Priceline Hotel: 4* NYC (MTE) InterContinental Barclay

[irm]

Hi everyone. I have spent many hours on this board trying to device a strategy for Priceline. You guys are good! Thanks for the wealth of information.

here is the detail.

Goal- double occupancy *4 hotel in time square, midtown west or central park south

date- 7/21/11- 7/24/11

Price- As low as i can get under $200. I read that some people have been able to secure 100 dollar rooms in central park south but they made reservations a few months ago. so, i dont think i will be as successful in getting those. but who knows.

Strategy

I"ve used priceline before and I know there is restrictions on the amount of times i can bid using a particular price and location (but i dont remember the details). so, this is what i have in mind:

1) bid $125 for central park south first. if not successful

2) bid $125 for midtown west. if not successful

3) bid $150 for both central park south and midtown west. if not successful

4) bid $175 for time square, central park south and midtown west. if not succesful

5) bit $190 for time square, centrla park south and midtown west. if not succesful

6) bit $195 for all three

i dont remember the limitations on number of biddings. i'd lke to do all the bidding at once.

What do the experts think?

Thanks

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

You can do better then your strategy above if you understand, and use, your re-bid zones. At the 4* level you have SIX re-bid zones... please see Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and see if you can determine, and confirm with the board, your re-bid zones, we'll then suggest a strategy for you to follow. If you read the previous link and are confused just post back and we'll break it down further for you.

Also, is there a reason you're avoiding MTE and/or ESB as these zones also typically work well for the average user at the 4* level.

Let us know the above and we'll take it from there.

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

[irm]

Thanks for your response. As suggested, I made a note of all zones and the highest rating hotel for each zone. I will be posting another strategy after this post.

I am not opposed to MTE and ESB. I just want an area close to major attractions. The visitors are going to NYC for the first time. I was not sure of the empire state building area or midtown east would work.

[irm]

Ok. Based on the information shared, here is my new strategy

Goal- double occupancy (two beds) *4 hotel in one of the following areas (listed in order of preference):

1) Central park south (someone was able to book a hotel in this area for $110 at around the same dates I am looking)

2) Midtown west (according to my search, hotels for that date started at $199)

3) Midtown east (according to my search, hotels for that date started at $200)

4) Time square (according to my search, hotels for that date started at $200)

5) Empire state building

Date- 7/21/11-7/24/11

Price - Less than $200/night (as low as I can get, the better!)

This reservation is for 2 friends that are visiting NYC for the first time.

Strategy

1) Bid $125 for central park south (my first option).

2) If not successful, add zone Coney Island (which has the highest hotel rating of 2).

3) add zone MIdtown west (second option)

4) If not succesful, add zone Queensboro (which has the highest hotel rating of 3)

5) Add zone MIdtown east (3rd option)

6) Increase bid to $150?

7) if not succesful, add zone upper east side (which has the highest hotel rating of 3)

8) Add zone Time Square (my 4th option)

9) If not succesful, add zone LOng Island (which has the highest hotel rating of 3)

10) then add empire state building (my 5th option)

11) if not successful, increase bid to $175.00

12) increase bid to $185.00

Suggestions?

are the bid prices/intervals realistic?

Thanks

[thereuare]

Goal- double occupancy (two beds)

Make sure your friends are aware that their room will accommodate double occupancy, but not necessarily have TWO beds.

(listed in order of preference)

Are your friends willing to pay more for a higher rated hotel OR is the goal the least expensive 4* in any of the acceptable zones?

Will you be making the purchase for them OR will your friends be purchasing themselves?

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

[irm]

Make sure your friends are aware that their room will accommodate double occupancy, but not necessarily have TWO beds.

ok. i am assuming they can ask to be moved into a room with double beds.

Are your friends willing to pay more for a higher rated hotel OR is the goal the least expensive 4* in any of the acceptable zones?

The goal is to secure the least expensive *4 star hotel in any of the zones. BUT, if they can get a nice hotel under $200.00 thats even better.

Will you be making the purchase for them OR will your friends be purchasing themselves?

Making the purchase for them.

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

[thereuare]

ok. i am assuming they can ask to be moved into a room with double beds.

