Priceline Hotel: bidding help plz.. 3-4* 9/14-9/17

[juice]

I've been reading the forum for a while but this is my first post.. great site..

I'm going to be in nyc in september from early on the 14th till the 17th and I need a bit of bidding advice.. A month or so ago I was quite excited to see people getting the waldorf or comparable hotels in the 120-140 range and hoped luck might come my way on getting this for my dates but its not happening.. i bid all zones all zones at 4 star for 130 and no such luck..

I'd really like to find something at least moderately nice to nice.. idealy.. ~120-130 for a 4* or ~100 for a 3 in a nice spot.. not particularly picky on location.. i'm not sure if this range is reasonable.. and in the worst case going to 2.5 stars for something like the eastside marriott for ~70 wouldnt be so bad..

When is the best time to bid? I'm really nervous that the hotels will fill up and it'll be next to impossible to find anything for less than 200 a night.. should i wait a bit longer or can you suggest another strategy?

currently i started my bid on monday the 2nd with a rebid yesterday.. so i assume i can't bid again till friday..

any ideas?

[char540]

The moderator will have more information, but I have been bidding for three week for sept. 16-20 up to $140 on a 4* with no luck. I have read some people getting the 3* Paramount for $130.

I would suggest getting a cancellable back-up hotel just in case priceline does not pan out for you.

I got the Super 8 Midtown which gets good reviews as my back-up for only $125.99 a night.

Hope this helps.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Current rates seem to indicate to me that it will take a bid between $150-$180 (likely the higher end of the range) to be successful at the 4* level; maybe about $120 or so for a 3*.

Let us know if what direction you'd like to head (raise your bid closer to the numbers above, stick with your current limits, or lower your star quality, or consider staying in nearby Jersey City which is convenient to commute into NYC but you lose the 'NYC feel') adn we'll supply an appropriate strategy to meet your needs.

I'd also recommend booking a cancellable back-up. This will protect you in case rates rise from here (as you fear) and will also give you less anxiety about 'having to get something' via Priceline.

[juice]

120 for a 3 star seems more doable on my end.. what sort of hotels are people getting at about this rate?

can you recommend a bidding strategy?

Also.. i often read tripadvisor for hotel reviews and see so many very different reviews for the same hotel.. from a single star and a bad experience to 4-5 star and best experience ever.. do you think this is just hit or miss.. and bad experiences are more of a rarity? or is it mostly just peoples standards? small and noisy i can deal with.. but dirty and uncomfortable i would be bothered by..

[juice]

also.. should i risk bidding 120 with all zones checked? or wait till friday and choose specific zones?

[thereuare]

If you're now choosing to bid for a 3* hotel and haven't done so already (your posts seem to indicate you have only bid on 4* hotels) you can bid again immediately... you would be lowering your star level so it's not viewed as a duplicat bid to your previous 4* bids. Let us know if this is the case and if you're able to bid 3* now we'll immediately give you a strategy.

I will certainly approach the $120 threshold, but as i said above "$120 or so". Is $120 your absolute maximum or is $130 ok too? (or higher?)

You can view the 3* hotels that have been reported by looking at the PRICELINE NEW YORK HOTELS list.

What zones are you willing to accpet? (MTE, MTW, UM/CPS)? What about UES?

Regarding reviews, i always suggesting to try to get a general feel from them and not expect everyone to have a perfect stay. Some people have higher expectations then others and some people are just never happy (and/or looking for free stay next time around). Another common problem with reviews, especially in an area like NYC where rooms are expensive and notoriously small, is that people expect more when they pay more. Many have never paid $250+ (conventionally) for a hotel room so when they do they feel like it will be the penthouse suite and the best hotel of their lives... when in reality this will often only get you a standard NYC room (read: a small room). So they spend a ton of money expecting grandness and the net result is that they're disappointed. This also leads to another point... i have stayed at hotels that were great based upon the Priceline rate i paid and i have given it high marks; had i been there paying rack rate i would have felt ripped off and written an entirely different review for the same stay... it's all based upon value.

[mr.drew]

And if I can add my two cents also...

Reports of increasing hotel business nationwide are completely true, and this goes especially for NYC in the fall, which begins the high time for New York.

I have a vacation in late Sept, and was lucky enough, after spitting my bids, and putting in about 15 different combinations, to get the Park Central for $158(4 nites) and the Grand Hyatt for $102(for 3 nites, a steal, I know!)

If I were you I would try right now for a 4* in MTE, MTW, UES, UM-CPS, DT/soho before rates go up even more, and see if they will take $140. If rejected, then you can wait the 72 hours, and start at about $100 for 3 stars in the areas you like most, then work up from there.

Keep in mind which hotels are 3 stars, and check them out online, etc to see which ones you want most, and then start with those areas first.

Good luck!!

p.s.- I don't know if you have been to NYC before, but Manhattan in the fall is THE BEST!