Hotwire Hotel: 4* New York City (Madison Square Garden - Hell's Kitchen) The New Yorker Hotel Ramada Plaza

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

Hi All,

Looking for the best strategy to get the cheapest 4*/5* Hotel in Manhattan for next month. My GF and my first trip to New York, so

Dates: 19th - 22nd November (3 Nights)

Budget: £410 / $650 including taxes/etc (works out to about $180/night + taxes

Area(s): Still not fully sure on what area to stay, thinking Midtown somewhere, just anywhere between Central Park / Chelsea area.

I've been reading various other stories and winning bids, but just wanted to be sure as a first time bidder.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Ewan

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Budget: $180/night + taxes

Area(s): Still not fully sure on what area to stay, thinking Midtown somewhere, just anywhere between Central Park / Chelsea area.

Difficult to confirm that your budget is within the right ballpark without confirmed zones since it may be enough in one zone but then you decide not to bid that zone.

If anywhere from 'anywhere between Central Park / Chelsea area' is indeed acceptable, and CPS, Chelsea, ESB, HK, MSG, MTE, MTW and TS are all acceptable, i think $180 is close but may fall just a little short... $180-$200 may be what it ultimately takes given current prices.

If you're ready to bid now, please confirm if all the zones are acceptable (and/or if you're willing to accept any others) as well as confirm your maximum bid, we'll then suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

Thanks.

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

Hi thereuare,

Thanks for the prompt response.

Yes, the zone's we are looking for are:

2 - CPS

3 - Chelsea Area

6 - Empire State Building

7 - Hell's Kitchen

10 - MSG Area

11 - Midtown East

12 - Midtown West

16 - Times Sqaure

$180 is the top price, so i'd like to start the bidding around $150 a night.

Does waiting another few weeks till late October help our chances, of getting somewhere cheaper?

Thanks,

Ewan

Edit: Would also like to say 3* / 3.5* would be acceptable, if the prices were decent.

[AaronJB]

Despite the colder weather, the Fall and early Winter in NYC is - with the exception of a few patches - very busy with conventions, events and especially holiday shopping/festivities. Waiting until the last minute - at least traditionally - has a chance of backfiring in this time period if traffic starts coming in higher than expected. Might they get cheaper? They may, but they can also definitely go the other way, given the traditional traffic during this period. Waiting is a gamble.

You note that 3/3.5* would be acceptable - a couple of notes: the 3.5* level in CPS could potentially be the Hudson, which has extremely small (130-150 sq ft) rooms. Midtown East is a very nice area that I'd recommend, but a couple of properties at the 3.5/4* levels are towards the far E border of the zone. Would these "issues" be okay?

Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

Hi Aaron,

As a first time traveller to NY, I'm a little unsure on the issues of being that far east, as long as there's a metro/bus stop within 10 minute walk and the area is safe enough, then that is the main two concerns on location for us. Is there anything else I should be thinking about?

Wow, had a look at the Hudson and the rooms look very small, a slightly bigger room would be preferable - but on my budget then maybe not possible.

Thanks,

Ewan

[thereuare]

As a first time traveller to NY, I'm a little unsure on the issues of being that far east, as long as there's a metro/bus stop within 10 minute walk and the area is safe enough, then that is the main two concerns on location for us.

The majority of hotels are around the 10 minute walk or less to the subway... there is one known hotel that i would label as closer to 15 minutes to the subway. A bus stop is close to all, but the subway is the main mode of transportation in NYC (you may take the bus every now and then when it works out perfectly for your needs, or you need to go 'far' east or 'far' west as the subways don't go river-to-river, but the subway will likely be your primary mode of transportation). You could take the bus near the hotel to the subway too, but it's just one more mode of transportation that you need to wait for and at time it could just be quicker to walk.

Is there anything else I should be thinking about?

Wow, had a look at the Hudson and the rooms look very small, a slightly bigger room would be preferable - but on my budget then maybe not possible.

Should we should include CPS in any 3.5* bidding?

I'll add that PRICELINE EXPRESS has a 3* hotel in the ESB zone with just a solo Pets Allowed amenity. I'm not sure what this property may be (a guess would be the Jolly Hotel Madison Towers), but it's priced at $143 and the link in my signature will give you another 5% OFF bringing the room rate down to $136/nite... which seems a bit less expensive then anything i'm seeing for these dates.

