Summary of Winning Bids on Priceline, Hotwire, etc.

[TNCruzer]

Got the 3 1/2 star Sheraton OSJ for $86. March 15th. Crawling distance to the Victory.

[bubiesmom]

Does anyone have any info on winning priceline bids for march 20-22 resorts in san juan??????

 

 

Still trying to figure the Priceline thing...

[sweetair]

bubiesmom: i checked hotwire for you...looks like the 4 star hotel is $126 per night plus taxes...i figured out it is probably the intercontinental.

If you bid on priceline...resorts...san juan...start your bid lower than 126 and work your way up..you get a few bids per day. Also as far as i can figure..san juan only has one 4star hotel thats the LaConcha and i stayed there last month. It was excellent. **read reviews on this forum**

 

hope this helps you

*sweet*

[Embracedbylife]

Just returned from our stay at Marriott Stellaris booked through priceline! Wanted to give some warning to anyone who has booked this hotel through priceline you are guaranteed a city view room, however we were given the Worst room in the entire hotel. Room 301 right above the band! Thank goodness we didn't check in till 1:30am (maybe that's why we got the worst room??) and the band played till 3am. AFter speaking to the night staff and priceline over the phone we got another room for the other 3 nights. I had to pay an extra $25 per night for an upgrade, but we got an oceanview and it was wonderful! I'll post pics later ont he general board, but please try not to get in room 301 or any room on floors 3-5 - they are just terrible!

[tuliplvr]

Just returned from our stay at Marriott Stellaris booked through priceline! Wanted to give some warning to anyone who has booked this hotel through priceline you are guaranteed a city view room, however we were given the Worst room in the entire hotel. Room 301 right above the band! Thank goodness we didn't check in till 1:30am (maybe that's why we got the worst room??) and the band played till 3am. AFter speaking to the night staff and priceline over the phone we got another room for the other 3 nights. I had to pay an extra $25 per night for an upgrade, but we got an oceanview and it was wonderful! I'll post pics later ont he general board, but please try not to get in room 301 or any room on floors 3-5 - they are just terrible!

 

Thank you so much for posting this information.. i booked my room with priceline and this will be very helpful for my stay there in May.

[manta ray]

Very exicted....We were looking at the Intercontinental for pre-cruise, however when we called the hotel it would have been $300 for one night. After reading some post on this thread I noticed it would be a good chance at getting the intercontinental. We booked on hotwire since their are 3 of us and overall with taxes it was $157 ($119 rate/night). We added the $8 insurance as well.

[bubiesmom]

Very exicted....We were looking at the Intercontinental for pre-cruise, however when we called the hotel it would have been $300 for one night. After reading some post on this thread I noticed it would be a good chance at getting the intercontinental. We booked on hotwire since their are 3 of us and overall with taxes it was $157 ($119 rate/night). We added the $8 insurance as well.

 

Did you know what hotel it was when you booked it?

[bubiesmom]

Got the 3 1/2 star Sheraton OSJ for $86. March 15th. Crawling distance to the Victory.

 

 

HOW? Priceline or Hotwire????????? Great price, but need to know how......

[bubiesmom]

bubiesmom: i checked hotwire for you...looks like the 4 star hotel is $126 per night plus taxes...i figured out it is probably the intercontinental.

If you bid on priceline...resorts...san juan...start your bid lower than 126 and work your way up..you get a few bids per day. Also as far as i can figure..san juan only has one 4star hotel thats the LaConcha and i stayed there last month. It was excellent. **read reviews on this forum**

 

hope this helps you

*sweet*

 

Thanks for responding, the "not knowing" thing is driving me nuts. I've been reading the posts, but can't find details on how people "won" their rooms. Have you had better luck with Hotwire or Priceline? Any bad experiences? Priceline shows 4 resorts in San Juan, do you know if any "other" ones sneak in there? Priceline says that the ones you see listed under resorts may or may not be one of the ones you get. Thanks for any other info you can give me.

[sweetair]

congrats mantaray..i knew the $119 was for the intercontinental That one is fairly easy to figure out :D

 

bubiesmom: i have had great luck using both (no complaints)..The not knowing on priceline is part of the "fun" Afterall, if you got ANY resort at a great price..who cares which one it is. Granted, i prefer condado area over isla verde but the intercontinental is a fantastic resort hotel. Nobody can predict what hotel they may "sneak" in until someone actually gets it and reports it. i personally got what i expected most times.

 

Resort hotels are el san juan,intercontinental, caribe hilton, marriott stellaris IF you cannot accept what hotel you get then bidding for a hotel is NOT for you. Just pick a hotel, pay retail and have your peace of mind.

 

Hotwire gives you the opportunity to narrow down which hotel you may get (read betterbidding.com) to help you...the icons listed describing each hotel is what helps narrow down the hotel itself plus if you press "continue button" it will list more icons, the price you will pay WITH taxes and if you scroll further..the rating on trip advisor. Press trip advisor and look for the star rating based on amount of reviews and VOILA*** thats the hotel.

 

please report back when you have booked.

*sweet*

[royal_flush]

I totally agree. I'm a gambling addict (not really but... I do love Vegas!) and Priceline is sort of like gambling, lol.

[CruiseFanII]

Received Caribe Hilton for $99 plus tax (and resort fee of course) for 1/31/09. Staying there 1/30 and 1/31 - booked 1/30 on points, so all in all am pleased.

[manta ray]

We didn't know which hotel we got until after we finalized the booking and made payment. I tend to like hotwire better when you have more than 2 people in your party because you can select how many the room needs to accomodate. This was especially important when we were trying to get the Intercontinental because they charge $40 more for each additional person after 2 people. We've had really good experiences with the Intercontinental in atlanta. The spa is to die for and the breakfast/restaurants are exceptional. Compared to what we usually pay when staying there, the san juan location is a steal.

