ag01ewb Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Please help. First time user of PL, Hotwire, and this website. I've read and understand the re-bidding process on PL and am now ready to bid for a hotel in Midtown. Order of preference is UMT/CPS then MTE, but this is my first time to NYC, so I'm open to recommendations.Stay will be from 6/26 to 6/30 and I would prefer not to change hotels (split dates). I don't have a "spending limit" but of course would prefer to spend the least for a 4* or above. Please help with a bidding strategy (i.e., $ amounts) and as I said, this is my first time to NYC, so I'm open to changing location preference order, but want to stay in Manhattan.Thanks in advance for help! Link to comment
thereuare Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Welcome to BetterBidding!To determine a maximum bid, you need to decide what you best alternative is.From what i could find, would the Eastgate Tower suffice ($150/nite), or the Beekman Tower ($175/nite), or are neither what you are expecting? Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
ag01ewb Posted May 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Thanks for the quick response! I think we'd like a little nicer hotel than these.Thanks again. Link to comment
thenewbie Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 'Nicer' than the beekman will run you about $75 more (using Hotwire MTE rates) per night for a 4* hotel with smaller rooms.Here is a link the floor plans to Beekman's One bedroom suite:affinia.com/NYC-Hotel/Beekman-Tower/Floor_Plans/one-bedroom_suite.cfm Link to comment
thereuare Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Personally i think the Beekman is nicer than a lot of the 4* hotels offered thru Priceline or HOTWIRE.Since you know best what it is you're looking for, find yourself a back-up hotel that you would use if not successful with the opaque providers and let us know what it is and the price. Then we'll be able to suggest a strategy for you to follow (but i'd also question what type of hotel you expect to get from the opaque providers). Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
ag01ewb Posted May 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Thanks for the advice. Should I decide to stay at the Beekman, where do I book it? And how would you rate the Beekman location? Also, I noticed several people getting the Waldorf Astroria for $120/night. How does that compare? Link to comment
thereuare Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 The Beekman would be your back-up hotel thru EasyClickTravel HERE.The rates that we're currently seeing for the Waldorf have predominately been for July and August dates... it may or may not be availalbe for your dates, you should be willing to accept any hotel in the zone you bid. You may want to review the PRICELINE HOTEL LIST.The Waldorf certainly has the name and 'panache', but as you can see from the reviews the beekman gets better comments (disclaimer: all reviews should be taken with a grain of salt as everyone's tastes are different).The location of the Beekman is a bit far East, which wouldn't bothter me except in the winter time: subway is a 10 minute walk and there is also a bus right near the hotel. For those that want to be in the "heart of times square when they walk out their door" (which has its own advantages/disadvantages) this hotel is not for them. Personally i prefer quiet after a busy day so it would work out well for me, but as i said about reviews, everyone's taste is different. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
ag01ewb Posted May 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 I really like the 4* hotels mentioned in the above post located in UMT/CPS and MTE. Any idea what those are currently going for? I will certainly consider the Beekman, but am willing to pay more for one of the other hotels. Link to comment
thereuare Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 What hotels are you refering to? (i'm not sure if you're referng to hotels mentioned in this thread, but when you say "the post above"... this post automatically becomes the first post once you reply to it)However, you should probably read this before replying: DON'T BID HIGHER FOR A SPECIFIC HOTEL Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
ag01ewb Posted May 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Sorry for the confusion. I was referring to the 4* hotels in your reply that included the PRICELINE HOTEL LIST. What I meant is that I am willing to pay more than $175 (Beekman price) to get one of those hotels. The Beekman is not listed as a 4* hotel in either UMT/CPS or MTE, so I shouldn't have the risk of "bidding higher for a specific hotel."So I guess where I stand now is that I would prefer a 4* from PL in UMT/CPS or MTE and am willing to pay more than $175. Where do we go from here?Thanks so much for your help. Link to comment
thereuare Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 Bear with us... the whole purpose of the above was to determine an upper bidding limit.How much above $175 would you want to go for one of the 'other' hotels? Is $200/nite worth it? $225? $250?At some point you say that the value just isn't there and it's not worth the extra cost. This number is different for each person... what is it for you? Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
ag01ewb Posted May 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 I think getting one of the other hotels is worth $50/night for me, so $225 would be my limit. Link to comment
thereuare Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 You have two re-bid zones available in NYC at the 4* level, if you're not sure which they are please ask for help and/or confirm them with the board before bidding.Select 4* MTE...Bid $125 (just to make sure no cheapie rooms at the Waldorf) if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $150, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.Sleect 4* MTE and re-bid zone2...Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $180, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.Select 4* UM/CPS...Bid $140 if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $160, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.Sleect 4* UM/CPS and re-bid zone2...Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $180, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.Select 4* MTE and UM/CPS...Bid $185 if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $190, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.Sleect 4* MTE and UM/CPS and re-bid zone2...Bid $195, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $200.Le us know how the above goes... if rejected we'll re-post an updated strategy to try in 72 hours which increases to $225.Good Luck, and questions please ask. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
