Priceline Hotel: 4* NYC (MTS) Morgans Hotel

[patbateman]

also posted in Hotwire Forum:

Hey,

we are a couple trying to find a decent hotel i NYC for the period from April 13 to April 20 (flexible 1 day forth and back).

A week ago we had an offer on Hotwire - 4* Midtown Central for 166 usd. Unfortunately my wife hadn't got her boss' OK for time off yet, som we waited.

Now (last 3 days) the price is 233 usd. That hurts.

So we want to find a good 3* or 4* for under 180 usd.

Any hints?

[thereuare]

Please don't double post... only post once for each stay and keep all posts for that stay in the same thread. If the other service is ultimately used we'll then move the entire thread to that section of the board.

Which zone(s) are you willing to stay in?

Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option?

[patbateman]

sorry, noted.

one split is ok.

midtown preferred, central park could work if offer is good.

and thanx for helping!

[patbateman]

I might have found a good deal on Hotwire myself - just need to convince the mrs..:

Apr 13 - Apr 15: 3,5* Midtown East at 301 USD tot incl taxes

Apr 15 - Apr 20: 3* Times Square at 804 USD tot incl taxes

This package is about 40% cheaper than to stay at either of the hotels for the whole period..

Strange, isn't it?

[thereuare]

Have you identified the hotels?

If not list the amenities associated with each and we'll try to help you id them so you'll have an educated guess as to what you'll be getting.

[patbateman]

Both Hotwire:

April 13-15:

3,5* Midtown East with restaurant, fitness center, business center, pool, tennis nearby (4 out of 5 tripadvisor rating)

128 usd/night pre tax

April 15-20:

3* Times Square boutique hotel with fitnetss center, business center, restaurants and high speed internet access (3 out of 5 tripadvisor rating)

139 usd/night pre tax

I think this deal is quite ok - any ideas on which hotels they are?

Btw - you probably have guessed - we're foreigners. Can we still book at Hotwire (through savingsbarn)?

[thenewbie]

Both Hotwire:

April 13-15:

3,5* Midtown East with restaurant, fitness center, business center, pool, tennis nearby (4 out of 5 tripadvisor rating)

128 usd/night pre tax

Looks like the Millennium UN Plaza

April 15-20:

3* Times Square boutique hotel with fitnetss center, business center, restaurants and high speed internet access (3 out of 5 tripadvisor rating)

139 usd/night pre tax

Looks like the Paramount (which has small rooms) Reviews

You can most likely get a lower price if you tried on priceline. If you want to give it a shot, let us know.

[patbateman]

thanks for the info - yes, looks like the Millennium and Paramount.

Dont think we're too keen on the Paramount, but hey - when the price is right...

The prices I get on priceline are significantly higher (178 usd for paramount for the period of apr 15-20).

I dont know anything about the "name your own price" - is that where we could get better prices?

[thereuare]

Yes, better prices thru the "Name Your Own Price" service.

Of course if you go that route, you could receive any hotel at the star rating you designate, so you'd need to be open to more than just the above two properties. If you'd like to give that a try we can suggest a strategy for you to follow.

Hotwire has no residency restrictions so you can use them without a problem.

[patbateman]

yes, i want to try the "name your price" thing.

any 4* hotel in midtown is cool.

possible problem - we only have non-US creditcards, and of course no US adress..

[Blueskies]

Pat,

This is not a problem. Lots of "foreigners" use Priceline and there is a post addressing this issue for Canadians that equally applies to other non-US people. I am from UK and just put in a ZIP code and phone number of a US relative but you could put in anything here as they do not make contact with you other than email.

It is under the following headings - Tips and Tricks for Priceline and Hotwire > General Priceline Tips

PRICELINE BIDDING TIPS FOR CANADIANS (now linked)

Good luck

[patbateman]

cool.

what strategy should I have?

[thenewbie]

First you will need to know how to find the free re-bid areas for NYC. Read this thread to learn how to find them. (There are 2 for the 4* level and only 1 for the 3* level)

If you have any questions on how to find them, ask us before bidding.

I don't know how much more a 4* is worth to you compared to a 3* so the following is based on the previously mentioned hotwire prices.

Select 4* MTE...

Bid $110, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* MTW...

Bid $110, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* MTE & MTW...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $135, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Let us know how you do and we'll work from there.

[patbateman]

LOL, this is like the Matrix for me.

Learning while doing....

[patbateman]

1. bid 110, 4 star, MTE. rejected

2. added MTW. rejected

3. bid 115, 4 star MTE. rejected

4. added MTW. rejected

5. bid 120, 4 star, MTE. rejected

6. added MTW. rejected

7. added UMT. rejected.

