chs Posted September 10, 2011 Report Posted September 10, 2011 Finally after being on this planet for 45 years I am making my way to NYC for an overnight stay. I have friends that live in the upper east side near 69th and Lexington area. Looking for a hotel for 10/15. We would like the nicest hotel possible without paying over say....$400. Is this a possibility? I read some stuff on this board and it seems I have chosen a very expensive time of year. We are 2 adults and 2 children. Ive looked over priceline etc and I think it would be ok to try for CPS,MTE,MTW and maybe TS. It looks like the upper east side only offers 3*'s and its a courtyard marriott. I would not hate the courtyard but at $399/night I was wondering if we could get a better, more interesting place to stay. Also, I will need help on managing my bidding. I read all the stuff about how to do it to my best advantage but I may need a breakdown. Thanks! Really like this forum and plan on using it often.
AaronJB Posted September 10, 2011 Report Posted September 10, 2011 Welcome to Betterbidding. :)One concern with 2 adults and 2 children and NYC is that PRICELINE only guarantees one bed/double occupancy; using PRICELINE with the hopes of getting two beds is a very big risk in NYC. HOTWIRE is a better choice, as one can indicate 2a/2c and then get bedding (usually 2 beds, but could be 1 + sofa, etc) for the entire party.Would one bed be acceptable?Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.
chs Posted September 10, 2011 Author Report Posted September 10, 2011 We could work with one bed as long as there was at least a sofa or something. I don't mind squeezing my 9 year old into a bed with us but adding my 13 year old too would probably be a little too close for comfort. I don't mind trying HOTWIRE. Can you get decent hotels with it?
AaronJB Posted September 10, 2011 Report Posted September 10, 2011 Unfortunately, there's definitely no guarantee of getting a sofa, especially with NYC properties, where 150-170sq ft rooms are not uncommon, even at more upscale properties.HOTWIRE is also a discount service. While it's usually moderately more expensive than PRICELINE, it's also less opaque - you can make an educated guess in many cases as to which hotels may be showing, and if you indicate 2a/2c, it ensures the appropriate bedding (2 beds or 1 + sofa or other combination for the party.)You can find the hotels that have been reported to the board on HOTWIRE here: Hotwire Hotel ListWhen searching for 2a/2c for your dates, are there any listings of interest?Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.
chs Posted September 11, 2011 Author Report Posted September 11, 2011 I just tried HOTWIRE and it gave meDowntown soho 4 1/2* for $349 with fitness, food, business and internet any ideas of what this could be?Also got Times square 4* for $386 with fitness, food, business and internet any ideas?Is downtown soho close to stuff? I have no idea. Id rather go with the 4 1/2* hotel. It seems what they call a 4* hotel in the city is more like a 3* anywhere else.
thereuare Posted September 11, 2011 Report Posted September 11, 2011 The Downtown property matches previous reports for the W Hotel Downtown so that would be my best guess for this one.The Times Square property matches multiple properties, with the Crowne Plaza, Hilton Times Square, Inter-Continental Times Square, and Millenium Broadway alll having been seen with this amenity set, so any of these would be likely (although based upon what i'm seeing i think the Millennium Broadway is the least likely of the four).Times Square would certainly be more convenient and centrally located, whereas we often describe Downtown as "do-able for the right price"... if more of your activities are centered around midtown it will be about 20+ minute subway ride to get to midtown from Downtown. So ultimately it becomes a trade-off between convenience and star rating.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Let us know what you decide and how it goes or if we can be of further help. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
chs Posted September 11, 2011 Author Report Posted September 11, 2011 Again I am in need of your help and thank you in advance. I just found out that you cannot cancel if you use hotwire. Is this policy the same on priceline? If I wanted to stay in MTE, MTW, TS, or CPS could you give me the breakdown to get the best deal? I guess if its only a king bed I could let one of my kids stay with our friends if needed. Thanks a million. I will use the above PRICELINE link for sure. We are thinking of waiting until the week before so we can check the weather because our friend does not want to go if rain is predicted. How risky is this? And do the prices go up as you near the travel date historically?
