Priceline Hotel: Help needed for bidding a hotel in NYC

[AABB]

I try to bid a 3.5* hotel room in NYC. check in: august 19,2013; check out: august 22,2013; intended bidding zone: time square, soho , madison square garden, empire state building area and midtown west area. Would anyone like to offer help, please?

I have tried all the zone mentioned at $145 but i still cannot get one. We want to keep the price below $150/night.Is this too low for this period? Could anyone offer me a better strategy, please?

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

If you haven't yet please start by reading your messages.

Summer in NYC is usually a slow time of year with low prices, but currently we've been seeing fairly high prices (considering the time of year) for many summer dates. At this time you know that $145 isn't enough for a 3.5* property in the zones that you have bid, but unless there is a large event you're aware of taking place over these dates I wouldn't chase this one too high as it's still early and we may see rates 'break' a few weeks from now as we get closer to the start of the summer.

You can try to find a fully refundable back-up hotel to protect yourself should rates move in the opposite direction and rise from here instead of go lower.

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

[AABB]

It is too expensive now but the price of rooms tomorrow is quite low on express deal. Is it too risky for us to bid a hotel only one day before we check in at such busy season? Did anyone you know successfully bid a room at a low price at the last moment? Thank you! I don't quite understand the last sentence of you last post. What do you mean by "the opposite direction"?

[thereuare]

The rates you're currently seeing at PRICELINE EXPRESS are not necessarily cheaper then what you're currently seeing for your dates due to it being last minute, as rates for tomorrow have may have always been cheaper than rates for your dates. For example, if tomorrow was the SuperBowl in NYC and there were very few hotels offered and they all had very high rates, you would conclude the opposite of your current hypothesis and suggest that waiting until the last minute leads to higher rates and/or no availability. This isn't to stay that rates will/won't come down for your dates between now and your stay (likewise they could move higher), but rates are date specific and based upon your observation of rates for tomorrow nite being cheaper then your August dates, you can't conclude that it is due to it being last minute.

For more on this subject see the related 'Bid Early or Late' in our PRICELINE FAQ.

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

[AABB]

I have tried bidding a 3 stars hotel room in time square and soho district for $159 but no luck. The price seems getting higher and higher as it get closer to the date we check in. Can you give us some advice on the price setting? We have already planned to check in on August 19th and out on August 22nd. The dates are set. And the area we prefer are: time square, soho, central park south, midtown west, empire state building and chelsea. Would you please give us a specific strategy? Thank you!

[thereuare]

Given your rejection at $159 for a 3* hotel how about this:

HOTWIRE has a 3.5* hotel in the MTC zone for $187/nite with:

Pet Friendly

Smoke Free

Fitness

Hi-Speed Internet

Most notable about this property is that it is 100% recommended by previous HOTWIRE guests and has an excellent 4.5/5.0 TA rating (these combined give confidence that this is a 'good' property). This hotel has never been reported to the board as a PRICELINE win so may not be a participating hotel with that service (or if you do try bidding on PRICELINE you may get some other property that is not as highly reviewed). My best guess for this property would be the Cassa Hotel and Residences.

Does this work for your plans? If not, which star level, zones, and maximum bid do you want us to use for a PRICELINE strategy?

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

[AABB]

Thank you for the advice. We want to get a hotel room above 3 stars. The maximum price we can afford is $180. The level of preference of the zones is descending as follow: time square, soho, midtown west, central park south, empire state building, and chelsea. Thank you so much!

[thereuare]

Thank you for the advice. We want to get a hotel room above 3 stars.

If still below $180/nite are you willing to pay more for a 4* vs a 3.5* vs. a 3* OR is the goal the least expensive 3* or better for this trip?

The level of preference of the zones is descending as follow: time square, soho, midtown west, central park south, empire state building, and chelsea.

Are you willing to pay more to stay in the TS zone vs. the Soho zone vs. MTW, etc, etc... OR is the goal the least expensive hotel in any of these zones?

Also, note that at 3.5* and under in the CPS zone is the Hudson hotel which has notoriously small rooms (even by NYC standards)... would this be acceptable?

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

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