Hotwire Hotel: 3* NYC (Chelsea-MSG) Wyndham Garden Chelsea (24th St)

[supajama]

Hi all,

I am new to this board...... :)

I live in England and have been lucky enough to have visited NYC about 15 times since 2000. I usually stay in very basic accomodation but this time i want to try and get a quality room for a budget price (treat for my girlfriend!)

Is it too early to look for rooms for 9 nights from 19th to 28th October 2009?

I want to bid for 4* with my first choice being downtown, second choice Union Square area then finally Chelsea area.

Looking at spending no more than $115 a night. Is this possible for a 4* for that time of year?

I've read many topics and you are the guys to help me out!

Thanks in advance, Mark

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Is it too early to look for rooms for 9 nights from 19th to 28th October 2009?

It's never too early to bid as long as your plans are firm... while making sure you don't overbid. See the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ for additional info

I want to bid for 4* with my first choice being downtown, second choice Union Square area then finally Chelsea area.

You'll can only choose the zones as pre-defined by PRICELINE. Please go to PRICELINE and see their zone boundaries to let us know which one(s) you're comfortable with. For example, the zone which covers Chelsea is larger than Chelsea itself so you may not end up exactly in Chelsea... there is no "Union Square" zone, etc. I'll also comment that although i don't know what you like to do while you're here, 9 nites downtown seems a bit inconvenient for the typical visitor.

Looking at spending no more than $115 a night. Is this possible for a 4* for that time of year?

Historically this will not be enough for a 4* hotel this time of year. However, this year may be different due to the slow economy (and slow hotel market), although i suspect this will still come up a bit short... but who knows, you may get lucky. Also, you may improve your chances if you're willing to SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID, although this would likely involve the need to change properties during your stay.

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

Once you're ready to bid let us know the info above and we'll take it from there.

[supajama]

Thanks for the info........right.........

I can bid up to $130 a night and am happy to split my holiday. I am going for the CMJ Music Marathon which happens mainly at downtown venues so the dates are firm.

I've checked priceline and the 3 areas for me are in order Downtown then Empire State Building then Midtown East which all have 4* hotels. Chelsea area would still be ok but that only has 3* hotels (which to be honest would be perfectly acceptable - but hey, why not go for the 4* first!)

I'm now ready to start bidding so your guidance would be much appriciated.

Thanks, Mark

[thereuare]

One more question in order to get started...

Are you willing to pay more to be in the Downtown zone vs. ESB or MTE... and then are you willing to pay more to be in the ESB zone vs. the MTE zone... OR is your goal the least expenisve 4* or better in any of the three zones above?

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

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

[supajama]

OR is your goal the least expenisve 4* or better in any of the three zones above? Thats the one!

One more thing. We are now going for 10 nights (19th - 29th) and are happy to split 5 night each in two different hotels if needed.

BTW: Feel free to change the title of thread if needed with correct dates, 10 nights etc, as i don't know how too.

Thanks, Mark

[thereuare]

As i'm doubtul you'll be success at $130 or less at a 4* property for this stay, we'll at least give that a try first before attempting to SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID. As well, althought it seems easy to just split the stay in half, that's not always the best approach, as you want to take a look at rates to determine where to split as well as try to get as many nites on the first purchase, leaving a shorter stay to try to 'fill-in' for the balance.

In NYC at the 4* level you have FIVE re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

(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)

Select 4* Downtown and ESB and MTE...

Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone4...

Bid $110, if rejected close browser and user our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* Downtown and ESB and MTE and re-bid zone5...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $128, if rejected add re-bid zone4...

Bid $130

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.

[supajama]

OK, tried them all but the bids were rejected. I even went up to $150!

Should i now split the dates or downgrade to a 3*plus (there are 3 re-bid zones if i do that)?

All suggestions welcome.....

Mark

[thereuare]

You can:

-wait it out and continue to try again in the coming weeks to see if lower priced inventory becomes available over for your complete stay

-lower your star rating

-split your bid

Should i now split the dates or downgrade to a 3*plus

Depends upon what type of quality hotels you're accusomted to and what you're looking for from this stay, as well as how you feel about having to change hotels during the course of your stay.

Given the amount of time before your stay, and the current state of the NYC hotel market, my choice would be to wait it out and book a cancellable back-up. This wouldn't be my first choice of hotel, but it's a great deal as a refundable back-up, booking the Club Quarters Midtown for just $124/nite. (please use our link if you go this route)

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[supajama]

Thanks for the info.....

When i've stayed in NYC in the past it has always been at one of the following 3 hotels.....

Whitehouse Hotel (like something out of the film "Hostel" but very cheap!)

Hotel 17 (Shared bathroom)

Union Square Inn (Private Bathroom)

Union Square Inn has been the best (due to the room having a private bathroom and the location)

I have never stayed in a higher star hotel than Union Square Inn so as long as it's in the areas i want and has a double, king or queen bed and private bathroom my girlfriend will be happy!

Can you recommend any available hotels in my requested areas which match this critera (star rating does not matter to be honest but obviously the higher the better)

I will obviously book anything through the links you provide.

Thanks, Mark

[Thespian]

Just to give you an idea of what's out there:

Hotwire has a 3-star hotel in the Chelsea - Madison Square Garden area available at $139/night for the entire 10 nights. Based on the amenity icons, my best guess would be that this is the Wyndham Garden Chelsea West on 24th Street. It's not a particularly romantic hotel, but it's certainly a step up from what you're used to. It's near a subway stop at 23rd (where Broadway crosses Fifth Avenue), which puts you two stops from the 8th Street-NYU station (NYU is apparently the headquarters for the CMJ Music Marathon).

