Priceline Hotel: 4* New York City (Midtown East) Hilton Manhattan East

[buckeye1016]

Hello-

This is my first post, so I hope to include all relevant information the first go-round.

I am looking for a hotel in NYC for the weekend of 11/15-11/18. This is my first trip to NYC, so I'm not 100% familiar with how easy it is to get around. Ideally we'd be in a zone where there are at least some walkable restaurants, shops, activities, etc. Because of that, my initial reaction is to stay in TS or any surrounding zones, which would give me a list of:

Central Park South

Empire State Building Area

Hell's Kitchen

Madison Square Garden

Midtown East

Midtown West

Times Square(although I read to avoid staying directly in this zone)

I'm not tied to any specific zone, and would even be open to staying in other zones. I'd like to stay above 3.5 stars, and would be thrilled to get something $200/night all-inclusive of taxes, which would be me around $175/night bidding price I believe.

Is this rate possible? Can I do better? Any advice on bidding strategies? Should I broaden my zones?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

If you haven't yet, please read your messages.

Your budget is just about do-able. For example, PRICELINE EXPRESS has a 4* hotel in the MTE zone (Pets Allowed, Business Center, Fitness Center) for $195/nite... using the discount link code in my signature gives an extra 10% Off bringing your room rate down to ~$175/nite, but this does come to about $650 all-in.

While this may ultimatley be your best deal for a 4* hotel, do you want to pursue this option, try bidding for a 4* hotel for less, or seek out a less expensive 3.5* hotel?

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

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

[buckeye1016]

I gave the bidding a try to see if I could get anything closer to my price range. Here's my process:

Bid 1: $135/night, Midtown East, Central Park South, Midtown West, Chelsea...Rejected

Bid 2: $145/night, MTE, CPS, MTW, Ch, added long island as my bid dummy...Rejected

Bid 3: $155/night, MTE, CPS, MTW, Ch, another bid dummy...Rejected

For some reason it gave me a 4th attempt, even though I thought I read you can only get two re-bids on NYC.

Bid 4: $162/night, same as above, but added Hell's Kitchen

My bid was accepted, and I got the Hilton Manhattan East. All-in price, with trip insurance to be safe, was $608, so I came in just at my desired price point, and it ended up being slightly better deal(about 50 bucks) than if I would have done PRICELINE EXPRESS 4* with the 10% off discount code.

Thanks for the help!

[buckeye1016]

It took me four bid attempts. I also included Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West, Central Park South, and Chelsea in all 4 bids. I started at 135, then 145, then 155, finally landed on 162/night. $608 after taxes, fees, and I opted for the $15 travel protection.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Very good deal for this property and hope you are looking forward to your stay.

Thank you for sharing your win and please use the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links to start your purchases and searches.

Enjoy your stay.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you received a very nice deal for this time of year and are pleased with the results.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

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

Enjoy your stay and have fun in NYC.

[zerodois]

Guys, is this $15 travel protection worth it, you think?

[thereuare]

The travel insurance is $5/nite... it was $15 above do to a 3 nite stay.

Please post your question(s) pertaining to your own trip in your current Priceline New York City hotel thread and we will continue the discussion there.

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

Thanks.