Renaissance Hotel on Priceline
Jan 26th, 2003, 11:47 PM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Renaissance Hotel on Priceline
I bid 140.00 on Priceline and was accepted for the Renaissance Hotel in Times Square. I am totally pleased, altho I will always wonder had I bid less would I have still gotten the Renaissance. On line, the best price for my time frame of 7 days was a range of 229-289. (most days were 289) I tried a bid yesterday of 100.00 for a 4 star and it wasn't accepted. This is my first time in New York and I chose this area because we plan to see several plays in the evening and don't want to worry about transportation in a strange city. thanks for all the advice I've read from these posts.
Jan 27th, 2003, 05:06 AM
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
I just posted this on your other post, but will repeat it here.
Yesterday I booked the Renaissance for a stay in May. Although I too found the lowest price on their internet site to be $229, I called them and got a rate of $155. Considering they have guaranteed me a "deluxe king" room, and I can cancel up to 4 PM day of arrival, I think I got a much better deal. I would not risk losing the entire stay if I need to cancel and May is a long way off. Who knows what could happen. The extra $15 a night will buy me a lot of peace of mind. Not to mention that I will still have all my money for another four months before I go instead of paying for it now. Isn't that the way Priceline works?
Yesterday I booked the Renaissance for a stay in May. Although I too found the lowest price on their internet site to be $229, I called them and got a rate of $155. Considering they have guaranteed me a "deluxe king" room, and I can cancel up to 4 PM day of arrival, I think I got a much better deal. I would not risk losing the entire stay if I need to cancel and May is a long way off. Who knows what could happen. The extra $15 a night will buy me a lot of peace of mind. Not to mention that I will still have all my money for another four months before I go instead of paying for it now. Isn't that the way Priceline works?
Jan 27th, 2003, 01:24 PM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,369
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Petal, bidding less may not necessarily have gotten you a different hotel. You can learn how much Priceline paid for this room (how much you overbid) from the taxes they charged you. If you go to "Bidding Tips" on BiddingForTravel you can find a link to my webpage for calculating the room rate from the tax.
x, I doubt anyone would be bidding $140 (+$5.95 booking fee) on Priceline for a room they could get for $155. I expect to save closer to 40-50% off the best rate I can find anywhere else. That's why doing your research is so important (I tried to get a room at the Renaissance Amsterdam last fall by calling them but could not do better than the internet rate). And I probably wouldn't bid four months in advance, either.
Whom did you call to get this great rate? Marriott world reservations? The hotel directly? Did you say you are a club member or something?
Andrew
x, I doubt anyone would be bidding $140 (+$5.95 booking fee) on Priceline for a room they could get for $155. I expect to save closer to 40-50% off the best rate I can find anywhere else. That's why doing your research is so important (I tried to get a room at the Renaissance Amsterdam last fall by calling them but could not do better than the internet rate). And I probably wouldn't bid four months in advance, either.
Whom did you call to get this great rate? Marriott world reservations? The hotel directly? Did you say you are a club member or something?
Andrew
Jan 27th, 2003, 06:03 PM
#5
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,421
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Petal: You did very well for yourself! Bidding a seven-night stay on Priceline is far trickier than a 1-2 night stay, especially for weekend nights. And, October rates are among the highest (because of all the conventions) in NYC.
The Renaissance is perfectly located for attending shows. (You just cannot count on finding a taxi at showtime, dinnertime, when it's raining - and who wants to take a bus or the subway all dressed up.)
You will never know what the results would have been otherwise; but you could have gotten the oft-won NY Hilton, a farther hike (and with many complaints on BFT from those who've stayed there with Priceline). I can't imagine what difference it makes, or why anyone would care, what Priceline allegedly paid for your room. Is there any doubt that Priceline is in business to make a profit? (Note that Andrew's calulation does not include daily occupancy taxes.)
For sure, the more research you do, the more you "may" be able to save. And, you could spend endless hours on same (and I used to do this myself). Everything depends upon when you book, your dates, the days of the week/length of your stay...So, if you are thrilled with the results (which, if you check you dates through all the conventional resources, you should should be), it is hardly necessary to wonder whether you could have done "better" with Priceline if you had waited or bid differently, and you could have done worse. For the occasional traveler/bidder, it's just fine to be thrilled with your results, rather than obsess over how much more you may have been able to "save" at you'll never know which hotel.
If you are interested in any of the "hot at the moment" shows (Hairspray, Gypsy...), it's best to get your tickets right away. The best seats go quickly and shows sell out months (and months) in advance. Tickets for Row D center are the same price as Row L all the way to the left and Row S.
And, go to www.playbill.com, www.broadwaybox., etc., and sign up to be notified via e-mail of discounts. Offers are typically for show dates 2-8 weeks away with significant savings, but good seats. It really pays to keep an eye on the specials.
The Renaissance is perfectly located for attending shows. (You just cannot count on finding a taxi at showtime, dinnertime, when it's raining - and who wants to take a bus or the subway all dressed up.)
You will never know what the results would have been otherwise; but you could have gotten the oft-won NY Hilton, a farther hike (and with many complaints on BFT from those who've stayed there with Priceline). I can't imagine what difference it makes, or why anyone would care, what Priceline allegedly paid for your room. Is there any doubt that Priceline is in business to make a profit? (Note that Andrew's calulation does not include daily occupancy taxes.)
