jackson75 Posted September 26, 2007 Report Posted September 26, 2007 Hi thereMy girlfriend and I are travelling from Dublin, Ireland to NYC for a few nights in October and found getting nice yet affordable accomodation "challenging" when we first confirmed our dates of travel. We managed to book a cheap'n'cheerful 2* in Upper Midtown Manhattan but thought we might try our chances for something affordable in the 4* region via Priceline, which is where I discovered your site.We are looking to stay 4 nights - check in 10/18, check out 10/22 - and if preferable would like to stay in either the Midtown West or Upper Midtown/Central Pk South areas as designated by Priceline. However, realistically our budget is an average of $250 per night (not including taxes). Is this totally unrealistic or is there a workable strategy that could get us a 4* booking for that max amount of $1000 total stay (pre-tax?) - or even less?Any help gratefully received!Al, DublinPS I am not considering Hotwire because there seems to be some virus attached to the site that sets my McAfee alarm bells ringing every time I log onto it!
thereuare Posted September 27, 2007 Report Posted September 27, 2007 Welcome to BetterBidding!Mabye you should re-consider your choice of anti-virus program and question exactly what they consider to be a virus. :) Your budget is likely not currenlty enough for a 4* hotel in the zone(s) you've indicated for the above dates. Is there a reason you're not considering the MTE or MTS zones as including these would give you more bidding opportunities as well as increase the number of hotels that could possibly accept your bid.What, and how much, is your back-up hotel? Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
jackson75 Posted September 27, 2007 Author Report Posted September 27, 2007 Hi Thereuare, thanks for the reply.We'd be quite happy to widen the search to MTE and MTS - we were initially looking at MTW and UMT/CPS due to their proximity to Central Park, but this is by no means a "must-have" location for us, just a preference.After looking at the list on here of 4*s which Priceline generally offer, I guess we'd be happy to include MTE and MTS - and at a push we'd include the Downtown/SoHo/Financial list, although we don't want to stay too far down the island and I see that one or two of the Downtown 4*s (specifically the Millenium Hilton) are quite a way down. Having said that, it's in close proximity to a subway station so if we were to end up with that for $250 a night we wouldn't be too upset! So if MTE and MTS threw something up then great but if not, we'd certainly cast the net further downtown if necessary.Our backup hotel is the Mayfair New York on 242 West 49th St (btwn Broadway and 8th)http://www.mayfairnewyork.com/mayfair/index2.htmAs I say it seems basic 2* but sounds clean etc from Tripadvisor reviews, and was the most centrally located and best reviewed hotel for our budget when we went looking to make a reservation.It is costing us a total of $1071.32 inc taxes. Before taxes it was $922 for the 4 nights of 18, 19, 20, 21 Oct - a different rate each night but an average of $230.50 a night. Standard 24-hour notice cancellation policy.Our current timezone differential is probably going to make this quite a drawn-out thread but we appreciate the advice!CheersAl P
thereuare Posted September 27, 2007 Report Posted September 27, 2007 I would begin as follows:At the 4* level you have two re-bid zones available. 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* MTE...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $160, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTW...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $160, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* UM/CPS...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $160, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTS...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $160, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTE and MTW...Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $175, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $180, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* UM/CPS and MTS...Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $175, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $180, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTE and UM/CPS...Bid $185, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $190, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $195, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTW and MTS...Bid $185, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $190, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $195, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTE and MTS...Bid $200, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $205, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $210, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTW and UM/CPS...Bid $200, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $205, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $210, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTE