RobinW. Posted April 14, 2015 Report Posted April 14, 2015 I'm planning a solo theater trip from May 27-31 and have booked the Country Inn and Suites in Long Island City as my backup hotel at $125 a night for a king room with breakfast. (The taxes bring it to about $146.) Of course, I'd love to stay in Manhattan close enough to walk to the theaters if I can get a room at $125 or less.At Hotwire, there's a 3* midtown central hotel that I think is the Wellington for $158 (internet access, restaurant, and business center). At Priceline, the Wellington is listed as a 3* Central Park South hotel. I'd appreciate suggestions for bidding for it at Priceline. I'd love a Midtown West or Times Square hotel, but I'm trying to be realistic on what I can get with my budget. Thanks!
thereuare Posted April 14, 2015 Report Posted April 14, 2015 ...have booked the Country Inn and Suites in Long Island City as my backup hotel...It would be appreciated if you used our sister site RefundableRates.com for your future back-up reservations. ...I'd appreciate suggestions for bidding for it at Priceline.You can't bid on a specific hotel when using PRICELINE, you have to be able to accept any hotel in the zone at the star level (or higher) that you choose. We can suggest a strategy for a 3* hotel in the zones you're willing to accept up to your maximum bid price, but there is no way to target a specific property. Also, is staying directly in Manhattan not worth a premium to staying in Long Island City? If your LIC back-up reservation is $125, would it be worth an extra $5/nite to stay directly in Manhattan? $10/nite? $20/nite? Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
RobinW. Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Posted April 14, 2015 RefundableRates.com is unfamiliar to me, so I'll check it out.Yes, I realize that I can't bid on that specific hotel, but the other 3* CPS at Priceline is the Holiday Inn Midtown which would also be fine. Am I wrong to assume that since the Wellington is the one on Hotwire that it would most likely be the one available at Priceline?I'd like to stay as close to $125 as possible, so $5-10 more won't kill me.Thanks for your help with my bidding strategy.
AaronJB Posted April 14, 2015 Report Posted April 14, 2015 Those are the only two hotels at the 3* level in this zone that have been reported to the board. New hotels can (and do) get reported to the board all the time. PRICELINE and HOTWIRE are different services and a hotel showing on one is definitely no guarantee that that is what you will get on the other. Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.
RobinW. Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Posted April 14, 2015 The CPS location works, so if another 3* hotel is added, I'm okay with that.
thereuare Posted April 14, 2015 Report Posted April 14, 2015 So to confirm... a 3* or better in the TS, MTW, or CPS zones with a maximum bid of $135/nite? When bidding 3* in NYC you have ONE re-bid zone. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding. Select 3* TS... Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* MTW... Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* CPS... Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* TS and MTW... Bid $128, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $130, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* TS and CPS... Bid $128, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $130, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 3* TS, MTW, CPS... Bid $133, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $135 If the above is rejected, why not also include zones such as MTE, MSG, ESB, Greenwich Village, Lower East Side, and/or Soho ... wouldn't these all still preferable to staying in LIC? Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
RobinW. Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Posted April 14, 2015 "If the bid is rejected, why not also include zones such as MTE, MSG, ESB, Greenwich Village, Lower East Side, and/or Soho..." I've seen warnings not to use MTE as a Priceline zone if you're doing a lot of theater since the hotel could end up being quite far away from a convenient subway, and the others seem far away even with the subway. Although I usually prefer to stay in the Theater District or the upper west side (close to the subway that'll get me to midtown in ten minutes), I have stayed with a friend on the upper east side and also a few times in MTE. The latter two are not good for the trek to and fro either. I've never stayed at the Country Inn and Suites in LIC, but I have visited the location and know it's close to the subway that'll get me to midtown relatively quickly. It's my "just in case" place while I keep looking.If I hadn't recently been on a theater trip with my girls in March, I wouldn't worry so much about the budget for this trip. (Guilt!)Thanks for your help. I'll report back once everything's a done deal.
thereuare Posted April 14, 2015 Report Posted April 14, 2015 Most of MTE is well located, but should you end up further from the subway than is ideal, it's a personal choice as to which is the worse scenario... a further walk to the subway while staying in Manhattan vs. staying outside of Manhattan in LIC. What about MSG... certainly easy enough to get to the Theater District from there (and much/most of it is even walkable to the Theatre District) Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
RobinW. Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Posted April 14, 2015 I'll definitely check into MSG before I start bidding.Thanks so much for your advice!
AaronJB Posted April 14, 2015 Report Posted April 14, 2015 Thank you for keeping us updated and good luck on your bids. Please let us know if you have additional questions. Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.
thereuare Posted April 15, 2015 Report Posted April 15, 2015 If you decide to add MSG (or any other zones) it will give you many more bidding opportunities. If you try the bidding strategy above let us know how it goes and/or if you want to add additional zone(s). Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
RobinW. Posted April 16, 2015 Author Report Posted April 16, 2015 The Belleclaire is one of my favorite places to stay when I visit. Even though the bargain rate was good for only the last night of my upcoming four day trip. I snatched it up.
RobinW. Posted April 16, 2015 Author Report Posted April 16, 2015 Early (REALLY early) this morning, I happened to see a Priceline Express deal of $111 for a 3.5* hotel on the upper west side. I knew it had to be the Belleclaire, and what a great price that was. The bargain rate was only for the last day in my upcoming four day theater trip, but since it's one of my favorite hotels and areas, I snatched it up. A few hours later, I saw Hotwire had a 3* MTC hotel for only $147, another big price drop. I thought it was the Wellington since it only mentioned three amenities: restaurant, internet access, and business center...no mention of a pool. :-) I bought it, and it turned out to be the Holiday Inn Midtown-57th St., which does have a pool. I've stayed there before and am very pleased with the price I paid and the location and quality. It just goes to show that all the warnings are true: you can't always predict the hotel's name--even when it seems like a sure thing. My budget opened up more when a friend asked yesterday if she could come along. (I'd originally hoped to stay at $125 a night when I was going solo.) Regardless, I'm thrilled with the deals I got.Although I ended up not bidding for my wins this time, I do appreciate your walking me through the process. It really helped build my confidence. Thanks again.
AaronJB Posted April 16, 2015 Report Posted April 16, 2015 Congrats on your success. :) Pretty tremendous deal for this UWS property and glad you are pleased with the win. Can you confirm the amenities that were showing with this listing before purchase? Thanks. 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.
RobinW. Posted April 16, 2015 Author Report Posted April 16, 2015 The amenities for the Priceline Express 3.5* Upper West Side hotel (the Belleclaire):Fitness CenterFree InternetBusiness Center"Bed Choice Available"
AaronJB Posted April 16, 2015 Report Posted April 16, 2015 Thank you for confirming the PRICELINE EXPRESS amenities for this property so that we can update the site's Priceline Hotel List. Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.
Recommended Posts
Register now, we have a huge community of travel enthusiasts to answer any questions you might have.
Sign In Now