Priceline Hotel: suggestions 7/10-7/11

[giobuf]

Looking for a hotel room in NYC weekend of 7/10-7/11.

I have a back up hotel booked but want something more central.

Hotwire has a listing for MTE hotel, 3 stars, amenities shown are fitness center & business for $97

Any idea which hotel this might be?

[giobuf]

My first time using this site, so sorry if I provide information out of order.

Planning trip to New York 7/10-7/11 (Sat-Sun). Have a back up 3 star hotel booked at $135/tax included. That's not a bad deal but not central enough a location for me. Was hoping to get a better hotel for a similar price in MTE or Times Square/MTW area.

Recently bid on priceline about a week ago. Started really low with a bid of $85 for MTE and MTW separately which was rejected. Raised bids up to $99 for 3 star but rejected.

Is $100 before tax a longshot? Any advice on bidding. I don't want to pay more than the room I already have booked and am reluctant b/c I will also have to pay for parking. Parking at the hotel I have booked is only $8/day for hotel guests.

Not sure what to do. Any help appreciated.

[thereuare]

This hotel has not yet been identified, but what is your back-up hotel?

Perhaps we can find some other options for you relative to your back-up.

I assume that rejected $99 bid was for a 3* hotel? Were the only zones you bid MTE and MTW?

Also, is this just a one nite stay? If so, do you foresee yourself going back-and-forth to the hotel many a few times during the day OR will you mostly just be using it as a place to sleep at nite?

PS- i merged your two threads since it's for the same date (i know one is Priceline related and one is Hotwire related) but we'll keep them in one thread on the Priceline side of things... if you ultimatley use Hotwire i'll move the entire thread there

[giobuf]

My backup is the Skyline Hotel. I think its 3 star but not quite sure. Its a few blocks west of times square. Stayed there before and the hotel is okay but I prefer to stay closer to all the attractions. Also, don't like the area so much, especially at night if I'm walking. It's the cheap parking that's hard to pass up.

My stay is only for one night and I don't anticipate going back to the hotel much at all during the day.

My bid was for 3 star. MTE and MTW are the only areas I've bid on so far. I was hoping to be able to get a better hotel or better location for the price I'm paying.

[thereuare]

Don't know if this is an option for you or not as the location is even further west :)

I think you have an excellent chance at the Jersey City Hyatt for a $37 bid. It's a new hotel that has received great reviews and there is a PATH train 20 yards from the hotel entrance that will be a direct 8 minute trip to downtown manhattan (~20 minutes to mid-town as it requires a transfer... but i usually recommend heading straight downtown and then taking a NYC subway to mid-town if that's where you need to be).

Parking is expensive ($30!!) but being a Saturday you should be able to get parking on the street without much of a problem.

You lose the 'NYC feel', but it is very convenient to get to Manhattan and, in my opinion, worth the ~$85 savings.

If you don't like that idea, or want more info about it, let us know and we'll either give you more info or add some bidding advice for NYC.

[giobuf]

I would love to hear more information about bidding for the Jersey City Hyatt. Money is definitely tight. If this option is really that much cheaper, do you think its possible to get that rate for both fri. & sat. night? If I save that much, might consider going two nights instead? Thanks for the help. :)

[thereuare]

Based upon what i'm seeing, you stand a very good chance for Fri and Sat nite. Try both nites together (at $37/nite) and if it's rejected, then try individually for Sat nite... if that's accepted, then try individually for Fridate nite.

Afternoon Friday parking on the street may be a little tough, but in the eveing as meters no longer go into effect it may become a bit easier.

You can see lots of info by scrolling thru the PRICELINE NEW JERSEY forum, as well as reading these REVIEWS.

As quite a few people do this, i have also written Staying in NJ... Visting NYC.

That should at least get you started :) , if you bid please let us know how it goes and as always, feel free to ask any add'l questions the above may have raised.

[giobuf]

I tried to bid for Jersey City today at $37 to get the Hyatt but was rejected.

