Priceline Hotel: 1st time in NYC

[Dbuiz]

Hi,

Thanks for this great site, stumbled across it after a friend recommended I check out Priceline.

I'm looking to book 3.5* and above accommodation in NYC around the Midtown East/West, Central Park South, Times Square areas for the 16th-26th of Sept for $250 or less per night.

Have been reading through posts for a few days now and was quite excited in seeing other members' successes but have had no such luck using both the Priceline and HOTWIRE links suggested on this forum. Am already using the different regions to get multiple bids in.

I am wondering if a) this time is just a notoriously busy and expensive season; :) 10 days is too long to get a good deal bidding and/or c) it's just a bit early

I did see an offer on Hotwire the last two days for a 3.5* in Midtown Central for $263 which I was guessing was Moderne but that offer is now gone as well.

Would appreciate the help and kudos for running this great forum.

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

Unfortunately, the September time frame is the start of a ramp in rates that lasts until around the middle of December before cooling off. Additionally, a 10-day stay also may cause some problems during busier periods in the city. It's definitely not too early to book for September.

What bids have you tried so far (star rating/area/price)?

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

[Dbuiz]

Thanks for the quick response.

That makes sense, thanks for explaining it. Just had high expectations seeing others get prices in the $150-200 mark for early September.

In that case, would it be recommended to try splitting up the stay into two five-night stints? After allowing for the hassle and cost of moving?

I have tried multiple bids over 3-4 days using the recommended strategies of varying the stars, areas (gradually adding areas with no 3.5*/4* hotels) and up to a price of $250.

Do you think $250 is a reasonable expectation for 3.5* for this period?

Will continue using HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for purchases and searches.

[thereuare]

$250 is in the right ballpark... i'm guessing it may be enough for one half of your stay but perhaps not the other (but it's on the cusp enough that it could go either way, you could succeed or fail for both sets of dates as well)

Few questions/comments before suggesting a bidding strategy.

Are you willing to pay more for a 4* vs. a 3.5* or at this point you're high enough that you would just like the least expensive 3.5* or better?

Note that at 3.5* (and under) the MTE has some hotels which can be up to a 15 minute walk to the subway... would this be acceptable? As well (also at 3.5* and under), CPS contains the Hudson Hotel which has extremely small rooms, would this be acceptable?

ESB and MSG often work well for most users too, are these zone(s) of interest? (although there are some reports of bad room assignments to PRICELINE guests at the Affinia Manhattan, in the MSG zone)

Lastly, when rates are high and splitting the bid, rather than immediately split the stay down the middle (as this may not be the optimum split from a pricing perspective), i usually recommend getting as many nites as you can (as long as 50% or more) on your first purchase, as this will (hopefully) make the second purchase a little easier, if you're going for fewer nites. Are you willing to try splitting 9nites/1nite, 8nites/2nites, 7nites/3nites, etc, etc as well?

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.

[Dbuiz]

$250-$265 really is our budget, was hoping for 4* but settling on 3.5*. A bit wary of what we may get for 3* so not comfortable with anonymous bidding.

Will keep trying and look at a split (thanks for the tip about getting as long as possible for first stay)

Would you happen to know the rough size of the Hudson rooms?

Thanks again, I understand these replies can become a bit of a repetitive task

[thereuare]

Standard rooms at the Hudson are ~150sq ft.

Just to add some other options, you could stay part of your stay in Hoboken-Jersey City which should be a bit cheaper ($150-$200/nite depending upon which dates) which could save you $50-$100/nite, which could then be added to your NYC nites to increase your budget for those nites. The 4* hotels in Hoboken-Jersey City are near PATH trains which provide easy access to Manhattan (~15 minute trip)

Let us know once you decide upon zones, star ratings, splitting the bid, and budget and we'll take it from there.

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

[Dbuiz]

Thanks again, may look into 4* in Jersey as suggested. Really making no inroads for the dates I want in zones CPS, MTE, MTW, TST, UWS for 3.5* at $265.

Wish I took up the offer from HOTWIRE last week for $263

[thereuare]

Let us know once you decide what you would like your next step to be and we'll try to assist further.

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

Keep us updated on your progress.

[Dbuiz]

Thanks, have booked a package using the PRICELINE link for 10 nights, totaling USD3170 incl. fees and taxes for the Manhattan on Times Square (3-3.5* depending on which review site)

I think that's roughly USD260 per night pre-tax.

Been a bit stressful finding places so thanks for the help.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

When you say you booked a package, did this include flights OR was this just for the hotel?

Glad to see you found something that works well for your needs and budget and are pleased with the results.

Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding.

Have a great time in NYC!