Priceline Hotel: Help bidding NYC UM-CPS 4* 5/9-5/11

[sakimano]

Hi there. I'm interested in booking the following

1. 3 rooms (3 couples)

2. May 9-11 (departure)

3. any 4* in that area

please itemize a bidding strategy for us

thanks!

[thereuare]

Please follow-up your Hotwire Quebec thread with whatever you did for that stay... then bump this thread and we'll have a look at the above.

[sakimano]

Please follow-up your Hotwire Quebec thread with whatever you did for that stay... then bump this thread and we'll have a look at the above.

Done, and...Bumped!

[thereuare]

This is a very expensive time of year in NYC and this is also one of the most expensive zones at the 4* level. Is this the only area of NYC you're willing to accept? What is your maximum bid?

[sakimano]

Yes, it is the only area, as we don't like the crapshoot of the 9 four star hotels in Midtown West. Midtown East might be marginally acceptable, but is a fair distance from where we will spend most of our time. The downtown four star hotels would be fine, as all four 4* in Soho are excellent. We need to be in the UM-CPS area for a conference however, so Soho is inconvenient. We figure we'd just stay downtown if we're going to be more than a 10 minute walk from the conference...thus no point in staying in Midtown East/Midtown South etc. We're very comfortable with UM-CPS

Our maximum bid is $225/night.

P.S...you list 4 hotels as 4 star in UM-CPS. Looks like The Swissotel is closed...The Westin is not a Westin...it's a Jumeriah. How old is that list?

Thanks,

Ian

New York City (Upper Midtown - Central Park South)

4* The Drake Swissotel REVIEW / tripadvisor review

4* Inter-Continental tripadvisor review

4* Le Parker Meridien REVIEW / tripadvisor review

4* Westin Essex House tripadvisor review

[thereuare]

The hotel lists are continually updated. Most people simply report winning bids and don't report "that hotel has closed" so some hotels remain on the lists without getting reported again... but we do update them as soon as we learn of name changes and closures, as we have just done with the hotels you've mentioned above.

With that housekeeping issue taken care of, i'm doubtful that $225 will be enough for a 4* in the UM/CPS zone based upon current rates. To give it a try i would proceed as follows:

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* UM/CPS...

Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $175, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* UM/CPS and re-bid zone2...

Bid $190, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $200, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

If the above is rejected wait 24 hours from the time of your last rejected bid and try as follows:

Select 4* UM/CPS...

Bid $210, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $215, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* UM/CPS and re-bid zone2...

Bid $220, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $225.

I will also add my opinion that, unless price doesn't matter, i think you can do much better than the above by moving outside of the UM/CPS.

If you look at the Beekman Tower you can book a Studio Suite for $170/nite or a 1BR suite for $189/nite. This rate is cancellable up until a few days before your stay, the reviews are great, and even if you have take a cab a few times a day to get to your conference location, this would still end up being a better deal than what it will likely take for you to have success in the UM-CPS zone.

Let us know whatever you decide to do or if we can be of further help.

[sakimano]

thanks for the help.

I think you are right. I tried, and won nothing. I have a few questions...

1. are the '3 rooms' killing me?

2. I'd consider adding MTE...would that change anything?

3. should I wait till we're closer to my trip date? we're 2 full months away, so I'm just wondering if Priceline even gets a good deal on rooms this far out.

4. I've just found that the conference schedule isn't too bad, so why not just book in SoHo? Subways are amazing in NYC.

thanks again. I really appreciate your wisdom.

[sakimano]

P.S. I used the link's that help the site when going to priceline

no reason not to...it's exactly the same, and keeps this site in business. If an extra 10 seconds of our time can help this resource that saves us hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, well that's a no brainer!

cheers

[thereuare]

1. are the '3 rooms' killing me?

Not likely... as mentioned above, this is an expensive time of year in NYC and this is an expensive zone.... those two things are more likely what is working against you.

2. I'd consider adding MTE...would that change anything?

If you'd consider the MTE zone, why not consider the Beekman Tower referenced above? It is a little more east than the 4* hotels that typically come up in this area, but as i pointed out above, even if you take a taxi to your first destination of the day, you're talking just a few dollars added to the cost of your daily expenses vs. an extra $50+ added to the cost of your hotel room.

