Priceline Hotel: New York Manhattan 10/08 to 10/11 2011

[elouneg]

Hi,

I have never been to New York before but I am an experienced user of Priceline. I am going to New York Oct 8th to 11th and I was expecting to get a 4* hotel in Manhattan for less than 200$. The problem is that I have a hard time getting a deal...

What is happening? Am I too late, too early, too demanding or is it simply always the case with Manhattan?

Could you help with a bidding strategy? And could you tell me at what point I should start lowering my expectations to get a booking? 2 weeks before, 1 week before?

Here is what I want:

Star: 3.5 or 4* (could lower to 3* if necessary)

Max Bid: 180-200$

Preferred areas: CPS, ME, MW, TS, ESB (That's my first time in New York but I figured those were the hottest areas, you could advise otherwise...)

Thanks

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

Sharing any prior wins would be greatly appreciated, as the information can help others.

Unfortunately, this isn't unusual for NYC - the period from September through mid-December is often extremely expensive in NYC.

What bids have you made so far?

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

[elouneg]

So far I was bidding 4* starting at 150$ and rebidding up to 200$. This week, I have also started bidding 3.5* up to 175$.

Am I too demanding? What bid could get me a 3.5* in Manhattan based on your experience?

Another big point is: am I too late being 1 month before? Based on my previous Priceline experience (not in NYC), a few days before was still really good.

Any help will be appreciated.

[AaronJB]

Unfortunately, the period between around mid-September through around Mid-December (with a few patches here-and-there) is the most expensive of the year - $250-300+ for a 4* in Midtown using PRICELINE bidding is not unheard of during this period of the year, especially towards prime shopping season. In terms of CPS, ME, MW, TS, ESB for these dates, I think you're likely looking at $225-250. For 3.5*, you're likely looking in the $190-210 area.

That said, I think you have a little time, so I wouldn't jump to these levels, but would be persistent and continue higher by $5's from where you last bid up towards these levels.

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