Priceline Hotel: 3* NYC MTE The Metropolitan

[Margie]

Hello, I have used Priceline before, but since November seems to be a busy time in NYC I think I could use a little help with my strategy! I am looking for 2 rooms, in midtown east, midtown west or Upper Midtown CPS, for 11/19-23. I don't know if it is possible to keep them under $100 a night or not, but I would like to so we'll have more money to spend on shows etc. A 4 star would be great, but I don't know if that is realistic - a 3 star would certainly be acceptable (although it would be a little disappointing to get the Radisson East side, I could live with it).

I tried a 3 star bid up to $85 (am I being too cheap?) with no luck, but I could have the other couple bid for me on their computer.

I have used that "other board", and I must say, you sight is much more enjoyable, helpful and useful! Thanks for taking the time to make your information available on the internet!

[thereuare]

Thanks for the compliments and kind words!

You're right, this is a tough time in NYC. :)

Two comments:

1) I would consider raising my minimum for a 4* to $120 as this opens up a quite a few more possibilities at this level. If you don't want to bid that high it's fine, just don't want you to 'miss out' on a 4* over $20/nite (although $120 may still not be enough during a peak season such as this) Like i said, i'm not saying you should or shouldn't, but i'm doubtful you'll be successful at 4* for under $100. Some would rather raise their bid slightly if they are 'close', others would sooner drop in star level.

2) We see quite a few 3* hotels come up in MTS. Is that an acceptable zone as well? (if it is and you're willing to raise your bid above to $120, is it also acceptable for a 4* property as well?). We seldom see 4* in MTS come up at these levels, but if it's acceptable it can be used as anothe bidding opportunity (but you could get 'lucky' and end up in this zone if you bid it, so i wouldn't bid it if you didn't want to stay there at all)

Let me know regarding the above 2 and then i'll outline two strategies for you, one for 4* and one for 3*. I probably won't be able to reply for about an hour as i'm heading out in a few minutes.

[Margie]

Hi, thanks for your response, don't worry if you don't get back to me right away - I don't have to bid this morning, waiting is not a problem.

To answer your questions;

1) At this point I would rather not bid up to $120 for the 4 star.

2) I hadn't considered MTS becasue we plan on seeing several shows and I knowing the chances (slim & none) of getting a cab after theater I didn't want to be 15-20 blocks from the hotel when we got out of a show.

Sorry not to be more flexible - but if it gets close to our trip and we still don't have rooms, I'll see if I can convince everyone traveling that we should try the MTS zone.

If a 4 star is out of the question that's fine, we can concentrate on the 3 (or even a 2 1/2 if we get desperate). We don't need a mint on the pillow :) , just a clean room in a location that is convenient for us.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

[thereuare]

Sorry not to be more flexible

Not a problem, as i say, i never tell anyone how to spend their money.

No harm i trying for a 4* anyway and this is how i would proceed:

MTE bid $75, when :) if rejected add

MTW bid $88, if rejected add

CPS/UM bid $95, if rejected add

re-bid zone and bid $100

I'm assuming the above will fail, but worth a shot! Afterwards, try this for 3* (starting with a brand new screen):

select MTE and bid $70, if rejected

add MTW and bid $80, if rejected

add UM/CPS bid $90, if rejected

add re-bid zone and bid $100

** Since you have another couple going, you could bid the above but only raise $5 each time, and then if rejected, have the other couple bid on their computer/account following the same procedure but starting their bid where you left off.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes or if you have any questions.

[Margie]

Just wanted you to know that I am still interested in bidding (via savingsbarn.com of course) and using your strategy; it seems that I tried to re-bid before my 72 hours were up and I got a "duplicate bid message", I tried AGAIN when I thought the original 72 hours were up - they were not :) - and (according to the PL e-mail I got) that only makes me wait ANOTHER 72 hours before I can bid again :) . Dumb mistake that is now costing me 3 days. Other couple is out of town, so I can't have them bid. As soon as it is "safe" I'll bid, and let you know what happens. Stay tuned!

[thereuare]

Thanks for the update.

This has prompted me to add a thread in the Priceline Tips forum to advise users to make sure they wait a full 72 Hours before re-bidding.

You'd think Priceline would correct this 'glitch' (locking you out of for an add'l 72 hours) but i guess they have other things/priorities on their plate.

[Margie]

Well, if I had been more careful it would have been ok - I think I am out of control :)

I do agree, it would be great that if your bid was going to be a "dud" and just result in setting the PL bidding clock back to zero the PL system would just lock you out and not allow you to bid. Oh well, I'll let you know how things go when I am allowed to bid again.

[Margie]

Well, I know you will be absolutely SHOCKED, but the 4* bid didn't work; unfortunately, neither did the 3*. The other couple can bid at anytime using their own computer/account if you have another suggestion. Looks like I'll need t increase my bid limit :) . . . . .

