Priceline Hotel: 4* in Central New York

[lairyness]

Hi I first bid for 4* Times Square at $110

I rebid 4* Times Square + Midtown East at $120

I re-bid 4* Times Square + Midtown East + Midtown West at $130

Dates are 12th June 2013-16th June 2013 (4nights)

Ideally I'd like a 4* or 5*(wishful thinking!) and don't want to pay any more that $140 per night. Is this reasonable? It doesn't have to be the above locations, we're going to be visiting the city for the first time so anywhere central is ok with us.

Could anyone please recommend areas and prices which are reasonable for our time of year.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Megan

[thereuare]

At current prices i don't think that $140 is going to be enough for this complete stat at a 4* hotel in midtown as Spring is a very busy time of year in NYC... and at the moment you're more likely looking at $180-$200 for a 4* property.

You could wait and hope that rates drop as you get closer to your arrival, but there is no assurance that they will come lower, and could move even higher.

Using MAPS and HOTELS.com what is the best rate you're able to find at an acceptable and centrally located hotel?

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

[lairyness]

Thanks for your help. If I lower the star rating to 3* in the areas of Times Square, Midtown East and Midtown West, what is a reasonable bid to start at?

I tried bidding up to $160 for a 4* in the following areas, but got rejected each time:

Midtown East

Midtown West

Times Square

Hells kitchen

Empire State Building

Central park south

Madison square garden

Chelsea

Really appreciate your help!

[thereuare]

Are you still using $140 as your maximum bid?

Also, do note that when bidding less than 4* in NYC the following 'issues' come into play:

CPS - has the Hudson Hotel which is well located but has notoriously small rooms, even by NYC standards... is this acceptable?

MTE - some of the hotels can be up to a 15 minute walk to the subway. The weather is typically nice in June so this may or may not be an issue for you depending upon how much you do/don't like to walk

Let us know if we should include both/either/neither of the zones above and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[lairyness]

Ideally 140 would be my maximum bid.

Small rooms aren't an issue at all... Walking also isn't an issue!

Thanks again!

[thereuare]

If I lower the star rating to 3* in the areas of Times Square, Midtown East and Midtown West, what is a reasonable bid to start at?

Sorry, misread your post previously... based upon the above you only want to bid the MTE, MTW and TS zones at the 3* level and NOT the other zones that you previously included at the 4* level? We will still suggest a strategy for you to follow although i think a 3* may still be a bit of a reach at $140 (if you are successful it will likely be near the top of your range)... did you not want to try for a 3.5* hotel at all and drop a full star rating to 3 stars?

Please confirm and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[lairyness]

Preferably would like to stick to MTE, MTW and TS zones if I have to drop to a 3 star. Some of the three stars in the other areas look a little run down!... I don't mind dropping to a three star for the three above areas as I've had a look at the hotel lists for these areas and the three stars seem quite nice.. As long as the location isn't too far out and the hotel isn't rundown, we'll stay anywhere (for preferably under $140/$150)...

Thanks again.

[Romelle]

There also is 3 1/2* bidding availability in your selected zones?

You might explore that first before dropping to the 3*s.

Romelle

[thereuare]

So what do you want to do moving forward:

• wait it out and hope for lower rates for a 4* hotel in the weeks ahead
• lower your star rating and try for a 3.5* or 3* property

Are you ready to try for a lower rated hotel 8 months before your stay?

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

[lairyness]

Perhaps I'll wait it out and keep trying over the next few weeks for a 4*.... Perhaps 6months is too far in advance to be searching!

Thanks for all your help. I'll post back with my result!

[AaronJB]

Thank you for keeping us updated and please let us know if you have additional questions. While it is early, this is traditionally still a busy time (rates start to drop off a bit later in the Summer), so I'd keep an eye on prices over the next few months.

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