Priceline Hotel: looking for a 3.5* hotel for 7 nights early september

[beckysefklesy]

Hi there

I have only just found out that priceline existed and have spent the whole day researching, but am still in need of some advice! and this site come highly recommended!

I will be in new york from 9th to 16th september, looking to stay in MTE, MTW, TS, CPS or ESB (a previous post theruare wrote suggested these areas for tourists looking for for 4* accommodation - i figured the same would be true for 3/3.5*? please advise if you think i'd be better off looking in more/different areas).

Ideally, i'd like to look at 3.5+ star rating. we're there for a week so, although we're on a budget, it would be nice to have somewhere pleasant to come back to, preferably with a good view!

however, i'm keen to seek your opinion on this. would it be better looking for 3* if money is a concern? i don't really want to go over $110. is that reasonable?

also, do you think i am looking too soo?. i'm keen to get something booked so that i can relax about it, but equally if i'm likely to get a better deal by waiting then i'd rather do that. i had a look at the calendar of wins (great function btw) and the only 2 in september so far were over $200, which is much more than i can afford, although i am envious of the hotel both parties won.

any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. and i will be sure to use your links when booking!

thanks in advance

becky

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

September is traditionally a busy time in NYC, with conventions and nice weather. The areas mentioned above are certainly perfectly fine for a tourist.

Is your budget $110 + tax/fees or $110 "all-in"? In either case, $110 may be difficult for mid-September ($110 for a 3.5* is worth trying, but chances are unfortunately likely going to be on the slim side, $110 for a 3* is more likely), so it's best to start trying now for bidding on these dates and will likely require pushing towards the $110 limit.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[beckysefklesy]

Thanks very much for your reply!

good to know that you think I should start looking now. i was thinking $110 all in but could push to $125/130 (all in) if i had to. I would rather a 3* at $110 than a 3.5* at $130 though.

what do you think is a reasonable starting bid for priceline, as i've never used it before? and what sort of increments is it best to go up in?

do you think i should start off looking for 3.5* or cut to the chase and go with 3* to start? what would you do with my budget?

thank you very much for your help and I will certainly use betterbidding's PRICELINE link to bid!

[thereuare]

At this time, I don't think your budget is going to be enough for a 3.5* hotel (and likely not for a 3* either) for this time of year.

We can suggest a bidding strategy to try, but i think you're $130 all-in (which is equivalent to ~$105/nite before taxes and fees) is going to fall short.

In regards to zones, and given your budget will be a strech, i would consider all of the following:

CPS, Chelsea (3* only... no 3.5* hotels currently in this zone), ESB, MSG, MTE, MTW, and Times Square

HOWEVER, note that in the MTE zone the Millenium UN is a possibility, and while a very nice hotel with good reviews, it is about a 15 minute walk to the subway... if this is too far for you then i wouldn't include the MTE zone, but all the others should land you centrally located, for the most part.

Let us know which zone(s) you'd like to bid and we'll take it from there.

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

[beckysefklesy]

At this time, I don't think your budget is going to be enough for a 3.5* hotel (and likely not for a 3* either) for this time of year.

We can suggest a bidding strategy to try, but i think you're $130 all-in (which is equivalent to ~$105/nite before taxes and fees) is going to fall short.

In regards to zones, and given your budget will be a strech, i would consider all of the following:

CPS, Chelsea (3* only... no 3.5* hotels currently in this zone), ESB, MSG, MTE, MTW, and Times Square

HOWEVER, note that in the MTE zone the Millenium UN is a possibility, and while a very nice hotel with good reviews, it is about a 15 minute walk to the subway... if this is too far for you then i wouldn't include the MTE zone, but all the others should land you centrally located, for the most part.

Let us know which zone(s) you'd like to bid and we'll take it from there.

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

Thanks for getting back to me. when bidding on priceline, does the bid include taxes?

if you think $130 is really unlikely i could probably go up to $150 (all in).

Thanks for your recommended zones. I'd like to go ahead with all the ones you suggested but exclude MTE.

