Priceline Hotel: Bidding help

[krmelce]

Hello, i am a complete beginner to priceline, therefore I would like to ask you for a bidding strategy. I am looking for an accommodation for my girlfriend and me in NYC starting from 8/31/14 to 9/6/14. My budget is approx. $130/night for which I would like to preferably stay in 4* or 3.5* hotel in Manhattan (regarding the budget, 3* hotel is still an option, you know, we are students). Regarding the exact location, I have no strict preferences (since I have been in NYC just once), so any advice is more than appreciated. I can imagine staying in these areas (in more or less descending order) - chelsea area, upper west side, upper east side, times square, central park south, soho, empire state building area, east village, midtown west, midtown east, madison square area, downtown... Thanks for your help. FH.

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

Just to confirm, is your budget $130 "all-in" (including taxes/fees) or $130 + taxes/fees? "All-in" is going to be not possible for these date/s. $130 + taxes/fees may be possible in the Financial District area - Midtown is likely going to take more towards the $140-150 range for a 3*. 4* is likely going to take $175-200+, depending on the zone.

 

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

[thereuare]

Let us know your thoughts and 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.

[krmelce]

Ok, i see that my budget is very limiting. My original thought was  $130/night including taxes. Let's increase it by $10 to $140. And I will ask differently. What is possible to get for this price at Manhattan (area/number of stars)? Let's also include areas like Brooklyn and Long Island City... Isnt it too risky too buy hotel in these areas without knowing the exact location (in terms of connection to Manhattan)? 

 

Since I have stilll some time, I would like to get as much as possible for my budget. Just to try if I can catch some great deal. If it dont work, I will probably check other options like an apartment rental and so on... What do you suggest?

 

Thanks again, FH

[thereuare]

At current rates, even $140 all-in won't be enough for this stay... you're far enough away that $10 isn't going to make a different for a hotel in Manhattan. I would sooner explore your other options to see if you can find something within your budget before exploring Brooklyn/LIC.

Currently the best deal you're likely looking at would be a 3* hotel in the ESB zone for ~$155/nite or a 3.5* Downtown hotel for $159/nite (both of these are before taxes/fees)... so perhaps you could get something in the $140-$155 area by bidding on PRICELINE, but this price range 'all-in' is not likely going to happen at current rates.

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

Let us know what you find and if/how you'd like to proceed and we will try to assist further.