Priceline Hotel: 4* NYC (Times Square-Theatre District) Millenium Broadway

[NY_planner_808]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum as well as new to Priceline and Hotwire. Could I get help in bidding for a 4* hotel for the period of 6/26 - 7/04.

I'm not familiar with locations but from reading the threads I assume the areas most convenient for a tourist are TS, MTE and MTW. I'm not too fussed whether we are really central as we don't mind lots of walking, so please suggest other zones if it means a better chance of getting a place at a good rate. A higher priority would be a nice and clean place thats not too expensive.

Again I'm not sure what I should aim for in terms of prices but I've seen a thread saying I shouldn't pay anything much more above $175 for now? Anything below that amount I would be more than happy with.

Can you please suggest a bidding strategy?

Also, can i confirm that I will be able to book through either priceline or hotwire using a UK credit card and address? I read a thread you have but its mainly talking about the use of canadian credit cards.

Thanks for your help!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Yes, you can use the same 'techniques' as Canadians used to use in order to bid thru PRICELINE. HOTWIRE has no geography restriction.

In addition to the above zones i would also include MTS and UM-CPS in your bidding as they too are considered 'central'... but it's your stay so you should check the zones to make sure you're comfortable with these areas too.

Not sure where you read that you should only bid up to $175 at this point, but i'm guessing that those dates were not the same as yours? Rates are date specific, so advice given for one stay may not necessarily apply to your own stay (which is why we also suggest not following bidding strategies provided to others for dates different than your own).

Lastly, this is an eight nite stay which may be considered long in PRICELINE terms for a large city... is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option?

Let us know the above and we'll take it from there.

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

[NY_planner_808]

Oh I read the $175 on a thread for the dates of 7/3/2008-7/9/2008 so I figured it was close enough. In any case, would that budget be too low for a 4* place? I saw on another thread that someone got Tribeca Grand for $200 which I guess I could stretch to given how nice the hotel looks.

We also intend to spend alot of time around that area so should I include that as a zone to bid for?

I'm happy to split the stay if that means more chance of getting something for a lower price. We're travelling quite light (with the intention of doing alot of shopping) so a move half way through the stay shouldnt be a problem.

Thanks for your help!

[thereuare]

Don't set yourself up for disappointment by 'figuring out' what hotel you're likely to get (or pay) based upon wins that are close to your own... even one nite difference in a stay can make a BIG difference in the hotel you receive and the price that you''ll have to pay. We have even seen two users bid at the exact same time (on different computers) and receive different hotels. While the board can give you an excellent roadmap to bidding, just be careful trying to read into the information too much, as there is an 'unknown' element to it.

As far as your own bidding my thoughts would be:

At the 4* level I would be bidding the MTE, MTW, UM-CPS, Times Square, and MTS zones as all of the 4* properties reported in this area are for the most part centrally located, close to mass transit, and should provide you a good 'base' for getting around the city.

I wouldn't be bidding the Soho-Downtown zone, for as per above, the Tribeca Grand isn't guaranteed, and you could end up in a more Southern location (truly downtown near the financial area) and this would be somewhat less convenient.

As far as SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID, how much would you need to save per nite to make changing hotels mid-stay worthwhile? (as we'll use this to determine your maximum bid to first try for the complete stay at one property)

Let us know your thoughts above regarding zones as well as your thoughts regarding how much savings you'd need to see to make changing hotels worth it... we'll then suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[NY_planner_808]

Well I can't say I'm too fussed about the hotel. Its just I've heard some horror stories hence my only expectation is a clean room that has good transport connections. Anything else would be a bonus really.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean about how much I would like to save re changing hotels. I guess there would be the hassle involved in changing halfway if required and potentially the cab costs but other than that I wouldn't be expecting to save anything as long as the total price overall doesn't exceed $175pn over the length of the stay.

Also happy to go with the suggested zones.

Can I also confirm that the $175 price does not include tax? What is the average % I need to add on top of the price?

In fact can you suggest a bidding strategy with a max of $165 per night to begin with since I didn't really consider tax on top of the price. :)

thanks.

[thereuare]

NYC tax is ~14% plus you'll pay ~$6 per nite no top of your bid price as a booking fee (to PRICELINE or HOTWIRE)... does this affect your maximum bid?

I'm not sure I understand what you mean about how much I would like to save re changing hotels

Since there is an 'inconvenience factor' invovled with changing hotels, most would like some savings to make changing hotels worthwhile. If you could pay $175/nite to stay at one hotel for your complete stay, it would seem silly to split your stay and pay $175 at two different hotels (what would be the point of changing?)... but if you could say pay $175 for part of your stay and say $150 for the other part of your stay, perhaps it becomes worthwhile to save $25/nite? (would it be worth changing for $5? $10? $25? $50?) Hope that clarifies it, but if not, let us know and we'll give another example.

[NY_planner_808]

Considering all of the above I would be more comfortable having a maximum bid of $150 per night. If the entire length of stay evened out to be $150 per night that would be great. Please advise of strategy on both Priceline and Hotwire.

Thanks.

[thereuare]

We'll suggest a strategy for your complete stay and if that is rejected then we can discuss further regarding SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID. There is no reason to have your partner bid as you have plenty of re-bid zones and bidding opportunities that you'll be able to reach your maximum bid on your own.

At the 4* level you have four re-bid zones. 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 and MTW and Times Square...

Bid $110, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE.

Select 4* UM-CPS and MTS...

Bid $110, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $125, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE.

Select 4* MTE and MTW and UM-CPS and Times Square and MTS...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $150.

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[NY_planner_808]

Hi,

I've just started the bidding process but in all the strategy's listed above you mention adding a re-bid zone 3 times. I thought i was only going for 5 zones altogether, this being:

MTE, MTW, TS, UM-CPS & MTS?

In this case I can only add a rebid zone twice if I already selected 3 zones in the initial bid.

Unless I have confused things??? :)

[thereuare]

Those 5 zones are the zones you're willing to accept.

Re-bidding is adding a zone that only contains star levels lower than the quality you're willing to accept. Start here: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before bidding.

If your'e confused after reading the link above just post back and we'll break it down further for you step-by-step.

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

[NY_planner_808]

Hi,

I've been bidding everyday with no luck.

The only thing is that I don't get very far as each time even if I close my browser and open a new one (using the links you provided) the request still gets picked up as a 'duplicate request'. So I can only get so far each day.

As I really don't want to increase my bid amount too much can you suggest a strategy to break it down into 2 separate stays? Also i would rather include the Lower Manhattan area into the bid to increase my chances than increase the bid price if need be.

Thanks!

[NY_planner_808]

Please ignore my previous post. I misunderstood the way to re-bid but have worked it out now.

Will continue trying the strategy above and keep you posted.

Also has the area Midtown South been renamed??

Cheers.

[thereuare]

Yes, renamed and redifined...

Generally speaking, the MTS zone has been broken up into 3 different zones: MSG, ESB, and Chelsea.

If you need a revised strategy let us know (currently only the ESB zone has 4* hotels in it... i'm assuming you're still fine with this zone, but if not, let us know)

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

[NY_planner_808]

Tried pretty much every day since the last post and was giving up so decided to increase the bid amount. Raised my maximum bid to $170 and on my last bid it was actually accepted. Got Millennium Broadway Hotel for the entire 8 nights stay.

Quite happy with the win although when researching the hotel the reviews have been quite mixed and Expedia rates it as a 3.5 star hotel instead of a 4 star.

*fingers crossed*

Thanks for your help!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your win!

Thank you for sharing it with the board.

We're glad you're happy with the results and that the board was helpful in your purchase.

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

Enjoy your stay.