Priceline Hotel: 4* NYC (MTE) Grand Hyatt

[phathomatik]

Can anyone offer any suggestions? I am trying to get a 4 star hotel for the weekend of 05/16/09 to 05/19/09 in the MTE area.

Using the calender of wins and all of my re-bidding options I have submitted bids from $100, all the way to $140. There are no wins over this amount in the calender so I was wondering if the prices have gone up or perhaps they have stopped accepting bids. Does this happen very often?

Should I wait a few days and start the bidding process over or should I keep bidding higher?

Thanks for the help.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Rates are date specific, and change based upon supply/demand... just as a hotel adjusts their hotel direct rates upwards as they begin to fill their rooms for a given nite and/or lower rates as they receive cancellations for a give nite making more rooms available then expected, opaque rates fluctuate as well.

Rates do look a little higher than they have in the recent past which would account for your rejected bids, but is there a reason you're only bidding the MTE zone? As NYC mass transit is readily available and fairly inexpensive, is there a reason you're only bidding the MTE zone? Most midtown zones work well for the typical visitor, and including all acceptable zones increases the number of potential hotels that can accept your bid. I'm not sure if it will help in this particular instance, but let us know if any other zones or acceptable or if there is a reason the MTE is the only one you want to bid and we'll take it from there.

If you're only able to accept the MTE zone, is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option? (looks like in this zone the first nite may be more expensive than the other two)

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

[phathomatik]

I do not have a specific preference to the MTE area but would like to stay somewhere central. MTW and TS are probably more expensive so I figured that MTE area would be the best. There also isn't much data regarding the other areas, with respect to winning bids, so I am not sure what hotels would be available. Would I have a better chance at finding a hotel by including MTW and TS areas as well?

Splitting is an option but since I am there for such a short trip I would rather not have to move around the city. It's an option that I might entertain if I cannot get anything within the next couple of days.

[thereuare]

You can see all the hotels reported in each zone in the Priceline Hotel List.

If you're comfortable staying in the MTW (the Sheraton New York is the 'dog' in the zone which causes some not to bid this area) and/or TS zone(s), then there's no reason not to bid them simply because you think they're more expensive... you control your bid amount so if you happen to win a hotel there then it's just a better value than you were expecting.

Let us know exactly which zones (is the ESB zone acceptable as well?) you'd like to bid, as well as your maximum bid (keeping it at $140??), and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow. However, i do think the issue may be the Saturday nite.

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

[phathomatik]

Well I took your advice and split my bids, and now I am half way there.

I got the 4* Grand Hyatt for $105 for Sunday night and Monday night (05/17/09-05/19/09).

Now all I need to do is get a hotel for the Saturday night. So far I've gone as high as $145 for the MTW, MTE, and TS areas with no luck. Fortunately, I have some more room to go up since I am paying much less for the Sunday and Monday night than originally thought.

I'm going to try to focus on the MTE area and hopefully get the Grand Hyatt again for $160 or less.

Wish me luck! Thanks again for the help.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

An excellent deal for this property.

I have some more room to go up since I am paying much less for the Sunday and Monday night than originally thought.

Right, which is why SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID can be so beneficial. Not that you'd want to, but you could go as high as $210/nite and come out with the same cost as if you had all three nites accepted at $140/nite.

For the balance of your stay please start a NEW TOPIC (so we can reflect the ultimate winning details in the topic title of the new thread)

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

Enjoy this leg of your stay.

PS- not sure how you're arriving to the city, but if traveling via NJ (ie- NJ Turnpike or Rte 80) or arriving from Newark Airport, there are some sub-$100 hotel deals in Jersey City which would be convenient if you're coming from NJ or Newark Airport, as well as save some $$$ for the first nite of your stay, while still providing easy transportation into Manhattan