Priceline Hotel: NYC April 2012 bidding advice

[UAT123]

Hi there,

New here after looking for hotels for our trip to NYC in April. Sorry if I'm in the wrong part of the forum...I was just looking for some advice on strategy.

We're looking for 1 room and we're in NYC from 6th - 16th April 2012. So, 10 days, but from reading around it can be quite difficult to get all 10 days from Priceline?!

We're looking for ideally 4* but I think 3* plus will be fine too. We're not too fussed about location. I've got a backup 2* hotel booked in Long Island City that I can cancel if I find something through Priceline. We don't have a big budget and would like to stick to the price we're paying for our backup, which is currently at $130 (~£85). When I've tried bidding, the median price was quoted as £128, does this mean I have to be pretty close to £128 to get anything?? Do I need a bigger budget?

Should I wait until closer to the time to start bidding?

Thanks in advance.

[NYCityGuy]

I'm not sure about how hotels will limit the days, but you may want to try three or four day increments at a time. Also, i would suggest waiting until it gets closer to the date. Good luck!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

Hotel deals can sometimes be problematic in NYC for longer stays (7-10+) in NYC given that (especially during busier periods), some hotels may not have discounted inventory for the entire length of the stay. It would depend on the availability/inventory, but one can also consider trying to "split the stay" in order to attempt to get a better deal in two parts - this is an especially good tactic when part of the stay is noticeably more expensive.

This period is pretty much during the usual transition from the slower Winter period to the busier Spring season, so while not as reasonable as the Jan-Feb period, it's usually not quite as pricey as Spring can be. Additionally, Manhattan is going to be more expensive than Long Island City.

What bids have you made up until this point (in terms of price/zone/star rating?) Waiting until the date/s of travel is not always a successful strategy; what I would suggest is determining a realistic "ceiling" to bid up to for the time being, and raise the ceiling over time as it gets closer to your stay.

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