[thereuare]

Another option is to split the bid if you're willing to change hotels once during your 4 nite stay.

Looking at the dates individually i found some known Priceline 4* hotels either sold-out or have higher rates for the nite of the 22nd.

[Margie]

hmmm, I think I would like to save splitting the dates up for the '"last ditch effort". Should my friends bid with a higher limit?

[thereuare]

I'm going to take a wild guess and think that a 4* is going to take close to $160-$200 and a 3* will likely cost $130-$150. BUT, if hotels that would typically accept your bid are sold out or have a higher rate for just one nite of your stay you'll be rejected none-the-less.

I'm not saying that you have to bid the above numbers, but i think that's a realistic ballpark to keep in mind. You still have time to work your way up those prices if you choose to do so.

Let me know how high you (or your friends) want to go with the next round of bidding and i'll suggest a next step.

[Margie]

Thanks for spending so much time on this, I appreciate it.

Would including the Midtown South area (as you suggested a few days ago!) provide a better chance of getting something less expensive? If a 4* MIGHT be $640-800 plus taxes, I need to look at other options because I shouldn't be spending that much. If adding that zone makes sense, I can just add it to the 3* or 4* bid I made earlier tonight, . . . . right?

Any chance (besides slim and none) of getting something for $110? . . .those 2.5 star properties are looking better and better LOL

[thereuare]

You can bid again immediately by adding MTS (so you'd be bidding all your previous zones plus MTS), but i would HIGHLY recommend trying $120 (instead of $110) at the 4* level since it opens up a LOT more options, if that's rejected, you can then try 3* at $110 or $115.

I'm not trying to push you to spend more than you want, but rates are pretty high for your dates.

[Margie]

You're not pushing, you're right things looked high as I played around with some of the internet hotel sites tonight.

Your recommendations for the 3* & 4* in your last post are doable for me, I'll give it a shot and let you know what happens.

[Margie]

I added MTS and bid up to $120 at the 4* level, and I also tried the 3* up to $115; both were rejected. Because this seems to be a tough bid, I have booked a cancelable back-up so I won't have to worry about not getting our rooms, but I am going to keep pursuing PL in the meantime. I'll let you know what happens, thanks again for your help.

[thereuare]

What's your back-up and how much?

[Margie]

My back-up is the ever-so-glamorous Red Roof at 5th & 32nd. WAY further south than I wanted to be and certainly not on the level of the PL hotels I have been bidding on., but for $109 per night (no increase for the weekend) for a king room and coffee & bagels in the morning I booked it. Tripadvisor.com and Travelocity reviews claim that it is basic but very clean. I am going to keep bidding though and see what happens . . .

[Margie]

I have a question about bonus money. Tried the 4* strategy with the $10 bonus bidding through the affiliate's link) and the first round of new bidding showed the bonus money, the next round (when I added MTW and increased my bid) I got a message that said "We are sorry, but you will be unable to use this promotion for the following reason: There has already been one bound offer through this promotion."

Is the bonus money only "good" for the initial round of bidding, or did I miss a step somewhere that would have allowed me to continue using it for my re-bids?

[thereuare]

The Bonus Money is good for each round of bidding.

It could have been a glitch in their system as i'm hearing of frequent problems with this round of Bonus Money.

If you used a link posted in our Bonus Money forum, it's also possible that between your first and second bid somebody else placed a successful bid using the same link.

[Margie]

BINGO! After striking out last night with my 4* strategy, I successfully bid this morning for 2 rooms, MTE up to $110 (plus bonus) and received the Metropolitan at 51st & Lexington. I have heard that the hotel is under renovation (and to avoid the "pet floor" !) but the price is reasonable and the location is perfect.

Thank you for all of your help and your patience, I appreciate it.

[thereuare]

Congratulations... Glad you were finally successful!!

I assume you lowered your star rating to 3*? If any part of the title of this thread is incorrect please let me know.

Enjoy your time in NYC!! :)

PS- this hotel is only 1 block from Ess-a-Bagel (51st and Third Ave) and is, IMO, the best bagel in NYC. I highly recommend going there for a great <and inexpensive> breakfast. It's counter service with tables that you can sit at.

[Margie]

Yes, I did try for the 3* this morning after an unsuccessful try on the 4* last night. I will certainly try Ess-a-Bagel, nice to know of a good inexpensive place for breakfast near the hotel, this sounds perfect - thank you!

[aglinka]

I tried 3* in a bunch of Manhattan zones up to $129

and then got a 4* MTE for $160 + bonus money.. I'm sure I didn't overbid, I used thereuare's strategy.

Nov 20-Nov 23

-AG