Priceline Hotel: Help w/New York Marriott Financial District

[confused88]

My husband and I will be visiting my family in New York City January 12 - 16. We don't want to impose on them and to tell you the truth would like a little privacy. There is a hotel close to the house that I would like to stay at. It is the New York Marriott Financial District which is listed on priceline as a 3 star hotel.

We can reserve the room directly for around $180 per night. What would be the best way to try to bid for this or should we just book directly? The description of the hotel is appealing and the ambience and amenities seem great for being a 3 star.

I do know that there is no guarantee that I would get this hotel so if I did bid how would I be assured that we could win a hotel in this area with these amenities and ambience?

I apologize if this post is naive and do appreciate any help.

[dahammer]

welcome to BetterBidding, no apologies necessary (unless you fail to post the results of your win!!)

January is a good time to score a deal in Manhattan as the weather is nicer in the Spring and Fall so prices should be lower for your dates of travel. If you've never bid before, you might want to look at some of the topics on the first page of the BetterBidding website and understandPriceline Rebidding Explained . Check out the Questions and Suggestions topics too.

The Marriott is located in the Downtown-SoHo-Financial District, so when bidding at the 3* level, you will have to be prepared to accept any hotel in this zone. Here is the Priceline Hotel List and you will see the Marriott as well as the other hotels on the list. If you can reserve the hotel for $180 directly, you might want to start out around $110 and increase by adding rebid zones, but only do so after reading Priceline Rebidding Exlpained.

good luck!

[confused88]

Thank you very much for the info.

This wouldn't be my first time bidding, we just haven't done it often. I have been VERY lucky so far the times we have done it.

The latest was a hotel in Atlanta/Buckhead Area that normally runs over $200 a night and I won it for $89 per night.

Normally I wouldn't mind taking my chances but this time I need to be near my parent's house. There is a hotel just a block or so from them that is highly regarded for cleanliness, etc. It does not have the amenities and is only slightly less expensive.

I need to check out the other places on the list. I may be back for more help, thanks again.

[confused88]

Okay. I reviewed the hotels that are on the list. (I realize this list may not be accurate.)

I never thought i would say this but I don't want the 4 * places. These are boutique hotels and for this trip they do not interest me.

Of the 3 star hotels listed, the one I originally wanted is listed. It also turns out that this is the only property listed in the 3 and 4 star range with the amenities i want.

Is there a way to narrow things down before actually submitting bid by indicating preferences on amenities? I thought there was at one time.

[AaronJB]

Unfortunately there is no way to narrow down by amenity on Priceline. Hotwire would offer you a better chance of figuring out which hotels were showing before purchase, however, Hotwire is generally more expensive (although by how much varies) than Priceline and the Marriott that you are looking for has not yet been reported as participating with Hotwire.

[confused88]

On priceline they say select RESORT LEVEL to make sure you get properties with pool. But RESORT level is not listed as a choice for my area. What do I do?

[AaronJB]

There are no resort properties in NYC. If you need a property with a pool, you would have to use Hotwire (as Hotwire listings show amenities - and you would see a pool amenity listing with hotels that offer one.) or book regular rate.

[confused88]

Well, I just discovered that there is one other hotel that would be suitable. The Hilton.

I also accidently came upon the search pages I thought I had used before. It is tricky though. I had to click on a tiny little link near the bottom of the first page. This brings you to the page that lists the hotels available within the star rating. I hope I'm explaining this correctly. Any way, the resulting list shows that

both these hotels are less expensive than others in their respective star categories.

So if I bid as low as I am tempted would my chances of being placed in either of these hotels be increased?

For instance, the rate for the Millenium Hilton, a 4* is $229 per night and the next lowest price is over $300. The price per night for the Marriott, a 3* is $194 and the next hotel, which I defintely do not want is $209.

If I were to bid $100 or less I would probably get one of these two properties? If this is a good possibility exactly how would I place my bid? Or would you all suggest I just give up and go ahead and book directly?

[AaronJB]

When you bid on Priceline, you have to be willing to accept what the service gives you. While the hotels you mention may be cheaper, there is no way of telling whether or not they have any priceline inventory for your dates. As a result, there's still certainly the possibility that, if you bid with the intent of trying to get one of these two hotels, you may very well get something different/more expensive. If you must be at either of these two hotels, you should book regular rate, as there is no guarantee of getting either on Priceline, to be honest, even if they are cheaper.

If you are willing to accept a different hotel than these two, than you should bid for 4*, then 3*. I have a feeling, however, that $100 may not be enough.

[confused88]

But the results screen shows the properties available with my dates for check-in and check-out. Doesn't that mean that the hotels that show up in the results are the ones available for my dates?

There are only a total of 3 hotels listed in my area for 4 star including one of my choices. In the results page for 3 star hotels in my selected area there are a total of 4 hotels.

I was always under the impression that this priceline screen means these are the hotels available for your dates in your star group.

[AaronJB]

Those are available for regular rates through Priceline. However, that does not necessarily mean that they are potential hotels to get if you bid, as the two inventories are different/separate. A hotel could have inventory for regular rate purchases, but have no inventory to bid on.

[dahammer]

I was always under the impression that this priceline screen means these are the hotels available for your dates in your star group.

Priceline has two products:

Shop and Compare - this is generally the first screen that shows the hotel names, star ratings, rates

Name Your Own Price - this is the bidding site

as AaronJB mentions, if a hotel appears on the Shop and Compare page, it does not mean that it will be available for bidding on the Name Your Own Price side.

You also need to be aware that if you are bidding for a 3* hotel, this is the minimum star level that you are willing to accept. You could be upgraded to a 4*. You really seem to want a specific property, so bidding might not be worth the potential savings. Let us know how you make out.