Priceline Hotel: 2* NYC (MTS) Murray Hill East Suites

[i_s]

Hi,

I have to stay in NY for one night 8/28 - 8/29. I am looking for a hotel that is within $100 total (including fees and taxes).

I tried bidding yesterday on priceline following some of the guidelines outlined on this website. However I was unlucky. I am not sure if I did something wrong or I was asking for the impossible.

First, I tried MTS (I know it was almost impossible), then I proceeded by adding MTE, Soho, etc..., icreasing the price each time. I also dropped hotel rating from 4* to 3*. In total I tried 4 or 5 times, bidding up to $90.

Then, I changed to the JFK area, I tried bidding $65 but it didnt work. Then I dropped the rating to 2.5* and it also didn't work.

Since I have never been to NY, I am not sure which areas are good and safe and which areas are not.

I am planning another round tonight and any suggestions would be great.

One thing I don't understand is the effect of closing your browser. I am still unsure how/why/when to use this trick.

Thanks.

i.s.

[exploring]

hello, from my (and friends') experience, last minute (on 8/21 or 8/22 for your trip) bidding is the only way to get cheap deals. But of course it's a gamble, so keep an eye on hotwire deals, as they change rapidly. good luck!

p.s., all areas of manhattan are safe. there are so many people around.

[thereuare]

What is your maximum bid before taxes and fees?

What is the purpose of this trip... as Manhattan and JFK are not typically zones we see acceptable at the same time. JFK is really on a good zone to bid if you need to be in that particular area... not really an 'easy commute' to the city.

[i_s]

Thanks for the replies,

I will be in the city for one day for transit, I arrive Monday night and I fly on Tuesday evening. I guess I will have a few hours to spend in the city.

The max bid I placed in the city was $85 or $90.

For JFK area, I started with $60 and went up to $65 (by including 2.5* rating), and then I ran out of options as I was unsure to the saftey and quality of the other areas.

I believe the commute between JFK and Manhattan is about 1hr by the subway, this is reasonable for me.

i.s.

[thereuare]

Would you consider Jersey City or raising your bid ~$120?

The commute will likely take you longer than one hour, and requires an Airtrain fare in addition to subway.

[i_s]

I had another try tonight. I was unlucky with most of my first choices.

Eventually I went down to 2* and I got one with $90 in Midtown South, I think I may have overbid on this one, but I know that 2.5* in the same region was not accepted for $95.

Anyhow, the total comes to about 112 which is not bad. Its only one night. On the plus side, the hotel has some pretty good reviews actually.

This way I will go to Manhattan at night, spend the night there, spend a few hours the next day and then only take one trip to JFK, which gives me an extra hour or 2 to spend in Manhattan.

Thanks everybody for your replies.

i.s.

[Blueskies]

What hotel did you win?

[i_s]

The Hotel is Murray Hill East Suite Hotel.

I checked online reviews for it and people were quite positive about it.

That was my bidding experience.

[i_s]

I am back from my trip, all I can say is that the hotel was really excellent. I can't see why this hotel is ranked as 2*.

The room (suite) and carpet were very clean. The location was excellent and the area is very safe at night. All in all, I was very pleased with it.

Thanks everyone.

i.s.