Hotwire Hotel: 4.5* NYC (MTE) W Hotel

[drew_b]

Hey Everyone,

My wife and I are looking for a good hotel for a week or so in mid-April. My brother, who recently left LIC, suggested staying in Union Square and thought the W would be nice (I'm not a huge fan of the W, but...)

This is my first trip w/ my wife, almost a honeymoon, but we'll do that properly this winter. I want her to be comfortable and happy, but I don't want to break the bank.

Any suggestions?

--

Drew

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

First thing you should do is go to Priceline, click the HOTELS tab, and put "new york" in the city box. You'll then see a map with shaded regions. Those are the zones according to Priceline. Union Square is located in the Midtown South zone, but the MTS zone encompasses more than just Union Square. The most popular areas are MTE, MTW, and UM/CPS. Many users are willing to stay in any one of these three zones and bid them all... graudually increasing their price. Not sure of your own plans so we don't know if this works for you or not.

Take a look at the zones and let us know what area(s) are acceptable to you. We also have a tutorial here which explains the zones in a bit more detail: PRICELINE ZONES NEW YORK.

[drew_b]

Ah, I see. The MTS zone is huge. I'd rather narrow that down, but ...

Any area south of the park would work fine. Internet access is really the only definite requirement (gotta maintain my client's boards and such :) ). I suppose I wouldn't want to be Downtown, either.

What price should I start with?

At what point do I get locked in to a deal?

Thanks,

--

Drew

[thereuare]

Essentially you submit a bid and if it's accepted your immediately billed and you're committed. If you haven't done so already you should give this a read: I've Never Used Priceline or Hotwire.

As well, with Priceline you won't be able to guarantee a hi-speed connection at the hotel (dial-up if you bring a laptop with you). I don't know the nature of your business (if they need you is it within the next 30 seconds or is your work schedule flexible?). If the hotel doesn't offer a hi-speed connection there are always Kinko's and other copy shops where you can get internet access 24/7 but it can get expensive. There is also an 'Easy Everything' in Times Square that i think is reasonable (as it is in London).

If you must have a hi-speed connection in your room than Hotwire may be a better option, but it will cost you a little bit more than Priceline. The differences in the process between Priceline and Hotwire is also explained in the link above.

Since this is also for a somewhat longer stay (6 nites on priceline is often done but it is above the average stay) would you consider SPLITTING THE BID in order to save some money (note: check with your wife first before answering :) )

So let us know about the 'mandatory' internet access situation and we'll advise either helping to find your best Hotwire deal or with a bidding strategy for Priceline. If going with Priceline, do you have a maximum bid in mind?

[drew_b]

OK, I guess I can come up with fall backs for the INET access. (Does the NY Public Library still offer free wifi on their very fat pipe? They did last time I was there.)

So, I guess I should try priceline.

I've already tried in the past few hours with bids for $140 for 4*, no luck.

What next?

[thereuare]

What zone(s) did you have selected when you were rejected at $140?

[drew_b]

All but Downtown. :)

[thereuare]

Then you won't be able to do anything for 72 hours unless you are willing to SPLIT THE BID as mentioned above.

[drew_b]

OK, I want to split the bid, but I don't see where I can do that. I searched their online help for "split" but it came up empty.

[thereuare]

What is your maximum bid?

I'll then provide a strategy for you to follow.

[drew_b]

I'd like to keep the average per night to $150. Is that out of the question?

[thereuare]

Should be do-able as i think rates for your dates are quite low (and i alredy have a back-up plan that would cost about $156/nite... so at least we're very close!).

When bidding 4* you have two re-bid zones (feel free to confirm them with the board if you're unsure which ones they are). Here are my thoughts and how i would proceed:

8/12-8/17

Select 4* MTE and...

Bid $100, if rejected add MTW and...

Bid $110, if rejected add UM/CPS and...

Bid $120, if rejected add MTS and...

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

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

Bid $140.

If the above is rejected close that browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Repeat the above process but using the dates 8/12-8/16.

If that is rejected Hotwire has a 4.5* in the Times Square zone for 8/12-8/16 for ~$140/nite (your price may differ slightly... but don't pay more than $142 or so). I believe this property to be the Westin. You can/should confirm the Hotwire amenities shown with those in our HOTWIRE HOTEL LIST.

This will take care of <at least> 8/12-8/16 and once we see what dates you're able to take care of we'll take the next step and try to get the balance of your stay.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Otherwise, good luck and let us know how it goes.

[drew_b]

I don't seem to have any re-bid zones, just the normal geographic zones. What does a re-bid zone look like? Is it just another checkbox?

[drew_b]

I never did figure out re-bid zones, so I followed your strategy, but added UES, UWS zones instead of re-bids. I tried both date ranges, still, no joy.

I went over to hotwire (via SavingsBarn :) ) and booked the Westin 4.5* for $138+fee+tx for 8/12 - 8/16. Very cool.

Edit: That's actually the W 'New York' on Lexington Ave. Cool enough.

Now, for the last two days I'll try some similar strategy.

Thanks, and let me know if you think of anything. I'll update you all on the final 2 days when I sort it out.

--

Drew

[thereuare]

I went over to hotwire (via SavingsBarn

[drew_b]

Yeah, that's it. Basically, I just left the default "all midtowns" zones checked. When I saw $138 for 4.5 *s, I jumped on it without regard to the amenities (well, with that high a raitng, the amenities had to be good). I figured that if they didn't have hi-speed access, I'd just head over to the NYPL (few blocks away, no?).

[Chefrae]

Hi

I was wondering if anyone stayed at the W hotel on lexington? From the room descriptions, they seem to be smaller then 200 sq. ft. for what they will be giving to hotwire customers. Any help with be appreciated.

Chef

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

For a random date i chose Expedia shows two room classes: one is 170sq. ft. and the other is 180sq. ft. Priceline (and the hotel) is within their right to give you any room as long as it can accomodate 2 adults. I don't think most people would be able to tell the difference between one and the other.

The bottom line is that almost any room you get in NYC is going to be smaller than you expect.... a lot smaller than you expect!

[Chefrae]

Well I'm a real estate agent in Manhattan so I know, I KNOW!!!!

Chef