Priceline Hotel: NYC 2nd week in December

[cd2306]

Hi there,

New to Priceline but have read guides and pretty sure I understand it but I do have a couple of questions.

If i bid on a hotel and my bid is unsuccessful am I duty bound to keep bidding until I get somewhere or can I just stop bidding and go down a different route?

Also, realistically how cheap do people think we could get a 4* hotel in lower east side, or chelsea-ish area? 7 nights, probably 2nd week of December? From experience at that time of year does anyone have any recommendations on bids and likely hotels?

Many Thanks

cd2306

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Once a bid is rejected it's "done" and there is no further obligation... of course if your bid is accepted you're credit card is charged immediately and you 'own' the room.

The second week of December is right on the cusp of high season to low season... the first two weeks of December are high season (and at time very high season) in NYC, but rates tend to drop quickly sometimes on/around December 15th (it can give or take a few days either way depending upon what day of the week the holidays fall as well as other factors)... so very difficult to say just how much something in mid-December will cost, as if you're on the wrong side of the rate drop it can be extremely expensive (deep into the $200's and possible over $300/nite)... if you're staying after the general decline in rates less than $200 (and possibly less than $150) may be easily achievable. If your plans are flexible i would be looking to plan as close to Dec 25 (and the days prior) as possible.. rather than say Dec 8-15.

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

Let us know once you have some firm, or at least a better grasp of, dates and we'll take a closer look.

[cd2306]

Thanks so much for your response. Great to have a bit of an idea. Ideally we'd be travelling as close to Xmas as possible, however flights from Scotland seem to be a bit more expensive once you get past around December 13th. Will go fo as late a flight as possible that fits within our budget then hopefully a decent priced hotel comes our way thereafter.

Cheers

[thereuare]

Let us know once your dates are firm and we'll take it from there.

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

[cd2306]

Flights booked. Thursday 13th December - Thursday 20th December. Ideally we would have went slightly later but flights prices from Scotland seemed to sky rocket! Pretty much avoided the first 2 weeks (definitely first 2 weekends)which I understand to be the busiest so hoping there is scope for a decent deal somewhere midtown - south.

Any suggestions, experience at same time, likelihood of hotels etc is welcome.

[thereuare]

What is your expected budget (per nite before taxes and fees)? What is your target star level?

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

[cd2306]

Ideally 4 star, however if it meant staying in a better area i'd maybe go 3 star. I'm hoping not to pay much over £100 per night, so approx $155. Really don't want to pay more than that per night. I appreciate it's not a huge amount so 3 star may be more likely, but I figure no harm in starting out aiming high at 4 stars.

Mid-Town east/grand central area seems to have good options. East Village, Soho, Tribeca, Chelsea seems to be considerably more expensive so to stay in those areas i'd probably be looking at 3 star. Maybe Hilton Garden Inn or similar. If we could get 4 star in midtown east, the W hotel would be great.

[AaronJB]

Once mid-month hits in December in NYC, rates start to fall off (at least traditionally). If splitting your stay would result in a better overall price, would that be of interest? The 13th and 14th nights are definitely expensive, then things get noticeably better from the 15th-20th.

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

[cd2306]

In an ideal world I'd really rather not split my stay. However if was going to save me hundreds of pounds then I'd consider it. Any suggestions for starting bid for the full week at a single hotel. 3star+ Midtown east, Soho, Tribeca, East Village.

[thereuare]

3star+ Midtown east, Soho, Tribeca, East Village.

The above are not zones on the bidding side of PRICELINE's service. Please use the BiddingHelper.com search box at the top of the page, enter 'New York City, NY' and your dates... on the ensuing page look at the PRICELINE tab/page... which zones on that page are you willing to accept?

Also, just to touch on the SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID option... dropping the first nite i think gives you a chance to get a 4* hotel within your $156/nite budget for those nites... including the first nite makes it quite a bit more difficult (and possible the difference between success/failure at the 4* level)

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

Let us know regarding the zones and if you still want to start at the 3* level and we'll take it from there.

[cd2306]

Chelsea Area

Lower East Side

Midtown East

Soho/Tribeca

Is it possible to bid for 3.5*? Thinking we would maybe accept a lesser star if we got a good area and didn't have to move after 1 night. Obviously I need to be sure there are no 3* or 3.5* hotels in those areas that I really would not want.

[cd2306]

I mean, there is no harm in just starting off with my first choice areas and going for 4* to see if anyone accepts the offer is there? I might as well try first right? Then if that fails consider whether to drop a star and keep the area, or keep the star and add an area.

[thereuare]

Chelsea Area

Lower East Side

Midtown East

Soho/Tribeca

Can i ask how familiar you ware with the city and why these zones, as the above are not typically we see requested by the average visitor to the city.

I mean, there is no harm in just starting off with my first choice areas and going for 4* to see if anyone accepts the offer is there? I might as well try first right?

You could try, but realize you may 'overbid' a little for the later nites... but with a maximum bid of $155 this isn't too much of a risk (and perhaps the price you decide to pay for convenience).

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

Let us know regarding the zones and we'll take it from there.

[cd2306]

I've been to NYC a number of times, and I don't want to stay around Times Sqaure/Central Park area. I much prefer the general feel of the Soho, Lower East Side. Times Square area is just too much of a tourist attraction and I have seen it all before a number of times so I'd rather not stay in that kind of area. Are there particular areas that you would recommend staying in? I realise at Xmas i'll spend a lot of time around many of the tourist attractions and shopping streets. Would I generally get a better deal should I include Times Square area?

[thereuare]

Would I generally get a better deal should I include Times Square area?

It's not that you'll necessarily get a better deal including Times Square per se... but from a numbers standpoint, the more zones you include, the more hotels have an opportunity to accept your bid, which in turn increases your chances. As well, there are generally more hotels in the midtown zones then in the 'alternate' zones... which again, means more hotels having the ability to accept your bid.

However, if you don't want to stay in a given zone, then even if you do get a good price there it isn't a deal, since it's not where you want to stay for this trip. Ultimately it's your trip so you need to strike a balance between budget and where you want to stay.

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.

[cd2306]

Ok, having discussed we have decided that a nice hotel is a priority. Been stung before with hotels that look decent enough only to find they are hopeless when we arrive so want to make sure we get somewhere nice, which probably means I should include more areas.

Another question, am I likely to get a better deal bidding now for December, or wait until nearer the time?

[thereuare]

There is no way to know if rates will go come down, or go up, between now and your stay, but for a further discussion of this subject see the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

With the above noted, with your $155/nite budget, i don't think there is too much downside risk in locking in a win now, especially if you're not willing to SPLIT YOUR PRICELINE BID and separate the more expensive nite(s) of your stay.

Let us know which zone(s) you decide you're willing to bid and we'll advise accordingly.

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