[manta ray]

The only problem with hotwire is to really make sure you adjust for the level of hotel you want(at one point it was checking all star hotels) and make sure to also only check the san juan location (other locations of puerto rico were automatically chosen and i had to unclick them. If you don't look carefully, they could possibly choose a hotel for you that resides outside of the san juan area.

[Spice12725]

I got the Intercontinental for $100/night staying post-cruise on April 19, 2009 on Priceline! I am very pleased. I have been trying to get it for pre-cruise (April 10-12) since November and haven't had any success. The highest I have bid so far is $125. I may just bite the bullet and reserve a resort and pay the full price.

[scraggs]

Hi everyone-

 

I have been looking for the Intercontinental on Hotwire and it doesn't seem to exist. All I see are a 4 star in san juan for $202/night (which only got a 3.5/5 on tripadvisor, so it isn't the Intercontinental) and a 4 star in Rio Grande Humacao for $113/night. Am I doing something wrong?

[kpauley]

I needed two rooms; one for us and one for four other adults wanting to share a room. So here are the results.

 

Priceline - $110 bid accepted on first try. Should have started lower, but I'm happy with the results.

 

Hotwire - $132

 

The Hotwire price had been $219 for a while and I noticed this morning it had dropped significantly so I went to PL first for our room because I knew PL would be cheaper than HW then I went back to Hotwire for the relatives since I could specify a room for 4.

[SunnyinMA]

Hotwire booking:

 

InterContinental San Juan Resort Spa & Casino

7/3/09 - 7/5/09 - 2 rooms

102 per night

4-star hotel in San Juan Area

hotwire hot rate

cust favorite

low. price gty

best value

This hotel features the following amenities:

Resort

Resorts offer a complete destination experience. Facilities generally include a spa or fitness center, one or more swimming pools, and superior dining options. Depending on location, recreational activities may include water sports, golf, tennis or skiing. Coastal resorts usually boast ocean views or beachfront access. Note: A resort fee may be charged.

Beachfront

Property is located on the beach.

Casino

Property offers a full-service casino accessible from the lobby.

Pool(s)

Property offers at least one pool area; hours and dates of operation may be seasonal.

Restaurant(s)

Property offers at least one restaurant on the premises; hours and days of operation may vary.

Business Center

Guests have access to business equipment and services; an additional charge may apply.

Laundry Facilities

Guests have access to a coin-operated washer and dryer.

High-speed Internet Access

Guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access; an extra charge may apply.

Tennis Nearby

Property is located within walking distance or a short drive of at least one tennis court; an extra charge typically applies.

Spa Services

Guests have access to a spa facility or spa services; an extra charge typically applies.

[JinxyB]

I had this hotel booked as a military rate of $195 (with taxes = $243) and I just saw on HW the price had dropped for the IC. Cancellled my reservation online and did Hotwire. I really want to stay at this hotel pre-cruise, so I booked it for $129 (with taxes = $162) on Hotwire. I can't wait!:)

[maygoddess]

I just booked the Intercontinental for 2 nights in April pre-cruise for $100+taxes on Priceline. I was really hoping to get the Sheraton OSJ because of proximity to the docks and OSJ, so I put in for 3 1/2 stars + since Sheraton and only one other was 3 1/2 stars. I started at $75, then $85, then when I still couldn't get anything, I went to $100 and got the Intercontinental. I was not really looking for a resort level and was hoping to be closer to OSJ but after looking at photos, the beach and pool area looks really nice and we may enjoy that. I am just hoping it will not be too inconvenient getting to OSJ or to the pier for the cruise.

 

I haven't found any Cc reviews of the hotel.I read a bunch of reviews on priceline after I got the booking..but wondering what fellow cc'ers have thought since they are usually doing cruises before or after.

[JinxyB]

Check out trip advisor for hotel reviews. There are a lot of great reviews for the Intercontinental!:)

[bubiesmom]

It seems like alot of people who do PL wind up getting the Intercontinental. Is this an accurate assessment?

[gfargo53]

trying for a one night pre cruise 03/27/09 san juan resorts i am now up to $165.00 and still denied does anyone think i should start over for a 4 star starting at $85.00 or should i keep going over $165.00 for a resort

[maygoddess]

trying for a one night pre cruise 03/27/09 san juan resorts i am now up to $165.00 and still denied does anyone think i should start over for a 4 star starting at $85.00 or should i keep going over $165.00 for a resort

 

I would lower your search to 3 1/2 stars. That would wind up including 2 hotels..the sheraton and one other..forgot which one..but the rest would be 4 stars. If you dropped to 3, you would include too many hotels you wouldn't want.

 

I just bid yesterday for my april trip and did 3 1/2 stars as my lowest and big $100 and got the Intercontinental. I tried lower, but could not get anything unless I was willing to change my criteria..like dropping to 3 stars..

 

If you really ONLY want a resort...you may want to try a little higher...$165 may be too high..I would try $125 perhaps? if you are willing to take one of the 3 1/2 stars hotels, I would try at $100 like I did.

 

For one night..I think we are probably overthinking it all. I would be more concerned if I was stuck anywhere for a week's vacation! For one night of sleep..get as low as you can and deal with what you get for one night, know what I mean!

[Treadonu]

Booked 3 rooms via Priceline for 1 night before and after the cruise.

 

After starting at $50 and working my way up every day, I ended up getting the Intercontinental resort on 5/9/09 for $92 per room. Regular rate: $195 per night per room.

 

For the other night (5/17/09), first bid was accepted at $50 for the Courtyard By Marriott Miramar. Regular rate: $169 per night per room.

 

Very happy with both hotels and rates. :D