I'm also seeing on HOTWIRE what i believe to be the Murray Hill East Suites, the Holiday Inn 57th St, and The Marcel at Gramercy... all around the $160/nite area, should any of these be of interest.

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

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

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

Yes, I'd like to include CPS in the bidding and also Midtown East.

The Jolly Hotel looks to be a good option, and is in a good location and $136 a night is a great price, I would however prefer something with a higher star rating that may cost another $20/$30 a night. Is the Priceline Express deals only available for a set amount of time?

Is the standard first method to start using Priceline, 'Name Your Price' and trying to get as cheap a deal as possible in one of the higher ranked hotels. This is what I had in mind. Possibly looking to try the name your price for 10-15 days, then if there's nothing by the end of October then seeing what the other options were in Priceline & Hotwire.

Would it make sense to start bidding for 4/5* only working our way up to $180, then if nothing, adding 3.5* and resetting the nightly rate to $130ish? If you're able to get PriceEx deal of $136, would we get it cheaper on Name your price?

Still trying to work out how all of this works, but thanks very much for the help and advice so far.

Thanks,

Ewan

[thereuare]

Is the Priceline Express deals only available for a set amount of time?

It's based upon current inventory given to PRICELINE for your dates at this time... this same deal may be offered on every one of your searches up until the time you leave OR it could be gone in 5 minutes from now and never re-appear.

Is the standard first method to start using Priceline, 'Name Your Price' and trying to get as cheap a deal as possible in one of the higher ranked hotels. This is what I had in mind. Possibly looking to try the name your price for 10-15 days, then if there's nothing by the end of October then seeing what the other options were in Priceline & Hotwire.

It can be, but this makes an assumption that pricing is static and doesn't change over time (as my answer to your question above eludes to). As an example let's assume the correct price needed for a win today is:

4* $200

3.5* $180

3* $160

You try everyday for 2 weeks trying to win a 4* hotel at $180 but are not successful. In two weeks you decide that a lower rated hotel is acceptable, but in that two weeks pricing has changed and now the 'right' price for each is:

4* $240

3.5* $220

3* $200

Now your $180 bid is not enough for even a 3* hotel... where as if you had tried at that star level the 2 weeks prior you could have received a 3.5* hotel at that price. Of course you could have also take the 3.5* hotel 2 weeks earlier and rates could have come down since then.

BOTTOMLINE: you need to be realistic in your bidding, 'know' what a good deal is for your dates, and if you see a good deal be prepared to take it.

Would it make sense to start bidding for 4/5* only working our way up to $180, then if nothing, adding 3.5* and resetting the nightly rate to $130ish? If you're able to get PriceEx deal of $136, would we get it cheaper on Name your price?

You can try for a 4* up to $180, but i think it will likely fall short as my guess is that a 4* hotel will likely run you $190-$210/nite... at current rates $180 is not realistic for a 4.5* or 5*, imo. Likewise, $130 is not likely realistic for a 3.5* property. Keep in mind that any bidding strategy we suggest starts low and gradually bid higher in the same bidding cycle, so we don't simply bid your maximum bid, if something is available for less our strategies should capture it for less.

PRICELINE 'name your own price' and PRICELINE EXPRESS use a different universe of hotels. You can sometimes win a hotel for less by bidding vs. PRICELINE EXPRESS, but there are instances where this is not the case, especially when there is a PRICELINE EXPRESS coupon code available (like there currently is as per the link in my signature)

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 will take it from there.

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

Hi ThereUAre, thanks again for the response.

I'd like to start bidding on 4* this week in a number of area's, I think it would make sense to start the bidding around $150, and hopefully with a bit of luck we can sneak something. I would be willing to go to $190 if this was to guarantee 4*. If we got to $180/$190 and there was nothing, as you say, we can try that price for a couple of days and hope the prices drop in our favour.

If nothing, then we can try 3.5* for starting around $130?

Would like to start bidding today.

