Priceline Hotel: Looking for 4* in Midtown 3/27-3/29

[e1345]

Hello everyone. I've been reading up on strategy in the forums here, and wanted to confirm my approach...

I'm looking for a 4* in Midtown area for 3/27-3/29. Acceptable zones are 2, 12, 16, 11, 7, 10, 6, 17, 18, 3, 14 (in that order).

I've just wrapped up my second day of unsuccessful bidding. Yesterday I started at $100 and incremented the bid $1/zone. Today I started at $105 and incremented $1/zone (ending at $115 with all zones listed above selected)

I've seen some other folks posting low 100s for winning bids, but am I starting at an unreasonable price for the dates? Or is my strategy just wrong?

Thanks for your tips!

[thereuare]

Acceptable zones are 2, 12, 16, 11, 7, 10, 6, 17, 18, 3, 14 (in that order).

The numbers next to each zone will change whenever PRICELINE adds/removes a zone or renames a zone... please list the acceptable zones by PRICELINE name (and not by number)

Are you willing to pay more for a hotel in your first choice of zone vs. second choice of zone vs. third choice of zone, etc, etc... OR is your goal the least expensive 4* hotel in any of your acceptable zones?

I've just wrapped up my second day of unsuccessful bidding. Yesterday I started at $100 and incremented the bid $1/zone. Today I started at $105 and incremented $1/zone (ending at $115 with all zones listed above selected)

Rates are date specific so the very low rates you're seeing that others have won may not be available for your dates, but let's start with the zone names you're willing to accept and we'll then have a closer look at your trip and advise accordingly.

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

[e1345]

Thanks for the response, thereuare. My goal is the least expensive 4* in any of my acceptable areas. I guess the only reason I have them ranked by preference is so I had a zone order when incrementing the bid.

Sorry about omitting the zone names -- rookie mistake. Here are my zones:

Central Park South

Midtown West

Times Square Theatre District

Midtown East

Hell's Kitchen

Madison Square Garden - Convention Area

Empire State Building Area

Upper East Side

Upper West Side

Chelsea Area

Queensborough Bridge

Thanks again for your help!

[thereuare]

Here are my zones:

Central Park South

Midtown West

Times Square Theatre District

Midtown East

Hell's Kitchen

Madison Square Garden - Convention Area

Empire State Building Area

Upper East Side

Upper West Side

Chelsea Area

Queensborough Bridge

Upper East Side and Queensboro bridge don't offer 4* bidding so we won't include them in a bidding strategy.

Rates are a bit high for these dates... i do see one 'outlier' on HOTWIRE, a 4* hotel in the MTE zone for $148/nite with:

Fitness

Restaurant

Business

Hi-Speed Internet

Blind Accessible

Deaf Accessible

Travel Accessible

Room Accessible

Bathroom Accessible

Roll-in Shower

Best guess for this property is the Roosevelt. You could try bidding for a better rate then $148/nite, but if that is rejected and this offer disappears, you're currently looking at somewhat higher prices based upon current rates.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed, and if trying PRICELINE first, let us knw your maximum bid and we'll advise accordingly.

[e1345]

Thanks for that information. I'm not crazy about the Roosevelt based on recent reviews I've read. My max is $150/night. Also, I suppose I could add in SoHo Tribecca, Lower East Side, and Downtown Financial District, too. I'm up for rebid in about an hour -- thoughts on a strategy for today? Thanks!

[thereuare]

Note that if you're bidding 4* and including MTE in your bidding, then the Roosevelt becomes a real possibility as a win from your PRICELINE bidding... did you want to exclude this zone? While the Roosevelt is not my favorite hotel in the city, i think at ~$150 it does look like a pretty good value for these dates based upon current rates, and does have an excellent location for a short visit.

Did you first want to try the midtown zones up to your $150 limit... or is the goal the least expensive 4* hotel in all the zones you've mentioned above (both the midtown and downtown locations)?

Also, are you familiar with re-bidding, as you've again mentioned bidding zones that don't offer 4* bidding. If you're not familiar with re-bidding see Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board (NOTE: at the 4* level you have SIX re-bid zones)

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

Let us know the information above and we'll take it from there.

[e1345]

Thanks for the suggestions. I just ended on a rejected bid of $160 with all Manhattan zones selected. Since I'm going to be paying closer to $200/night for this trip, the Priceline 'grab bag' strategy isn't as appealing since I can book a 4* hotel by name for a very similar price. For some reason, the dates I will be visiting are just more expensive...

I'll certainly keep Priceline in mind for future trips, and certainly this forum. Thanks again for all of your help!

[thereuare]

What hotel do you intend to purchase for $200+?

Please check for and use the links in our suport.page for your hotel direct purchases whenever possible... or you can also try t find a hotel thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com which plots star rating and rates for your specific dates on the map which makes it easy to see how much more/less it would cost to go up/down in star rating OR stay closer/further for your ideal location.

Also, if you find something refundable you can also come back to PRICELINE / HOTWIRE in the weeks ahead to see if any lower priced inventory is loaded into the system as you get closer to your arrival.

[e1345]

After lots of looking around, I finally booked Candlewood for $205/night through the Candlewood site (it was cheaper than any other site). The location was right for us, and the reviews were excellent. Thanks for the MAPS and HOTELS.com link - it looks very useful!

[thereuare]

As per our Support Page we are an affiliate of the Candlewood Suites... please check for and use the links there whenever possible for your hotel direct purchases.

While i'm glad to see you found something that works for your needs, the Candlewood Suites is a far star rating from the 4* hotel you were originally seeking, and if you were looking to lower your star rating i think you could have done substantially better than $200/nite.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or our Support Page for your hotel direct purchases.