Priceline Hotel: 4* NYC (ESB) W New York The Court

[NRoss]

Hello,

I starting bidding for NYC about 10 days ago, all bids have been refused without counter offers.

Here are the particulars:

NYC

4*

2 rooms

Thurs April 1-Mon April 5 (4 nights)

CPS, MTE, MTW, Times Sq-Theatre District, Empire State

starting bid about 10 days ago was 110$ and have gone as high as 165$ (last night)

Of note: On the Priceline website, 3 hotels can be booked directly for 198$ (Sheraton NY MTW/TimesSq, Omni Berkshire Pl MTE-Gr Central, and W NYC MTE-Gr Central) and several others are listed in the 200-210$ range.

I've looked into various hotel's advertised rates, and have found several that I can book for less than / the same as Priceline.

This is the first time I've had any difficultly bidding with Priceline and am at a loss. Any thoughts on why bids are refused? Could it be the Thursday night (might it be better if we book from Friday Apr 2-Tues Apr 6 instead)? Might the problem be that I'm looking for 2 rooms? Any insight or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks~! N

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

The sub-$200 rates you're seeing are "on sale" and the non-sale rates are similar to the $200+ rates you're seeing for the other hotels.

Your bids are not out of line, but not a lay-up either at this point in time as it may just be a bit early for hotels to discount too deeply for these dates, hoping that the Spring season kicks in strong for them. I'd stick with your current bidding at least for the next few weeks, at which point if still unsuccessful we can discuss your options regarding lowering your star rating or raising your bid.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Keep us updated as to your progress and let us know if we can be of further help along the way.

[NRoss]

Thanks for your reply and suggestions. I'll let you know when/how we've booked! Cheers, N

[NRoss]

Hi,

I was wondering what happens if the Priceline hotel does not align with the actual hotel quality. For example, W The Court New York City has really really bad ratings. Hotel in 'dire need of renovation', 'dirty', etc -- clearly not 4* quality from Tripadvisor, Expedia, etc reviews.

We have a winning bid for this hotel (will post details on the NY board shortly), and clearly indicated that we would accept no lower than a 4*. I'm a little worried. Is there anything we can do?

Thank for your advice.

N

[thereuare]

We have a winning bid for this hotel...

I've moved your post to this thread as i assume these are the dates for which you won the W The Court New York City?

Please share the details of your win and we'll then comment further regarding the star rating.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Thanks.

[NRoss]

Here are the details on the winning bid.

Winning bid: 143$

Hotel: W The Court, NYC

Dates: April 1-5

Two rooms

[thereuare]

Thanks for sharing your results with the board... please remember to do so whenever you receive a win or make a decision regarding a stay (if not PRICELINE / HOTWIRE) so that others can benefit from the information.

The reviews are "hit or miss" and that's the type of property W hotels are... they have their own style and it's not for everyone. There does appear to be an elevator problem at the hotel but management is aware and is working on it. The GM of the seems to be active in the online communities and if you encounter any problems during your stay i would request to speak wtih him directly and i'm sure he will do whatever he can to resolve it. HOWEVER, the most important point in can make is that remember reviews are often based upon value received... many guests at this property are likely paying 'full rate' which in NYC can often be upwards of $300+ per nite, and when paying that much perhaps this property has fallen short of their expectations. However, at under $150/nite (certainly not a small amount of money for a hotel room but relatively inexpensive in NYC) i can often overlook many things which may otherwise bother me if i were paying 2x-3x as much. I have had many hotel stays where i gave the hotel stellar marks based upon the price i had paid (thru PRICELINE or HOTWIRE) but my experience, and review, would have been quite different if i was paying full rates.

With the above noted, if you feel stronly enough that this hotel is misrated, you can contact PRICELINE and tell them that you don't feel this property merrits the 4* rating assigned, and point out some of the reviews (although this could be a tough argument given that there are many positive reviews of this property as well)

I would go with an open mind, speak with management should there be tangible issues which arise during your stay, and try to resolve it with them directly... hopefully your stay will be as good as those who speak highly of this property.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Enjoy your stay.