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Summary of winning bids on Priceline

dmk

By dmk,
in West Coast Departures

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The_Big_M

The_Big_M

Posted
Posted (edited)
Is it better to book a room from priceline through the AB link or direct with priceline?

 

It's definitely better for the one getting the credit ;-)

 

As for the person booking, there's some speculation that going through the referrer may affect the minimum price, but it's not disclosed and would be very difficult to determine.

Edited by The_Big_M
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LoveVakays

LoveVakays

Posted
Posted

Got $50 (first tried $30 then $40 and also added 3 stars) for Holiday Inn & Suites in Anaheim - the going rate on their website was $89. This is for our 2 day stay in the Orange County area before NCL Star on 10/03 - very excited! :rolleyes:

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TenerifeSharon

TenerifeSharon

Posted
Posted
How do I find out what * ratings priceline give the hotels in different zones. I want a four star hotel in downtown Vancouver how do I know what hotels are 4*? If I want to rebid in another zone where do find out what hotels are rated 4*?

 

All the information you need can be found on http://www.betterbidding.com and http://www.biddingfortravel.com There are hotel lists posted on these two sites which are compiled of previous wins of many members (those who help the forums by posting their wins). :)

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zimmerjulie

zimmerjulie

Posted
Posted

Hi sabena,

We have stayed at the Crown Plaza San Pedro 2x pre-cruise and really liked it. The restaurant is very good. You can also walk to a waterside area (about 3 blocks away). There is also a Mexican restaurant close by, although we have used the hotel restaurant both times.

 

Car rental place is also very close by the pier and the hotel.

Have fun!

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d-ray

d-ray

Posted
Posted

I have been trying to bid on a downtown Seattle 4* property and have even tried 3.5* with no luck. But..... my dates are for 05/17-05/18/10. Am I to early? I know these boards say a few months in advance but I like to have my itinerary all intact. Has anybody gotten results for next year yet?

I know I am crazy. But you are all teaching me.

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TenerifeSharon

TenerifeSharon

Posted
Posted
I have been trying to bid on a downtown Seattle 4* property and have even tried 3.5* with no luck. But..... my dates are for 05/17-05/18/10. Am I to early? I know these boards say a few months in advance but I like to have my itinerary all intact. Has anybody gotten results for next year yet?

I know I am crazy. But you are all teaching me.

 

If your dates are all set (and you are willing to risk not needing the room for some reason), then no time is too early to reserve. But, the inventory may not yet be loaded from the hotels to PL.

 

We have used Priceline as early as 11 months in advance and took the chance. Knock on wood -- we haven't had to waste a reservation yet:p

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Foxhill

Foxhill

Posted
Posted

I, too, am wondering how far in advance to bid on a hotel for Seattle on Priceline. I have never used that site before so don't have any first hand experience. If I bid on a Seattle hotel and my bid is accepted and for some reason we must cancel our plans, does Priceline have a "no refund" policy? Would we just be out the entire amount they posted to our credit card? I don't want to bid too far in advance and risk losing my money, but I also don't want to wait too long and not be able to get a hotel room. I understand Seattle hotels can fill up quickly in the summer. We are looking at July, 2010.

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TenerifeSharon

TenerifeSharon

Posted
Posted
Did you mean that you didnt waste a reservation, meaning you have always got what you wanted? I can never price down correct? And thank you for your reply.....

No -- sorry if I wasn't very clear -- meaning that we never had to "no show" because of change of plans. What do you mean by "never price down correct"? Can I be of help?

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TenerifeSharon

TenerifeSharon

Posted
Posted
I, too, am wondering how far in advance to bid on a hotel for Seattle on Priceline. I have never used that site before so don't have any first hand experience. If I bid on a Seattle hotel and my bid is accepted and for some reason we must cancel our plans, does Priceline have a "no refund" policy? Would we just be out the entire amount they posted to our credit card? I don't want to bid too far in advance and risk losing my money, but I also don't want to wait too long and not be able to get a hotel room. I understand Seattle hotels can fill up quickly in the summer. We are looking at July, 2010.

It is definitely a "no refund" basis. If plans change, you will have lost the price of your reservation. If you have trip insurance, I presume that would cover the loss. We have never taken PL's own insurance because I understand that it is very difficult to get a refund -- your trip would have to be cancelled due to illness or such and, of course, you would need proof of the circumstances. Just a change of plans won't do it!

