Curious if anyone has ever used this site and what their experience might have been ... w/regard to the NYC area ... I am having a hard time convincing myself this might be a real bargin .. any advice..suggestons..or real experiences in the NYC area...particularly Tribecca area ...
Thanx much ! ! !

It is helpful to read this site before bidding on Priceline.com For further research try http://www.betterbidding.com it's a new site to assist people who are bidding on Priceline and Hot Wire.

Lots of people (here & elsewhere) swear by it. I think I'm about to try it for the first time. Just be aware of the pitfalls (ie paying upfront, cancellation fees, not good for 2 beds/moer than 2 in a room). Can't give you specifics on Tribeca but if you go to Betterbidding.com or biddingfortravel.com you will find out what hotels are included in the area & the prices people have successfully bid. Then check that vs what you could get via quikbooks.com, expedia, travelocity. I think you'll find there are rael savings to be had.

Note that BFT simply is a data base of travelers' experiences in bidding through Priceline. BFT provides a "partner link" to PL that obviously pays the bills for BFT.

It is very important that you understand how to bid effectively on PL by reading the hotel FAQ on BFT. (My God, these initials are a hoot) especially when bidding for hotels in places like NYC (there I go again.) In order to maximize your chances of getting a good price, you learn how to get "free re-bids" without having to wait 3 days before you can try again if you're rejected and don't want to stay in another part of town.

That last part is important - Priceline establishes "zones" in most big cities, and you bid for hotels only within that zone (maps on the PL website.) You can't choose which hotel at a given "star" (amenity) level you'll get in advance, but you will only get hotels within the zone(s) you bid on. Because there are relatively few hotels listed by BFT in Lower Manhattan as having been won on PL (which only means that nobody has reported on others, not the list is complete necessarily), learning how to juggle re-bids between zones is crucial. This is why you have to read the FAQ.

In the case of Tribeca, PL lumps it in with SoHo and Wall St. and calls it the "Lower Manhattan" zone. That means if you bid, say 4 stars, and get accepted, you might get the Hilton Millennium in Wall St. (the one that was closed after 9/11) or the Tribeca Grand or the Soho Grand, or others. See the list of hotels on BFT that people have hit in the various zones. If you specifically want to be in Tribeca, PL may not be as limited as you want.

In a quick review I didn't see Lower Manhattan come up too often at the 4 star level, but there were many excellent bargains had at the 3 star level, e.g. the Marriott or the Holiday Inn in Wall St. for under $100, way less than the hotels' own rates.

We've used BFT for guidance on PL on numerous occasions, and our next trip will literally be financed through the savings we've achieved. No bull.

I research the entries on BFT before bidding on any area, and have never been disappointed. I have been especially pleased using it for NYC, and have never paid more than $105 per night for a four star midtown west hotel. However, I have never used it for Tribeca and don't know if that area is one of their choices.

BFT is great....plus, they will give you bidding assistance for priceline.
I browse it frequently just in case some deals are going close to home...That way I can take a weekend trip for a lot less money.
BFT site also has hotel reviews, etc.

Can't beat the BFT/Priceline combo. A few weeks ago (pre-SARS), I bid $26 per day for a 2* for Toronto-Don Valley region and was upgraded to the 3* Crowne Plaza-Don Valley at that price plus tax and the $5.95 booking feefor the 5-day stay. Great hotel andjust a 10-miune drive to Downtown Toronto.

Can't beat the BFT/Priceline combo. A few weeks ago (pre-SARS), I bid $26 per day for a 2* for Toronto-Don Valley region and was upgraded to the 3* Crowne Plaza-Don Valley at that price plus tax and the $5.95 booking fee for the 5-day stay. Great hotel and just a 10-minute drive to Downtown Toronto.

I think the ONLY concern you should have is if you have more than 2 people. Priceline has worked great for us in every instance we have tried. We are going to NYC this summer and used the vacation package because we needed two double beds at a minimum and there is no guarantee with the hotel only option.

With the vacation package, we received the Hilton Towers at Rockefeller for six nights --guaranteed two doubles-- and round trip flight from Omaha for four for $1,559 (including taxes, etc) which I thought was extremely good.