Priceline Hotel: NYC MTE, MTW, TS, ESB 4 star

[AU1217]

Hi,I am looking for some help with bidding on a few areas in NYC for 12/9-12/12. I would like to stay in Midtown East, Midtown West, Times Square, or Empire State areas.

I have bid a few times so far, but have not had any luck. I have gotten up to $300/night. Any recommendations out there? Is there any chance I could get this for under $300? Maybe closer to the dates? Thank you for the help.

[thereuare]

This is a very expensive weekend in NYC (the 2-3 weekends before Christmas usually are... for some reason the weekend just before usually isn't as bad) but a few questions/suggestions:

Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option? I think the Friday nite is slightly more expensive than the last two nites and you can probably be successful for the last 2 nites at levels you have already bid... then for the first nite you could bid higher, lower your star level, or stay outside of Manhattan in an area which is easily commutable (see next comment below).

Do you have to stay in Manhattan? You could probably get a 4* hotel in NYC at $165 or less. All the 4* hotels in this zone are relatively new, get very good reviews, and provide easy access to Manhattan via PATH train (travel time ~15 minutes). While not as convenient as Manhattan, and you do miss out on a bit of the 'buzz' of Manhattan, but at ~$150/nite savings it's certainly a worthwhile trade-off depending upon your needs/flexibility. (or you can look towards this area for just the first nite if you decide to split your bid as per above)

As far as prices coming down, there is no way to know if they will come down in the next few weeks or continue even higher. As note above, the weekends before Chirstmas are extremely busy in NYC and hotel rates currently reflect this. See the 'Bid Early or Close to Check-in' link in our PRICELINE FAQ for more information on this subject.

Let us know your thoughts on the options above and we'll advise further.

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