Priceline Hotel: 4* Priceline in Santa Monica, CA, 4/25-29/09

[ooglia]

I was looking to find a 4* Priceline hotel in Santa Monica, CA for 4/25-29/09. I checked out the hotel list and while it says that the Santa Monica Beach Hotel is 4*, but at the same time it says that 4* bidding no longer offered in this zone. When you go to the Priceline website, it does show a 4* hotel available in Santa Monica. I am confused as to what is going on and I hope someone can clarify for me.

Thanks,

ooglia

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

The "retail" version and "opaque" version of PRICELINE each use a different universe of hotels... it is likely that this property is not currently offered thru the opaque sider of their business.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[ooglia]

I am not familiar with the "retail" and "opaque" versions or exactly what they refer to. What I still don't get is how they say that there is a 4* available in Santa Monica on their website and I guess you are saying that it doesn't really exist and if I bid for it, there is no 4* hotel? I have been using BetterBidding for some time, but I have never posted before and I have never run across this problem before. Any additional clarification would be appreciated. Thanks.

[thereuare]

I have been using BetterBidding for some time, but I have never posted before...

We're glad the information on the board has been helpful to you, but it's disappointing that you haven't shared any of your previous wins with the board :) Your previous win(s) could have helped another user with their own trip, just as the posts of others have helped you with your own stays. It would be appreciated if you began to post your wins to the board as you receive them... not just post when you encounter a problem.

To answer your question...

PRICELINE has two different areas of their site... a retail version where the name of the hotel and the price is shown and you shop for whatever it is that you are looking for. This is just like Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.

The other area is the "opaque" ("name your own price") version where you bid for a hotel and are not told the name of the hotel you will receive until after you place a bid and it is accepted.

Not all hotels that participate with the "retail" version also participate with the "opaque" version... so the 4* hotel that you're refering to has chosen to only make their hotel avaialble thru the "retail" version and not made their hotel eligible to be won for 'bidding' purposes.

Does this make more sense now?

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[ooglia]

Thank you very much for your help.

ooglia

[Colfax]

Priceline used to offer 4* bidding in Santa Monica-Marina Del Rey zone, and they stopped. The "4* bidding no longer offered" comment was added to the Priceline Hotel List at that time.

For a long period, I think a couple years, 3* was the highest level offered in SM/MDR.

Last fall Priceline introduced a 3.5* bidding option, and the Sheraton Delfina and Marriott MDR were upgraded from 3* to 3.5*.

About a month ago Priceline reintroduced 4* bidding in the zone. So far noone has reported a 4* win in the zone.

Hotel Oceana, Marriott's Le Merigot, and Loew's Santa Monica are all rated 4* in Priceline's retail listings. Probably the new opaque 4* is one of those three.

The "4* bidding no longer offered" comment should probably be edited out of the Hotel List, as it's no longer true.

Hope this clarifies the situation, ooglia.

p.s. Have you done any more bidding?

[dechass]

Priceline used to offer 4* bidding in Santa Monica-Marina Del Rey zone, and they stopped. The "4* bidding no longer offered" comment was added to the Priceline Hotel List at that time.

For a long period, I think a couple years, 3* was the highest level offered in SM/MDR.

Last fall Priceline introduced a 3.5* bidding option, and the Sheraton Delfina and Marriott MDR were upgraded from 3* to 3.5*.

About a month ago Priceline reintroduced 4* bidding in the zone. So far noone has reported a 4* win in the zone.

Hotel Oceana, Marriott's Le Merigot, and Loew's Santa Monica are all rated 4* in Priceline's retail listings. Probably the new opaque 4* is one of those three.

The "4* bidding no longer offered" comment should probably be edited out of the Hotel List, as it's no longer true.

Hi, is this statement still true?

from the priceline hotel list - oceana is a 3star in santa barbara and le merigot isnt mentioned?

I would like to bid on the santa monica beach hotel, and i will start my own thread, but i need to know if the above is correct.

Thanks.

[thereuare]

As per the comments at the top fo the Priceline Hotel List, Hotels are upgraded/downgraded/added/removed all the time... the Hotel Oceana is currently rated 3* by PRICELINE.

The le merigot has never been reported to the board as a win thru PRICELINE's "name your own price" which is why it doesn't appear in the hotel list. The "retail" and "bidding" side of PRICELINE work independently of each other, and the hotels available thru the retail area are not necessarily the ones available thru priceline's bidding area, and vice versa.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.