Priceline Hotel: Jersey City bidding strategy help...

[bigbadbuff]

I am looking for help with a bidding strategy. I am ok with the Hyatt/DoubleTree/Courtyard JC.

For reference:

current hyatt.com rates for this Thurs/Fri night stay: $399/239

current doubletree.com rates: 215/215 (though only smoking is listed available, which sucks- all nonsmoking must be booked)

current courtyard.com rates: 199/199

Hotwire.com had the Hyatt for $299 as recently as yesterday... not showing up today.

I bid yesterday 3* JC for 100, rejected; added 2.5, also rejected. Max I'm willing to go is 120pn before tax. This is just a 'for fun' trip that we're only going to take if we can get a decent hotel deal, so I have the luxury of trying up until 03/26 to book.

I'm mainly curious if, given the current rack rates, what # I should be shooting for. Tonight, I'll probably bid $110 for 3* in JC, and if that is rejected, bid $120 in JC/Elizabeth; if that is rejected, close out and try again for JC but this time 3&2.5* for 120. Thoughts?

[thereuare]

Your bidding plan for the next 24 hours seems logical, but with the Hyatt disappearing from HOTWIRE, i think that property becomes less of a likely possibility (reducing the possibilities to just one at the 3* level).

Depending upon how badly you want to come to NYC, have you considered the Secaucus or Rutherford areas?

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

[bigbadbuff]

Depending upon how badly you want to come to NYC, have you considered the Secaucus or Rutherford areas?

I believe for public transit, the port authority bus is the only option from those locations, correct?

[thereuare]

Yes, the bus is the main means of commute, but the trip is relatively quick and easy (yes, PATH train is better by a wide margin, but the bus trip isn't so bad). There is a train from Secaucus station, but there is no parking there and it's not walkable from the hotels in the area, so only an option if you receive a hotel with a shuttle bus there (not prevalant at the moment) or have some other means of getting there.

The bus is really not that bad, and like i said, it depends upon how badly you want to make this trip.

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