and MTW and UM/CPS...Bid $215, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $220, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $225, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTE and MTW and MTS...Bid $215, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $220, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $225, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTS and UM/CPS and MTE...Bid $230, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $235, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $240, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTS and UM/CPS and MTW...Bid $230, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $235, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $240, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* MTE and MTW and UM/CPS and MTS...Bid $245, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $250, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $255. (you made it this far, might as well add the extra $5 :) )Any questions feel free to ask.Good Luck and let us know how it goes Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
jackson75 Posted September 28, 2007 Author Report Posted September 28, 2007 HiI've gone to the site to try and start my bidding strategy, but because my credit card billing address is a non-US/Canadian one (as we live in Ireland) it won't accept my information as valid when I try to start bidding.Do I have to be a US/Canadian resident to use the feature?ThanksAl, Dublin
dahammer Posted September 28, 2007 Report Posted September 28, 2007 you may want to read this post Priceline Bidding from the UK
jackson75 Posted September 28, 2007 Author Report Posted September 28, 2007 you may want to read this post Priceline Bidding from the UKThanks for the tip, dahammer - I entered a bogus state/zip and was able to bid...Unfortunately, however, even when bidding $255 in all four areas as listed as the last attempt of thereuare's strategy, we still drew a blank.I guess there's no harm to repeat the strategy intermittently between now and our departure? As mentioned previously, we only need 24hrs notice to cancel our existing booking so worth another roll of the dice no doubt. I will report back if we have any joy between now and the 18th Oct.For now, thanks everyone for your advice and help.Al, Dublin
jackson75 Posted October 6, 2007 Author Report Posted October 6, 2007 Hi allI have made a daily round of bids using thereuare's strategy since I last posted on the 28th Sept, however nothing's biting. We decided to increase our max budget to $270 a night, so using the same strategy as thereuare listed above in this topic, we increased every figure listed above by $15. However still no joy in the three bidding sessions we've attempted since then. Will keep trying but a few q's:(1) Would including Downtown in our search give us a better chance of getting a 4* for this price? If I click it "to see" before adding one of the non-4* areas for a re-bid, I see it takes the median price down a fair chunk each time. How would we incorporate it into a strategy?(2) The median price - assuming I take Priceline's "save up to 50%" claim at face value, am I wasting my time placing a bid for a price that is going to be LESS than 50% of the median? EG sometimes the median is quoted at $522 and I am only bidding $200. I know this is different every time you bid so have no idea how they are calculating it, but are they not just going to reject any bids that are for less than half the median every time I place one, or are there instances where a bid that saves you MORE than 50% is accepted by a hotel?(3) Finally, are we just kidding ourselves to think we can get anything 4* for $270 per night or should we persevere - ie do we stand a chance the closer it gets to the day of our arrival (18th Oct)?Any advice on any of the above gratefully received.ThanksAl Pollock, Dublin
AaronJB Posted October 6, 2007 Report Posted October 6, 2007 Thereuare will definitely have a better take on this than me, but looking at the situation, bidding for these dates may have better success by splitting your bid (2 nights 1 place, 2 nights the other.)I can find the Westin Times Square for $343 non-refundable for 18th-20th. HOTWIRE then has a 3* for $299 for 10/20-22. Maybe you could attempt to bid for less ($200 for a 3* for 10/20-22 in MTW) then if you get that and have something confirmed, grab the Westin for 18th-20th?Just tossing out ideas.
doulos Posted October 6, 2007 Report Posted October 6, 2007 One option you could do for Oct 20-22nd is Six Columbus 4* Upper Mid/CP (www.sixcolumbus.com). For a full it's $275 Sat and $165 Sunday (averages out to be $220/night), or a queen for $360 & $175 (average $268/night). It's newly renovated and just opened earlier this month. Found this on Quikbook.com . Rack rate on their website is $446-465/night. You could do this and see what you can priceline for the other two nights at the last minute.
