Priceline Hotel: 4* New York City (Midtown East) Intercontinental The Barclay

[durant durant]

I am working on bidding for a 4* hotel in Midtown East for 2/23 thru 2/26. My highest bid so far was $140, which is right around the ceiling I was hoping to pay.

What is a reasonable price to expect to pay for a 4* in Midtown East at this time of year?

Am I better off waiting until closer to the date of the trip?

I settled on Midtown East mostly because it seems like a pretty good location and offers quite a few 4* hotels. Midtown West, Times Square-Theatre District, and Central Park South are all pretty close. Do any of those areas generally offer lower 4* prices than Midtown East does?

Thanks!

[AaronJB]

The FAQ discusses timing in greater detail, but these dates really aren't far away as hotels go. You may see some fluctuation between now and then, but prices are likely not due to being too far in advance, as I would believe that hotels likely have a good idea of occupancy/demand for these dates at this point. MTE and neighboring zone ESB are generally the most reasonable, although there are instances where other zones may be similar or more affordable (looking at HOTWIRE rates, this actually may be a case where MTW/CPS may be slightly more affordable than MTE). Times Square is almost always the most expensive.

Have you bid in other zones or only for MTE?

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

[durant durant]

I've only bid in MTE so far as that was my first choice. I'm open to bidding some of the other zones though if they may be cheaper.

[thereuare]

When was the last time you bid, as HOTWIRE has a 4* hotel in the MTE zone for $130/nite (your price may differ slightly) with Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Tennis... best guess is that this is the Grand Hyatt or the InterContinental Barclay; would this HOTWIRE offer work for your needs?

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

[durant durant]

Oh, ok. It sounds like that might work. I honestly haven't ever tried Hotwire before. I used Priceline the first time I checked out this forum, was happy with the results, and have stuck with that ever since. I'll have to check into the Hotwire deal. Thanks for the tip.

[AaronJB]

The price for the 4* MTE appears to have dropped since I was looking at it earlier - I was seeing it at $151, but now it's appearing at $130 - would be a nice deal if it's the Barclay, which is showing at $200. You could try bidding up on PRICELINE again starting around $110 for a 4* in MTE to see if cheaper inventory has opened up, but if not, then you could grab the HOTWIRE listing at $130.

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

[durant durant]

I started bidding again tonight at $105. Went up in $5 increments. Ended up getting it booked at $115. I'm really happy with the price and location. Especially considering that I had gotten up to $140 before I quit bidding yesterday. I of course used the PRICELINE link (many times).

Thanks a lot for the help AaronJB and thereuare. Much appreciated.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you received a nice deal for this stay and pleased with the results.

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 and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay.