Priceline Hotel: Attempting last-minute NYC bid for July 20, 2011

[stlfan62]

Need 1 room. Not much luck today (7/18), but will try again tomorrow (7/19). I'm pretty flexible regarding location, and have bid my way up to $140 for 3.5* or better in the following zones, adding a new zone with each $5 increment:

Central Park South

Downtown - SoHo

ESB Area

Midtown East

Midtown West

Times Square

Upper East Side

Upper West Side

Based on the calendar of wins, I thought for sure I'd get a winner with Hudson or Helmsley, but no dice.

PS I used the link above!

[thereuare]

Rates for this nite are currently fairly high, but you can certainly improve upon your bidding since if you continue to bid higher with the strategy above it could result in an overbid.

Rates can change quickly this close to your arrival, but to give you a sense of my guess at this moment, i think you may be looking ~$175-$180. If you let us know your maximum bid we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[stlfan62]

My maximum bid would ideally put total cost (with fees/taxes included) below $200. I was hoping for total cost between $150-$175, which is why I stopped at $140.

I don't mind a boutique, I don't need restaurant or fitness, and I don't mind a short walk to a subway station, but I'm focused on 3.5* or better because I want something that has a reasonable chance of being newer/cleaner. My zones are flexible, but would prefer something at or below Central Park South, but also in a decent neighborhood.

Thanks ... any strategy help would be appreciated!

[FOEDOGG]

STLFan62,

I was trying the same thing for my stay 7/19-21, I went all the way up to $260/4* for all zones (save for UPW & Brooklyn), $240/3.5 TS, MTW, MTE, Chelsea, ESB & DT. Did it for each date separately for 1 night stays on 19th & 20th too, no dice. Declined on all. Apparently we picked a tough week :) Hope you have better luck than I did! I ended up w/Affinia Manhattan for $270/nt on the Big O Orbitz. Not a great deal price, but better than some alternatives.

[thereuare]

You previously bid:

Central Park South

Downtown - SoHo

ESB Area

Midtown East

Midtown West

Times Square

Upper East Side

Upper West Side

NOTE that:

CPS - contains the Hudson Hotel which has notoriously small rooms (150sq ft), would this be acceptable?

MTE - can be a 15 minute walk to the subway, is this within your parameters of a 'short walk'?

UES and UWS - each goes pretty far north and is not that centrally located for the average visitor, are both of these acceptable?

Please confirm the zone(s) you're willing to accept, and your maximum bid (at the moment i no longer think that $175 will likely be enough) 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.

[stlfan62]

I don't mind a small room at the Hudson or a 15 minute walk to the Subway. I only added UES and UWS because UES was a free bid (no 3.5* or better hotels) and the Empire Hotel on UWS wasn't that far uptown. I wouldn't mind the Empire, but also didn't expect to get that location for the price I was bidding anyway.

[stlfan62]

Well, I tried again today using my same basic approach, increasing my bid to $160. No luck. No deals to be had for this night for some strange reason.

The best price I could find was at the Element Hotel, a king room for $209. Got that by calling Starwood reservations directly. Better than anything available right now via HOTWIRE for Manhattan, but more than I had hoped to spend. That's the way it goes.

[thereuare]

Are you going to stick with the Element (which is currently showing sold-out for your nite above on their website) or try any bidding again?

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