dougiehc9999 Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 HiThis is going to be my first attempt on PL and I have been following the postings on here with a lot of interest. I will be in NYC from 13 April check out on 20 April (7 nights Fri to Thurs). Ideally I would like to find a bargain on a 4*.My area preferences in order are MTW, MTS, UM, MTE.The research that I have done over the same period has uncovered:Hilton TS 279Marriott Marquis 297Sheraton Hotel + Tower 285W New York 331ICH Barclay 309Grand Hyatt 305My first questions are:A What is the chance of finding a bargain for a 7 night stay or should I split my bid. If I split what dates ideally should I split?B Based on the advertised rates above does this feel like a hot period? Any idea where I should start bidding - I am quite happy to bid up to $180 - does this sound too low?Thanks in advanceDougie Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Welcome to BetterBidding!I'd say the rates above are typical for NYC... neither low nor high demand.What is more important to you... zone or price? (ie- would you prefer a cheaper hotel in the MTE zone or a more expensive hotel in the MTW zone)Let us know and we'll suggest a strategy to follow. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
dougiehc9999 Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Thanks for the quick response. My first preference would be area Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 I just want to clarify as that is the opposite preference of most on the board... for example, you would prefer a $180 hotel in MTW vs a $120 hotel in MTE? (the prices aren't necessarily what i think you'll get as i haven't looked at rate yet, but just want to make sure we're on the same page) Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
dougiehc9999 Posted January 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 Actually having thought about it overnight that is a very good question. My preference would be to get the best value 4* within the 4 zones - given that they are quite tightly clustered I'm actually pretty relaxed about location.Out of interest are there any 4* "dogs" that PL is likely to throw up in these areas or is the minimum standard reasonable? Doesn't really stress me - just curious from your experiences?Thanks againDougie Link to comment
AaronJB Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 The hotel that seems to be considered - based on tripadvisor reviews - to be the least of the NYC 4* Priceline options would be the W New York (MTE). The Sheraton Towers (MTW) also gets some mixed (some good, some not-so-good) reviews, although not as bad as the W reviews. The remaining 4*'s all appear to get good-to-great reviews, that I can see. Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 I'd have no problem staying at any of the 4* hotels that have appeared on the list. Yes, the W New York gets the least favorable reviews of the hotels reported, but if i stayed there for $180/nite (or less, your current budget) when rates on their website are $300+ i think i'd deal with just about anything they threw at me :)Reviews are often based upon a combination of experiences as well as expectations... most who write reviews pay much more than we do for accomodations, so their expecations are somewhat higher. I have written reviews from priceline stays where i have given glowing comments, as i was there on a great rate... yet if i had paid rack rate my opinion would have been somewhat less enthusiastic.As well, NYC is notorious for small hotel rooms, and the W New York (in particular) is known for having small rooms (even by NYC standards)... so when people pay $300+ for a room they're expecting to be blown away, but they open the door and it's even less (size-wise) then they're accustomed to at hotels in their local area, and it sets the tone for a bad stay and finding fault where they can.That's my .02This is how i would bid for your stay:You have two re-bid zones when bidding 4* in NYC. 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 4* MTW...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $130, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTE...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $130, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* UM/CPS...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $130, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTS...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $130, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTW and MTE...Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $145, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* UM/CPS and MTS...Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $145, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTW and UM/CPS...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $155, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $160, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTE and MTS...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $155, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $160, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTW and MTS...Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $175, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTE and UM/CPS...Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $175, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTW and MTS and MTE and UM/CPS...Bid $180.Any questions feel free to ask.Good Luck and let us know how it goes.PS- the above is how i would bid based upon your maximum bid, however, you may not want to bid that high just yet. I found the Eastgate Tower thru Quickbook for $160/nite... this is more of a 3* property but it gets great reviews, so if acceptable, you may want to only bid up to $155 (or so) and then reserve this thru Quickbook as a back-up. If you do, please use our Quikbook link to begin your reservation. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
dougiehc9999 Posted January 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 TheruareThanks very much for the help. The Eastgate Tower seems to have gone over $200 between your search and when I had a chance to. I tried to use savingsbarn but I couldn't get the UK site. Let me know if there is a way that you can still earn on the UK Priceline.I have been through the strategy one and will try again in 72 hrs. If it doesn't work again what do you reckon would be the best way to split - Sun or Mon check-out for the first segment?Thanks for your help again.Dougie Link to comment
Blueskies Posted January 28, 2007 Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 Dougie,you can bid after 24 hours now, no need to wait for 72 hours.If you want to use UK Priceline (due to you being UK based) then you can donate through Paypal to the site in recognition of the assistance you receive. Alternatively you can use the US website and simply insert a USA Zip code of your choice, it does not matter.Obviously this way (US through Savings Barn) does not cost you anything.Blue Skies Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 The eastgate tower is currently available thru Quickbook for $170/nite... do a search for your dates, then list the offerings by price from lowest to highest, and it's the 4th listing (or so) from the top. They have different room classes/sizes and this is for the 'Studio Suite', maybe you were looking at a different room size which is more than $200?You can use the US site by following the techniques discussed in this Priceline Tips for Non-US Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
dougiehc9999 Posted January 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 Thanks guysI have booked the Eastgate Tower as a back-up at $170 through your link so thanks very much for the tip-off.I will continue to dabble with this and see if I can get an upgraded bargain; but I'll probably leave it a couple of weeks. Any tips in the meantime pls feel free to add them as I will dip in and out of your great site.Thanks againDougie Link to comment
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