Many thanks,

Ewan

[thereuare]

Please confirm which zone(s) you want to bid at the 4* level and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

I'll also add that currently there is a 4.5* hotel on HOTWIRE in the Times Square zone for $184/nite (your pricing may differ by a few dollars) with:

Pet Friendly

Fitness

Restaurant

Business

Hi-Speed Internet

Blind Accessible

Deaf Accessible

Travel Accessible

Room Accessible

Bathroom Accessible

Handicapped Parking

Roll-in Shower

... best guess for this property would be the InterContinental Times Square which would be an excellent deal for this 4.5/5.0 reviewed property at this time of year.

If you do go for this one, please change the drop down menu on the top right of HOTWIRE's page to United States and the currency dropdown to US Dollars. Once you're ready to purchase stay on the US version of their site and simply change the drop down menu to whatever currency you'd like to use and complete your purchase.

Let us know how the HOTWIRE purchase goes OR confirm the PRICELINE zones you'd like to bid and we'll take it from there.

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

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

Hi, That's a great deal and I'm going to take it, only issue is I'm currently waiting for the money to clear on my CC, how long will this deal by live for? Should have the money for tomorrow AM.

Thanks,

Ewan

[AaronJB]

There is no way to know how long a deal will be available as remaining inventory is not visible - it may not be available in a day or two or may be available right up until your date/s of travel. I will note that there have been some instances of PRICELINE Express/HOTWIRE deals discussed here recently for the busier Winter date/s that have gone quickly when they have been less expensive by comparison to other, similar hotels for the date/s of travel.

Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

Ah well, will just need to wait till tomorrow and hope for the best - 'Bill Me Later' is not available out with the US sadly.

There's no way of getting any discount off this to get it within my 'available credit' range? Would only be a dollar or two per night.

Thanks,

Ewan

[AaronJB]

Prices can (although don't always) change little-by-little at times throughout the day. If you are looking for a SLIGHTLY lower price, you may want to check at times throughout the day to see if there are any little price shifts (hopefully lower, not higher.)

Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

Thanks Aaron, I'll keep a close eye on it today.

Ewan

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

Is it worth me putting in a PRICELINE name your own bid for the 4.5* times square area. If it's on HOTWIRE at $184, could you be expected to win with a bid of $180 on PRICELINE?

[Romelle]

Disclaimer - I'm a member, not a board official. But wanted to make some comments you may find a bit helpful.

Hotwire can be a little more generous with stars than Priceline. There are examples where Hotwire has a hotel at one star level, and Priceline has it a 1/2 star lower. Of course there are also examples of the same rating and examples of a full star difference. It is just something to keep in the back of your mind as you hop between the two. But a Hotwire 4.5* can be a Priceline 4*.

Both Hotwire and Priceline Express deals can change frequently. If you see something that could work for you, don't hesitate too long. On the other hand, if you miss something, it may well show up again in a while.

Thereuare noted the possible differences between the PL and PRICELINE EXPRESS hotels universes. Hotwire and Priceline universes are of course also different, so when bidding via Priceline, you won't necessarily get a hotel offered on Hotwire. There is a lot of overlap, because there are only so many hotels in an area, but there can be ones unique to either vendor.

Have you found Hotel Lists up in the header yet? There you can see all the hotels members have reported here as receiving via PL bidding or PRICELINE EXPRESS and Hotwire. It is also always possible to get an as-yet-unreported hotel (speaking from personal experience).

And when you ultimately are successful getting your hotel, you might see if the board officials have any recommendations for eating out in the area of your hotel. There is some unique expertise in there also.

Romelle

[thereuare]

You could try to undercut the $184/nite HOTWIRE rate while you're waiting...

When bidding 4.5* in New York City you have SEVEN re-bid zones. Priceline Re-Bidding Explained

Assuming all the following zones are still acceptable you can bid as follows:

Select 4.5* CPS, Chelsea, ESB, MTE, MTW, TS... (NOTE: if you currently only want TS then only select TS here instead of including all the other zones)

Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $168, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $173, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $175, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $178, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $180

Any 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.

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

Tried to do the bid on PRICELINE and got an error as soon as I clicked 'Bid Now' no sign of the offer I put in anywhere.

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

Tried TS 4.5* - $170 a night Rejected.

Added Long Island City

Tried 4.5& - $175 a night - Rejected.

I will wait for tomorrow and take the HOTWIRE deal, maybe try PRICELINE at 160/170 once more before I take the deal.

Thanks,

Ewan

[thereuare]

Tried TS 4.5* - $170 a night Rejected.

