Priceline Hotel: Midtown or Uptown 4* bid help?

[arot]

Hi. I am trying to book a 4* hotel in Manhattan (anywhere in midtown or uptown (not Chelsea or Downtown) for my parents for 06/01 (Wed), 06/02 (Thurs), 06/03 (Fri). I am wondering if you can help me with a bidding plan suggestion, if I want to pay less than $160/night for a 4* for those nights? Do you think it's possible for those dates?

:)

Thanks!

Ab

[thenewbie]

To give you an idea of what it will take on PL, here are some Hotwire rates:

Lowest 4* hotwire rate for 6/1 - 6/4 is $253/night for MTE.

Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Tennis Nearby, Business Center.

Cheapest rate anywhere midtown or times square area is $204 for a 2* on HW.

Going by that, it looks like it may be difficult to get a 4* hotel for $160

As an alternative, Hotwire has what appears to be the 3.5* Crowne Plaza in SECAUCUS for $84/night. Going rate is $139 online. They claim to have a Complimentary Area Shuttle within 3.0 MI radius of the hotel, so they should be able to transport you to the nearest PATH station to get into the city.

Customer Favorite! Read reviews

Selected amenities include: Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Business Center, Laundry Facilities

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

I don't think you'll be successful for a 4* at that amount.

If you'd like try anyway we can suggest a strategy, but with less than 2 weeks before their stay i don't know if you want to use up a bidding opportunity or not... let us know and we'll advise on how to proceed if you want to try and/or if you want to raise your bid amount (or lower your star quality).

Secaucus is too far from a PATH train to be within a 3 mile radius.

On HOTWIRE I think i would sooner opt for the Candelwood Suites in Jersey City over a hotel in Secaucus, but i'll wait for arot to reply with his/her thoughts before getting deeper into it.

Let us know what you think.

[arot]

Thanks for the quick replies! Right now, I have back-up reservations for them on 06/01 (Wed) and 06/02 (Thurs) for $195 per nite at The Lucerne. That means they will be staying at my place on 06/03. If we can find a 4* for under $190 per nite for 06/01-06/03, I think it would be worth it. Any chance of getting a 4* for under $190 on those dates? Any bidding suggestions?

Thanks again!

Ab

:)

[thereuare]

You have 2 re-bids available at the 4* level, if you're not familiar with re-bidding pelase read PRICELINE 72 HOURS and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

This is how i would bid:

Select 4* MTE...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone and...

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

Bid $160, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* MTW...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone and...

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

Bid $160, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* UM/CPS...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone and...

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

Bid $160, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* MTE and MTW...

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

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

Bid $175, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* MTE and UM/CPS...

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

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

Bid $175, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* MTE and MTW and UM/CPS...

Bid $180, if rejected add re-bid zone and...

Bid $185, if rejected add re-bid zone and...

Bid $190, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[arot]

Thanks, thereuare, for the great roadmap to bidding! Unfortunately, I messed-up yesterday :) by bidding without understanding the free rebid stuff clearly, so I will have to wait the 72 hours to start using your suggested strategy. Once I do, I will definitely post my results. Hope to have good stuff to share in a few days.

Thanks,

Ab

[thereuare]

What exactly did you bid the other day... we may be able to find a combination that allows you to re-bid again immediately.

[arot]

Unfortunately, I tried a bunch of combinations of areas at bids that were apparently much too low (120-140 range for 4*), before I had understood about closing and re-opening my browser. I didn't find any matches for 4* places anywhere I tried in midtown/uptown or combinations of those for either just wed & thurs-or-wed, thurs & friday.

That reminds me...am I better off bidding for just Wed & Thurs - or- Wed, Thurs and Friday nights? Will I be able to free re-bid on the same areas again by adding the additional day? I wouldn't think so, but let me know what you think...

Thanks,

Ab

[thereuare]

When you change your dates (either check-in, check-out, or both) it is treated as an entirely separate bid. If you bid yesterday for all 3 nites you'll be able to bid now (if you'd like) for just the two nites... if that is rejected you could then try 72 hours from the last time you had bid for all 3 nites (presumably yesterday).

Did you follow that! :)

[arot]

WOW...I had no idea. So, I tried for just Thurs and Friday nights. I used your complete bidding strategy and had no luck. I guess that right now my price range (up to $185 per nite) is not high enough for 4* anywhere in midtown or uptown for those dates. I will try another time for Wed, Thurs and Friday as soon as I can.

Thanks,

Ab

[arot]

I just was in the middle of a bidding strategy, and I got a screen that tells me "We're still working on your request" and will have an answer in 15 minutes. Has anyone ever seen this? Why is this happening?

THanks,

Ab

[thereuare]

This is the way it used to always be.

Sometimes they revert back to their old system when they get busy or there is a glitch somewhere along the line... such as not getting an immediate response from the credit card company.