Priceline Hotel: 4* NYC (MTE) InterContinental Barclay

[sagi]

Hi,

I will be visiting NYC for the first time from Apr 18th to Apr 22th.

I am looking for a decent central hotel. I don't have any particular zone preferences (again, my first time).

My budget is about $150/night (can be stretched a little if it is really worth it). So far I failed to bid for 4* hotels in TS/MTE/MTW/ESB up to $160 (tried 2 days in a row, adding one zone at a time). Should I be worrying about lowering my bid to 3* hotels?

Any help with a bidding strategy, recommended zone for a first timer and any other tips will be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Sagi

[AaronJB]

I think you're probably not massively far from a 4* win in these zones, which may take $175-190 in MTE/ESB, but probably higher than that in MTW/TS. However, I think a 4* win in these zones would likely take at least somewhat less (possibly $135-150.) If you are interested in 3.5*, I'd definitely start lower ($120) and then work higher by $5's.

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

[sagi]

So far no luck.. been trying for a few days in a row now and my latest failed bids are:

$175 4* MTE+MTW+ESB+TS ($175 is the maximal winning bid currently in the calendar)

$135 3.5* MSG+ESB+MTW+TS

Sagi

[sagi]

Yet more failed bids from today:

$145 ESB+MTW+TS 3.5*

$160 CPS 4*

$170 CPS+MTW 4*

$175 CPS+MTW+TS+ESB 4*

$145 MSG 3.5*

$150 MSG+TS+MTW+ESB 3.5*

$135 MTE 3.5*

$145 MTE+MTW 3.5*

$135 CPS 3.5*

$145 CPS+MTW 3.5*

$152 CPS+ESB+MSG+MTW+MTE 3.5*

$160 CPS+ESB+MSG+MTW+MTE+TS 3.5*

This is getting a little frustrating.. Looks like I need to either lower the star rating further or add more zones.

Any tips about bidding for 3* hotels in these areas? Anything I should beware of?

What about other zones? I guess I don't mind staying a little off center if the subway access is good and the price is worth it. What zones should I consider?

Thanks!

Sagi

[sagi]

After an extremely excruciating bidding process, I bumped my bid all the way up to $200/night and finally managed to win:

Intercontinental The Barclay

111 East 48Th Street

New York, NY 10017

Check-In: Monday, April 18, 2011-03:00 PM

Check-Out: Friday, April 22, 2011-12:00 PM

Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $200.00 (USD)

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 4

Room Subtotal: $800.00 (USD)

Taxes and Fees: $181.36 (USD)

Total Room Cost: $981.36 (USD)

The price is seems to be much more expensive than the prices I have seen on this board, maybe because of my dates (during Passover and just before Easter)? but I hope it is worth it.

Among my failed bids:

4* CPS+ESB+MTE+MTW+TS+MSG $185

4* CPS+ESB+MTE+MTW+TS+MSG+UES $190

3.5* ESB + MSG + MTW + TS $170

3.5* ESB + MSG + MTW + TS + CPS $175

3* ESB+MSG $130

3* ESB+MSG+MTW $143

3* ESB+MSG+MTW+CPS $150

3* ESB+MSG+MTW+CPS+TS $160

Thank you all!

Sagi

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Sorry to hear that the result was more expensive than you would have hoped, but this is a well-located property in MTE.

Unfortunately, Jan-March is the slow season and once dates get further into the April-May/Spring time frame, prices do ramp up pretty noticeably, and unfortunately, given higher traffic this year, discounts - while still good - overall do not appear to be quite as aggressive as the last couple of years.

Thank you for sharing your win and using the site's PRICELINE link.

Enjoy your stay.