Priceline Hotel: NYC (TS, MTW) - May 16-18 2008 :-)

[Dominique]

Hello everyone, I'm new here!

I am planning to go to New York City and need a room for 2 people for May 16 & 17, 2008.

We had already planned to book a hostel, since we wanted to be close to Times Square and figured we wouldn't be able to afford a "real" hotel in that area (yes, we actually want to be in a crowded neighborhood! :-)

So we were going to book at the Big Apple Hostel on 45th, which would have cost us 125 $ per night, taxes included.

But then I found out about Priceline, and thought we might be lucky and get an even cheaper room, with a private bathroom (maybe TS or MTW).

From the Priceline website description, I would easily settle for a 1-star Economy... as long as we have clean beds and a clean bathroom, I'll be very happy. But then I read in a message posted here that it is really not recommended to go for the lower rated (stars) hotels in NYC, as you don't know what you could get.

So what are my chances if I try to get a higer-rated hotel? (keeping in mind my price limit of 125 $ taxes and fees included).

For example, I've seen the "Based on recent data, your price has only a small chance of being accepted" banner disappear at 95 $ for 3-star upscale hotel in the Times Square area, but I don't know if this "small chance" figure refers specifically to the dates I have asked for (or to statistics for the whole year), or how good of an indicator it is.

Thanks!!

[dahammer]

welcome, Dominique from La Belle Province!

I would bid up to your budget and not go below 3* as the offerings below that are inconsistant. I'm not sure if your budget is sufficient for this time of year, but by adding rebid zones, you can bid up to your maximum. I would ignore the "low chance" warning as I have had a few bids accepted when this message is displayed.

If you are willing to endure a 20 minute commute into Manhattan via the NJ Transit Bus, the 3* LaQuinta Inn and Suites in Secaucus, NJ is available for $74 with the following amenities: Suite, Complimentary Breakfast, Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Laundry Facilities, High-speed Internet Access. I have stayed here several times and the rooms are fairly large and its in a good location. This is a recently remodeled property and the bus into NYC stops right in front of the hotel, the fare is around $5.00 round trip with frequent service into the Port Authority Bus terminal. Get a 7 day unlimited ride MetroCard for $24 and take subways all over the city.

Good Luck!

[Dominique]

Thanks dahammer for your reply!!

Well, reading from the strategies explainded by thereuare, I tried my luck on Priceline, with no results for now.

Like I said, I would prefer staying in TS or very close (instead of having a lot of amenities), but I still looked into the LaQuinta Inn just in case, even though it still seems a bit far to me. Unfortunately, for my dates, the rates are $152 per night!

As for my Priceline strategy, here's what I did. I expanded my search to 4 different zones, using an order of preference, i.e. 1. TS; 2. MTW; 3; UMT(CPS); 4. MTE.

I started a bit under the "low chance" warnings, to test the waters :

4*

Bid $90 successively for each of the following (as I would first prefer TS, then MTW, etc.)

TS

TS + MTW

TS + MTW + UMT(CPS)

TS + MTW + UMT(CPS) + MTE

CLOSED BROWSER

Bid $95

TS + UWS(rebid zone)

TS + UWS + MTW

TS + UWS + MTW + UMT(CPS)

TS + UWS + MTW + UMT(CPS) + MTE

CLOSED BROWSER

Bid $100

TS + UES(other rebid zone)

TS + UES + MTW

TS + UES + MTW + UMT(CPS)

TS + UES + MTW + UMT(CPS) + MTE

CLOSED BROWSER

Bid $105

TS + UES + UWS(both rebid zones)

TS + UES + UMW + MTW

TS + UES + UMW + MTW + UMT(CPS)

TS + UES + UMW + MTW + UMT(CPS) + MTE

CLOSED BROWSER

There are other combinations I could have tried, but I would have had to give up preferences, and also, $105 plus taxes and charges came to about my price limit for now.

Then, I started over using the exact same strategy, but this time for a 3* hotel. I used the exact same bids (from $90 to $105), figuring that my prices were already pretty low for a 4* hotel for this period of the year (again, May 16-18).

Then, I took a chance and bid on 2 1/2* and 2* hotels :

2 1/2* (TS as the rebid zone, and again using an order of preference)

Bid $80

MTW

MTW + UMT(CPS)

MTW + UMT(CPS) + MTE

CLOSED BROWSER

Bid $90

MTW + TS

MTW + TS + UMT(CPS)

MTW + TS + UMT(CPS) + MTE

CLOSED BROWSER

2* (no rebid zone, and with order of preference)

Bid $90

TS

TS + MTW

CLOSED BROWSER

TS + UMT(CPS)

CLOSED BROWSER

TS + MTE

Then I was starting to get dizzy so I stopped :)

In the meanwhile, I checked a few hostels still, thinking I might stay at the West Side YMCA (63rd and Central Park) instead of the Big Apple Hostel (45th and 6th avenue), which would cost me about $95 with no taxes (Big Apple Hostel : $125 taxes included) and would still be close.

I'm probably going to keep trying with Priceline, but I fear it's going to be difficult to find what I'm looking for?

Any suggestions are welcome :-)

[thereuare]

I too wouldn't bid below the 3* level in Manhattan, but i also don't think you'll find success at a 3* for your dates above, which is historically a busy time in NYC.

You may also want to try LastMinuteTravel which often has a lot of hostels offered in NYC.

[Dominique]

I tried again with PRICELINE (using the link provided on this webpage), but didn't get any results.

Since my chances were so slim, I thought it wasn't really worth it to keep trying and trying, and I finally decided to book the West Side YMCA, so the reservations part of my trip is now taken care of :)

Thanks for your help!!

[jenndon]

Just FYI for future bidding (or if you decide to keep trying)--I often bid NYC 4* and 3* and 3* hotels do not necessarily sell for less (either in retail or on PL), so I've learned to try it at the 4* level, and then try again at the same price, maybe even going $5 higher at 3* (which also will include 4*, which I sometimes win on those last bids).

[beta]

Might also be better to try it closer to your actual dates?

I've only used Priceline twice, so I'm not an expert by any means, but I've heard that best results are normally within the last 2-4 weeks before your dates. Anybody else back me up on that?

I'm kind of curious actually, as I'm thinking of going in those dates, and wondering what the availability is in May, which seems like a nice time of year. I just went to NYC in January and had no trouble getting a Hilton on Priceline for $120/night, but hey, that was in January.

[dahammer]

I still looked into the LaQuinta Inn just in case, even though it still seems a bit far to me. Unfortunately, for my dates, the rates are $152 per night!

a 3* Best Value is available for $74 for your dates with the following amenities in Secaucus through HOTWIRE.

Suite

Complimentary Breakfast

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Laundry Facilities

High-speed Internet Access