Priceline Hotel: 4* NYC (Downtown-SoHo-Financial District) Millenium Hilton

[elmer]

Hi- I've checked this board in the past but can't remember some of the strategies, in particular the "re-bidding" and "opening a new browser" to obtain an optimal price.

I am comfortable staying pretty much anywhere in Manhatten as I like their subway system. I loved the Millenium Hilton in the financial district-- incredible views, beautiful contemporary decor and huge corner room-- got it for $200 a night last February. Also had a great experience at the Hilton NewYork in Midtown the year before- beautiful recently re-done corner room with incredible views and really large!-- same aproximate price.

somewhat spoiled on size and decor issues.......

Any imput on strategies for booking a room during the popular holidays is appreciated!

[thereuare]

I loved the Millenium Hilton in the financial district-- incredible views, beautiful contemporary decor and huge corner room-- got it for $200 a night last February

Would that stay be this Priceline NYC thread which you never followed up on with your results? :)

Please follow-up that thread with the details of your purchase and then bump this thread and we'll have a look at the above.

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

[elmer]

No, my bidding was unsuccessful and I ended up staying at my back up hotel, The London, (Midtown).

to continue- I successfully bid on the Millenium Hilton last February for aprox $200, (not including taxes). I had no idea what to expect but was amazed at the size of the room, a corner, with what seemed liked almost panoramic views of water, bridges and the city. We had an unobstructed view as it's right by the World Trade Center site- can't even say that there was construction noise....... really pleasant experience.

FYI, the trip was to celebrate my birthday and I mentioned that when I checked in so that might have had something to do with it (?)

[thereuare]

Please follow-up your previous Priceline NYC thread with the fact that you were unsuccessful and list the hotel that you did stay at (as it can give others and idea of an alternate place to stay when they have trouble for their own NYC stays) and also please post the details of the Millenium Hilton that you did win... perhaps that info could help somebody else on the board in the future. :)

[AaronJB]

While the stay for $200 in Feb was a good deal, keep in mind that rates vary sharply depending on time of year and mid-December is a lot busier (well, probably not as much this year, but still...) than Feb.

[thereuare]

We've moved your reply to this thread with your NYC follow-up to your original PRICELINE NEW YORK CITY thread in order to add a resolution of that thead.

please post the details of the Millenium Hilton that you did win... perhaps that info could help somebody else on the board in the future. :)

[elmer]

started bidding today on Priceline for a 4* hotel for the weekend of 12/12-12/14/08 in NYC:

ME at $125- declined

added MW at $130- declined

added Midtown CPS at $135- declined

added Times Square at 135- declined

added UWS and UES at $140- declined

added everything else except Brooklyn and Long Island at $150- declined.

I don't think I did this in the most optimal way but will try again tomorrow.

My back up hotel is the Park South, ( a 3* according to Priceline), at my travel companion's urging.

Price for a double is $319.00.

[thereuare]

please post the details of the Millenium Hilton that you did win... perhaps that info could help somebody else on the board in the future. :)

3x

If you start a NEW TOPIC and post the details of your previous purchase, we will suggest a strategy for you to follow for your upcoming December stay.

[thereuare]

My back up hotel is the Park South... Price for a double is $319.00.

You can book this cheaper as a back-up thru Quickbook (please use our link)

Also avaiable thru Quickbook which you may want to consider is the Eastgate Tower (they have a Studio Suite for $261/nite but this is non-cancellable... however they also offer a Junior Suite for $279/nite which is refundable) which has better reviews than the Park South.

If you want to continue bidding what is your current maximum bid and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[elmer]

My max would be $275 a night, but hoping to do a little better, maybe around $175-200.......

Do I start lower and as my travel date gets closer increase my bid?

I've never used Quickbook........ checking it out now.

I will try to find some pictures of Eastgate Tower on-line.

[thereuare]

There are plenty of photos of the Eastgate Tower HERE... it's not luxurious, but as you can see, gets reviewed well.

As far as "when to bid" (or more precisely to your question when to increase your bid amount) see the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ. Essentially you should take your back-up (which should now be below $300 as per the Quickbook options above) and determine how much of a discount you need to make locking in a room now.

Historically this is a very busy week in NYC, but currently this year we're seeing a slowdown based upon the economy... nobody can tell at the moment if this slowdown will be enough to leave rooms vacant during this traditionally busy (and expensive) week, but if it were me i would proably be increasing my bid to about $175 this week... then up to $200 the following week, keeping it there until about a week before your check-in date, at which point i would increase my maximum bid (while still starting low in hopes of catching some newly released low priced inventory) in an attempt to beat my back-up reservation. Of course, you should adjust this to your own comfort level (how uneasy you are not have your plans 'set' 4weeks, 3weeks, 2weeks, etc before your arrival), how comfortable you are with your back-up reservation, and how you see hotel direct prices increase/decrease as you continue to bid.

If you let us know your current maximum bid, and which zones you're willing to accept, we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[elmer]

OK- sounds like a good plan to me.

My current maximum is $175.00 and though I am partial to midtown and below, (ie Soho/Financial district)- I would be willing to go as far as the Upper East & West Sides for a good 4* hotel...

sheri

[thereuare]

I would be willing to go as far as the Upper East & West Sides for a good 4* hotel

So do you want to include UWS in your bidding to start OR first only try up to $175 with the 'midtown and below' zones? (NOTE: currently there are no 4* hotels offered in the UES zone... if you're not familiar with re-bidding give this thread a read: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions... you have 5 re-bid zones available when bidding 4* in NYC)

Let us know and we'll outline a strategy for you to follow.

