dmallori Posted February 29, 2012 Report Posted February 29, 2012 I have read that this is a peak time to travel to New York, so I am hoping to get some advice on bidding for a cheaper hotel.This is a girls trip (27-29 years of age) so above everything else would be safety. Otherwise we are very much so open to the area that we stay in. We have even looked into hotels in the Long Island City area, but cannot determine if this area is safe or not to bid on. We have mainly been looking for a 3* or higher hotel. We did look at the two star hotels in the Lower East Side area and they seem to have decent reviews, our concern is that people keep stating NY is notorious for bedbugs.I have tried unsuccessfully to bid for a 3* hotel in SoHo Tribeca area for $130 a night. Any recommendations you may have on where to stay and how much to bid would be fantastic.Thank you!
AaronJB Posted February 29, 2012 Report Posted February 29, 2012 Welcome to Betterbidding. :)Spring in NYC (although especially 2-3 weeks later, towards the end of May) is definitely busy in NYC. The other issue is that PRICELINE only guarantees 1 bed/double occupancy: how many people are in the party?What would be your desired budget per night, and which zones would be acceptable?Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.
dmallori Posted February 29, 2012 Author Report Posted February 29, 2012 Thank you for the Welcome greeting. I really appreciate all the help that you guys offer to newbies. It can all be a little overwhelming! Especially in New York! (at least for me so far.. )I only have to worry about making arrangments for two of us, so the double-occupancy works just fine :)This will be our first time to New York, so we are going to hit the touristy things, Broadway, and maybe a dive bar or two.. that kind of thing. I was told that anywhere on the "island" will be easy to get to all the places we could possibly want to go. Our ideal spot would probably be SoHo/Tribeca area because it is so close to Little Italy, Greenwich Village, and a short subway ride from all of the Times Square madness. I guess I will just list the areas in order of favorability:(If any of these you think is terribly wrong for what we have in mind, please don't hesitate to let me know..)SoHo/TribecaLower East SideEmpire State Building AreaMidtown EastCentral Park SouthChelsea AreaMadison Square Garden Convention AreaUpper West SideDowntown Financial DistrictLong Island CityBrooklynAlso I guess it is good to note that I am not opposed to any other area that isnt listed here, it's just that these are the only ones that I have put some time into researching. As for the budget... well the cheaper the better. We were hoping to not go over $130 a night if that was at all possible. And if we happen to get something cheaper than that, that would be stellar... hey a girl can dream! :) Thanks again for your help!
thereuare Posted February 29, 2012 Report Posted February 29, 2012 Few comments regarding your zone selection:SoHo/TribecaLower East SideEmpire State Building AreaMidtown EastCentral Park SouthChelsea AreaMadison Square Garden Convention AreaUpper West SideDowntown Financial DistrictLong Island CityBrooklynI wouldn't include UWS in your bidding as it can go pretty far north and that would not be ideal for a first time visitor.I wouldn't include LIC or Brooklyn as ideally you want to bid in Manhattan, especially for your first trip. I'm not a fan of the Long Island City area (although it is improving), but the 'problem with this and Brooklyn' is that if you decide to stay out late one nite taking a cab back to the hotel (as you should probably stay off the subway late at nite) can start to add up (especially to Brooklyn).Other zones you may / may not want to include:CPS - at less than 4* contains the Hudson Hotel, which while well located, has notoriously small rooms (~140 sq. ft), would this be acceptable?MTE - at less than 4* has some hotels that are up to a 15 minute walk to the year. The weather should be nice this time of year, but may not be what some are looking for when they say 'close' to the subway.With all of the above noted, is your budget flexible at all? We can certainly try up to $130 first, but i'm not sure if you'll be successful, and the difference between what you can get at $130 vs say $150/$160 can be the difference between success/failure and a 'better' hotel. Also, is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option?Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
dmallori Posted February 29, 2012 Author Report Posted February 29, 2012 The room size wouldnt be an issue, we have stayed in rooms that small before and have survived just fine.We would, however prefer to have a subway station close by so I will cross MTE off of my list. I am assuming splitting means staying at two hotels for our trip rather than just one? I dont see a problem with that if it gets us the rate we are looking for. We would prefer to stay in the $130 range, but if we have to go up $150/$160 is still better than paying full price.
