Priceline Hotel: 11/7-11/12 Manhattan bidding help

[cindynyc]

Hello!

 

My husband and I are former New Yorkers -- so we are pretty familiar with the areas of the city.  We will be there for 5 nights (11/7-11/12) and our preferred areas are Chelsea, West Village, Times Square and Midtown West (in that order.)  We might also consider the Upper West Side or SoHo/Tribeca areas, but those are not our preference.  We are looking for a 4* hotel (or above.)  

 

I currently have a refundable reservation at ROW NYC for an average of $234.90/night (before taxes and fees) . . . so I'd like to come in at around $175/night to make it worth it -- but definitely no less than $200/night.

 

Any strategies?  What price is reasonable - and at what price do I start bidding?  Is now a good time to start bidding -- or would I have better luck waiting a couple more weeks?  I haven't used Priceline in years and am feeling a little rusty. ;)

 

Thanks,

Cindy

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

... our preferred areas are Chelsea, West Village, Times Square and Midtown West (in that order.)

There is no 'West Village' zone on PRICELINE and with few/no hotels in this immediate area (at last what i consider to be the West Village) this area isn't really even covered by any PRICELINE zone, is there a specific zone that you're referring to? Also, if you've listed the areas you're willing to stay by neighborhood (as defined by a NYer), please use the QUICK SEARCH box on the top right corner of the page (or our BiddingHelper.com tool) and list the zones, by PRICELINE name, that you're willing to stay in. For instance, your list your most preferred zone as Chelsea, but MSG zone is right adjacent to it... is the MSG zone not acceptable for this stay?

Any strategies?  What price is reasonable - and at what price do I start bidding?  Is now a good time to start bidding -- or would I have better luck waiting a couple more weeks?

There is no telling if rates will come down, or move higher, between now and your trip... it all depends how actual new reservations/cancellations come in relative to expected new reservations/cancellations; for more on this subject see the related 'Bid Early or Close to Check-in' link in our PRICELINE FAQ. However, at the moment i'd guess you will need to be closer to $200 than to $175 to be successful at a 4* hotel in one of the zones you've listed... although i'll add that what appears to be the Hotel Indigo Chelsea is offered for $238/nite which is just about the same price as your current Row NYC reservation but the Indigo gets better reviews and is also in your preferred location.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we will advise accordingly.

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

[cindynyc]

Sorry, I thought I was listing Priceline areas.  I swear I saw West Village on the Priceline list (wishful thinking, I guess.)  MSG is a possibility -- but I would list it as a 2nd string choice.  Chelsea, Times Square and Midtown West are definitely the focus at this point.

 

When you say "what appears to be the Hotel Indigo Chelsea is offered for $238/nite" -- what does that mean and how would I get it for that price?    

 

Thank you in advance for your help!

[thereuare]

Sorry, I thought I was listing Priceline areas.  I swear I saw West Village on the Priceline list (wishful thinking, I guess.)

The West Village is listed as a zone on the 'retail' side of PRICELINE, but the retail and 'bidding' side each use different zone boundaries/descriptions as well as a different universe of hotels. Since you mention bidding on a hotel, you would need to use the zones on the bidding side of their service. Use our BiddingHelper.com tool and after you search by your location and dates, look in the Priceline TAB and you'll see the available zones on the bidding side of the PRICELINE service.

When you say "what appears to be the Hotel Indigo Chelsea is offered for $238/nite" -- what does that mean and how would I get it for that price?

This offer was thru HOTWIRE. A hotel with a previous description of the Indigo was offered for that price so it would be guessed to be the Hotel Indigo, but as the name is not shown until after your purchase, there is no way to be 100% guaranteed that this is the hotel you would receive.

Do you want to move forward bidding on PRICELINE and are willing to accept any 4* or better hotel in the zones you're bidding... OR is it worth $238/nite to lock is believed to be the Hotlel Indigo?

If started with PRICELINE is it OK to go with a strategy up to $200/nite to begin? (or only up to $175, which i suspect is likely too low for these dates at current prices)

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

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we will advise accordingly.