TravelGeek Posted June 30, 2016 Report Share Posted June 30, 2016 Hello all, Instead of listing them all in the title, I'm looking to stay "downtown" so Fisherman's Wharf, Financial District, USE & USW (I have heard they can be sketchy areas after dark). I'm new to the board and to Priceline bidding…I've been doing a bunch of reading but still have a few questions (that may or may not have solid answers). -Is a Saturday check-in really an issue? -Is there a "don't even bother" opening bid? I have been looking at the "median retail price" on PL but have no real frame of reference…do I just cut that number in half? -Should one wait until closer to the date? Will "last minute" bidders have a better chance at a lower price? -Is it kind of like a reverse game of chicken? Are the hotels lowering their prices? meaning…will I have a chance if I continue to place the same bid each day? Or should I just scrap that idea and keep upping my bid until someone bites. -Will someone here tell me if I need to lower my expectations? "I'd like a 5* room for $50 a night" "yeah, you are going to want to look at some 2* places" Thanks for taking the time to read all this and if the answers are already posted somewhere, feel free to just point me in the right direction. Scott Link to comment
AaronJB Posted June 30, 2016 Report Share Posted June 30, 2016 "Saturday Check-in". * Every day is really a case-by-case basis. This Saturday in Chicago (for example) may be towards the bottom end of the range for the season, but next Saturday may be exceedingly busy and expensive because of a convention or other event. "Don't Even Bother Bid" * It really varies from city-to-city and day-to-day. It becomes a matter of trying to gauge normal rates for the city and season and trying to determine a reasonable floor for bids. In terms of unrealistic, a 5* in San Francisco is not going to be able to be had for $50 even during the slowest periods of the year. "Last Minute" * There is no way to know for sure if rates will come down closer to your stay. After 2008, there was more in the way of "last minute" deals, but in the years since, there's been less and less. Some people do seem to think that waiting until the last minute guarantees better deals, but there have been plenty of times where rates have gone the other way and can do so quickly. "will I have a chance if I continue to place the same bid each day?" *Maybe, maybe not. You have to take into account what prices are doing and the way they are trending. If you keep bidding at $100 for a 4* (for example) waiting for something to accept, the days could go by and rates may move higher. To offer another example, if HOTWIRE is offering a 4* at $110 and you were hoping to get something for $100, you could wait a week and suddenly see that listing at $130 (or higher.) Waiting to save $10 resulted in a listing now being $20 or more more expensive than it was. "Will someone here tell me if I need to lower my expectations?" Absolutely. Let us know more about your stay (dates, desired budget per night, star rating) and we would be happy to research what rates and availability is like and then go from there with suggestions. Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Link to comment
thereuare Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 To add to the above... Using the specific(s) that you mentioned for this upcoming stay i think your $150 budget is possible, but likely going to fall short (i'd give it a 30% chance of so of success)... however, you're not far off, as something in the $150-$170 seems like it would be do-able for a 4* hotel in one of the zones that you had mentioned. As well, any bidding strategy that we suggest will start low and then gradually move higher, so even if something is available for less than we may think, you can still pick it up for the lower price since we start lower than what we think is likely needed for a win. As far as prices coming down if you wait, there is no way to know, it is all based upon supply/demand (which for hotels comes down to how actual new reservations/cancellations come in relative to expected new reservations/cancellations). If the hotel receives more new reservations and/or few cancellations for your dates then rates could rise from here... if they receive fewer new reservations and/or more cancellations then rates could dip. However, with just 2 weeks to go before your trip hotels already have a very good idea of their occupancy levels. Using our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com i'm currently i'm seeing 4* hotels in the zones you mentioned above starting at $225-$250/nite, so it comes down to how much of a discount would you need from this price range to make an 'opaque' purchase worthwhile? If you're ready to begin bidding for this trip please confirm if you want to keep your maximum bid at $150/nite OR if you're willing to increase to something closer to $175 and we will advise accordingly. Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
TravelGeek Posted July 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 Hey Guys, Thanks to both of you for the replies. I have one last question before I move forward...has anyone ever been boned using the trick of picking a zone that doesn't include the star level they want? I read somewhere that if I'm looking for free rebids, I should find a zone with no 4 star places and add that. I'd hate to get screwed by ending up on the other side of town (I'm going to be doing a lot of walking) because Priceline decides to add a 4* at the last second and not tell anyone. Link to comment