thereuare Posted October 7, 2007 Report Posted October 7, 2007 Adding downtown would increase your chances just from the sense that you're increasing the potential pool of hotels that could possibly accept your bid... if you're looking for a "deal" for these dates it looks as if SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID may be your best option, but not sure if you're willing to do that or not.Ignore priceline's "median price" as it's meaningless and not helpful to your bidding.Right now it appears that these are very difficult dates given your budget, but inventory changes all the time and anything can happen in the next two weeks... a hotel could get a rush of unexpected cancellations and need to try to sell some unused inventory thru the opaque channels; this probably isn't a likely scenario, but it does happen.Do you want to add Downtown or SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID? Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
jackson75 Posted October 7, 2007 Author Report Posted October 7, 2007 Hi ThereuareThanks for the latest advice. We have discussed splitting our bid, however does that necessitate a 50-50 split as Aaron JB suggested ie one bid for Thurs 18/Fri 19 Oct and one for Sat 20/Sun 21 Oct, or how do you think we might fare doing a 1 day/3 day split ie looking for a deal for Fri/Sat/Sun 19/20/21, then keeping the first night of our 2* on the Thurs 18 or even looking for a one-nighter through Priceline once we've got the 3 nights locked?If that doesn't sound like a fruitful course of action, we may consider Downtown, however maybe not until later in the week ie closer to our departure date. Thanks again for all your advice - NB re: Doulos' recommendation re: the Six Columbus, sounded like a good deal (although reading btwn the lines are they still building it?) but the Quikbook booking facility was a non-secure location so we didn't want to risk sending our CC details over it. Thanks nonetheless for the tip.Al
doulos Posted October 7, 2007 Report Posted October 7, 2007 Al, thereuare will probably be able to give you better recommendations on splitting your stay. It seems to me that Sunday night will be the one night when you'll be able to get the best deal since it's not a busy night."Thanks again for all your advice - NB re: Doulos' recommendation re: the Six Columbus, sounded like a good deal (although reading btwn the lines are they still building it?) but the <a href="http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000003517098" target="_blank">Quikbook</a> booking facility was a non-secure location so we didn't want to risk sending our CC details over it. Thanks nonetheless for the tip."Six Columbus was a different hotel before and they have been renovating it for the last few years. I talked to them and they have 57 out of 88 rooms completed. They just opened last Monday. They said the renovation should not disturb your stay but who knows really huh? I believe Quikbook should be secure. If not you can call them and reserve it that way if that's something that you can do easily from the UK. The way it works with Quikbook is you secure your stay with a cc but you don't pay until after you've checked out of the room. And if you need to cancel, there's no fees. But you'll need to check the cancellation policy at the hotel first to see how far in advance you have to cancel. If you prepay your room through Quikbook, however, there will be something like a $10 fee if you cancel.
doulos Posted October 8, 2007 Report Posted October 8, 2007 Saw a 4* in DT/SOHO for $244 on HOTWIRE from Oct 19-22. Not sure how much longer that'll be available for. I believe it might be the Millennium Hilton. I've been tracking this weekend too b/c these are the dates I'll be there.
thereuare Posted October 8, 2007 Report Posted October 8, 2007 I didn't look at the specific breakdown yet to see if/what would be possible, but usually the idea is to try to get the largest number of nites confirmed first, then try to pick-up the balance (of lesser nites).Is there a reason you'd want to split the stay 1nite/3nites rather than being open to the possibility of 1nite/3nites, 2nites/2nites, or 3nites/1nite? Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
jackson75 Posted October 8, 2007 Author Report Posted October 8, 2007 SUCCESS!! :) :) Since my last posting, I'd made another unsuccessful round of bids for all 4 nights 18/10-22/10. However, my girlfriend was running a bidding session this evening (approx 9.30pm Irish time ie 4.30 EST) for a split bid of 3 nights 19/10-22/10 and had got as far as bidding $225 for 4* MTW and UM/CPS + the rebidding zones of Upper East and West side, when she saw a message, which we'd not yet seen on our various attempts, telling her that if she upped her bid to $240 there was a possible deal in the offering. Given the $240 price was still well within our budget, she did so straight away rather than try and haggle it, and lo and behold, we have 3 nights in the 4* Millennium Broadway Hotel in the Midtown West region (145 West 44th St) for $240 per night + $137 taxes = $857 total. Woo hoo!We then attemped extending it to cover the first night of our visit ie Thurs 18/10 but it came back negative, so for the first night of our trip, we have amended our existing 4-night booking with the Mayfair to just the one night of 18/10 for $220 + $36 taxes = $256. The two hotels are reasonably close together so we're quite happy to stay the first night here before moving to the Millennium Broadway for the remaining three. However for the craic we are going to keep running a Priceline bid for just that one night, max $240 (amending Thereuare's strategy accordingly again), and will report back if we get any further joy.We're absolutely delighted with our successful bid, many thanks once again to Thereuare for supplying the strategy and tips and to everyone else who took the time to offer their advice and tips for our searches.CheersAl and Orla, Dublin
thereuare Posted October 9, 2007 Report Posted October 9, 2007 CONGRATULATONS on your success!Glad to hear you're happy with the results and that the board was helpful in your purchase.Thank you for sharing your results with the board.Keep us update on your pursuit for the first nite. If you do have susccess, or need help with that remaining nite, please start a NEW TOPIC.Have a great trip!EDIT TO ADD: i did find the Excelsior available for the nite of 10/18 for $248/nite thru GTA Hotels (please use this link if you book) and you can read the reviews HERE Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
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