Craig D

Finally got a bid accepted!

I went all the way up to $150/night for 4* in both downtown and french quarter, with no success.

Started Rebidding for 3.5* in French Quarter and got accepted for $125/night from 11/11/10-11/14/10

Astor Crowne Plaza

Ok. I just included Downtown and bid all the way up to $105 with no luck.

This doesn't make sense...no major events that weekend, it's a Saints bye week, etc. Not sure what is going on.

I'll probably add 3.5* places and see if I have luck.

I just did the rebidding trick and went all the way up to $125/night and I still got rejected

I really don't want to pay much more than $135 or so, so I was thinking that I would try the downtown section and start over. The prices in Downtown seem to be less, so I can start lower again.

Any thoughts?

My bad. I read the rebidding thread but really didn't "get it" until I read it again. Sorry to waste your time.

After looking again, I see that the zones with 4* are:

- French Quarter

- Convention Center and Warehouse - Arts District

- Downtown New Orleans

This leaves 5 other zones that do not have 4*

Using one of your bidding strategies posted before, I will do the following:

Select 4* French Quarter...

Bid $, if rejected add re-bid zone that does not have a 4* in it, such as Metarie

Bid +$5, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid +$5, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid +$5, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid +$5, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Now, the question is what to bid? I'll probably start at $80 to see what happens. Is this too high?

I am organizing a bachelor party and need to book 5 rooms for the three nights. Ideally, it would be a nicer hotel so I figured I'd choose only 4*. I'd like to keep it under $100/night/room if possible.

A few questions/thoughts:

- Does the number of rooms help or hurt me in the bidding process? Should I get a better deal than normal?

- I wouldn't mind downtown location as long as they are close to the French Quarter. It looks like all of the 4* Downtown locations are close except for Maison Perrier Bed & Breakfast. I wouldn't want to be stuck there.

- I read the bidding strategy guide and since the French Quarter and Downtown are the only locations with 4*, I'm pretty sure I can keep adding new areas without the risk of being in a bad location. Is this true? Is it OK to use the Priceline search or are there more hotels that are in the "Name Your Bid" section?

What is the best strategy to ensure that I have a decent hotel in a good location?

Thanks in advance!