Priceline Hotel: 1/1/08 - 1/5/08 4* Midtown East

[Tommy135]

Hi,

i am looking for an 4* Hotel in Midton East from 1/1-5

Prepaid rates on the hotel's homepages for the Intercontinental Barclay are 254 and for the Hyatt 189.

I began from 110 adding Upper East Side 120 and finally adding Upper West Side 130.

I looked for the same dates in 2007 and the hotels were won for under 110.

Are the rooms going to be more expensive this year or am I just too early?

HOTWIRE lists the Barclay or the Hyatt for 179

Thanks

[thereuare]

Rates have continue to rise year over year for the last few years.

However, i suspect that it's just too early for a 'great' deal for this stay.

If you're concerned you can book a cancellable back up to protect yourself from any rate increase, but i'd simply try one a month or so for the next 4-6 months.

Is MTE the only area you're willing to accept?

[Tommy135]

Thanks for your answer.

As a backup i have the Hyatt for a refundable 199$ rate, which isn't for NY too bad either.

The days seem to be really cheap. 4* under 200$ for New York seems very rare to me.

I am just wondering why i don't get it for 130 when the hotel offers it for prepaid 189. There is no such big difference. Have saved muched more in previous years.

Is the hotwire price somehow connected to the priceline price?

When i see it go down, will the chances be higher to get a lower price on priceline?

MTE would be my first choice. I have stayed at the Barclay before and really liked the area and the rack rates in MTE seem to be the lowest for my travel time.

Upper Midtown/Central Park South would also be great, as there are nice hotels. I would also bid on midtown west, but would prefer the other two areas more.

ps:

Next time I'll definetely use one of your links

[thereuare]

We also have links to the HYATT in our support page.

Your $130 rate vs. the hotels' $189 is about a 33% discount, not something i would consider 'insignificant'. For a hotel to be accepted on priceline, the hotel needs to load that rate into the system for your dates... in this instance, it's probably just much too early as the hotels are busy focussing on juggling/adjustting rates for the more immediate timeframe.

Traditional rates in NYC for less than $200 is not uncommon for the summer and winter months.

[Tommy135]

Last week priceline mentioned that my bid is not likely to be accepted because the median retailprice for a room was above 400.

Today i tried again using the prieline link at SavingsBarn and they didn't mention it was not likely to win and their retail price was 199$.

I guess i'll have to wait some time.

[Tommy135]

I have another question:

The hole NYC Trip is 12/28-1/5.

The first 4 nights i got through my travel agency the Wall Street District Hotel f

[thereuare]

I think what you're seeing is exactly what you'd expect to see...

Rates are high for the nite(s) of New Years Eve and then drop considerably after that.

If you search HOTWIRE for your complete stay, rates at the 4* hotel you're seeing are $263/nite... not much of a savings vs. the $278/nite rate directly from the Hyatt.

Do the same HOTWIRE search for 1/1-1/5 and the rate drops to $179.

I'm doubtful you'll see rates drop as low as you wish for the nite of New Years Eve... although last year for a very brief period there were 4* hotels in Times Square going for just over $100/nite.

Another option, just over your maximum budget for 12/28-1/1 is The Pod Hotel which has a good location, was recently renovated (by the new owners), and the reviews have been good. It's nothing fancy, and the rooms are 'new york city small', but at $161/nite for a room with a private bath it may serve your needs well (a shared bath is available for $128/nite, although i'm too old for those type of situations anymore... don't know your age or tolerance). This hotel is also available for your complete stay, but once New Year's Eve has come and gone, i think you can do better for the balance of your stay.

[Tommy135]

Thanks for the fast answer.

I searched for the dates last year and saw the Barclay was won in March for New Years Eve for 130$.

This was what made me hope.

Do you remember when the Times Square hotels where won for just over 100$? This is exactly something i am hoping for... I searched, but couldn't find these rates.

For the first nights i already have the Wall Street District hotel. If i found a 4* for the same price (130) or a little bit more i would cancel it. I am only 25 but while looking at the pictures for the Pod hotel i felt to old too. A private bath is definetely a must.

[thereuare]

It was two years ago, and an anomoly i wouldn't expect to be repeated again (at least not during the 'hot' hotel market), but here is one such post: New York City New Years Eve