thereuare Posted February 29, 2012 Report Posted February 29, 2012 So CPS is 'in'... MTE is 'out'... what about UWS, LIC and Brooklyn, do you want to exclude these for the time being as well?What is your preference:1) Try for the complete stay up to $160, if rejected try SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID up to $130OR2) Try for the complete stay up to $130, if rejected try SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID up to $130, if rejected try again for the complete stay up to $160Let us know your thoughts and we'll take it from there.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
dmallori Posted February 29, 2012 Author Report Posted February 29, 2012 Yes lets remove UWS, LIC and Brooklyn as well for now. I would like to do the second option if possible.
thereuare Posted March 1, 2012 Report Posted March 1, 2012 So to confirm, you're bidding the following zones at a minimum 3* bid:SoHo/TribecaLower East SideEmpire State Building AreaChelsea AreaMadison Square Garden Convention AreaDT-FinancialAssuming this is correct i would proceed as follows...At the 3* level you have ONE re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.Select 3* Soho, LES, ESB...Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Chelsea, MSG, DT..Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Chelsea, LES, ESB...Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $100, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Soho, MSG, DT...Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $100, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Soho, MSG, ESB...Bid $103, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $105, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Chelsea, LES, DT...Bid $103, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $105, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Soho, LES, DT...Bid $108, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $110, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Chelsea, MSG, ESB...Bid $108, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $110, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Soho, LES, ESB, Chelsea...Bid $113, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $115, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Soho, LES, ESB, MSG...Bid $113, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $115, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Soho, LES, ESB, DT...Bid $113, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $115, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* DT, MSG, Chelsea, Soho...Bid $118, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $120, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* DT, MSG, Chelsea, LES...Bid $118, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $120, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* DT, MSG, Chelsea, ESB...Bid $118, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $120, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* DT, MSG, Chelsea, Soho, LES...Bid $123, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* DT, MSG, Chelsea, Soho, ESB...Bid $123, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* DT, MSG, Chelsea, Soho, LES, ESB...Bid $1283, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $130Any questions feel free to ask. I would bid the following date combinations:5/2-5/75/3-5/75/2-5/65/4-5/75/2-5/5Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Good luck and let us know how it goes. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
dmallori Posted March 1, 2012 Author Report Posted March 1, 2012 Ok, so I read through the re-bidding page and I just want to make sure that I understand correctly before I bid. I checked through all of the zones and the only zone that does not have a 3* hotel is Coney Island. So you are saying:Select 3* Soho, LES, ESB... Bid $85, if rejected add Coney Island... Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE Select 3* Chelsea, MSG, DT.. Bid $85, if rejected add Coney Island... Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINENow as far as the selecting of other zones, you are telling me to select all of them, only in a different order? Or are you telling me to only select a few on each try?
thereuare Posted March 2, 2012 Report Posted March 2, 2012 You should only bid the zones indicated for each try, so using the example above:Bid1: Soho, LES, ESBBid2: Soho, LES, ESB, Coneny IslandBid3: Chelsea, MSG, DTBid4: Chelsea, MSG, DT, ConeyIslandDoes that make it clearer?Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
dmallori Posted March 9, 2012 Author Report Posted March 9, 2012 I haven't had any luck with the bidding as of yet. As a back-up if I have to commute in from somewhere, do you have any advice as to where to stay? I have had friends that stayed in Brooklyn and said it was ok safety wise, just more industrial than the city. I was also wondering about Long Island City. I have heard that the area has improved quite a bit, and the hotels are a lot cheaper than on the island. This is just a back up but any advice is appreciated.
thereuare Posted March 9, 2012 Report Posted March 9, 2012 Have you tried SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID already as well?Personally i'm not that much of a fan of the Brooklyn and LIC zones, i prefer the Hoboken-Jersey City side, but we can cross that bridge once we get there.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
Recommended Posts
Register now, we have a huge community of travel enthusiasts to answer any questions you might have.
Sign In Now