AaronJB Posted September 11, 2011 Report Posted September 11, 2011 You cannot cancel via HOTWIRE or PRICELINE or change the reservation in any way once the purchase is made - that is one of the trade-offs for the discounted rate.There is no way to know if rates will fall closer to your date/s of travel - this is one of the busiest times of the year, so while rates may come down, waiting is a definite risk.If PRICELINE is also non-refundable, would you still prefer HOTWIRE, as you could indicate how many in the room (and get bedding for the party) or is that not a priority?Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.
chs Posted September 12, 2011 Author Report Posted September 12, 2011 If PRICELINE is also non-refundable, would you still prefer HOTWIRE, as you could indicate how many in the room (and get bedding for the party) or is that not a priority?Not a priority because my youngest could stay at her friends house in the city if needed.
thereuare Posted September 12, 2011 Report Posted September 12, 2011 We are thinking of waiting until the week before so we can check the weather because our friend does not want to go if rain is predicted.Let us know once you're ready to bid and commit to a non-refundable purchase. We'll then provide a strategy based upon the most current information available.Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
chs Posted September 15, 2011 Author Report Posted September 15, 2011 Hi there, we are now going to go rain or shine so I have to book a room hopefully today. So we need help with bidding. Im looking for MTE, MTW, TS, or CPS for one night only 10/15. 4* and trying to stay under $400.
thereuare Posted September 15, 2011 Report Posted September 15, 2011 To confirm, did you need to guarantee more then double occupancy/one bed for the room?Let us know and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow... and please click these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links before replying.Thanks. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
chs Posted September 17, 2011 Author Report Posted September 17, 2011 No. My youngest can stay with her friend if needed and Id like to try PRICELINE first as they seem like they offer more. Thank you for your continued help. I would really like to have this booked today if possible as we are getting down to the wire.
thereuare Posted September 18, 2011 Report Posted September 18, 2011 At the 4* level you have FIVE re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.Select 4* MTE and MTW...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $165, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* TS and CPS...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $165, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* MTE and TS...Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $175, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $180, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $185, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $190, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* MTW and CPS...Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $175, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $180, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $185, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $190, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* MTE and CPS...Bid $195, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $200, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $205, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* TS and MTW...Bid $195, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $200, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $205, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* TS, CPS, MTE...Bid $210, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $215, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $220, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* TS, CPS, MTW...Bid $210, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $215, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $220, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* MTE, MTW, CPS...Bid $225, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $230, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $235, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* MTE, MTW, TS...Bid $225, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $230, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $235, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* MTE, MTW, TS, CPS...Bid $240, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $245, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $250, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $255, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $260, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $265If the above is rejected HOTWIRE currently has a 4* hotel in the MTE zone for $269/nite, which i'm guessing is the Grand Hyatt or the InterContinetnal Barclay (Restaurant, Fitness, Internet, Business, Tennis)Any questions feel free to ask.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Good luck and let us know how it goes. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
chs Posted September 18, 2011 Author Report Posted September 18, 2011 Im a little stuck. I read the instructions and I thought I understood but I did the first bid and it was rejected, I thought now I just try it again by raising the price by $10 but it said I have to change a check mark too. I guess I dont know what to do when you say "add re-bid zone..." do I check TS and CPS next and try that at $120? But then it wont let me uncheck MTE and MTW to try them again at $130, $140 etc.
chs Posted September 18, 2011 Author Report Posted September 18, 2011 I figured it out and that was fun, its kind of like gambling. I ended up with Intercontinental The Barclay @$265. I will post it in the wins section. Thank you again for your help. I will definitely use this forum again.
thereuare Posted September 19, 2011 Report Posted September 19, 2011 Congratulations on your success!Glad to see you're happy with the results and this will work well for your plans.You're also near my often recommended Ess-A-Bagel (Third Ave at 51st St) which has one of the best bagels in the city, makes for a nice, and relatively inexpensive, breakfast among local NYers.Thank you for sharing your win with the board.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Enjoy your stay. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
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