Libbyy Posted January 27, 2010 Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 I'm so thankful to have found this site! This is a 4 star hotel in Rancho Mirage - Palm Desert. Amenities:ResortSmoke Free RoomsFitness CenterPool RestaurantBusiness CenterHigh Speed Internet AccessGolf NearbyAny ideas? Thank you! Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 28, 2010 Report Share Posted January 28, 2010 Welcome to BetterBidding!What are the date(s) of your stay? When will you be ready to commit to a non-refundable purchase?Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
Libbyy Posted January 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 Hello there -- I'm gathering my courage to make my first foray into Priceline (and of course will be using the links from this board) to obtain a resort room in the Palm Desert-Rancho Mirage area. I've studied the maps and the resort descriptions and the success stories for the resorts I'm interested in. I'm unsure about one thing: there doesn't seem to be a way of knowing the room amenity details until the bidding is over -- is that right? If having a refrigerator in the room is a crucial thing, should I even be attempting Priceline bidding?Goal: resort room in Rancho Mirage for 3/10-3/15 for something around the $70-80 that others have won. Thanks for your patience and any advice! :) Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 Is the refrigerator for medical reasons? (ie- keeping medicine refrigerated)Most hotels (especially at the higher star levels) have refrigerators for guest use for such an instance, but i wouldn't state that it would be guaranteed.Hover, for a multi-nite stay such as this, i'd suggest still moving forward with PRICELINE and then calling the hotel afterwards to see if they have refrigerators available. If not, you can usually get an inexpensive one for ~$60 or so at K-Mart, Target, etc... amortize this over your 5 nite stay and you should still come out ahead of the game vs. a conventional booking (and adjust your bidding to account for this additional expense should it be necessary)That's my thoughts if you'd be able to deal with buying a refrigerator "if it came to that".Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Let us know if this would be acceptable and if you'd like to move forward. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
Libbyy Posted January 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 Thank you for the excellent advice, thereuare. That's a possibility I hadn't thought of. :)My dates and plans are firm and all we need is a place to stay -- so I believe I'm ready to move forward. I do have one question -- I've seen comments about bidding using "free zones" and I have no idea what that is.Thanks!Libby Link to comment
Libbyy Posted January 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 Tried Hotwire (using the links on the board) instead of Priceline because I'm still chicken. Any idea what this resort might be?3* La Quinta - Indian Wells area hotel for $107Amenities:Resort Smoke Free RoomsFitness Center Pool(s)Restaurant(s)Business CenterHigh-speed Internet AccessGolf NearbyTennis Nearby- This Hotel charges a Resort Fee -Recommended in 65% of customer reviewsGracias! Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 6, 2011 Report Share Posted January 6, 2011 If you're still interested in 'free re-bids' it is explained in detail here: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained. Basically it involves adding zones which you know you can't win because they only contain star levels lower than the minimum star rating threshold you set when bidding. (if you decide to go this route you should confirm your re-bid zone(s) and/or ask questions before bidding)The 3* HOTWIRE property above is a match for the Indian Wells Resort so that would be my best guess for this one.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
Libbyy Posted January 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2011 Thank you for the link explaining re-bidding -- very clear and much appreciated!I just tried Priceline for my Rancho Mirage/Palm Desert Resort for 03/10 - 03/15. I bid $73 and was denied, but invited to bid again. I increased the zone to include Indio (which has zero resorts) and increased my bid to $75, denied again.I've seen some people here get the Westin in Rancho Mirage for that price and lower, but they were bidding much closer to the time they actually traveled. Perhaps that's why I was denied? I'm open to any advice! Thank you!Libbyy Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 6, 2011 Report Share Posted January 6, 2011 It could be that others were successful because they're stays were closer to check-in... or it could be that rates are higher for your dates and would therefore likely require a higher bid to be accepted.The HOTWIRE hotel you asked about above is only 3* rated and priced at $107/nite... if you were considering that why only bid up to $73 for a Resort class property? What is your maximum bid for this stay?Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
Libbyy Posted January 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2011 I bid 73 and 75 because that was what others had bid at successfully for 4* resorts in that area. I figured it was a good place to start, that's all.I'll keep trying. Thank you for the advice and support. Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 6, 2011 Report Share Posted January 6, 2011 What is your maximum bid for this stay? What is the best rate you're able to find at an acceptable hotel thru conventional booking channels?Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
Libbyy Posted January 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Maximum bid for this stay: $110/nightBest rate found at comparable 4* resorts: $183/night (at hotelclub dot com) and $209/night (at travelone dot com) Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 I'm not so sure $110 will be enough for a Resort rated property for this stay... what were the names of the $189 and $209 resorts you found? You've only bid on Resort class properties thus far, not 4*, correct?When bidding for a RESORT class property in the Rancho Mirage zone you have TWO 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.(NOTE: 're-bid zone1' is not the same as priceline's Zone1, 're-bid zone2' is not the same as priceline's Zone2, etc, etc)Select Resort Rancho Mirage...Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect Resort Rancho Mirage and re-bid zone2...Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $100Any questions feel free to ask.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel 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
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