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

[elmer]

Let's go without the UWS for starters as it seems that the only 4* in that area is The Empire Hotel (?) of which I could find very few pictures or info.

I would rather hedge my bets toward the area(s) with hotels that have 4* hotels, (ie the Hilton New York, Millenium Hilton, Omni Berkshire Place, SoHo Grand ), that I've stayed in at least once and know.

A little difficulty I'm having understanding this from the Priceline Re-bidding Explained link:

The way to check what star levels are available in each zone is to open a Priceline page, check ONLY the zone you are inquiring about, and then proceed to the next page (as if you were going to select a zone)... this will give you the available star ratings in that area. You can then hit BACK on your browser, uncheck the current box, check the next box, and repeat the process. It is important to do this before EACH attempt at adding a zone that you really don't want, as new hotels can be added and the star ratings can change at any time. (NOTE: for most users Priceline has updated their interface making the above process easier... simply check a zone and note the highest star rating available within each zone, UNcheck that zone and checkmark the next zone, repeating the process)

I've tried following these instructions to locate the most up to date information concerning how many of a given star level there are in a selected area to no avail.....

In addition- what does "opening up a new browser" do for one's ability to successfully bid?

thanks!

s

[thereuare]

(NOTE: for most users Priceline has updated their interface making the above process easier... simply check a zone and note the highest star rating available within each zone, UNcheck that zone and checkmark the next zone, repeating the process)

There is no longer a "next page"... if you click the first zone, then look below, do you see only some of the star ratings are available to be selected (others are 'greyed-out' and no selectable) Record the highest star rating avaiable in the zone selected.... then UNCHECK the current zone, place a checkmark in the box for the next zone, and repeat the process to see the highest star rating available in each zone, etc, etc, until you have done this for each zone (HINT: make sure that only one zone is selected each time you check the star levels avaiable)

Does this make more sense now and are you able to determine your 5 re-bid zones available when bidding 4* in NYC?

[elmer]

Yes- I've got the 5 re-bid zones now for 4* hotels. Thanks!

Let you know how I do later.......

[thereuare]

At the moment rates are a little high so $175 may not be enough, so DON"T get discouraged if the following is not successful.

With your FIVE re-bid zones...

(NOTE: 're-bid zone1' is not the same as priceline's Zone1, 're-bid zone2' is not the same as priceline's Zone2, etc, etc)

Start with our link to PRICELINE

Select 4* MTE, MTW, CPS, TS, ESB and Downtown (i'm assuming all of there are still acceptable)...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $135, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* MTE, MTW, CPS, TS, ESB and Downtown and re-bid zone4...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $155, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* MTE, MTW, CPS, TS, ESB and Downtown and re-bid zone5...

Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $175

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.

[elmer]

Ok- I just tried the strategy provided and while all of my bids were rejected I feel like I won't leave any money on the table using this specific approach- thanks!

To recap:

My final bid today was $175 for MTE, MTW, CPS, TS, ESB, Dowtown and all 5 re-bid zones that do not currently have 4* hotels, (ie: Brooklyn/Long Island City/Chelsea/Madison Sq. Garden/ Upper East Side)--

No luck today- will try again tomorrow.

keep you posted.

[thereuare]

Keep us updated...

If/when you want to inch up a little further you can continue the strategy as follows:

Select 4* MTE, MTW, CPS, TS, ESB and Downtown (i'm assuming all of there are still acceptable)...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $135, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* MTE, MTW, CPS, TS, ESB and Downtown and re-bid zone4...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $155, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* MTE, MTW, CPS, TS, ESB and Downtown and re-bid zone5...

Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $175, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* MTE, MTW, CPS, TS, ESB and Downtown and re-bid zone4 and re-bid zone5...

Bid $180, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $185, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $190, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $195

Thanks for using our PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links.

[elmer]

I just tried again using the most recent strategy posted.

I added the Upper West Side, (still unsure about that as it has only one 4*- the Empire Hotel- of which there are next to no pictures or info about the room size...).

My final bid was $199 a night which included all zones, but got rejected.

I then decided to bid once more by reducing my star level to 3.5, included all zones for $150-- still rejected by Priceline.

Keep you posted as I continue with this strategy.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the update.

I would continue as you have been for the next week (bidding every 2-3 days)

Thanks for using our PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links for your attempts.

[elmer]

It's me again....

Still bidding for a 4* hotel for the weekend of 12/12-12/14.

Went with the latest strategy provided again.

My highest bid was $195 for all zones except for the Upper West Side-- no luck today.

Keep you posted.

[elmer]

It's 11:00am on 11/16/08 and I just used the latest suggested strategy.......

I got to the last set of bids: (see the following)

Select 4* MTE, MTW, CPS, TS, ESB and Downtown and re-bid zone4 and re-bid zone5...

Bid $180, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $185, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $190, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $195

After I bid $180 for a 4* hotel in zones MTE,MTW, CPS, TS, ESB, Downtown and Re-bid zones 4 & 5-- I got a message indicating that If I could increase my bid by $25.00 (for a total bid of $205) there was a hotel with my requirements that would accept my bid.

I decided that because I have a back up hotel, and a few more weeks before my travel date I would continue bidding to see if I could do better.

[thereuare]

Keep in mind that you can likely be succesful between some amount between $180 and $205... if you let us know your current maximum bid (if it's more than $180 we'll revise the strategy accordingly)

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

[elmer]

I was thinking that with the economy, (and stockmarket), in the tank, there could be alot of cancelations (?)

Just got a message from HOTWire-

There's a 4* Hotel in MTE with: internet access in the rooms, business services, healthclub and at least one restuarant offered right now for $175 a night during my stay--

Any idea which one that might be?