Will continue tomorrow (late evening here now).

plan:

8. bid 130, 4 star, MTW

9. add MTE

10. add UMT

11. bid 135, 4 star, MTW

12. add MTE

13. add UMT

[thereuare]

Before bidding again, give Priceline Re-Bidding Explained a read and ask questions/confirm your re-bid zones with the board, as the zones you're bidding above are not re-bid zones (and the way you're bidding can result in a slight overbid)

If you're totally confused after reading the above don't get frustrated, ask questions and we'll talk you thru it one step at a time.

[Blueskies]

Pat,

I do not think your proposed bidding strategy displays an understanding of rebids available in NY. Please check back with Thereuare prior to bidding. Maybe I am misinterpreting what you propose to do.

[patbateman]

morning,

i think you're both right...

i just thought adding any area would be an ok re-bid.

Anyway - looks like i need to bid 140 or above to get a 4* in the areas i want. That is - when i bid for the whole period (7 days). I can accept a higher price, but I'm afraid my strategy sucks. As you also point out...

If I am to split up the period - is this a good split you think?

Apr 13 - Apr 16 (thursday-sunday, easter)

Apr 17- Apr 20 (mon-thur)

And if I start with MTW - what area should I add to re-bid?

Just to say - any 4* in MTW, MTE, UMT, MTS would be good.

Normally also a 3*, except that i've heard that some NYC 3* have exceptional small rooms...

[thereuare]

And if I start with MTW - what area should I add to re-bid?

You need to know how to determine your re-bid zones as they should be checked before each round of bidding.

List each NYC zone and the highest star rating that is available in each zone, following this technique from Priceline Re-Bidding Explained:

The way to check what star levels are available in each zone is to open a Priceline page, check ONLY the zone you are inquiring about, and then proceed to the next page (as if you were going to select a zone)... this will give you the available star ratings in that area. You can then hit BACK on your browser, uncheck the current box, check the next box, and repeat the process. It is important to do this before EACH attempt at adding a zone that you really don't want, as new hotels can be added and the star ratings can change at any time.

We'll then take it from there.

[patbateman]

List each NYC zone and the highest star rating that is available in each zone, following this technique from Priceline Re-Bidding Explained:

We'll then take it from there.

Highest star rating available:

MTE: 5*

MTW: 4*

MTS: 4*

UMT: 4*

UES: 3*

UWS: 2.5*

DT Soho: 4*

Ahh - now I get it. To get a re-bid, i need to add an area with a highest star rating below the one I'm bidding for.

Sorry, I'm normally not this slow...

[patbateman]

I have now tried the following:

bid for 4* MTW with UES, 140 USD. REJECTED

-> added UWS. Rejected

Bid for 4* MTE with UES, 140 USD. REJECTED

-> added UWS. Rejected

Bid for 4* MTS with UES, 140 USD. REJECTED

-> added UWS. Rejected

Bid for 4* UMT with UES, 140 USD. REJECTED

-> added UWS. Rejected

So 140 USD is too low, it seems...

[thenewbie]

I'm afraid you are not understanding the concept of using free rebids. If you would read (or re-read) the post I made yesterday, you would see that the rebids are for you to increase your bid. Trying the same bid more than once won't do you any good, as it already failed.

Now that you've bid $140 for the 4* level without success, you have a few options for tomorrow:

1) Increase your bid (what would be your maximum?)

2) Split your dates

3) Lower your star level

Now before bidding again, please let us know which option you would like to try and we will provide you with a bidding strategy to try.

[patbateman]

I forgot to mention - I'm quite impatient.

I ended up booking first part in Hotwire (got Millennium for 128 usd, 2 days)

and second part in Priceline (got Morgans Hotel for 185 usd, 5 days).

Not 100% happy with Morgans at that price, but I'll charge it to my Learning account.

Thanx all for helping - I'll return soon for more bookings..

[Blueskies]

I believe you still have some bids left

MTE+MTW

then with UES

MTE + MTW +UWS

then add UES

You could also add a couple of dollars and see or change the date split. Remember the rate you bid has to be over the acceptable bid for each night - it is not averaged. Check the 4 star hotels in the areas you want to see which nights are the most expensive.

Chill had to go to $155 for 13th -16th April (won Intercontinental The Barclay - MTE) not that it is good to use others old bids.

Do you have a back up reservation?

Good luck

[thereuare]

I ended up booking first part in Hotwire (got Millennium for 128 usd, 2 days)

and second part in Priceline (got Morgans Hotel for 185 usd, 5 days).

We'll edit the topic title of this thread to reflect your priceline win for the Morgans hotel... please post a NEW TOPIC in the HOTWIRE NEW YORK forum to reflect your Millennium UN win.

Can you confirm the Morgans Hotel is 4* rated and in the Midtown South zone?

Thanks!

PS- sometimes Priceline is a game of patience :)