Priceline Hotel: NYC 10/23-10/25

[Dewey24]

Hi,

I am going to NYC from 10/23 - 10/25 and am looking for a PRICELINE bidding game plan. We are willing to stay in one of these neighborhoods, ordered from top preference to least: Central Park South, Midtown West, Midtown East, Times Square. We would like to start with 4* but will go as low as 3*. We are hoping for $180 per night or less, though we would be willing to do $200 Max. This is pretty last minute but we would appreciate any help.

Thanks!

[KoalaBear]

I need help for this weekend too. I wonder if anyone can give some sound advice?

[thereuare]

Dewey24,

I assume that price is more important than zone in the sense that you'd prefer the least expensive 4* in any of your acceptable zones (vs. trying up to your limit for the CPS, then trying up to your limit in the MTW zone, etc, etc)

Also, when bidding for a 4* hotel, did you want to bid up to $200 or $180?

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

KoalaBear,

Please start a NEW TOPIC for your own stay.

[Dewey24]

Hi,

You are your correct on your assumption about price being more important. Also, I think I would do $200 for a 4* or 3.5*, and go $180 on a 3*.

I noticed you said in another post by Koalabear (who I believe requested the same dates as me) that Hotwire had 4* hotel in Times Square for about $173 and even less in surround areas. However, when I go to Hotwire and enter the following: NYC, 10/23-10/25, 1 room, 2 adults - the lowest price I see is $234 for Downtown-SoHo. Am I doing something wrong here? I've been following Hotwire pretty regularly but nothing is popping up that appealing.

Thanks you for help!

[thereuare]

I noticed you said in another post by Koalabear (who I believe requested the same dates as me) that Hotwire had 4* hotel in Times Square for about $173 and even less in surround areas. However, when I go to Hotwire and enter the following: NYC, 10/23-10/25, 1 room, 2 adults - the lowest price I see is $234 for Downtown-SoHo.

Sorry about that... looks like i was searchnig 11/23-11/25? :)

If you want to start with a 4* hotel in the zones above (l'd also suggest considering the ESB zone) you have FIVE re-bid zones available. 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* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS (and ESB if that zone also works for you)...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $155, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS and re-bid zone4

Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $175, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS and re-bid zone5

Bid $180, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $185, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $190, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $195, if rejected add re-bid zone4...

Bid $200

Any questions feel free to ask. If rejected we'll revise to try for a 3* property (if that's the route you'd like take).

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Dewey24]

I think I'm a little confused. Which one should it look like?

1. Select 4* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS (and ESB if that zone also works for you)...

Bid $130 = CPS

Bid $140 = CPS, MTE

Bid $150 = CPS, MTE, MTW

Bid $155 = CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access

OR by Re-bid zone do you mean a zone that does NOT include a 4* hotel (e.g. Re-bid zone 1 = Chelsea, re-bid zone 2 = MSG, re-bid zone 3 = Upper East Side...Brooklyn and LI City are the other two non-4*...the thought of accidentally ending up in Brooklyn and LI City scares me, are you 100% sure that this would not happen if they are added to a 4* bid?)

2. Select 4* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS (and ESB if that zone also works for you)...

Bid $130 = CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, Chelsea

Bid $140 = CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, Chelsea, MSG

Bid $150 = CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, Chelsea, MSG, Upper East Side

Bid $155 = CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, Chelsea, MSG, Upper East Side, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access

[KoalaBear]

I was reading up on rebid strategies and have a few questions about beating the 24hour rule.

Assuming I want to get a 4* hotel in Times Square and failed the first bid, can I add a second zone with no 4* hotel during the rebid and stand a chance of landing a 4* in times square? I always thought that after you got rejected in zone 1, you can never get a hotel of the highest star level in zone 1. Even if you added the second zone, your rebid only applies to the second zone.

