Priceline Hotel: Key West over Easter Time

[bdw330]

Hello,

 

My wife and I are going on a vacation to one of our favorite places (Key West), but are having problems getting Priceline to accept our bids. This is usually not a problem because -  1. I usually have many Marriott points to burn so do not need to use Priceline. 2. I have never had these many issues on Priceline. We are also staying some time up on the mainlaind, which makes things a little more interseting. Now, I did not travel as much this year, so I have minimal points to use through Marriott (enough for one night down in KW). We made all othe other arrangements (Flight + Car) first thinking we have never had problems with Priceline. We have been using Priceline for a good 10+ years now and have never had any issues with the bidding. For some reason, we are for this trip.

 

Here are the details:

 

• April 4th - Flying into FLL. Staying with a friend. (No Hotel Needed)
• April 5th - April 9th. Hotel needed in Key West. To be safe, we booked a room at the Fairfield Marriott for $300/night. We DO NOT plan on using the reservation, but did not want to be stuck in case nothing is available.
• April 10th - Staying in Fort Lauderdale. No hotel needed.

So in other words, we need a hotel Sunday (The 5th) to Friday (The 10th).

 

We have put bids in for these dates and offered any price from $100-$140/night. ALL have been rejected! We were there the same time 2 years ago, and paid $90/night for a room through Priceline. We have been trying a couple of times a day, for the past two weeks too. This includes Old Town and New Town areas of Key west. We also have gone as low as 2 1/2 Stars and get the same results over and over again. We do not want to go to 2 stars, because we have heard horror stories of people getting hotels that are not that good there.

 

We have even tried adjusting our dates - bidding on a hotel from 4/6 (Monday) to 4/10 (Friday), thinking we would bite the bullet and pay full price on that Sunday night (Easter). We have not had any luck.

 

I have never gone over $140/night on a bid, and am getting nervous thinking we may not get an accepted bid. We do realize it is spring break for most.

 

I guess I was wondering if we should hold off, and be patient with Priceline? We do have an expensive back up plan, but would make us virtually "vacation poor".  Is it unrealistic that we could get a room for the above bids ($100-$140), for that time of year? Any advice?

 

Any help would be appreciated, and would of course post any bids we won.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

We look forward to hearing about, and helping with, your future travel plans.

With high demand year round, and not a lot of hotel inventory, Key West is notoriously a difficult location to score a winning PRICELINE bid.

If you try our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com it's easy to see (only checkmark 3* and higher hotels, then click PRICE to sort by price) that the least expensive 3* or better hotel is $239/nite (and the next is $299/nite)... so this gives you an idea of what you may be up against in terms of pricing. At current rates i suspect you're likely looking at $210-$230 to be successful at a 3* or higher property.

If you're looking at an alternative back-up to your current booking you can try one of our other sites RefundableRates.com which makes it easy to see rates that have very liberal cancellation policies (always confirm policies during check-out) as well as see how much more/less it would cost to go up/down in star rating or to stay closer/further from your ideal location.

Based upon the above, what are your current thoughts?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[bdw330]

Thank you so much for your prompt reply and for the sites you requested. We will put them to good use. I appreciate it, although it is not the news I was looking for. :)

 

I know Key West can be a pain. However, I have always had good luck there. Something has changed in the past two years with the hotels. Like I said in my previous post, we were there two years ago, at the same exact time, and got a great rate through Priceline ($90 or $100) and stayed at the Hyatt downtown. Would it be wise to try it in blocks of 2-3 days, 2 days, etc...? I have heard of people having good luck doing it that way.

 

For now, I think we will stick with our Marriott reservation. One of our nights are free, and I am going to try and get more points on my account. They may even lower the rate, which they have done before. I am a platinum member, so they usually are accomodating. I may put our budget we would have normally use for Priceline, into buying Marriott points and then negotiate with them. However, this is just the back up plan.

 

We are still going to try Priceline for a 2 1/2 star or better, $140 max bid. I know it is possible. If I have any luck, I will post my winnings.

 

 

[AaronJB]

Thank you for keeping us updated on what you decide and let us know if you have additional questions.