3. should I wait till we're closer to my trip date? we're 2 full months away, so I'm just wondering if Priceline even gets a good deal on rooms this far out.

See the related links in our PRICELINE FAQ. If you do choose to wait, i would book a cancellable back-up in the meantime to make sure that you're protected incase prices go higher (instread of lower).

4. I've just found that the conference schedule isn't too bad, so why not just book in SoHo? Subways are amazing in NYC.

SoHo isn't cheap either. As well, priceline's zone which includes SoHo extends all the way to the Battery Park (the southern most tip of Manhattan)... so to try to bid for a hotel in SoHo you'd also need to be willing to stay in areas South. Given the greater number of hotels in the "downtown" area and the fewer number of hotels in the SoHo area, you're much more likely to end up Downtown than you are in SoHo.

[sakimano]

thanks again.

I'll book a back up, and wait a while.

The Soho-Downtown thing is fine. There are only 4 hotels in the 4 star class...60 Thompson, SoHo Grand, TriBeCa Grand, Millennium Hilton. I'm very happy with all 4 of those. I work in the financial world, so would feel 'at home' there!

Cheers,

Ian

[sakimano]

Having trouble getting anything 4* UMCPS, ME, MW, DTSoho 5/9-5/11

Have tried up to $279, and have even done so splitting up the nights.

Is the city sold out?

my maximum would be 300 + taxes

any of those neighbourhoods would be fine

Regards,

Ian

[thereuare]

Please keep all posts for the same stay in the same thread.

Where and how much is the back-up you've booked?

[AaronJB]

Unless I'm mistaken, it looks as if the Beekman is no longer available via EasyClickTravel. Quikbook.com doesn't have much either. NYC isn't sold out, but the remaining possibilities appear very expensive.

[AaronJB]

HOTWIRE doesn't have anything of note for both nights, but what appears to be the Embassy Suites (4*, downtown) is showing for $294 for the 10th.

The only problem is finding something for the 9th. In terms of nearby hotels, the thing that seems cheapest is - surprisingly - the Ritz Carlton Battery Park @ $500 for a Club Level room on Expedia which is actually cheaper than the Club Rooms on the Ritz Carlton website.

This would be over your limit (although at least you would get free breakfast at both, an evening reception at the Embassy and additional food/beverage at the Ritz), but it's just brainstorming, trying to throw some ideas out. The Ritz is about half a mile from the Embassy.

Ritz Club Floor description from Expedia

One king bed or two double beds with featherbed(s), Frette Italian linens, goosedown pillows/comforter(s). (Pillow options available.) Large windows providing view of city or New York Harbor. (Harbor view not guaranteed.) 425 square feet. Armchair/ottoman. Large desk with dual-line cordless phone. High-speed Internet access (surcharge). Stereo CD/DVD player with surround-sound system and CD/DVD library. Bose Wave CD player/radio. TV with Internet access (surcharge), video games (surcharges), and express check-out. Terry-velour bathrobes and slippers. Marble bathroom with deep-soaking tub, separate stall shower, and Bulgari toiletries. Umbrella and trouser press. Access to exclusive 14th-floor concierge/check-in lounge with five complimentary food/beverage services daily: Continental breakfast;

[AaronJB]

Still having a difficult time finding much availability for both days, but there's a lot of instances of hotels having one day or the other available.

The Affinia Dumont (which is rated #4 out of NYC hotels by users on tripadvisor.com is $459 via Quikbook for the 9th. You could also compress your party (not sure if that's an option, just tossing out the idea) and take two 1 king/1 sofa junior suites for that night @ $489 each.

You could then move up to your preferred area with the Le Parker Meridien in UM-CPS for $369 a night for the second night. Other options in that range would be the Affinia Manhattan ($279) or the Millennium UN ($359)

Thereuare will likely have other suggestions and knows NYC better than I do. However, I just wanted to throw out some ideas, given that there's not much time.

Additionally, if the HOTWIRE Embassy idea for the 10th is in fact the Embassy (which it looks to be), then the lowest rate on the hotel website for that night is $469.