Priceline Hotel: 4* New York Times Square June 12th - 18th

[shakedog]

Hello,

First time posting here. Awesome site! My wife and I are looking for a 4* hotel in the Times Square location for the dates June 12th - 18th. Our budget is $170 including taxes and fees. We would like a more spacious room if possible (nothing crazy big as we've heard that NY hotel rooms can be pretty small though).

My questions:

- Is it realistic to get a 4* hotel in this area for that budget?

- What would be the most likely hotel to get in this area if it does get a winning bid?

- Because we would be staying at the hotel for 6 nights, does it make it less or more likely to place a lower bid and win? Does the fact that we're staying there multiple nights have any effect on how to bid?

- Does the fact that we're checking in on Sunday hurt or help our chances of getting a winning bid?

- Do most of these hotels automatically give you a double bed or King size bed?

- Has New York phased out smoking from their higher end hotels or is getting a room on a smoking level a reality?

Thanks in advance and YES I will use the sponsored link on top for bidding! Please let me know if I need to provide you with any other info.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding (and thanks for the compliments on the site)

Our budget is $170 including taxes and fees... Is it realistic to get a 4* hotel in this area for that budget?

Your $170 all-in rate is only about $145/nite bid amount, which at the moment i'm guessing is not likely going to be enough for a 4* hotel for these dates. However, i'll add that i would suggest expanding your zones beyond just Times Square as most midtown zones tend to work fine for the average user, as per the thoughts in this thread: Times Square Hotels

Room configurations are based upon what is available at the time you check-in, but a Queen bid is probably the most common in NYC... rooms with two beds are often considered an upgrade at many hotels in NYC, and given space is at a premium, rooms often have a Queen sized bed rather then a King. There are still hotels in NYC which are not completely smoke-free, although more and more properties are going smoke free chain wide.

Based upon the above let us know how you'd like to proceed and please click this PRICELINE link before replying.

Thanks.

[shakedog]

I would be willing to consider expanding my zones, but could you go wrong with a 4* hotel with these features kept in mind:

- safer area

- accessible subway transportation

- somewhat centrally located

The main thing here is that we want to be near a subway station but that's probably impossible to predict since we don't know what hotel we're going to have a winning bid on. Any comments or suggestions about this?

thanks

[thereuare]

Your budget for a 4* may be tough regardless of which zone(s) you include, but you can certainly give it a shot. At the 4* level the MTE, MTW, TS, CPS and ESB zones all typically work well for the average user and all the 'know' 4* hotels in these zones are centrally located and close to the subway.

Please confirm if all of these zones are acceptable and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[shakedog]

Do you think I'd have better luck getting a 4* hotel in these regions if i split up the bidding? For example, bid once for dates 6/12-6/15 and a second time for dates 6/15-6/18?

Otherwise, fill me in on the strategy.

Thanks again.

[thereuare]

I don't necessarily think SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID is the issue.

To try bidding for a 4* did you want to stick with only the Times Square zone OR are you willing to accept any of the zones mentioned in my post above?

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

[shakedog]

I'll include the zones you mentioned as well in the bidding.

Thanks for the help.

[thereuare]

At the 4* level you have SIX 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 and CPS...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...

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 $143, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $145

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.

[shakedog]

OK so I ended breaking my own rules and went all the way to $220 to bid for a 4* hotel. NO LUCK. I used all my re-bid zones for TS and MTW areas. At this point I am definitely not willing to pay up over $200. Do you suggest I wait or go down to a 3.5 * rating? I knew New York was expensive but this is getting a little silly.

Thanks again for all your help.

[thereuare]

Nobody can say whether prices will come down, or continue higher, if you wait. While you've already bid more then you intended, i will note that HOTWIRE has a well reviewed (90% recommendation and 4.0 Tripadvisor rating) for $236/nite.

Whether you should go a little higher with the HOTWIRE property above, wait it out OR lower your star rating depends upon what you look and expect for from your hotel stays.

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

[shakedog]

I ended up not going on this trip as it exceeded my budget. But thanks again for your help.

[thereuare]

Thank you for closing this thread with your decision.

Please remember to follow-up your threads with your wins/decisions as you make them (even if you don't ultimately use PRICELINE / HOTWIRE, cancel the trip, book direct, etc) as this help keep the board better organized and more useful for everyone... as well as being a courtesy to anyone who took the time to help with your travel plans.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.