Priceline Hotel: HELP! New to PL

[rjsarm]

Hi,

I've been told to try PL out as I am trying to get a cheaper price for a particular hotel in the Times Square & Theatre District. I can see that this area has 7 four-star hotels listed in this area if I go through the regular booking options, however I'd only be willing to stay at a handful of them (based on my research on each hotel). Is there any way for me to avoid winning a hotel that I don't want in that area? I have this feeling that if I bet starting from $150 upto $200, I'll get stuck at the Sheraton when I really wanted the Intercontinental. Any suggestions?

Sheraton Hotel NY & Towers - $272

Crowne Plaza Times Sq Manhattan - $327

W NY TS - $385

The Muse NY, A Kimpton Hotel 0 $418

NY Marriott Marquis - $449

Hilton TS - $319

Intercontinental NY TS - $377

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Note that you can't use the hotel showing in the 'retail' section of PRICELINE to determine what you will get when bidding. Beside the fact that each uses their own database of hotels, they use different zone boundaries as well (ie- the Sheraton is in the bidding MTW zone... not Times Square). See the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ for more information.

With the above noted, you can't bid on a specific hotel when using PRICELINE, you have to be able to accept any hotel in the zone at the star level (or higher) that you choose. With HOTWIRE you can often take an educated guess as to what is being offered based upon the amenities associated with the property, but it's still a 'best guess' and no guarantees you will receive the hotel you're hoping for. As well, HOTWIRE only shows one hotel at each star level per zone, so there is a chance the hotel you're hoping for isn't the one which is offered for your particular dates.

What are the date(s) of your stay and expected budget per nite before fees and taxes?

Lastly, here is a good thread discussing our thoughts on Times Square Hotels.

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

[rjsarm]

Thanks for your response...I will check out HOTWIRE as well. We are looking to stay from August 8-13 for about $200-$250/night before taxes & fees. I know TSQ is going to be super busy, but I've stayed at the Westin TSQ before and loved how I was right in the middle of all the action.

[thereuare]

Let us know if anything of interest appears on HOTWIRE and/or how you'd like to proceed... we'll take it from there.

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