For sure, the more research you do, the more you "may" be able to save. And, you could spend endless hours on same (and I used to do this myself). Everything depends upon when you book, your dates, the days of the week/length of your stay...So, if you are thrilled with the results (which, if you check you dates through all the conventional resources, you should should be), it is hardly necessary to wonder whether you could have done "better" with Priceline if you had waited or bid differently, and you could have done worse. For the occasional traveler/bidder, it's just fine to be thrilled with your results, rather than obsess over how much more you may have been able to "save" at you'll never know which hotel.
If you are interested in any of the "hot at the moment" shows (Hairspray, Gypsy...), it's best to get your tickets right away. The best seats go quickly and shows sell out months (and months) in advance. Tickets for Row D center are the same price as Row L all the way to the left and Row S.
And, go to www.playbill.com, www.broadwaybox., etc., and sign up to be notified via e-mail of discounts. Offers are typically for show dates 2-8 weeks away with significant savings, but good seats. It really pays to keep an eye on the specials.
Jan 27th, 2003, 08:59 PM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,369
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
djkbooks: my form does not include daily occupancy taxes because, to my knowledge, Priceline doesn't pay them in advance. You pay them when you checkout. Priceline only pays sales plus hotel tax (not including occupancy tax) as a percentage, not a per-day tax to my knowledge. So it makes no sense to include it in my form's calculations.
Many people have used my page and no one has ever asked for it...
Sure Priceline deserves to make a profit, and because you always pay a service fee and almost always overbid at least a little, they do make money. It is useful to know *how much* you overbid however. Did you overbid by $20/night for a 7-day stay? That's quite a lot of money if your goal is to save on travel expenses.
Andrew
Many people have used my page and no one has ever asked for it...
Sure Priceline deserves to make a profit, and because you always pay a service fee and almost always overbid at least a little, they do make money. It is useful to know *how much* you overbid however. Did you overbid by $20/night for a 7-day stay? That's quite a lot of money if your goal is to save on travel expenses.
Andrew
Jan 27th, 2003, 11:10 PM
#7
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 135
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
To x.. I am not a peddler. I just shared what happened to me on priceline. I was nervous (read gutsy) to make the bid for an expensive trip, and wanted to share.
To xxx; I'm sorry for repeating the post. I realized later that it was a rather (ok, VERY dated thread) I'm new.. what can I say. My room is either a deluxe double bed or a deluxe king. They choose when I arrive apparently. They don't have a "standard" room from their online description. I thought about not being able to cancel, etc. It was risky but I think I came out ok.. for a newbie
Andrew: I'm thinking I may have overbid but I AM happy with the outcome. I'll take your suggestion about trying to figure out the price of the room.
and finally to djk: I appreciate the vote of confidence. I wouldn't have liked the Hilton and why I took the risk I DON"T KNOW. It was a crazed moment but worked out in the end. whew. I'm truly pleased that I won't be spending hour looking for a "better deal" since its a DONE deal.
convoluted thinking to be sure, but it works for me. thanks everyone for your comments.
Petal
To xxx; I'm sorry for repeating the post. I realized later that it was a rather (ok, VERY dated thread) I'm new.. what can I say. My room is either a deluxe double bed or a deluxe king. They choose when I arrive apparently. They don't have a "standard" room from their online description. I thought about not being able to cancel, etc. It was risky but I think I came out ok.. for a newbie
Andrew: I'm thinking I may have overbid but I AM happy with the outcome. I'll take your suggestion about trying to figure out the price of the room.
and finally to djk: I appreciate the vote of confidence. I wouldn't have liked the Hilton and why I took the risk I DON"T KNOW. It was a crazed moment but worked out in the end. whew. I'm truly pleased that I won't be spending hour looking for a "better deal" since its a DONE deal.
convoluted thinking to be sure, but it works for me. thanks everyone for your comments. Petal
Jan 27th, 2003, 11:15 PM
#8
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 135
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
djkbooks: I have booked Phantom and Hairspray.. I think I'm the only person on the planet who hasn't seen Phantom yet. I'm going directly to the sites you mentioned to sign up for emails. What do you think about last minute tickets at the ticket booth in Times square. We have something like this in San Francisco and have seen some really great productions at a greatly reduced price. The SF one takes cash only for the reduced shows. Do you know if its the same in TKTS?
thanks for you advice,
Petal
thanks for you advice,
Petal
Jan 28th, 2003, 09:23 AM
#9
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,369
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Petal, call the Renaissance as soon as you can and see if they will set your preference for number of beds and smoking/non-smoking. Priceline does not set this for you - all they do is make the reservation. Every time I use Priceline for a hotel I call the hotel directly and set preferences. The last time I got a Renaissance (Amsterdam) they were able to guarantee my room preferences when I called them.
Andrew
Andrew
Jan 28th, 2003, 11:30 AM
#10
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,421
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The TKTS booth accepts cash only. You just never know what will be available until you get there. But, you can check their website a few weeks, days, before you leave to find out which tickets are typically available. Generally speaking, you'll have better luck with matinee and/or weekday evening performances.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
millie2112
United States
28
Jan 25th, 2014 05:15 AM