If I don't have any luck with manhattan then perhaps you could recommend some areas in brooklyn? $150 is definitely my upper limit so if that's no good i'll need to look at other areas.

if you could suggest a bidding strategy to start me off, that would be a great help.

thanks again and i will use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links for all my bids and searches!

[AaronJB]

Taxes are shown during the check-out process. They are additional beyond the bid price. There are no re-bids available at the 3* level in NYC, but in general, I think given how busy this period is and how expensive it is, it will likely take some trying and time. A 3.5* win would appear unlikely, but if it were to occur, it would be at the top end of your budget (which would be about a $130-132 bid + tax.)

I would start bidding for 3* and include the intended zones with a starting bid of $110, and work up by $5's if not accepted. You could try 3.5*, but unfortunately, this is just a traditionally tough period in NYC and will likely require a higher price - you could try $130 for a 3.5* in the intended zones and see if there are any takers.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[beckysefklesy]

Taxes are shown during the check-out process. They are additional beyond the bid price. There are no re-bids available at the 3* level in NYC, but in general, I think given how busy this period is and how expensive it is, it will likely take some trying and time. A 3.5* win would appear unlikely, but if it were to occur, it would be at the top end of your budget (which would be about a $130-132 bid + tax.)

I would start bidding for 3* and include the intended zones with a starting bid of $110, and work up by $5's if not accepted. You could try 3.5*, but unfortunately, this is just a traditionally tough period in NYC and will likely require a higher price - you could try $130 for a 3.5* in the intended zones and see if there are any takers.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

thanks. I have tried $132 for 3.5* (I started lower but then used an extra bid by adding chelsea) but no joy. I've also tried up to $117 for 3*.

i'm bidding as both travellers so can use 2 bids a day. tomorrow, i will try $123 and $128 for 3* and hopefully will have better luck.

thanks for all your help and I will continue to use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start my purchases and searches.

[AaronJB]

Sorry to hear that the bids were not accepted. :)

This will take some work, but certainly worthwhile if you can lock in a discount deal for these dates in advance, as these dates are traditionally expensive and could certainly get pricier as the dates get closer.

[beckysefklesy]

Sorry to hear that the bids were not accepted. :)

This will take some work, but certainly worthwhile if you can lock in a discount deal for these dates in advance, as these dates are traditionally expensive and could certainly get pricier as the dates get closer.

will just have to see what tomorrow brings. if i can't get anything affordable in manhattan on priceline i'll need to look at brooklyn, but as it's such a big area i'd be worried i'd get something that isn't what i'm looking for if i use priceline. i saw that the marriott is the only 3.5* listed on betterbidding but i did some research and found another 3.5* near the airport, which i wouldn't want. do you think brooklyn is worth trying?

i read a post where someone said that they'd had a bid accepted that had previously been declined. is that a common occurrence? is it worth trying the same bids again in a few days time if my bids get declined tomorrow, or is that quite rare? thanks for your help!

[AaronJB]

In my opinion, I think Brooklyn should be a last resort if you really cannot get a NYC property within budget. There can be instances where a previously failed bid is accepted later (there is no defined length of time; it may be a month, a week, etc - this would be an instance of new inventory added to the service if it were to occur.)

One strategy that you could try for would be to bid to your max within the desired zones/ratings and if nothing is accepted, you could try again within a week. If you continue to bid and hit your desired budget ceiling, within a couple of months (end of May/beginning of June), you could then consider other options (possibly bidding for 2.5*, or possibly bidding for Brooklyn.)

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[beckysefklesy]

In my opinion, I think Brooklyn should be a last resort if you really cannot get a NYC property within budget. There can be instances where a previously failed bid is accepted later (there is no defined length of time; it may be a month, a week, etc - this would be an instance of new inventory added to the service if it were to occur.)

One strategy that you could try for would be to bid to your max within the desired zones/ratings and if nothing is accepted, you could try again within a week. If you continue to bid and hit your desired budget ceiling, within a couple of months (end of May/beginning of June), you could then consider other options (possibly bidding for 2.5*, or possibly bidding for Brooklyn.)

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

Tried up to $134 for 3.5* and $129 for 3* but no luck. :)

will keep you updated and will continue to use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start my purchases and searches.