If priceline only recognize COMBINATIONS of zones and not individual zones it seems like a huge advantage. I can simply choose 4* in Times Square and Madison Square Gardens and feel quite comfortable I will never end up in Madison Square gardens because there is no 4* hotels in Madison Square Gardens. Am I correct?

[thereuare]

I think I'm a little confused. Which one should it look like?

1. Select 4* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS (and ESB if that zone also works for you)...

Bid $130 = CPS

Bid $140 = CPS, MTE

Bid $150 = CPS, MTE, MTW

Bid $155 = CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access

OR by Re-bid zone do you mean a zone that does NOT include a 4* hotel (e.g. Re-bid zone 1 = Chelsea, re-bid zone 2 = MSG, re-bid zone 3 = Upper East Side...Brooklyn and LI City are the other two non-4*...the thought of accidentally ending up in Brooklyn and LI City scares me, are you 100% sure that this would not happen if they are added to a 4* bid?)

2. Select 4* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS (and ESB if that zone also works for you)...

Bid $130 = CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, Chelsea

Bid $140 = CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, Chelsea, MSG

Bid $150 = CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, Chelsea, MSG, Upper East Side

Bid $155 = CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, Chelsea, MSG, Upper East Side, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access

Example #2 is the correct method.

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

I was reading up on rebid strategies and have a few questions about beating the 24hour rule.

Assuming I want to get a 4* hotel in Times Square and failed the first bid, can I add a second zone with no 4* hotel during the rebid and stand a chance of landing a 4* in times square? I always thought that after you got rejected in zone 1, you can never get a hotel of the highest star level in zone 1. Even if you added the second zone, your rebid only applies to the second zone.

If priceline only recognize COMBINATIONS of zones and not individual zones it seems like a huge advantage. I can simply choose 4* in Times Square and Madison Square Gardens and feel quite comfortable I will never end up in Madison Square gardens because there is no 4* hotels in Madison Square Gardens. Am I correct?

If you add another zone your next bid is for both zones... not just the one you added.

Obviously you'd need to increase your bid slightly on the subsequent bid. If you're rejected at the 4* level at at a price of (let's say) $150, add a zone that doesn't meet your star rating criteria and bid again, a bid of $150 will once again be rejected... your next bid would need to be higher than $150 to stand a chance.

Hope that clarifies it a bit.

[Dewey24]

OK, no luck on the 4* approach. I did the following, all rejected:

Select 4*

$130 CPS MTE MTW TS

$140 CPS MTE MTW TS MSG

$150 CPS MTE MTW TS MSG CHELSEA

$155 CPS MTE MTW TS MSG CHELSEA UPP EAST

Select 4* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS and re-bid zone4 (BROOK)

$160 CPS MTE MTW TS BROOK

$165 CPS MTE MTW TS BROOK MSG

$170 CPS MTE MTW TS BROOK MSG CHELSEA

$175 CPS MTE MTW TS BROOK MSG CHELSEA UPPEAST

Select 4* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS and re-bid zone5 (LI CITY)

$180 CPS MTE MTW TS LICITY

$185 CPS MTE MTW TS LICITY MSG

$190 CPS MTE MTW TS LICITY MSG CHELSEA

$195 CPS MTE MTW TS LICITY MSG CHELSEA UPPEAST

$200 CPS MTE MTW TS LICITY MSG CHELSEA UPPEAST BROOK

Can we revise to a 3.5* approach (knowing there would be less re-bid zones)? Also, do I need to wait 24 hours before attempting that approach?

[KoalaBear]

you can add central park south as rebid zone

[Dewey24]

you can add central park south as rebid zone

I included Central Park South in my previous bids (as CPS). It also has 3.5* hotels so I couldn't use it as a re-bid zone. It seems the only three without them are Chelsea, LI City, and Upper East Side.

[KoalaBear]

I included Central Park South in my previous bids (as CPS). It also has 3.5* hotels so I couldn't use it as a re-bid zone. It seems the only three without them are Chelsea, LI City, and Upper East Side.

Are you sure Renaissance Hotel 57 is not upper east side 3.5*??