ag01ewb Posted May 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 No luck.My wife looked at the 3* hotels located in UM/CPS and MTE and still prefers those to the Beekman, although we'd still prefer UM/CPS to MTE. Maybe we should lower the bids and try for a 3*. Suggestions?There is a 3 1/2* in Midtown Central on Hotwire for $170 during those dates. Any idea which hotel that is? Link to comment
thenewbie Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 The 3.5* MTC hotel has not been identified yet. If you are still looking to try for a 3* (Hudson or Park Central) on PL, and try the 3.5* on hotwire at $170, you may need to bid accordingly:Select 3* UM/CPS...Bid $130 if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $140, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.Sleect 3* UM/CPS and re-bid zone2...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $160, if rejected (and if you want) try for the 3.5* on Hotwire, use code GIFTCARD06 to save $10/night if you are new on HW Link to comment
ag01ewb Posted May 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 If I go for a 3* in UM/CPS, I think I'll only have one re-bid zone to use. UWS has a max of 2 1/2*, but UES has a max of 3*, so if I use UES, I could get a hotel there, which I don't want. Is that correct? If so, what do you suggest the strategy to be?Thanks! Link to comment
thenewbie Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 You are correct, I didn't remove that when I pasted the previous structure. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend, but that was a (bad) example comparing it to the $170 on Hotwire.The Hudson has come up on PL around $170 in the past, so UM/CPS isn't going to be cheap, especially for your dates. If you want to try for MTE, it will be less expensive than UM/CPS. Link to comment
ag01ewb Posted May 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 What do you think about this:Select 3* UM/CPS...Bid $130 if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $140, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.Select 3* MTE...Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $140, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.Select 3* UM/CPS and MTE...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $160, if rejected (and if you want) try for the 3.5* on Hotwire, use code GIFTCARD06 to save $10/night if you are new on HW Link to comment
thereuare Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 From the above strategy:... if rejected we'll re-post an updated strategy to try in 72 hours which increases to $225.So wait the 72 hours before lowering your standards to 3 stars.Bump this thread early in the day that you are eligible to re-bid and we'll take a fresh look at prices and suggest a strategy accordingly.You may ultimatley need to lower to 3*, but i think it's too early to do so just yet. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
thenewbie Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 Looks right. Let us know how everything goes. Don't forget to use the PRICELINE link from the support page. Link to comment
ag01ewb Posted May 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 Are the 4* PL hotels that much nicer than a 3 1/2* HW hotel that is is worth the extra $65/night ($225 minus $160) ?I'm just debating if I'd rather have a 3 1/2* for $160 or a 3* for $140 instead of a 4* for $225. Are HW and PL hotel rating systems similar? I really like all the 4* mentioned in the PRICELINE HOTEL LIST and kinda like the 3*.Thanks. Link to comment
thenewbie Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 For the ratings, a 3.5* property on Hotwire could be listed as a 3* on Priceline. The ratings can vary between the two websites.For price comparisons, the reported 3* UM/CPS hotels rates are:Park Central $249 & Hudson $295 ($198 on ECT). It will possibly take more than $140 for a successful 3* bid. Whether this is what you want to stay in (and if it is worth it) is a question to consider.Also to consider, the King size room in the Hudson is 150 sq ft when the 1 bedroom suites in the beekman are 450-650 sq ft. One of the many factors in deciding where to stay in NYC. Link to comment
ag01ewb Posted May 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2005 My 72 hours is up at about 1pm EST on Sunday. Please help with strategy. Thanks! Link to comment
thereuare Posted May 29, 2005 Report Share Posted May 29, 2005 This is what i would try:Select 4* MTE...Bid $150 (just to make sure no cheapie rooms at the Waldorf) if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $170, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.Sleect 4* MTE and re-bid zone2...Bid $190, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $200, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.Select 4* UM/CPS...Bid $150 if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $170, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.Sleect 4* UM/CPS and re-bid zone2...Bid $190, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $200, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.Select 4* MTE and UM/CPS...Bid $210 if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $215, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.Sleect 4* MTE and UM/CPS and re-bid zone2...Bid $220, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $225. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
ag01ewb Posted May 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2005 No luck.What do you suggest? I was thinking either taking the 3.5* on HW or trying for a 3* on PL. My wife wasn't happy with the Beekman pics, so I couldn't convince her to stay there.... Link to comment
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