Priceline Hotel: 3* Newark (Jersey City) Hyatt Regency on Hudson

[roaming_jane]

My cousin is going to be auditioning for the Newark symphony on Monday morning 8/7 and needs a hotel the night before; Sunday 8/6. Then, he is going to be flying out of JFK on Tuesday, so he needs a hotel for one night at JFK on Monday 8/7. (Sorry to mix a New York issue into the Jersey forum).

I saw that on Hotwire, the Jersey City 4* was listed for $158 for Sunday night 8/6. Based on that, what would be a good starting bid for Priceline?

For JFK, Hotwire was offering a 3* for $109 on Monday 8/7. Based on that, what would be a good starting bid on Priceline?

As always, thank you so much. :)

rj

[thereuare]

For the nite of 8/6 in Jersey City you have one re-bid zone available when bidding 3*. 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* Jersey City...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $75.

If that is rejected let us know and we'll advise/discuss further.

Note that the HOTWIRE rate shows virtually no discount from the Hyatt's $169/nite for this nite.

Any questions feel free to ask.

For JFK, please start a NEW TOPIC in the NEW YORK>>PRICELINE forum.

Thanks, and good luck.

[roaming_jane]

Thanks for the info. I will open a new topic on the New York page regarding JFK.

Regarding Jersey City: just went in to priceline, via savingsbarn! and tried the old 3* $65 and was rejected (boo! rejection never gets easier to accept, does it?!), then added Elizabeth and rebid $75, and was rejected again (I'm trying not to take it personally). Bummer.

Would you please advise of a new plan o' action?

Thank you.

rj

[roaming_jane]

My cousin is leaving on a flight from JFK on Tuesday 8/8 and needs a hotel room the night before; Monday 8/7.

For JFK, Hotwire was offering a 3* for $109 on Monday 8/7. Based on that, what would be a good starting bid on Priceline?

Thank you so much.

RJ

[thereuare]

Thanks for trying thru the SB links :)

Well the next round would be $85 and $95, but i'm not certain if you'll find success given how close the HOTWIRE rate is to the Hyatt rate.

On the plus side, Sunday nite is the cheapest nite in NYC, and for just a bit more than the above bids, he could probably get a very nice 4* hotel in NYC. I understand the advantage of staying Jersey City for easy PATH access to Newark, but if there is any interest in seeing the city for a bit before/after the interview, maybe staying in NYC would be worth the extra money? (it may even be cheaper than what i might ultimately take to win the Hyatt)

Thoughts?

[thereuare]

Keep in mind that both priceline and HOTWIRE use their own rating system, with hotwire being a bit more generous than priceline in their ratings... so the 3* above may not necessarily be a 3* on Priceline (it could be a 2.5*).

What is his maximum bid?

[roaming_jane]

Thanks again for all of the input. He would totally love to stay in Manhattan, but I just never thought that would be an affordable option. Considering that as a possibility, he'd stay there on Monday night as well as his flight isn't until Tuesday evening. Given all of that, is basically $100 per night possible in NYC 8/6-8/7? I'll swing this over to the NY section if needed!

All of your suggestions are greatly appreciated.

RJ

[roaming_jane]

Hello! What he is ultimately trying to get is $100 or less (including all of the tax and service charges). Is that too hopeful?

Thanks.

RJ

[thereuare]

Unfortunately a low rate in NYC would only likely be available on Sunday nite 8/6), rates jump again on Monday nite.

For the lone nite of 8/6, you may (it's not likely, but it is possible) be able to get a 3* for $100 or less; you can probably get a 4* for $120 or less... almost definate at $130 or less. If you let us know your preference and maximum bid we'll suggest a strategy to try.

HOWEVER, and this is a big however.... HOTWIRE now has a 4* in Jersey City for $101/nite (for 8/6), implying that your previous bids of $65 and $75 may now be accepted!

So i think you (or your cousin) now have a decision if they want to go for a hotel in NYC (and if so 3* or 4* and budget for each) OR re-try for a Jersey City hotel again.

As well, since changing the dates is treated as an entirely different bid, you could loop thru an entire strategy (or part of a strategy) for both nites, and then if rejected, re-try immediately for just one nite.

Let us know your thoughts and/or questions regarding the above. If you rank your preferences we'll suggest a strategy to follow.

[thereuare]

Under $100 "all-in" for a 3* hotel in the JFK area is not out of the question, but it's not a high probability bet either... it often takes ~$100 bid (usually a tad more, plus fees and taxes). A 2.5* may be more inline, but we can try both up to whatever limit your cousin desides.

However, with the recent developments in your Priceline Jersey City thread, maybe we should try combining the days there just to rule it out before trying for JFK independently? As well, once a hotel is secured for the first nite, he can make a better decision regarding his maximum bid and star level since he'll have a better idea of the expense for the first nite. If Sunday comes cheap enough, he may want to lower his star rating for a NYC hotel on Monday nite if he doesn't get to NYC often... as you may know, there really isn't much out by JFK to do and it would be boring to spend an entire day out there if his flight isnt' until the evening.

[roaming_jane]

This site is so awesome! Thank you so much for the advice! I decided to make an executive decision and just go for two nights in Jersey City doing the $65 bid and it was accepted!

Thank you so much!

RJ (And of course I used Savingsbarn!)

[thereuare]

That's EXCELLENT news!! With an executive decision like that you deserver a promotion :)

I'm sure you're cousin will be quite pleased with the results and price!

Thank you for sharing the results with the board and for starting your priceline bid with the links at SavingsBarn.com

If we can be of any help with the immediate area let us know.