Priceline Hotel: Need advice bidding for new years eve

[viv2]

Im heading to Boston on the 30th Dec until the 5th Jan and having used priceline before would be happy to use it again however New Years Eve is more expensive so have thought maybe to try booking 30/ 31st at 1 price to see what we get and then 31st to 5th either priceline again or other booking sites. Not really bothered about having to change hotels but dont want pay the same price per night as on NYE if you get where im coming from. Any advice?

[Romelle]

Sometimes Priceline seems to average prices, and sometimes it doesn't. It wouldn't hurt to try to bid all your days together first, keeping in mind the higher New Year's Eve rate.

It can also be a case of non-availability at some of the hotels, so then following up with split bids is good for another reason besides dodging higher "event" rates.

You can get some general ideas of rate levels by checking Hotwire one night at a time. Keeping in mind that Priceline tends to be somewhat lower.

Your logic is sound for tackling a typical problem in bidding a little longer span of time. By splitting the dates, one can also go for a higher star level on the less expensive ones and a lower star level on the more expensive ones.

Romelle

[thereuare]

What star rating are you seeking for this stay?

HOTWIRE currently has a 3.5* hotel (i'm guessing either the Hilton Back Bay or the Sheraton) for $137/nite for 12/30-1/1, i haven't compared rates but this would seem like a good deal, imo. Then for 1/1-1/5 they have 4* hotels in the $100-$125 range.

Thoughts on the above?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. (please click each of these previous links before replying)

[viv2]

Thanks for the replies, we dont really mind what star rating we go for, we have stayed in the hyatt regency and midtown before so would like a nice hotel for some part of the stay as the trip is also to celebrate my birthday. Flights are booked and i have the pleasure of choosing the hotel :) . Ive been searching all the usual websites for good deals and a local (irish) site has the onmi parker at $125 per night for the full trip. A bit of me says i should book that but i have heard that some of the rooms are on the small side and being there for nearly a week it might be too claustrophobic especially if the weather is bad.

Also should i wait or book now ? Would hotels have better offers closer to the date?

[thereuare]

Also should i wait or book now ? Would hotels have better offers closer to the date?

Nobody can say if rates will drop, or move higher, between now and your stay, but i do think the rates i mentioned above for the NYE dates are pretty reasonable, and using a blended rate of the complete date range is better then your current back-up option which you don't appear to be that thrilled with. See the related "Bid Early or Close to Arrival Date" in our PRICELINE FAQ.

Once you're ready to move forward let us know if you'd like to use HOTWIRE (costs a little more but you can know the amenities offered by the hotel and take a guess as to the property you may receive) or PRICELINE (the least expensive but you need to be more flexible in regards to which hotel in the zone you receive) and we'll take it from there.

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