Priceline Hotel: 3.5* NYC (MTE) Roosevelt Hotel

[paulm308]

I'll be staying in NY from 12/24-12/28 and I'd like to find a 3 stars-4 stars hotel (around manhattan areas), this is the first time I use PRICELINE, any strategy or suggestion? I kinda have no idea about the price to start bidding with. And, staying on xmas eve would be usually cheaper or more expensive. Thanks a lot.

[dwzdwz]

For a starter, you can search at HOTWIRE.com . The price on there is usually the upper end of the PRICELINE price.

Also learn how to use free bid zones. There are instructions in this board.

Aaron also pointed me to the Quikbook.com site, it seems they have some pretty good deals if you decide to book directly.

Good luck!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to the site :)

Are there any specific areas you are more interested in staying? Do you have a budget max in mind? How many in your party?

[paulm308]

Thanks for your replies!

I have no specific preference on areas, this would be my first time in NYC, so I'll go visit some typical sites like Times Square/Statue of Liberty/Metropolitan Museum/Broadway etc., it would be fine for me as long as it doesn't cause me too much trouble getting to those sites from the hotel. But I would not choose Brooklyn and Queen area, for safety purpose :)

I don't have a exact budget in mind, but I guess the maximum spending would be $200/night including everything, but cheaper better:) There would be just my wife and me traveling.

I've tried HOTWIRE.com, seeing some 3.5 stars hotels priced at $129 at soho area, I'm wondering if this is the area where hotels are usually cheaper.

Thanks guys!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

For a first visit to NYC i would recommend staying in Midtown rather than Downtown, unless you can get a REALLY good deal downtown which would make the commute to midtown worthwhile. You will likely do things Downtown, but the bulk of your sightseeing and things that you will be doing will more likely be in midtown, plus transportation is a bit more convenient from midtown.

With that said, i'd recommend first trying MTE, MTW, Times Square, CPS, ESB, and MSG zones, up to a 'comfortable' limit, then if that's rejected try for a hotel Downtown at a lower bid amount.

Note that besides a 3* and 4* rating, there is also a 3.5* rating used which you can bid. Did you first want to try for a 4* up to your limit and then, if rejected, lower to 3.5* up to your limit, etc, etc. OR are you looking for the least expensive 3* (or 3.5*) or better for your stay? Also, there might be a slightly different suggestion if small rooms will deter you... some NYC hotel rooms, at all star levels, can be 'shoeboxes' with little space in the room for much more than a bed.

Let us know your thoughts regarding teh above and we'll take it from there.

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

[paulm308]

Thanks!

I'll try those areas. What is a good price to start with for 3.5* and up, I'm thinking $110 now, too low? or too high by any chance :)

[thereuare]

If you let us know your maximum bid for this stay we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

What is the best rate you're able to find at an acceptable hotel for these dates thru conventional methods? (use our BetterChecker to assist in your search)

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

[paulm308]

I searched 4* hotels using BetterChecker, it turned out the cheapest 4* hotels are listed in HotWire.com, they are 4-star hotel in Empire State Building Area, priced at $206/night, 4-star hotel in Midtown East, priced at $212, 4-star hotel in Midtown Central, priced at $233 and a 4.5 star hotel in MTC at $309.

3.5* hotels are priced from $179 to $202.

Now I really have no idea how much I should start bidding with...If I say my maximum bidding for a 3.5* is $125, does that sound reasonable?

[thereuare]

What is the best rate you're able to find at an acceptable hotel for these dates thru conventional methods?

Both PRICELINE and HOTWIRE are "opaque" booking services (where you don't see the name of the hotel until after your purchase), so HOTWIRE isn't a conventional booking channel.

We can suggest a strategy for whatever amount you determin you'd like to use as your upper maximum, but the strategy we suggest will ensure that you don't overbid, so keep that in mind and let us know your maximum bid... not where you think you'd like to start. (ie- $125 seems low to me as a maximum bid... if that isn't successful, what would you do for this stay and how much would it cost you... i'm assuming it would be at least nearly double this price)

Also, before moving forward, i think rates for the first two/three nites of your stay are substantially less expensive than the last one/two nites of your stay... is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option?

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

[paulm308]

Thanks thereuare! Splitting the bid is one option. I used Expedia to search hotels this time, the best deal for 3.5* is Hilton New York at Midtown, at $219/night, for 3*, the best deal is The Marcel at Gramercy at Chelsea - East and West Villages, $159/night. As for the maximum bid, $250 is good for me.

Thanks!

[thereuare]

If you could book the Hilton thru Expedia for $219/nite... why would you consider bidding up to $250 on PRICELINE? :)

The idea is to find the best rate you're able to for an acceptable hotel, then discount it from there to 'compensate' you for the unknown of not knowing which hotel you will receive before you book it. Some look for a certain percent to make an opaque booking worthwhile, some look for a certain dollar savings, while still others really don't care too much about the specific hotel and are looking for any savings vs. a conventionally booked room. If you did actually bid up to $250, and it took that much, you could easily receive the Hilton for that price, which wouldn't be smart bidding since you could have booked it direct for less.

Does this make sense?

If not feel free to ask any question you may have... if so, let us know your maximum bid (i'm assuming it will be lower than $250/nite) and also if you'd like to bid for the complete stay first or would prefer to try for a lower price for the first 2/3 nites of your stay and then again for the balance (which in theory may cost more than the previousl 2/3 nites)

Let us know your thoughts and/or any questions you have and we'll advise accordingly.

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

PS- your own thoughts may be different, but a gameplan could be something like:

-try for a 4* up to $160 for the complete stay (giving you at least $50/savings vs. the Hilton above), if rejected...

-try for a 3.5* up to $160 for the complete stay (giving you a similar price as the Marcel but for a higher rated hotel), if rejected...

-try splitting the dates up to $140 (to 'compensate' for having to change hotels during the stay)

The numbers above are not absolute, but seem like a sensible gameplan to me at my first thought based upon the prices you posted. Also, if price is most important, you could even try the split bid first

[AaronJB]

I personally really like Midtown East; very nice area and a lot going on, but it doesn't feel as crowded/touristy/overwhelming as some areas of MTW (namely, Times Square.) Yet, it's easy to get to MTW. Downtown is nice, but it's not a touristy area - if this was a warmer time of year, I would say it's not a terrible walk from some parts of downtown

Personally, MTE (and the Empire State Building priceline area is another area I'd include) would be on the top of my list when it comes to preferred areas to stay. Hopefully this may make the decision process - focusing on areas - a little easier. The MTE/ESB 4*'s are also pretty well-regarded, with the exception of the W New York (although that recently was renovated.)

Quikbook.com has the very nice 6 Columbus Circle for $196 per night, but while it's labeled Midtown West, that is more towards Central Park (it's actually right by Central Park) than near Times Square.

[paulm308]

Thanks a lot guys, I've got 4 nights at The Roosevelt Hotel New York, 3.5 *, with a price of $150/night. I know the price might not be the best, but tt's in MTE, so I'm pretty happy about it. I still have to bid one night in Phiily and two nights in DC.

Anyway, you guys have been very helpful, this forum rocks!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you're happy with the results and that the information on the board was helpful in your bidding.

It would be appreciated if you used the requested PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your future purchases.

Enjoy your stay.