All that is guaranteed with PRICELINE is a room which will accommodate double occupancy... two beds is not assured... especially in NYC. There is a high percentage of NYC hotel rooms with only one bed and at many hotels rooms with two beds is considered an upgrade. The hotel may not be able, or willing, to accommodate a request for a room with two beds (and if they can there may be an additional fee involved)

If a room with separate beds is a must (vs. a want) then HOTWIRE may be a better (yet more expensive) option as you can search for up to quad occupancy which should ensure separate sleeping accommodations... although the second 'bed' could be a pullout sofabed, rollaway, etc brought into the room.

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

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

[irm]

Thanks for the feedback. Let's do HOTWIRE then. I guess I have to change boards and some initial research on how Hotwire works.

[irm]

the hotel is in times square/theatre district and has a 4 star rating on Hotwire. and a trip advisor customer rating of 4 of 5.

-Fitness Center

Guests have access to exercise equipment; an additional charge may apply.

-Restaurant(s)

Property offers at least one restaurant on the premises; hours and days of operation may vary.

-Business Center

Guests have access to business equipment and services; an additional charge may apply.

-High-Speed Internet Access

Guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access; an extra charge may apply.

$173.00/night

good deal?

Hotwire customer ratings

80%

of Hotwire reviews recommend

500+ total reviews

Overall satisfaction- 4

Condition of hotel -4

Quality of service - 4

Room comfort - 4

Room cleanliness - 4

Location of hotel -5

[irm]

Ok, i did my own research from the list of potential hotels from HOTWIRE. And this is what i have for potentials:

4* Crowne Plaza Hotel Manhattan (previously 3.5*)

Customer Favorite

Amenities: Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business

(without Pool same as Inter-Continental Times Square and Millenium Broadway and Hilton Times Square)

4* Hilton Times Square

Amenities: Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business

(same as Crowne Plaza and Millennium Broadway and Inter-Continental)

4* Inter-Continental Times Square

Amenities: Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business

(same as Crowne Plaza and Millennium Broadway and Hilton Times Square)

4* Millenium Broadway (previously 3.5*)

Amenities: Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business

(same as Crowne Plaza and InterContinental and Hilton Times Square)

Am I completely far off?

[irm]

cross checked with HOTWIRE and the only hotel that has exactly 80% customer review is the Millenium Broadway.

Is my hunch correct?

[AaronJB]

All four properties have been seen with this amenity set previously and one has to be willing to possibly accept any of the four. The HOTWIRE customer % rating is not the same as the tripadvisor customer rating and cannot be counted on as an indicator.

The Tripadvisor rating showing on HOTWIRE listings is not updated live, but as of right now, the Crowne Plaza, Hilton TS and Millennium are 4/5.

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

[thereuare]

If a room with separate beds is a must (vs. a want) then HOTWIRE may be a better (yet more expensive) option as you can search for up to quad occupancy which should ensure separate sleeping accommodations... although the second 'bed' could be a pullout sofabed, rollaway, etc brought into the room.

Let's do HOTWIRE then.

Are you searching HOTWIRE for more than double occupancy (which is what you'll need to do to ensure a second 'bed') as i'm only seeing the 4* Times Square property above when searching HOTWIRE for double occupancy... when i change to quad occupancy the price jumps to $256 and a different percentage recommendation is shown.

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

[irm]

Are you searching HOTWIRE for more than double occupancy (which is what you'll need to do to ensure a second 'bed') as i'm only seeing the 4* Times Square property above when searching HOTWIRE for double occupancy... when i change to quad occupancy the price jumps to $256 and a different percentage recommendation is shown.

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

No i Have not. I get it now. I need to start my search again.

Thanks.

[irm]

will triple occupancy work? because that would require at least 2 beds.

[thereuare]

will triple occupancy work? because that would require at least 2 beds.

Most likely... there are a handful (probably less then 10) reports of users who booked for triple occupancy and were given one King bed, being told that a King bed is designed for triple occupancy. Personally i would be comfortable booking triple occupancy and expecting separate sleeping accommodations (either thru a 2nd bed, a rollaway, sofabed, etc) but would first check quad occupancy and only book triple if there was a big price difference between triple/quad.