[Dewey24]

Are you sure Renaissance Hotel 57 is not upper east side 3.5*??

When I click Upper East Side, 3.5* is grayed out, which is why it would be a re-bid zone. I'm curious what Thereyouare's approach would be for 3.5 at this point. I may add Empire State Building to the mix as well as he suggested earlier.

[Dewey24]

Example #2 is the correct method.

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

Thereuare, this thread got a little sidetracked so I'm just posting this to reiterate that I'd like to figure out a plan for 3.5* in that area. I wish I had included ESB in my initial plan (as you suggested) as I see now that someone got the W Hotel Tuscany for $180. I tried placing some 4* bids for ESB this evening with no luck. I'm not sure if it's because it's not available anymore or because I messed up by bidding too many times (not sure on the hole 24 hour rule). Very frustrating.

[thereuare]

KoalaBear,

Please start a NEW TOPIC for your own stay.

I have moved most of your replies in this thread to your own Priceline New York City thread.

Dewey24,

Hope the above cleans things up a bit :)

How high did you bid for a 4* hotel in the ESB zone as you should be able to bid that zone without waiting 24 hours (assuming you didn't simply add ESB to the end of your bidding)... do you recall which zones you selected along with ESB? Or did you not want to try for a 4* in ESB and switch to a 3.5* now? If searching for a 3.5* did you want to only stick with the previous zones or are you also intersted in MSG and/or ESB at this star level?

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

[Dewey24]

Thank you! That helps! :)

I have a feeling I messed it up a bit.

I think I did the following:

$160 - ESB

$170 - ESB, CPS, MSG (not sure why I added CPS as I used that earlier today)

$175 - ESB, CPS, MTE, MSG, CHELSEA (wheels came off here and I threw in MTE in addition to CHELSEA)

$180 - ESB, CPS, MTE, MSG, CHELSEA, UPPEAST

I then closed the browser, re-opened and did the following:

$185 - ESB, LI CITY, BROOK, CHELSEA (I was scrambling at this point, not thinking)

$190 - ESB, LI CITY, BROOK, CHELSEA, UPPEAST

$195 - ESB, LI CITY, BROOK, CHELSEA, UPPEAST, BROOK

I get the feeling I might be starting from scratch tomorrow.

As for your questions about next steps, at what point could I try the 4* process again (including my previous zones plus ESB)? Is it 24 hours after my initial bid (from earlier today) or from my last attempt? Are my earlier bids considered separate from my last ditch ESB bids? Also, if I waited and did the 4* again up to $200 and was rejected, am I able to immediately begin a 3.5* process starting at the lower price again?

If there's not enough time to do the 4* process again, I can start the 3.5*. If doing 3.5*, I think I'd like to stick to the previous zones from earlier today unless you don't think something is attainable in my price range in that area (in which case I could add ESB).

Thanks for the help!

[thereuare]

Assuming your bidding history above is correct, notice how you haven't yet bid ESB along with MTW or TS... so you could actually bid again immediately (again, assuming your bidding history is correct). However, a more direct answer to your question, is that it's 24 hours from your last rejected bid (unless you're adding something 'new' to the bid)

If you want to start 'fresh' tomorrow you can try as follows with your FIVE re-bid zones:

Select 4* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS and ESB...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $155, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, ESB and re-bid zone4

Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $175, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 4* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, ESB and re-bid zone5

Bid $180, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $185, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $190, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $195, if rejected add re-bid zone4...

Bid $200

Again, the above should work if you haven't bid the ESB along with either MTW or TS.

If the above is rejected you can then lower to 3.5* and bid again immedately. Any time you lower the star rating, change the check-in or check-out dates, or add a zone combination that hasn't yet been attempted, it's treated as a brand new bid independent of the previous bids.

I think your $200 limit may be a bit of a stretch for a 3.5* or higher property on these dates, but not so much so that it isn't worth trying... especially given the recently posted wins of the W Tuscany for the same dates as your own; maybe tomorrow they'll add more inventory? :)

Any other questions feel free to ask.

