Priceline Hotel: 3.5* New York City (Midtown West) Manhattan Centre Hotel

[WarriorsRWC]

Hi there,

First time poster on Better Bidding. My girlfriend and I are flying to NYC from Thursday, May 31 - Sunday, June 4. This will be our first time in New York and would like to be in a central location to all the attractions. I've heard Times Square is pretty central, but if there are cheaper areas With easy transportation options, we are open. We would like to stay in a 4* hotel if possible, hoping to spend no more than 150 a night.

1. The trip is in a few months, although I know it's a prime time for good weather in NYC. Should I book now or hold off until it's closer?

2. What areas of the city do you recommend I try to get a place? Again, reasonably central location. We are in in our mid-twenties so a vibrant location is better.

3. Is 150 a night or lower realistic for a 4*?

4. Any Additional booking tips you recommend (book each night separately, specific hotel choices, lower my star rating)?

Thank you and looking forward to your advice!

Tony

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Please start by reading your messages and clicking each of these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links... then reply to this thread and we'll have a look at your post above.

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

[WarriorsRWC]

I'm looking for a 3.5*+ hotel in Midtown East, Midtown West, Central Park South, or Time Square - Theatre District from Thurs 5/31 - Sun 6/3. I have tried bids of $140, $150, and $160 - each didn't accept my offer. Do you recommend I wait or have any idea how much more it would cost to be accepted? Would a 3* go for any of those prices?

Thanks for any input.

[thereuare]

Please keep all posts for the same stay in the same thread.

You can try, but based upon current prices i think a 3* may also be tough at the amounts you have already bid.

However, before lowering your star rating OR bidding again:

Note that at the 3.5* level in the MTE zone some hotels can be up to a 15 minute walk to the subway... is this acceptable?

Also, the CPS contains the Hudson Hotel, which while well located, has notoriously small rooms... is this acceptable?

As well, is there a reason you're not including ESB or MSG in your bidding, as these zones are also usually well located and convenient for the average user. Given current rates it may not help, but it certainly couldn't hurt.

Lastly, it does appear you're using your re-bid zones, are you familiar with and know how to determine your re-bid zones? If not, see Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones (highly recommended) before bidding.

Based upon the above let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

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

[WarriorsRWC]

Sorry for the double post. Andthank you for the advise, that helps quite a bit. I've never visited NYC so I'll tak your advise and add in ESB and MSG. And the Hudson Hotel (3.5*) sounds like a good location but "small rooms" aren't something I enjoy. Do you recommend I take CPS off my list? I figure I'll need to increase my bidding up to $170-$180 per night and try for 3*. I looked at the list and the 3*'s seem nice.

[thereuare]

Yes, if you want to avoid the possibility of the small rooms at the Hudson then i would exclude CPS from your bidding... how about MTE, did you want to include/exclude this zone (given the possible walk to the subway)

So to recap, you want to bid 3* for:

MTW, TS, MSG, ESB (and MTE??)

Also, as it appears you have not yet tried at the 3.5* level, did you want to try this first up to your limit, then if rejected try for a 3* property... OR is your goal the least expensive 3* or better for this trip?

Lastly, were you able to determine your re-bid zones? (where at the 3.5* level you have SIX... at the 3* level only ONE re-bid zone)

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

[WarriorsRWC]

I noticed there are 4 (I may have missed the other 2) zones that only have 3* or under (QB, LES, LIC, UES). LES has a 2.5* at highest. So I could re-bid 4 times.

How accurate are your lists of hotel * ratings in those areas? I'd hate to get screwed over and get stuck in one of those territories with a 3.5*.

[AaronJB]

The lists only provide the hotels that have been reported to the board. New hotels can appear and star ratings can change at any time - as noted on the lists, do not use the board's lists to determine re-bid zones, ONLY use the first bidding screen on PRICELINE with the map for the area as well as list of zones and available star ratings.

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

[thereuare]

Lastly, it does appear you're using your re-bid zones, are you familiar with and know how to determine your re-bid zones? If not, see Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones (highly recommended) before bidding.

As noted in the previous post, and at the top of the Priceline Hotel List you DON'T want to use the hotel lists to determine your re-bid zones. The only method that should be used is detailed here: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained

If you read the link above and are still confused just post back and we'll break it down further for you.

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

[WarriorsRWC]

Thanks for the advise. I dropped down to 3.5* and increased my bid to 170. Got Manhattan Centre Hotel on my first try! The location looks prime and hotel seems nice - do you think I scored well?

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

A nice deal for this time of year... very well located and should prove to be a good launching pad for getting around the city.

If you're looking for some late nite food, or the best bang for your buck $6 meal in the city, you're also near the

on the SOUTHWEST corner of 53rd and Sixth Ave from 7:30pm-4:00am. Load up on the white sauce and use the hot sauce VERY SPARINGLY (best to get both o the side and add the hot sauce just a touch at a time)

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

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

Have a great trip!

[WarriorsRWC]

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll have to check it out.

On second thought I've decided to extend my stay in new york and extra day and would like to add on an extra night (Wednesday, May 30). I clicked on the "add an extra night" feature on priceline for the same price ($170). They would not accept my offer at the hotel and instead counter-propsed $201 a night. It is only $30 more but something tells me I should be able to get that room for the same price considering it's mid-week.

Any recommendations? Should I wait til tomorrow and try again? Or should I just suck it up and pay. This sucks! Haha thanks for your help.

[thereuare]

The 'add a nite' feature can only be attempted once, so taking the $201 offer for the same property may not even be an option any more.

Are you willing to change hotels for the last nite?

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

[WarriorsRWC]

Thanks for the heads up! I went back in and luckily my offer was still saved. I got it for $201. I would have switched hotels but didn't want to deal with the hassle of moving my bags around. Had no idea you could only use the "Additional Night" offer once.

[thereuare]

Glad to see you were still able to take advantage of the previous offer and were successful adding the additional nite... we're happy to have helped.