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

[irm]

wow, that is amazing! i would give such hotel a very, very bad review. I will search for both triple and quad and wish for the best.

[napajb]

I've been searching on Hotwire for NYC for the dates of 6/18-19 for several weeks now, and a property with the same amenities that you list (fitness, restaurant, business center, internet) in the Times Square area has been showing up for $176-177. Today, a property with the same amenities is listing for $157. Same Tripadvisor customer rating as you are finding -- 4. I am guessing that the same advice applies as to the identity of this property: either the Crowne Plaza, Hilton TS and Millennium. Do you agree?

[AaronJB]

Napajb,

Please start a new thread and we would be happy to help with your stay.

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

[irm]

To the board administrators:

I have gotten the ok to bid on Priceline and need to get back to the priceline board and continue on building a strategy to secure a *4 hotel. Since I originally posted on the Priceline board then switched to this one, how do I return to the priceline board? I know you guys like to keep the board organized. Please let me know how to proceed.

[thereuare]

Just continue this thread... if you ultimately use/win via PRICELINE we'll then edit the topic title to reflect your win and move the entire thread to that section of the board.

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

[irm]

Ok thanks.

The goal is a room under $200/night (as low as I can get, the better!) for a double. The dates are 07/21-07/24

When I first started, i was asking for ideas for the best strategy to bid on a 4* in the area below. I did a search on Priceline for the lowest rate on the areas I am interested in, and this is what I found:

1) Central park south (someone was able to book a hotel in this area for $110 at around the same dates I am looking)

2) Midtown west (according to my search, hotels for that date started at $199)

3) Midtown east (according to my search, hotels for that date started at $200)

4) Time square (according to my search, hotels for that date started at $200)

5) Empire state building

I also looked up the zones with hotels that DO NOT have 4 star hotels (in order to bid continuously without waiting 24 hours.) I combined my preferred zones with the zones with no 4 star hotels and this is my initial strategy:

Strategy

1) Bid $125 for central park south (my first option).

2) If not successful, add zone Coney Island (which has the highest hotel rating of 2).

3) add zone MIdtown west (second option)

4) If not succesful, add zone Queensboro (which has the highest hotel rating of 3)

5) Add zone MIdtown east (3rd option)

6) Increase bid to $150?

7) if not succesful, add zone upper east side (which has the highest hotel rating of 3)

8) Add zone Time Square (my 4th option)

9) If not succesful, add zone LOng Island (which has the highest hotel rating of 3)

10) then add empire state building (my 5th option)

11) if not successful, increase bid to $175.00

12) increase bid to $185.00

Suggestions?

are the bid prices/intervals realistic?

[thereuare]

Earlier you stated that the goal was the least expensive 4* or better in any of your acceptable zones. The strategy you outlined above could cause you to overbid in the zones you add later in the cycle.

From the bidding strategy you proposed, it appears you're willing to accept MTE, MTW, CPS, ESB and TS?

Please confirm these are the correct zones 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.

[irm]

Earlier you stated that the goal was the least expensive 4* or better in any of your acceptable zones. The strategy you outlined above could cause you to overbid in the zones you add later in the cycle.

That is correct.

From the bidding strategy you proposed, it appears you're willing to accept MTE, MTW, CPS, ESB and TS?

That is correct. Those seem to be all areas that are centrally located and appropriate for tourists. The people visiting are people who rather have two separate beds but are willing to share a queen or king bed (if necessary) if they obtain a good price on the hotel.

[thereuare]

Assuming that you don't want to risk overbidding with the zones added later in the cycle, and the goal is still the least expensive 4* or better in any of the acceptable zones, i'd bid as follows:

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, ESB and TS...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

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 $145, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* CPS...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

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 $145, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

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

Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $155, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $175, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $180

Any questions feel free to ask. I stopped at $180 as HOTWIRE has a 4* hotel in the Times Square zone for $185/nite which we can investigate further if the bids above are rejected.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. (and if somebody else is doing the bidding please ask them to visit BetterBidding first and click a link on the board... the logo in the search box at the top of the page would be easiest for them to do so)

Good luck and let us know how it goes.