Priceline Hotels in Midtown Manhattan

One of the main reasons for using Priceline is that they can offer deep discounts that are hard to match. There are few cities that are more expensive than New York City.  Within the city, Midtown Manhattan is the most expensive and sought after area travelers want to stay. This is for good reason.  Midtown is the hub of Manhattan with Broadway, Madison Square Garden, the Empire State Building, and Times Square all within arms reach. Unfortunately, the cost of hotels is astronomical and savvy travelers should consider Priceline hotels in Midtown Manhattan.

I previously wrote an article on Hotwire New York hotels. Hotwire is a good alternative in situations where you need a particular amenity such as a swimming pool or airport shuttle. However, if obtaining the lowest prices are important, there is good evidence to suggest that Priceline is cheaper than Hotwire.

Midtown Manhattan Bidding Zones on Priceline

There are several dozen Priceline hotels in Midtown Manhattan. Priceline actually breaks Midtown into several bidding zones but some areas are more sought after than others.

Lesser Sought After Areas: The areas that are not quite so popular tend to be toward the south end of Midtown. Hotels tend to be a lot cheaper in these zones.  The Chelsea zone and the Empire State Building zone are both further south than most people are willing to go. Madison Square Garden zone is not quite as popular because the zone goes quite far west, pretty much all the way to Lincoln Tunnel entrance. Another area far off to the west is Hells Kitchen. These are all great zones that are a bit of a walk to many of the tourist attractions but are well worth considering because they are all within easy access from NYC’s subway system.

The Heart of Midtown Manhattan:  The zones that are most expensive are also those closest to the tourist attractions like Times Square and the Theatre District.  This should come as no surprise.  In fact, Times Square is the most expensive zone on Priceline, followed by Midtown West.  Midtown West is the upside-down horseshoe zone that encircles Times Square (see map above, zone #12).  Other highly desired zones are Midtown East and Central Park South.

What Midtown Hotels Are On Priceline?

We have a collection of hotels known to be on Priceline in New York City as reported by actual customers. Have a look at the list if you are going to bidding on hotels. You might not get one of the hotels on the list, but it will give you a good idea of the type and calibre of hotel you are going to get. The list is updated weekly based on travelers who post their winning bids.  If you have purchased a Priceline hotel recently, why not post your win?  There are some fantastic hotels on Priceline, including 2 of my favorites, Omni Berkshire Midtown and the W Hotel.

Getting the best rate by low balling and then rebidding:  If you are bidding on hotels, the best way to ensure you get the lowest rate is to start low and work your way up through a series of rebids. If you are not familiar with Priceline’s bidding rules, they have a few rules in place that try to get you to put your best price forward.  Otherwise, what is to stop somebody from bidding at $1 and working their way up until their bid is accepted?  There is somewhat of a loophole that allows you to rebid right away. If you are bidding on a 5-star hotel, for example, you may be able to rebid several times. This would allow you to start at some low price and keep rebidding until either your bid is accepted you reach your ceiling. This better bidding tip is a huge money saver and anyone using Priceline should master this technique.

Do you have additional New York City travel questions?  If you have additional questions about Priceline hotels in Midtown Manhattan or elsewhere, consider visiting the Priceline Forum where travelers are free to ask questions and share experiences they have had about bidding for travel.