westsidejeff

Artichokes was a bit overrated in my opinion. I heard lots of hype and went down there a few months back. Got one white and one regular. The slices are indeed huge; I usually can devour 2 or 3 typical NYC slices, but after a half of each one I was out of commission. In the end though I found the white slice to be an overwhelming, oily, mess and the traditional cheese slice not very out of the ordinary.

Thanks for that. I actually arrive on the 19th. So my first night would have to be then. Do you recommend making it, say, 19-21 and 22-24? Or is it easier to go in 1 night increments? Also, just for the record I slightly expanded my search, but no luck in bidding. I went with MTE up to 250, CPS up to 250, and then I also bid on ESB up to 220, UWS up to 220, and Jersey City up to 180. Looks like a tough week for a reservation!

Hi, glad to hear from you. No back up reservation, though I am thinking about locking something refundable up just in case. Splitting is a great idea. I have no problem doing that. I'll post more as I continue bidding. Cheers!

Thanks for the reply. Just wanted to post an update in case anyone is thinking about bidding for the same dates. I tried the same pricing scheme for the 4* as last time, but didnt get anything. Also tried for a 3.5* in MTE, using the same bidding scheme. Took it up to $190 but it was no go.

I have about a week and a half, so Ill try a few more times. I may raise the max by about $20 or so. I find Priceline's star rating to be slightly overstated so I dont want to go to a 3.5 (which will most likely be a 2.5 or 3 star in reality). I may expand zones to include Midtown West, but I read a bunch of hotel reviews and I think they are a bit lower in quality (judging by the reviews) than what is found in CPS and MTE. Any thoughts on that? In the end, if I buy it straight up, its going to be over well over $350 so it makes sense to wait a bit more and to keep bidding. Thanks for your help!

Outstanding system. i actually went up to $245 on my last bid but still didnt get anything. quite frustrating!

Right, MTE (not UES) along with CPS are the 2 zones I am sure about. Cheers!

Now I got it! Just read the re-bidding section. So what would a good strategy be for bidding if my max is $220? I have 2 or 3 zones I would prefer (UES, CPS and maybe ESB) and it appears that there are 5 zones with no 4 star. What approach would be most sensible?

Sorry, didn't understand what you meant. I was offered the 225$ option after I bid $185 the first day, so I assumed a room could be had for appx $225. So on the second day, I decided to bid starting under $200 and build up towards the $225 price in my acceptable areas. Even then it proved to be low. Why would that be an overbidding risk? Thanks in advance for your advice.

Hi, thanks for the info. My max is about $240 or $250 give or take. Today I started at $190 in the Empire State area, moved to $205 in Central Park South, and then $220 in Midtown East. All no go and no secondary offers to bid without making changes. I'll try again tomorrow, perhaps starting at $200.

Thanks for the reply, checked the email. Happy to help the site. I'd like to get a 4 star for $200 a night, give or take a few dollars. Do you think it's realistic or will I need to go to $220 or $230, or more? Also, do hotel prices normally increase every day (i.e. the longer I wait the more expensive it will be)? The reason I ask is that I got that $220 offer at the time of my first bid of $185. That led me to believe I could get it for that price. Now Im wondering if I bid $220 in a few days, will it be available or will it then be $240 or so? Thanks!

Put in a $50 bid for the Rockville area. It was rejected but I was offered the chance to make a bid at $65 (without changing anything) which I did, and it was accepted.

Hi all, long time fan of the site, and just decided to sign up. Im trying to gauge how much I can get a 4* hotel for from 10/26-11/2. I basically need to be in either MTE or CPS. I bid $185 for the CPS and got rejected, then I tried $195 for MTE as well. Also, rejected. Interestingly they offered me a 1 time promotion of bidding $225 for a 4 star at CPS, but I turned it down, as I didn't want to rush into it. Wondering if I'll regret that! Any advice is appreciated!