thereuare Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 If you use property technique to determine your re-bid zones (as per Priceline Re-Bidding Explained) you should be fine... but as you're new to the subject it's highly recommended that you confirm your re-bid zones with the board before bidding. Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
TravelGeek Posted July 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 Fair enough... Ok, I'd say that I'm locked in with my selections above and am ready to proceed with a MAX of $175 a night (hopefully less). What now? :o) Link to comment
thereuare Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 When bidding 4* in San Francisco you have SEVEN re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding. Select 4* USE, USW, Fishermans Wharf... Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $153, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $155, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 4* USE, USW, Financial... Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $153, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $155, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE... Select 4* USE, USW, Fishermans Wharf, Financial... Bid $158, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $163, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $168, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $170, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $173, if rejected add re-bid zone... Bid $175 Any questions (especially confirming your re-bid zones) feel free to ask. Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Good luck and let us know how it goes. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
TravelGeek Posted July 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 Just for clarification, adding a rebid zone would be doing what we just talked about and selecting one of the zones that does not offer the 4* option, yes? (I tend to move slowly and WAY overthink things when in unfamiliar territory...especially when it involves spending money. You should have seen me buying my new car) ;o) Link to comment
thereuare Posted July 1, 2016 Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 No problem... we prefer questions rather than mistakes. 24 minutes ago, TravelGeek said: adding a rebid zone would be doing what we just talked about and selecting one of the zones that does not offer the 4* option Yes, that is correct... but remember the zone can not only contain 4* hotels, but also not anything higher than 4*, since the star rating you choose with PRICELINE is the minimum that you're willing to accept, and PRICELINE could always upgrade you to a higher rated hotel. Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
TravelGeek Posted July 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2016 No luck today...will try again tomorrow. Thanks for the help :o) Link to comment
AaronJB Posted July 2, 2016 Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 Thanks for keeping us updated! Good luck on the next round of bidding and please let us know if you have additional questions along the way. Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases. Link to comment
thereuare Posted July 2, 2016 Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 14 hours ago, TravelGeek said: No luck today... You went up to $175 and included all four acceptable zones on your last round of bidding? if so, for just $3 more than you have already bid PRICELINE EXPRESS has this 4* Union Square West hotel (confirm your dates on the landing page) with only a Pets Allowed and Free Internet amenities showing... best guess for this one would be The CLIFT; does this work for your needs? Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
TravelGeek Posted July 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2016 Just got accepted...Hotel Grace - $173/night (according to Google Maps, it's 1.4m - 30min walk from where I am needing to be, so that's cool) Assuming they give me the "cheap" room, it is showing at $225/night i booking directly through them. Thank you for the help with this...it is appreciated. Anyone have luck getting bumped up in rooms once they hit the front desk? **I made sure to use your PRICELINE link when booking :o) Link to comment
thereuare Posted July 4, 2016 Report Share Posted July 4, 2016 Congratulations on your success... we're happy to have helped! Glad to see you received a good deal for this stay with some nice savings! This used to be the Hotel California but recently changed names/ownership. At check-in your can inquire about any upgrades that may be available... sometimes you get lucky and they will give you one just for the asking, other times there is an additional fee (usually the difference between their 'standard' room and the 'upgraded room' offered, other times the hotel either can't (because they are full) or won't (as per hotel policy they won't upgrade any bookings)). Bottomline is that it never hurts to ask... and to ask nicely! Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your purchase. Enjoy your stay. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
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