown/Soho would not be zones I'd recommend from a location standpoint, as well. ESB/Chelsea/MSG/TS/MTW/CPS/MTE are fine.

The issue with Hell's Kitchen is that there are barely any hotels that fall within the zone, and only one (the 4* Ink48) has been reported to the board. It's unknown which of the few other hotels (the only other one that comes to mind is the Skyline, which may be 2.5-3*?) participate with the service.

There are probably a handful (at most) of hotels in all within this area. Actually now that I look at the zone in detail and compare it to google maps, I question whether there is anything besides the Ink48 and Skyline in this zone.

I didn't think it was a bad area when I walked through it when I last visited NYC, but it's been a few years. The nearby Intrepid Museum is absolutely well worth seeing in general, as well.

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

[Mrsl80]

Thanks Aaron! I'll stick with the zones I have been searching since there is not a lot known about the area in terms of potential hotels.

I was planning on checking out the Intrepid Museum and it is one of the attractions on the New York Pass so it will work out well. Still trying to decide on a 3 or 7 day pass. Ah...decisions, decisions!

[AaronJB]

Happy to help! Thank you for keeping us updated and for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches. Please let us know if you have additional hotel/city questions.

[Mrsl80]

Thanks Aaron! I am still on the hunt. I've found a hotel I am really interested in (Affinia Dumont) and their rack rates are not much higher than my budget, so I will be keeping an eye on their rates to see if they decrease slightly. I'm getting a little nervous now about room selection because I have read some hotels offer a single double bed, which is going to be quite uncomfortable for two people.

I'm not sure if anyone has used QuikBook.com before (I'm a bit leery of it) but while browsing for low rates I came across this website. The have a handy little map of NY that has a list of hotels that I thought might be useful. I'm sure their zones may be broken up differently and it definitely isn't every single hotel available, but I thought I would share it for the hotel name list alone. QuikBook.com NYC Map

[Mrsl80]

Has anyone had luck with this lesser known discount site? They have a midtown west 4* hotel with hidden name for $695 + tax for 5 nights (6/23 - 6/28) and a midtown/murray hill for $859 + tax, also 4*. I am a little nervous due to lack of info about Quikbook. Any opinions?

[thereuare]

Quikbook has been around for awhile and is legit in the sense that it's not a scam or that they're going to 'rip you off', although i can't comment on the star rating accuracy of their opaque hotels (ie- if the 4* you receive will more likely be a 'true' 4* or if the rating may be closer to 3.5* or 3*)

As far as their map goes, I'd sooner recommend our own MAPSandHOTELS.com since it would be easier to see the actual location of the hotel and then compare to the PRICELINE zone/boundaries :)

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

[Mrsl80]

I'm sorry, I wasn't implying your map was not accurate. In fact, I trust the info here more than the other sites! I just shared the link for hotel names. There were a few listed that I haven't seen before...you never know when they might pop uo on PL or HW.

As for the ratings, that is what concern me. I am going to do some comparisons tonight. I know they have Affinia Dumont as 3.5* and it's now a 4* on PL and I think one opaque I found may have been the Shoreham at $139/night. Not sure if I am ready to take the risk on this other site.lol

[AaronJB]

I'm sorry, I wasn't implying your map was not accurate. In fact, I trust the info here more than the other sites! I just shared the link for hotel names. There were a few listed that I haven't seen before...you never know when they might pop uo on PL or HW.

As for the ratings, that is what concern me. I am going to do some comparisons tonight. I know they have Affinia Dumont as 3.5* and it's now a 4* on PL and I think one opaque I found may have been the Shoreham at $139/night. Not sure if I am ready to take the risk on this other site.lol

Star ratings do vary from service-to-service. I do think you should be able to get a good deal via HOTWIRE or especially PRICELINE, but it may take some tries over a period of weeks.

Thank you for keeping us updated and please do let us know if you have any questions at all.

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

[Mrsl80]

Well, after all of this I just decided to bite the bullet using QuikBook for my stay at $695+tax. It was listed as a 4 star deluxe midtown west boutique hotel. I will find out the hotel name within 24 hours and post it here to close out this thread. We realized we needed to get it booked sooner rather than later to determine how much more we need to set aside for the "fun stuff".

I really appreciate all of the help provided here and will definitely use Better Bidding for future bookings...it just didn't work out for the NYC stay because I have to plan things out so far in advance. We'll be hitting other parts of Florida later in the year and I will be using Priceline or Hotwire for the bookings as we can wait until the last minute and vary our dates since we will be driving.