I decided to only opt for a one night stay instead of extending my trip so I will be bidding for 7/10-7/11.

Should I wait and then rebid at the same price later? I'm willing to up my price a bit more to get the Hyatt Jersey City but are there other hotels I might end up getting instead? I know I only have about 5 days to bid before my trip so any advice on if the Hyatt Jersey City is still an option?

If I end up staying at my back up hotel, that's okay, but I would love to save some money if possible.

Thanks for the Jersey City tip by the way.

[thereuare]

Well it seems to be available on Hotwire in the low $80's and when we've seen those prices in the past that often meant it could be had on Priceline at the levels quoted above.

Since you are running out of time, i would risk a slight over-bid here and bid $45 at the 3* level the next chance you have (since perhaps the Hyatt has raised their minimum bid levels). If that is rejected you also have the choice of lowering to 2.5* which in all likelihood would land you the Courtyard by Marriott... which is also close enough to mass transit to be a viable option for you. Usually we advise users to lower their bid amount when lowering their star rating, but in this instance adding 2.5* i would advise you to raise your bid amount just because i know the area and generally accepted prices. Try the $45 above first and if rejected let us know if you want to then go for 2.5* and i'll offer advice as to what to bid.

The DoubleTree is also in the area and rated the same as the Hyatt so that is a possibility as well, but i think the lowest rates we've seen at that property is about $60 so i don't think there is a high chance of getting it with your above bid amounts (but if you did get the Doubletree, it too would be fine for your needs as it's close to NYC transit).

Keep an eye on the Skyline's cancellation policy too... can you cancel without penalty the day of arrival or do they require 72 hours notice?

[giobuf]

My 72 hour period for rebidding ends tonight, so I wanted to ask something before bidding.

I checked the Hyatt.com site and rooms 7/10-7/11 are $133.20 with the Hyatt.com rate. Had my sister bid for me on Sun 7/4 at $42 which was rejected.

Checked Hotwire today and it seems to be available for $79. I don't mind bidding the $45 for the Hyatt. I know its hard to say but if my sister's bid was rejected, is the Hyatt even available anymore on priceline at a low price for my weekend? Also, are there any other zones that I might be able to add in order to rebid without getting a hotel in that zone?

I can cancel my Skyline Hotel 24 hours before so I have until Friday. Don't mind staying here, but since I have time for last bids on priceline, thought I would give it a shot.

If Jersey City doesn't work, what do you think a reasonable bid for NYC in MTE or MTW 3 or 4 star hotel? Most the hotels listed on your priceline list are running between $180-upper $200's.

Thanks. You've been very helpful.

[thereuare]

I still think you're looking between $140-$160 for a 4* NYC and perhaps $120-$140 for a 3*. There are no re-bid zones that you can add to bid at the 3* level again. If the Hotwire rate is only $79 i do believe that Priceline should have some rooms available at deeply discounted rates... but obviously $42 isn't currently enough (in the past it often has been... don't know if they've raised their Priceline rate or if just the absolute lowest tier is not available).

If budget was a concern and i was in your shoes this is what i would do (in my preference order... since we would all value the trade-off for staying in Jersey City differently, you can feel free to switch the order to your own liking)

1) Bid $45 for Jersey City 3*

2) Bid $60 for Jersey City 2.5* (give you a chance to get upgraded to the Hyatt, and if accepted but not at the Hyatt it would most likely be at the Courtyard which is also very close to NYC transportation... the DoubleTree is another option but the hotel's website is showing it as sold-out so i think that is a much less likely possibility)

3) Take the 3.5* hotel (which is believed to be the Hyatt) via Hotwire for $79

4) Try bidding for NYC on Priceline

Given the rates i'm seeing i think for Jersey City i'd hope that options 1 or 2 would yield success. If not, you can then make a decision between Hotwire's 3.5* hotel at $79, bidding on Priceline, sticking with the hotel you have.

Those are my thoughts.