Not necessarily saying you should book this now. You can often save a few dollars (or get a fancier hotel for about the same money) by using Priceline rather than Hotwire. The tradeoff is that with Priceline it's much harder - sometimes impossible - to guess what hotel you'll get. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice.

[thereuare]

With 8+ months to go before your stay my personal opinion, and granted you know your need better than i do, is that you're making too many concessions this far ahead of your stay.

I too looked where the music festival is being held before recommending the Club Quarters Midtown as a back-up and felt it had good transportation options to NYC and would be convenient for your needs... and the price is great for this time of year, yet also gives you an opportunity to cancel and better the deal as you get closer to your travel dates.

As i'm very familiar with the city, could you explain why you think the other zones would be best for your needs for this stay OR what it is about these zones that makes you want to stay there?

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

[supajama]

We are open to other zones, it's just that i know the 3 zones i've selected better than any of the other zones.

To be honest if we can get a nice cheap 4* or 3*plus hotel practically anywhere within Manhattan (with good Subway links) we will be happy. The only zone we don't want to be in is Times Square.

Thanks, Mark

[thereuare]

Given the Club Quarters Midtown is rated 3.5* by PRICELINE and available for $124/nite... how high do you want to bid for a 4*? How high do you want to bid for a 3.5*?

As well, what appears to be the 3* Wyndham Garden Chelsea (W 24th St) is available for $139/nite, if this is of any interest to you.

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

[supajama]

I am so gutted.........

I just went to book the Club Quarters Midtown via your link. Still said $124 a night but when i went to pay the price increased to $175 a night :)

I obviously did not book it for that price.

I looked into everything and this was by far the best deal for when i go. Do the prices on Priceline change daily?

Lesson learned is that i should have booked it earlier!

Mark

[supajama]

Right,

I've calmed down since my frustrations of this morning!

Can you now please provide me with a PRICELINE bidding formula for 3*plus hotels.

We now have six 3*plus zones that we are happy to stay in which, in order, are.....

ESB, ME, MW, D-S-FD, MSGCA & CPS

My max bid being $124 at this moment in time.

Thanks in advance, Mark

[thereuare]

Can you now please provide me with a PRICELINE bidding formula for 3*plus hotels.

PRICELINE doesn't use a 3*plus in their rating system... did you mean "3* or better" or "3.5*"?

Also, i'll add a comment that once you go below 4* in the MTE zone, there are a few hotels, which although very nice, are a bit less convenient than some of the others (ie- Millenium UN, Beekman Tower)... these are certainly do-able, but they do require a 10+ minute walk or so to the subway (or take the bus to where you're going and/or to the subway station). For the right price it's certainly a viable option, but just want to make sure you're aware that the conenience factor goes down a little if you land one of these hotels, and confirm that this is still acceptable to you.

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

Let us know the above and we'll advise accordingly.

[supajama]

It's the 3

[thereuare]

At the 3.5* level you have THREE re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

(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)

Select 3.5* ESB, MW, D-S-FD, and MSGCA...

Bid $90 if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* CPS...

Bid $90 if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* ESB, MW, D-S-FD, and MSGCA...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone1, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* CPS...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone1, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* ESB, MW, D-S-FD, and MSGCA...

Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone2, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* CPS...

Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone2, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* ESB, MW, D-S-FD, and MSGCA...

Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone3, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* CPS...

Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone3, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* ESB, MW, D-S-FD, MSGCA and CPS...

Bid $110, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $124.

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[supajama]

Hi,

Just tried the formula via your PRICELINE links and all bids were rejected. I went up to $129.

Shall i just repeat the formula over the next few days/weeks to see what comes up?

Also, how often do the hotels/prices change on Priceline/Hotwire?

Thanks again, Mark

[thereuare]

Prices change all the time... hotels can change their rates themselves and on a 'realtime' basis, so there is no upload of the entire pricing system at a certain time of day.

Your choices come down to:

-wait it out and try again

-increase your maximum bid

-lower your star rating

-SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.

If you choose to wait it out and try again i wouldnt' bid much more than once every 5-7 days at this point in time.

Thanks for using our PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your purchases.

[supajama]

On HOTWIRE i see a 3-star hotel in Chelsea - Madison Square Garden Area for $139

The amenities are.....

Smoke Free Rooms

Fitness Center

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High-speed Internet Access

Could this be the Wyndham Garden Chelsea on 37 West 24th St?

It seems to match up but on the official Wyndham Garden website the rates for my stay are around $422 a night!!!

The location would be perfect and it seems like a fantastic deal if this is this hotel. Would the rooms be the same as on their official website or do the have lesser ones allocated for HOTWIRE customers?

Let me know what you think as i'm probably going to boook it via your HOTWIRE link.

Mark

[thereuare]

The above is a match for the Wyndham Garden Chelsea so that would be our best guess too.

Thanks for starting your purchases with the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[supajama]

Hey,

All sorted :)

Booked the Wyndham Garden Chelsea via your HOTWIRE link for $139 a night for all 10 nights. It's still showing $422.10 a night on their official website for exactly the same room!

Thanks for all your help, Mark

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you received the hotel you were hoping for and got all 10 nites sorted at the same property... and at a great rate. This property is fairly new and while not listed as an amenity icon above, i believe they also serve a complimentary breakfast.

Thank you for sharing your results with the board and using our HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase.

Enjoy your stay.