NYfirsttimer Posted April 15, 2013 Report Posted April 15, 2013 Hi thereI've been reading all I can find about bidding on Priceline and have a great idea now, apart from a strategy!We're a 30 something couple who are visiting New York for the first time, staying 18th June through to 23rd June (checking out on 23rd). So 5 nights in total.We want a safe, clean, comfortable hotel room with en suite bathroom. We are not too fussed about the hotel name nor the precise location, although we would like somewhere that is near a subway and fairly conveniently located.I've been looking at the areas on the location map on Priceline and reading as much as I can elsewhere about the areas and quite like the sound of Chelsea, Lower East Side, Madison Square Garden, Midtown East, Midtown West, Central Park South, Empire State Building Area.We have a maximum budget of $180 per night for the room, including taxes. What can we realistically expect to get for that price in terms of hotel rating?I have no idea how much to bid or for what. Any advice would be hugely appreciated.Many thanks in advance.
thereuare Posted April 16, 2013 Report Posted April 16, 2013 Welcome to BetterBidding!Your $180 all-in comes to about a $150 bid price which at the moment may get you a 3* hotel in one of the zones that you have listed, but a 2.5* seems more likely. However, it costs nothing to try so i would at least try for a 3.5* first, then if rejected try for a 3*, if that too is turned down then try for a 2.5* (or wait it out and only try for the 2.5* as you get close to your stay).Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.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
NYfirsttimer Posted April 16, 2013 Author Report Posted April 16, 2013 Thank you for replying. I would feel much better knowing that I'm more likely to get a 3*. How much do you think we'd need to increase our budget to per night for that to be more likely? I'd prefer to get something booked rather than wait until nearer the time.As far as the areas I mentioned go, I have no idea which order would be most desirable. Could you help me order them?Thank you!
thereuare Posted April 16, 2013 Report Posted April 16, 2013 For a centrally located 3* or better you're probably looking in the $190-$210 are before taxes and fees.If you let us know how high you're willing to bid we'll suggest a strategy as well as which zones to include.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
NYfirsttimer Posted April 16, 2013 Author Report Posted April 16, 2013 OK, working out our budget and I'd like to try for around $160 per night, excluding taxes and fees.I'd be really grateful if you could suggest a strategy and the order in which I should bid on zones. I've been reading loads more on the forums since my last post and I think the areas I'd prefer are:Midtown EastMadison Square GardenChelseaMidtown WestLower East SideCentral Park SouthEmpire State BuildingI've no idea about the order of these other than Midtown East seems like a good first choice. I would prefer not to stay in Times Square so if any of those other areas are similar, can you order them to the bottom of the list?Thanks so much for your help.
thereuare Posted April 16, 2013 Report Posted April 16, 2013 Although the LES zone is up and coming and there are a few cool places in like in the area, i'm not yet comfortable with the area with the little history we have here since there is really only one viable subway line nearby that i think is popular with tourists/vistors, so it's not as convenient as the other zones, imo.I would therefore bid 3* in the MTE, MSG, Chelsea, MTW, CPS, and ESB zones.However, there are two caveats:MTE - at less then 3.5* and below some of the hotels can be up to a 15 minute walk from the subway... is this acceptable?CPS - has the 3.5* rated Hudson Hotel which has notoriously small rooms, even by NYC standards, is this acceptable?Please confirm if we should include/exclude the above two zones (and also if we should include/exclude LES in the bidding) 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
NYfirsttimer Posted April 16, 2013 Author Report Posted April 16, 2013 I appreciate your knowledge on the zones.We really do want to be conveniently located close to a subway as we will be using it a lot to see the sights, so I think maybe we do need to exclude both LES and MTE. I would also rather not end up in a very cramped room so it sounds like we should exclude CPS too.Are we left with enough zones then? Are there any other zones that are convenient in terms of subways that I should include which I haven't listed in my recent posts? I am grateful for your input as you obviously know these zones - I will happily take your advice on this.
thereuare Posted April 16, 2013 Report Posted April 16, 2013 First try for what you want, if not successful, then determine what you can settle with. ;)So your first bidding cycle would be for a 3* hotel in the MSG, Chelsea, MTW, or ESB zones with a maximum bid of $160?If this is correct you can bid as follows:Selet 3* MSG...Bid $130, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelet 3* Chelsea...Bid $130, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelet 3* MTW...Bid $130, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelet 3* ESB...Bid $130, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelet 3* MSG and Chelsea...Bid $135, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelet 3* MTW and ESB...Bid $135, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelet 3* MTW and Chelsea...Bid $140, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelet 3* MSG and ESB...Bid $140, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelet 3* ESB and Chelsea...Bid $145, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelet 3* MTW and MSG...Bid $145, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelet 3* MSG and Chelsea and MTW...Bid $150, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelet 3* MSG and Chelsea and ESB...Bid $150, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* MTW and ESB and MSG...Bid $155, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* MTW and ESB and Chelsea...Bid $155, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* MTW and ESB and MSG and Chelsea...Bid $160Any 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
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