 

I can imagine that July, 2010 may fill up quickly, now that more ships are being repositioned to Seattle -- and away from Vancouver. If your plans are "set in stone" then it can't hurt to bid. If you are still unsure, then wait awhile. Do your homework at www.betterbidding.com and www.biddingfortravel.com about how much to bid and what zones are where you want to be. I recently helped friends get a good deal in Seattle by "walking" them through the entire procedure -- long distance (phone calls and eMails) between their home in Florida and ours on the Canary Islands. They landed a 4* hotel in Downtown (Renaissance IIRC) for $67 per night and then another 4* in Vancouver. They were very :D:D and are now travelling the inside passage from Vancouver. Of course, their cruise is quite a bit later in the cruise season than yours will be.

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bjkTX

bjkTX

Posted
Posted
I have been trying to bid on a downtown Seattle 4* property and have even tried 3.5* with no luck. But..... my dates are for 05/17-05/18/10. Am I to early? I know these boards say a few months in advance but I like to have my itinerary all intact. Has anybody gotten results for next year yet?

I know I am crazy. But you are all teaching me.

 

We cruise the week after you and I've been bidding twice every other day for awhile - also for a 4 star ($89 then $99) with no luck - but I think it's just too soon for anything to be available. I'm going to book a refundable room in the next few months and keep trying - but I doubt anything will happen until after the first of the year.

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TenerifeSharon

TenerifeSharon

Posted
Posted
No I am sorry, I am not clear. My last bid was 74.00 for a 4*, can I come in with a lower price for the same area, say 3 weeks from now? Or do I have to go up to $75.00??

 

You can rebid every 24 hours at the same exact amount if you are only bidding in one zone. If you add other zones (which do not have any 4* hotels -- known as free re-bids and these alternate zones MUST be checked carefully before each new bid, because changes do occur), then you can rebid immediately and add $1 or $2 to each additional bid. This can be dangerous unless you really know what you are doing -- read up on this procedure at betterbidding and biddingfortravel.

 

It is possible that bidding this early may cause you to bid too much BUT it can also be good bidding very early -- before the competition is also bidding. You can continue with the same bid amount until a couple of weeks before you need the hotel room but it will be a waste of time to do the same bid every 24 hours. Once every week or so is probably often enough for the moment. The advantage to using free re-bids is that you won't miss the possibility that you are only a couple of dollars away from a winning amount. If PL makes a counter-offer (i.e. you bid $75 and they reply that if you add $22 more, you have a good change blablabla...), you know that you are getting close. But, there is no need to up your bid the full amount of what they are mentioning. Add a zone that doesn't have 4* hotels (again, check very carefully and write down all the zones that do or do not have 4* at that moment -- by opening another window or closing your browser and restarting or using a second computer if you have access to one) and divide the difference by offering - perhaps $86. This has been know to be successful quite often. Good luck!!

 

P.S. My most recent success at PL was for a stay in San Diego for December. I bid almost 6 months in advance and got the Westgate (listed as 4*, but much higher at tripadvisor) for $71 per night. I am thrilled -- 4* quality at 2* prices. It allows us to do lots more travelling for lots less money:D

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d-ray

d-ray

Posted
Posted

Thank you Sharon!!! I got a Seattle Radisson Gateway at the airport for 56.00 plus tax total 71.00. I bid 44.00 and Priceline advised 12.00 more, but with Sharons advise, i bid $1.00 more each time, until it only took the 12.00, but I was happy with that!!!! My first one booked.

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TenerifeSharon

TenerifeSharon

Posted
Posted
Thank you Sharon!!! I got a Seattle Radisson Gateway at the airport for 56.00 plus tax total 71.00. I bid 44.00 and Priceline advised 12.00 more, but with Sharons advise, i bid $1.00 more each time, until it only took the 12.00, but I was happy with that!!!! My first one booked.

 

SUPER -- congratulations!! And you will now discover that Priceline is addicting. It gets exciting each time you wait for the results! Have a look and see what the hotel would have cost "retail".:D

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Hope to Cruise

Hope to Cruise

Posted
Posted

Had no luck with 4* hotels up to $100 so tried 3 1/2* at $95 US and was immediately successful. Should have started lower but I didn't think it was going to happen.

 

Got the Pacific Palisades which is on Robson, looks like a great location. Rate at their web site was $155 CAD which converts to $128 US. So I am happy although I do think I could have bid lower.

 

Certainly beats the 2* Comfort Inn I had reserved for $103 US.

 

We are taking the Zaandam south, the only ship in town that day and the last one leaving the Northwest.

 

Found Priceline addictive. Immediately tried to better my Fresno hotel in November and got a great deal, $50 for a Country Inn and Suites. Well, it is Fresno but still a good deal.

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