Priceline Hotel: Help Needed - Midtown 12/18-12/21

[CliveCharlwood]

I am trying to book a nice hotel for my parents in NYC for the weekend of Dec 18th, 19th and 20th.

I have tried:

4* MTW - $75 - Rejected

4* MTW/MTE - $90 - Rejected

4* MTW/MTE/UMT - $95 - Rejected

Am I bidding to low?

Should I wait for inventory to open up (how long)?

I would rather not pay much above $100. If I drop down to 3* hotels, what should be my openning bid etc.

Thank you in advance,

Clive

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Pre-christmas is an expensive time in NYC.

Based upon rates i'm seeing, if you'd really prefere a 4* i'd consider raising your limit to $120/nite as i think that opens up a wider range of possibilities. Is the mid-town south zone a possbility as well?

Let me know if the MTS zone is a possibility and i'll post a strategy. If you say that $120 is an 'ok' upper limit i'll post a strategy for 4* followed by a strategy for 3* in case your rejected. If you'd still prefer to stay under $100/nite then i'll just post the 3* strategy.

[CliveCharlwood]

I think I would consider MTS. Is there any reason I should it? Is it much different from MTW/MTW.

I guess I could stretch to $120. But that is pretty much my top $$

If I could get a good 3* for considerabbly less (Say $70 - we can all dream, right). Then I would do that and buy them theatre tickets with the extra $$s. :)

Thanks in advance for you help/guidance.

Clive

[thereuare]

For 4* i'd proceed as follows:

select MTW and bid $95, if rejected

add MTE and bid $100, if rejected

add UM/CPS and bid $110, if rejected

add MTS and bid $115, if rejected

add re-bid zone and bid $120

I don't think you'll be successful at a 3* for $70 (in NYC, when inventory is readily available there's often little difference between the prices for a 4* and a 3*)

For 3* close the previous browser and start at a brand new screen:

select MTE and bid $70, if rejected

add MTS and bid $80, if rejected

add MTW and bid $85, if rejected

add UM/CPS bid $90, if rejected

add re-bid zone and bid $100

Let me know if you have any questions regarding the above or if you want to me re-adjust the numbers for a 3* because it's more than you want to spend for that star level.

[CliveCharlwood]

Well, I tried, $95(MTW), $100(+MTE), $110 (+UM/CPS) - Rejected, no counter offers.

Is it worth checking back in a week or two? Or should I try for a 3 Star hotel Now.

[thereuare]

Did you decide to stop short of $120 or are you out of zones to bid (if out of zones, it doesn't look like you used MTS or used your re-bid zone).

[CliveCharlwood]

I decided to stop at $110.

I am not sure what a rebid is.

[thereuare]

Re-bidding is adding a zone that only offers star ratings lower than the one your bidding. This allows you to essentially bid again since the zone you just added doesn't have any hotels that meet your star criteria. This is explained in more depth here: Re-Bidding Explained

I also just looked into this a little deeper and the nite of the 20th seems to be in higher demand than the other nites. Would you consider splitting the bid to save money... bidding the first 3 nites and then bidding the last nite (with the last nite likely getting a different hotel). This last nite may very well may be what's holding up this booking, although we have seen it takes higher bids during this time of year (which is why i suggested going to to $120).

At this point if i were in your shoes, i would probably try adding the re-bid zone and bidding $120. If that is rejected, i would split my bid (let us know and i'll provide a separate strategy) OR if i wasn't willing to change hotels during my stay i would lower my star rating.

Let us know how you want to proceed and if you need any add'l help understanding re-bids (it's a little confusing at first, but eseential information when using Priceline and the best 'trick' available)

[CliveCharlwood]

:)

Well I dropped down to 3* hotels AND:

3* MTW - $75 - Rejected

3* MTW/MTE - $85 - Rejected

3* MTW/MTE/UMT - $95 - Rejected

Anyone have any ideas?

[thereuare]

Anyone have any ideas?

First thing i would do is to read about re-bidding and ask any questions you have. If you're totally in the dark about it, let us know where you get confused (even if it's at the beginning :) ) and ASK questions... we'll be happy to help. You're doing yourself a disservice by not using them.

Second, i know you said you would go up to $120 but no higher for a 4* and if you are, i would indeed follow the strategy above that goes to $120 for a 4*. That number has meaning as i believe it is a price point for more than one hotel in the zones you're bidding. If you're only willing to go to $110, that's fine, but obviously at this point in time that's not enough (nor is $95 for a 3*).

Third, i would consider adding MTS to your bidding sequence. This (in addition to your free re-bid zone) will give you an additional 2 bids at each bidding cycle, which based upon your past rejections, will certainly help. NYC Zone Descriptions