Priceline Hotel: Advice NYC 10/2 (one night)

[RCLCOLPB]

I have only bid on PRICELINE a couple of times (very successfully with your advice in Amsterdam).

I need to stay in NYC for one night on 10/2. I would like to keep price as low as possible, with acceptable quality--3* probably okay, though would be nice to get 3.5*. I see wins on the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins for that time period of $120-$135 for 3.5* at Club Quarters Midtown (MTW), Doubletree Metropolitan (MTE), and Affinia Manhattan (MSG-Convention). All of those prices and locations would be good.

In terms of location, the most convenient locations in order would be TS, MTW, MSG, MTE, CPS, and ESB, but any of these areas would be acceptable, and I would take a less convenient location if it means I'm likely to get a better hotel or avoid a really bad one.

What would you suggest for a bidding strategy?

I am confused about the advice on some other posts about one free rebid for 3*, etc. Does that mean I can up my bid in the same area one time without making any other changes? I have seen reference to Midtown South, but I don't see that on the Priceline map. What am I missing?

Thanks very much, and of course I will access PRICELINE via your link!

[thereuare]

Did you want to bid first up to your limit at the 3.5* level OR are you looking for the least expensive 3* or better hotel for these dates?

If you look at the Priceline Hotel List for htis area are there any hotels in your acceptable zone(s) that you would be looking to avoid?

Re-bidding is adding another zone to your bid, but the zone has no hotels at the star rating or higher you have selected, so you're essentially bidding on the original zone(s) without having to wait out the 24 hours lock-out perioud. You can read more about re-bidding here: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

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

[RCLCOLPB]

Thanks. I will check into the hotels and get back to you. But I notice that a number of the hotels on the list don't have reviews, or links to Tripadvisor reviews. Does that mean I won't find them on Tripadvisor? If that's the case, are you aware of hotels in these areas with 3 or more stars that are getting really bad reviews?

I am having trouble following the "Bidding Again before 24 hours" instructions. When I try to develop the list of which zones have hotels with which numbers of stars, I don't seem to be able to get that information without submitting a bid for a specific area and number of stars. What am I missing? Also, the NY hotel list seems to have 3* or higher hotels in every zone. So how can I rebid for 3* by adding another zone without opening myself up to the additional zone?

[thereuare]

Even if the hotels have no Tripavisor review next to them in the hotel list you will still likely find reviews at Tripadvisor... due to time constraints we haven't added links next to every hotel in every city.

In NYC you don't have any re-bid zones available at the 3* level, but you do have THREE re-bid zones avialable at the 3.5* level. To determine the highest star rating available in each zone, are you using the following technique from Priceline Re-Bidding Explained:

The way to check what star levels are available in each zone is to open a PRICELINE page, check ONLY the zone you are inquiring about, and then proceed to the next page (as if you were going to select a zone)... this will give you the available star ratings in that area. You can then hit BACK on your browser, uncheck the current box, check the next box, and repeat the process. It is important to do this before EACH attempt at adding a zone that you really don't want, as new hotels can be added and the star ratings can change at any time. (NOTE: for most users Priceline has updated their interface making the above process easier... simply check a zone and note the highest star rating available within each zone, UNcheck that zone and checkmark the next zone, repeating the process)

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

[RCLCOLPB]

Okay, I figured out the way to see which categories are in which zones. On my screen it shaded out the categories that are not in a given zone when I selected only that zone.

Looking at the 3 and 3.5 star hotels on the NY list for the zones I would consider, I am concerned about:

MIDTOWN EAST: Doubletree Metropolitan on Lexington 3.5*, 10.9% of Tripadvisor ratings are terrible

TIMES SQUARE: Sheraton Manhattan 3.5*, 18.5% terrible; and Time Hotel 3.5*, 13.4% terrible

CENTRAL PARK SOUTH: Dream Hotel 3.5*, 14.3% terrible; Hudson Hotel 3.5*, 18.4% terrible; and Park Central 3*, 11.7% terrible

So I'm thinking that I might just be interested in Madison Square Garden 3* or 3.5*, and second choice Empire State Building 3.5* and maybe 3* (though Park South Hotel 3* doesn't sound that good). I realize that limits my possible hotels quite radically, but if I were to try for these zones and ratings, what bidding strategy would you recommend? Or do you think the hotels I'm worried about are so unlikely or not so bad that I should not be so limited?

Thanks again!

[thereuare]

You know what you need/expect from a hotel, but my thoughts:

NYC is an expensive place, and reviews are often based upon perceived value. Most are paying a hefty fee for their rooms, expect luxury based upon the price paid, and then arrive to see the small and cramped quarters, they're disappointed and write a negative review. There are many instances on the board where a hotel will be 'ok', but based upon the PRICELINE or HOTWIRE rate is a GREAT value and therefore receives excellent reviews; whereas if the same hotel experience were had while paying rack rate, the review would be the exact oppostive.

You know your needs/expectations for this stay better than we do, but for a one nite stay i can put up with just about anything.

At the moment i think you're budget (if you're expecting $120-$135 rate) is going to be a bit tough, and i'd be happy with anything at the 3.5* level at that price for these dates.

If you want more control over the hotel you're likely to get, then don't use PRICELINE and look towards HOTWIRE, where you can take an educated guess as to what you're likely to receive before your purchase, and for some properties see the TA reviews associated with a given property.

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