Thanks i advance for using our PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your bidding.

Good luck!

[Dewey24]

Thanks!

1. If the initial statement is correct about bidding immediately at 4* because I didn't include MTW or TS with ESB, what about the price aspect? Wouldn't I be adding ESB to my original set of bids and therefore require bidding hire than $200?

2. With 3.5*, there are fewer re-bid zones. What price would you recommend starting with? Since there are fewer chances to re-bid, I'm guessing $130 is too low.

Since I would have to wait until about 5PM (local time) to bid again on the 4*, maybe I'll give the 3.5* a try earlier.

[thereuare]

1. If the initial statement is correct about bidding immediately at 4* because I didn't include MTW or TS with ESB, what about the price aspect? Wouldn't I be adding ESB to my original set of bids and therefore require bidding hire than $200?

You're not required to raise your bid from your previous bids, although logic would suggest that a bid lower than you had previously bid would be rejected as well. HOWEVER, in this instance i'm hoping that more inventory has been added since yesterday... given this is a new hotel (at least for the board, i'm assuming this property is fairly new to working with PRICELINE as well) there is a chance they're just 'testing the waters' and only offering 1-2 rooms available for each nite to see how it goes. Given a previous win for your dates, i'm hoping that they are adding inventory daily to replace inventory that has been purchased the previous day. Not a high probability of this, but a distinct possibility.

2. With 3.5*, there are fewer re-bid zones. What price would you recommend starting with? Since there are fewer chances to re-bid, I'm guessing $130 is too low.

Let's try your 4* bidding first and then, if that is rejected, we'll outline a 3.5* startegy.

Since I would have to wait until about 5PM (local time) to bid again on the 4*, maybe I'll give the 3.5* a try earlier.

DON"T do this as it will prevent you from bidding on a 4* later today... the star rating you select is the minimum you are willing to accept, so when you bid on a 3.5* you're also bidding on a 4* and any other star rating higher than 3.5 star. Therefore, if you fail at 3.5*, you'll then need to wait 24 hours from your last rejected bid (at the 3.5* level) before you can bid for a 4 star... only lowering your star level is permissible to bid again. So you can bid for a 4* and then if rejected immediately try for a 3.5*... but you can't bid for a 3.5* and then immediately try for a 4*.

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

[Dewey24]

Got it. Glad I haven't done anything yet then! My last e-mails from Priceline indicating my failures were 8:45 PM for the 4* ESB bids last night and 4:55 PM for the original 4* bids yesterday afternoon. What time would you suggest I wait until to begin the 4* process again (this time with ESB included)?

[thereuare]

You could probably bid now and i would give it a shot... or you could wait until 5pm, but if you listed the ESB correctly above, none of your bids should be kicked out as duplicates.

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

Good luck!

[Dewey24]

Well, I waited until after 5 and did the above up to $200 and all were rejected. So what would the ideal plan be for 3.5*?

[Dewey24]

If possible, could you include a 3* plan as well? I'd go up to $180 in CPS, MTE, MTW, TS for 3*. For 3.5* I'd have the same zones and price limits as the 4*. If the 3.5* doesn't work I would probably try for 3* immediately after (or have my girlfriend try it if I could no longer bid today).

[thereuare]

At the 3.5* level you have 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* TS and MTE and MTW...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $145, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* CPS and ESB...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $145, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* CPS and MTE and MTW...

Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $155, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $160, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* TS and ESB...

Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $155, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $160, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, ESB...

Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $170, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, ESB and re-bid zone2...

Bid $175, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $180, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, ESB and re-bid zone3...

Bid $185, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $190, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* CPS, MTE, MTW, TS, ESB and re-bid zone2 and re-bid zone3...

Bid $195, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $200

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.

[Dewey24]

No luck! This is painful! What would you recommend for 3* (this is as low as I'll go) in the same locations?