Priceline Hotel: 3/29 - 3/30 NYC .. scared of getting a bad deal on priceline!

[msfelithatsme]

Hi everyone. I am new here.. and i have found this forum to be very helpful. I have never used PRICELINE but would like to use it for a one night hotel stay in nyc on 3/29 saturday. Recently a friend booked a hotel on priceline.. we got the Shelburne Murray Hill for 219$ (inc feeS). IMO it was a very nice place.

My price range is around the same. I dont want to spend more than 220 ish including fees. (of course the lower i pay.. the better) I am nervous though that i will get a junky hotel on priceline. any advice on how to get the best deal? 4 star? what should i start a bid at? thanks!

[yuna1971]

have you checked out HOTWIRE???

They may have better deals and on this website, they are usually pretty good at identifying the hotel.

[msfelithatsme]

im still trying to figure out how to figure out the hotels.. but... HOTWIRE has....

4 star hotel in midtown east

w/restaurant/high speed internet / business center

4 out of 5 on tripadvisor.. with 340 plus comments there

$201

any ideas?

[mrxow]

Priceline can often give better deals than Hotwire, as long as it doesn't matter which particular hotel you need.

Priceline hotels, especially 4 star ones, are probably almost exclusively very, very nice. And there is a good chance you will get one for a third to half of what it would cost buying direct.

Maybe if you are bidding on a 2 star there is a remote chance you will end up somewhere you don't like, but if you bid correctly, you would have paid so little for it that it probably makes up for it.

Unless there is some 4 star hotel in a zone you are bidding on that you would refer to as "junky" I don't see the point for hesitation. Where is there a "junky" 4 star hotel anyway? What is the worst case scenario? You have an extra hundred bucks in your pocket but you aren't in the best 4 star hotel in the area that would have cost you $200 more?

[msfelithatsme]

ok. good call. you do have a point. if i limit myself to a 4 star... and im thinking MTE or MTS .. what should i start my bid at?

[mrxow]

Look under the New York priceline page and see what kind of wins there have been. Or maybe the cost of comparable Hotwire offerings for your dates. Start somewhere below there. Figure out if you have any rebid zones then put together a strategy of which zones you are going to start with and add. If there are three or more zones you can safely bid, you can start new bids and get extra chances by changing the combinations of the zones. There are FAQ threads on here that discuss this stuff.

[AaronJB]

I see a 4* in Midtown East for $201 on HOTWIRE with the amenities: restaurant, business, internet. While not guaranteed, this appears to be a likely match for the Omni Berkshire. The detail page for this hotwire listing also has a 4/5 tripadvisor.com review rating, which the Omni has.

That, to me, seems like quite a good deal for this date.

Please use the site's link to HOTWIRE (click HOTWIRE) if you decide to go forward with this purchase. We also have a link to PRICELINE (click the PRICELINE) and do appreciate if you could support the site by clicking the links to start your purchase.

Additionally, of course, myself or others on the site are also happy to help if you have questions prior to starting your purchase.

[mrxow]

Recent wins in your zones are as low as 120 - not sure if those kinds of prices apply to your date, but if it was me, I'd try around there.

I am not too familiar with NY, and have never bid there, but a lot of zones seem pretty close together. It seems the theater district should be ok if you are ok with MTW, right? The prices are probably higher and you probably won't get it, but it is a free rebid. Would upper midtown be unacceptable? Looks pretty close... but like I said, only been there a couple of times and don't know the area.

There do not appear to be any 4 star in upper east or west zones, so you can rebid there, too. (check first before starting) With all the combinations available, you should be able to start at 120 (it is a weekend, so might have to go significantly higher) and have a good chance of landing something the same day.

[AaronJB]

You could start at $120-125, but I think you're very likely going to have to end up bidding $150+ for a 4* in one of the Midtown areas.

You cannot base your bids upon other dates. The HOTWIRE deal above is the lowest-priced Midtown 4* I'm seeing on that service for these dates, so $120 on PRICELINE seems very unlikely.

[msfelithatsme]

this question might seem silly..but when bidding on priceline, what bed do you end up with? doubles.. queen... etc.? thanks!

[msfelithatsme]

thanks all. i think i will be bidding tonight. this is such a new experience for me! lol.

i am from new york and spent the last 3 years living in manhattan on the UES. with that said.. there is no way i want to stay at a hotel in times square. i reaaaaaallly want to stay at the W Union Square.. but there is no way i can drop 400-500$ on one night.

i believe i will starting my bid at 130$ for MTS.

then expanding to MTE.

we will see how it goes!!

[thereuare]

when bidding on priceline, what bed do you end up with?

It depends upon the star class and hotel that you receive.

All that is guaranteed is a hotel that will accomodate double occupancy.

Please remember to start your bids with our link to PRICELINE

If you need help with a bidding strategy let us know.

[msfelithatsme]

thanks i did click using your PRICELINE link. last night but had NO luck. i stopped around 180$ for MTE, MTW, MTS.

im not sure.. maybe i am not going to get a deal at all!??!

[thereuare]

maybe i am not going to get a deal at all!??!

Earlier in this thread there was a 4* HOTWIRE hotel mentioned in your price range... is there something that about that offering that you dont' like?

[msfelithatsme]

Earlier in this thread there was a 4* HOTWIRE hotel mentioned in your price range... is there something that about that offering that you dont' like?

to me it seems like that hotel is The Helmsely, and i dont want to stay there.

[thereuare]

Is this the property you think is the Helmsley?

I see a 4* in Midtown East for $201 on HOTWIRE with the amenities: restaurant, business, internet. While not guaranteed, this appears to be a likely match for the Omni Berkshire. The detail page for this hotwire listing also has a 4/5 tripadvisor.com review rating, which the Omni has.

That, to me, seems like quite a good deal for this date.

[msfelithatsme]

Is this the property you think is the Helmsley?

Yes... and now there are a few others in the range of the 200$ that i am trying to figure out what they are.. using your list of hotwire hotels.

i think i might just have to go for it as i have had no luc with priceline.

[thereuare]

I agree that the property above is likely the Helmsely (and not the Omni).

Let su know if we can assist with the other HOTWIRE properties you're seeing/considering?

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your purchases.

Keep us updated or let su know if we can be of further help.