Priceline Hotel: NYC Soho priceline zone

[Victor Page]

Going to NYC for the weekend October 27-30, and would like to stay in Soho at a 4*. In past years have used priceline (via this site) and got great value but the hotels are never actually in Soho (closer to Wall Street, like Gild Hall and Millenium Hilton). Why doesn't priceline have 2 different zones for Soho and the Financial District?

I don't mind bidding fairly high (as much as $250, maybe a little higher) but would be disappointed if I won a place down on Wall Street, which is pretty dead on the weekend. Gild Hall is a nice hotel, and wouldn't complain if I got it sub-$200 as I did last year, but would rather take the Soho Grand (or something similar) for $250 (if possible).

My question is - if I bid higher than I normally might, does that get me a better chance at more expensive hotels? i.e. if 3 hotels are willing to honor my $250 bid, is there a way I can steer myself into one I want?

Thanks for any recommendations!

[AaronJB]

Unfortunately, there is no way to increase the odds of getting a property in Soho vs. further downtown using PRICELINE. If you bid higher, there's a good chance you could wind up overbidding for the same hotel you would have gotten for less.

HOTWIRE would provide an opportunity to be able to make an educated guess as to which hotels are showing, but there's the chance the 4* for your dates in this zone would also be further downtown.

You could attempt to get something preferrably towards the South end of the Chelsea zone and walk South to Soho.

Additionally, sharing any prior wins would be greatly appreciated.

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

[thereuare]

In past years have used priceline (via this site) and got great value but the hotels are never actually in Soho...

We're glad the board has been helpful to you in the past, but it would also be appreciated of you began to share all your wins with the board, so that the information can help others, just as you have been helped by those who have posted before you :)

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... and your searches too! Please click each of these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links and reply to this thread, we'll then have a further look at your trip above.

Thanks.

[Victor Page]

Thanks for your help, I thought I shared my win last year but will make sure I do it this year.

Btw last year, mid-October weekend, we won 4* Gild Hall for $170 a night. Great hotel, great value, just a little further afield from

the weekend action in Soho, the Bowery, etc...

[Victor Page]

Thereurare, just for my information + curiosity, how does Priceline allocate a bid when someone for example bids $250 in Soho and there are several hotels that would be willing to honor it?

Is it just a random distribution?

And why aren't Soho and Financial District their own hotel zones? There are enough hotels for each, and people would have very different reasons for staying at one vs. the other (i.e. business trip vs. shopping trip)

[thereuare]

Thereurare, just for my information + curiosity, how does Priceline allocate a bid when someone for example bids $250 in Soho and there are several hotels that would be willing to honor it?

See this thread: Don't Bid Higher for a Specific Hotel

And why aren't Soho and Financial District their own hotel zones?

There can be a multitude of reasons for why the PRICELINE has drawn the boundaries the way they have, but the bottomline is that the opaque services are for travelers who are flexible in their plans, and either/both might not be right in every situation. Ultimately, it's a trade-off between price and being in the exact location you want to be.

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

Let s know if/how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.