Added Long Island City

Tried 4.5& - $175 a night - Rejected.

You can still continue bidding by using a 'new' re-bid zone... you should double check this information just before bidding to ensure that nothing has changed but, as one example:

You have NOT included Brooklyn in your bidding yet since that zone contains 4* hotels and you don't want to stay there. HOWEVER, now that you are bidding 4.5*, and the highest star rating offered in Brooklyn is 4*, you can now add this to you 4.5* bidding as a re-bid zone. If you include this zone as your first re-bid zone, you can then continue to add all the others too since each would be a new zone combination not yet tried. If you're unsure ask questions before bidding OR wait until tomorrow if that is what you are most comfortable with. (NOTE: if you do use this tactic, obviously you DON'T want to include Brooklyn when bidding at the 4* level... this would only be for 4.5* bidding)

Hope that makes sense.

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

Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

You can still continue bidding by using a 'new' re-bid zone... you should double check this information just before bidding to ensure that nothing has changed but, as one example:

You have NOT included Brooklyn in your bidding yet since that zone contains 4* hotels and you don't want to stay there. HOWEVER, now that you are bidding 4.5*, and the highest star rating offered in Brooklyn is 4*, you can now add this to you 4.5* bidding as a re-bid zone. If you include this zone as your first re-bid zone, you can then continue to add all the others too since each would be a new zone combination not yet tried. If you're unsure ask questions before bidding OR wait until tomorrow if that is what you are most comfortable with. (NOTE: if you do use this tactic, obviously you DON'T want to include Brooklyn when bidding at the 4* level... this would only be for 4.5* bidding)

Hope that makes sense.

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

Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.

Argh, price has gone up! Now $226 on Hotwire, so out of budget.

Will keep trying Priceline bidding up to the rate I can afford, and keep an eye on Hotwire - any reason this price would have changed so much?

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

You can still continue bidding by using a 'new' re-bid zone... you should double check this information just before bidding to ensure that nothing has changed but, as one example:

You have NOT included Brooklyn in your bidding yet since that zone contains 4* hotels and you don't want to stay there. HOWEVER, now that you are bidding 4.5*, and the highest star rating offered in Brooklyn is 4*, you can now add this to you 4.5* bidding as a re-bid zone. If you include this zone as your first re-bid zone, you can then continue to add all the others too since each would be a new zone combination not yet tried. If you're unsure ask questions before bidding OR wait until tomorrow if that is what you are most comfortable with. (NOTE: if you do use this tactic, obviously you DON'T want to include Brooklyn when bidding at the 4* level... this would only be for 4.5* bidding)

Hope that makes sense.

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

Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.

Hi thereuare,

Going back to the Priceline name your price bidding strategy today, just wanting to confirm a few things before I get started.

4.5* Re-bid zones are Brooklyn, Chelsea, Empire State Building, Hells Kitchen, Long Island City, Lower East Side, Madison Square Garden, Queensborough Bridge, Upper East Side & Upper West side - as none of these area's have 4.5* / 5* hotels.

The Area's I'd be looking to try this for are: Central Park South, Times Square, Midtown East & Midtown West

Bidding from $150 - $190.

If not we can add 4* hotels, and remove the re-bid zones that include the 4* ones.

Thanks,

Ewan

[Romelle]

Ewan,

I think thereuare mentioned this in a prior post, but won't hurt to mention it again. Do be sure to check those free rebid zones just before you start bidding.

I actually open a second screen and check mid-process when I'm working on a longer bidding sequence. Not paranoid, but very cautious.

And that better priced Hotwire offer could pop back up again.

Good luck.

Romelle

[Ewan Kirkpatrick]

Hi Romella,

Yes - I've noticed some differences between the PRICELINE list here and the screen where you select area / star-rating on PRICELINE.

I.e. Chelsea has a 4.5 Star hotel availble for bidding on Priceline, but the betterbidding site states the best they have is 4* - so i've had to leave that out of my searches.

Taking every bid very cautiously just now, but will update the thread when I get some results.

Thanks,

Ewan

Edit: Fingers crossed that offer pops up again, it does seem a crazy low price tho for a 4.5*. That's why I'll just be sensible with my bids for the next few weeks. Is it normal to see an offer go and return?