Havanah Joe Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Hello,It has been a while since I've used Priceline for a hotel, last time was for my last trip to NYC several years ago.This time I am looking for something nice (3 to 4 stars) south of Central Park, with the Financial District being lowest on the list. I have seen hotels on hotwire for around $200 in the Financial District, and $215 for a 4* hotel in Midtown East on PRICELINE EXPRESS, but would like to spend around $150 a night. Might not be doable but I'd like to do some bidding on PL to see if I can get something better.If I want to try for 4 stars, looks like I only have 3 zones with no 4* hotel:Long Island CityMorningside HeightsQueensboro BridgeAnd I have 7 zones with 4*Central Park SouthChelseaEmpire StateHell's KitchenMidtown EastMidtown WestTimes SquareOn another post I saw mention of 6 rebid zones in NYC, which ones am I missing?Thanks! Link to comment
thereuare Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 If I want to try for 4 stars, looks like I only have 3 zones with no 4* hotel:Long Island CityMorningside HeightsQueensboro BridgeAnd I have 7 zones with 4*Central Park SouthChelseaEmpire StateHell's KitchenMidtown EastMidtown WestTimes SquareOn another post I saw mention of 6 rebid zones in NYC, which ones am I missing?Are you on the bidding side of PRICELINE, as there are 18 zones listed there.Try this:Start with the following...1) Use the PRICELINE search box on the upper right of this page, enter 'New York City, NY' and your dates, and click "GO".2) List each zone that is offered in this region. 3) Next to each zone list the highest star rating offered in the zone. The way to determine the highest star rating offered in the zone is by selecting the first zone i the list, then scrolling down to see the highest star rating selectable (ie- not greyed out). NEXT UNcheck the selected zone, place a checkmark in the next zone, and repeat the process for each zone in the region. Each time you take note of the highest star rating in the zone, make sure that only ONE zone is selected above.4) post your findings and we'll take it from thereIf you don't follow the above just post back and we'll break it down further.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 Link to comment
Havanah Joe Posted March 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Thanks for the reply. The zones I see are:Brooklyn 4*Central Park South 4*Chelsea Area 4*Coney Island 2*Downtown - Financial District 4*Empire State Building Area 4*Hell's Kitchen 4* Long Island City 3* Lower East Side 4* Madison Square Garden - Convention Area 4* Midtown East 4* Midtown West 4* Morningside Heights - Harlem 3* Queensborough Bridge 3* SoHo - Tribeca 4* Times Square - Theatre District 5* Upper East Side 5* Upper West Side 4* I now see 4 zones that don't have a 4* hotel available Link to comment
thereuare Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 The above is now correct as new hotels have been added or other hotels have been upgraded so that there are now only FOUR re-bid zones at the 4* level in NYC (and a good example of why we ensure users now how to check on their own, as a bidding strategy posted a few days ago, when there were SIX re-bid zones, would no longer be valid and a user can end up in a zone they didn't intend)I assume all the zones with 4* hotels that you listed are acceptable:Central Park SouthChelseaEmpire StateHell's KitchenMidtown EastMidtown WestTimes SquareIf so, and you wanted to first try for a 4* hotel with a $150 maximum bid, you can try as follows using your FOUR re-bid zones:Select 4* Chelsea, ESB, MTE, MTW, TS...Bid $110, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $123, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* HK...Bid $110, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $123, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* CPS...Bid $110, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $123, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* Chelsea, ESB, MTE, MTW, TS, HK...Bid $128, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $133, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $138, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* Chelsea, ESB, MTE, MTW, TS, CPS...Bid $128, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $133, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $138, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* CPS, Chelsea, ESB, HK, MTE, MTW, TS...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $143, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $148, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $150Any questions feel free to ask.Please 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 Link to comment
Havanah Joe Posted March 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 I tried with a bid up to $140, with the taxes it brings it up to more than the $150 per night. I didn't win anything up to trying "Select 4* CPS, Chelsea, ESB, HK, MTE, MTW, TS... for $140". I think I'd like to try 3.5* now, and looking at express deals, looks like I should try a similar strategy and the same re-bid zones seem to apply. What do you think? Link to comment
AaronJB Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 There are a couple of issues at the 3.5* level in NYC, including a particularly small hotel at the 3.5* in CPS (the Hudson, where rooms are about 120-130 sq ft) and hotels in MTE at the 3.5* level that are rather far E in MTE. Would those be acceptable?Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches. Link to comment
Havanah Joe Posted March 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Hmm, since you mentioned they are far it sounds like that's a pretty considerable inconvenience. Is there a way to avoid those and avoid the small hotel in CPS? I guess avoiding them would just make bidding more difficult. Link to comment
thereuare Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Is there a way to avoid those and avoid the small hotel in CPS?The only way is to not bid these (MTE and CPS) zones... let us know if you'd like us to revise the strategy to exclude either/both of these zones.Also, since it appears you're not willing to bid up to $150... what is your maximum bid price (before taxes/fees)?I'll also suggest looking at retail rates (try our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com and search within '3 miles of Times Square New York City') and then filter the hotels to only 3.5* and above and sort by price... i think you'll find that at current rates a $140 bid may not be enough for a 3.5* hotel either.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 Link to comment
Havanah Joe Posted March 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Hmm, do you think it would be a better deal to get a 4* than a 3.5* even if I have to increase my maximum bid? I'd rather not, but, in order to be in the right area, I can go higher. A couple of friends ended up paying retail at $280 a night (including taxes of course) so something under that would be a good deal. Link to comment
AaronJB Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Given rates I'm seeing on HOTWIRE, these are fairly busy dates due to the busier Spring period. At the 4* level in Midtown, I think you're probably looking at at least $170-185 (and possibly over $200 in some zones, especially TS.) If you want to try higher at the 4*, I would continue bidding higher by $5's from the last failed bid ($140) - $145, 150, 155, etc.Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches. Link to comment
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