 

You can also use our RateDrop.com free service to get price decline alerts on regular rate, PRICELINE EXPRESS and Hot.wire listings.

 

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases..

[thereuare]

Something has changed in the past two years with the hotels.

The economy, and the hotel market especially, have gotten stronger over the last few years, so demand is up, as are hotel rates.

Like I said in my previous post, we were there two years ago, at the same exact time...

Same exact dates... or same dates relative to Easter vacation when kids are off from school?

Would it be wise to try it in blocks of 2-3 days, 2 days, etc...? I have heard of people having good luck doing it that way.

You could try it, but you would need to be willing to have to change hotels mid-trip.

 

If I have any luck, I will post my winnings.

Please close this thread with whatever you decide to do for this stay... even if not PRICELINE / HOTWIRE, you cancel this location as a stop on your trip, you book direct, with points, etc. as this helps keep the board better organized and more useful for everyone, as well as being a courtesy to anyone who took the time to help with your travel plans.

We also hope that you share any future wins for other destinations with the board so that others can benefit from the information.

Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.

[dahammer]

I have stayed in Key West twice during the Easter Holiday with my family of four. It is high season and hotels will not have problems selling out between Wednesday to Sunday of Easter week.

I have no problems staying at 1 and 2* properties when traveling on business solo, but I could not risk it with a vacation. We ended up in a family suite at the Courtyard and really enjoyed it. The room was quiet and faced the courtyard and pool area, it was great and I wouldn't hesitate to return. Breakfast is not included, but there is a McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts nearby.

I would keep your reservation at the Fairfield Inn and continue to monitor prices on Hot.wire and Price.line Express. I would also make bids as well and ratchet up the bidding each day, I really doubt $150 will work. I read some positive reviews about the Best Western near the southernmost point, there is a link on the board.

I am a big fan of the Half Shell Oyster bar, they have a great happy hour with reduced prices. The local pink shrimp is awesome, sunsets at the state park are tough to beat. Enjoy.

[bdw330]

Dahammer:

 

Thank you. We will actually be from Easter until the following Friday (4/5-4/10). I am not sure if that is what you meant? I know everyone thinks I am full of it, but yes, we did get a room through priceline as low as $100/night for that time frame. ...As early as 2013 in the Hyatt downtown... From 2007 until last year, we were there every year at that time. Sometimes it was the week before Easter, sometiemes it was after. It all depended on our schedules. We never paid more than $120/night for such places as the Marriott Beachside, Hyatt, La Concha, and of course the Fairfield.  We took a year off last year because my wife was starting her new job then. What a difference 2 years make! Ha ha ha... I think you are right though, we are probably going to have to bite the bullet and stay at the Fairfield. By no means is this a bad thing. Pound for pound, it is the one of the better places down there. Just think it is over priced.

 

If you do not mind me asking maybe two stupid questions?

 

1. When you stayed in 1* and 2* when you were down there, what were they and what did you pay? Honestly, we are not too picky, but there are 3-4 properties I would avoid.

2. When you stayed at the Courtyard (I love it there too!), did you bid on priceline? If so, How much?

 

Thank you in advance!

[bdw330]

Sorry. I meant to add one more thing...

 

It is funny you mentioned the Half Shell. It is one of our favorites too. Maybe I even talked to you there?

 

[dahammer]

My bad! I didn't look at the calendar, your first night in Key West is Easter Sunday. Bidding for Key West seems tough because there are few reported wins, it would be great to have more data points. I always like to hear when someone gets a good deal, it gives me hope! With school schedules and such, the week leading up to Easter is in high demand and for the two years we went, we could not find anything less than $300 a night.

As for our Courtyard stay, we had to book direct and I think we got the AAA rate for Friday-Monday of Easter Weekend 2013, it was around $340 for that Family Suite, which I would recommend highly. We thought about the Fairfield, but the rooms were smaller and we were a party of four with adult children.

As for the 1 and 2* property reference, this is when I am traveling solo for business in places like Secaucus, NJ. But for a family vacation I could not risk staying at a 1 or 2*.

Close to the Half Shell is Turtle Krawls and Schooners Wharf Bar, two other favorites. Hope you are successful and that you have great weather.