SK524

Yeah, makes sense. Kinda silly though. Thanks!

I noticed this (I live here) and took a look at the Priceline zones; this is one of 3 zones but is indeed just called "Winnipeg". However I think it should really be called "Downtown" or at least "Downtown area". Any idea how to go about getting Priceline to update a zone name? I could just email them but thought you guys might have some insight!

Thanks Aaron! Your site is such a valuable resource. I really appreciate it! Have a great day. Sherry

I am VERY pleased to report this winning bid for the W hotel on a Friday night in February! After spending a few days doing research here and bidding (using your PRICELINE link every time, of course!) up to $90 for a 3* in the Downtown area with no luck (hoping to get something close to our friends who are staying at the Embassy Suites), I thought maybe we'd switch to Beach area instead. Used your HOTWIRE link and found what I was fairly certain (thanks to reports here!) was the W Hotel, for $115. Was about to book it but thought I'd better try Priceline again first, since I saw on this board that there was a successful bid yesterday for the W at only $100. I knew of course that I could end up with another property, which was ok. Started bidding $80 for 4* Beach. Rejected, but Priceline told me I could try my identical request again for $100. Knowing I still had several re-bid opportunities, went back and re-bid $85, then $90, which to my surprise and delight was accepted for the W! Total with taxes is $108.63. This deal sounds amazing to me since on their website, the cheapest room for this night is $422!! (which I wouldn't/couldn't ever pay!) We have never stayed at a W hotel so we're looking forward to it. Sorry to go on & on but I hope the details are helpful, plus I'm excited! Thanks again to thereuare & AaronJB (& anyone else) for an amazing website! You guys rock!!

Hi there... Used your PRICELINE link and bid $45 for a 3* in SF as I see from your list that it seems to be a popular win this year! Accepted right away and I'm happy with the result & downtown location. Reg price for this particular night would have been minimum $104. Total with taxes = $56.98. Thanks again for providing this great site! Sherry

Hi, thought I'd come back & add a review for our stay. This hotel was fine, definitely a good deal for the price we paid. We were originally booked for a single queen room but with some convincing over the phone we were moved into a double queen room (which was a higher rack rate but the hotel was not fully booked). The room was nice, good size, and had a fridge & microwave which was a nice surprise. The only letdown was the hotel's website (on the larger chain website) claimed it had free breakfast, but it didn't. However it did have an onsite restaurant which had good prices for a very tasty breakfast. It wasn't fancy, but the pool area was not bad: good sized pool, small hot tub, no-frills-but-hey-it's-free mini-golf and a small arcade all in the centre indoor courtyard. So overall I think this is a good priceline addition.

Hello, just wanted to report a win today for a hotel in Grand Forks. Previously bid $37 for 2* for this Saturday night, rejected. Was offered to up the bid by $10 but have learned from you guys that if there's time to try again, not to accept! Came back and bid $41 and we got the Guesthouse Inn. Have not stayed there before; looks decent for $41 (which is exactly half of the AAA rate for our backup reservation, so that's great!) I notice that this hotel is not currently on your Priceline hotel list for Grand Forks, so maybe it is new to PRICELINE. FYI I have a friend who also won this hotel for $40 first bid, for Fri/Sat night for this same weekend. Rack rate is $90+. Linked in to PRICELINE through your website, in appreciation of past help you guys have provided me with. Thanks thereuare & co. for your fantastic site! Sherry

Well, I didn't expect much of this but decided to give it a try, starting low "just in case" since it had been a while... followed your strategy with some omissions: Bid combinations of MTE, MTW, TS, CPS, 4*, from $120 - 180 with no luck (expected that) (Decided to not include MTS for now) Bid MTE & MTW, 3*, from $120 - 150 with no luck. (Read a bunch of reviews for hotels you've listed as won in these areas and have decided to stick with E & W when bidding 3*, for now anyway) Also I went up in $10 increments instead of $5 just to save time; I figure at most I'll lose out on a possible $20 savings, which is worth the time saved to me! Will try again on the weekend, starting a bit higher. thanks

thanks theruare, you are awesome :) I may not get to bidding tonight but when I do in the next few days, I'll definitely remember to use your PRICELINE link and keep you posted on how it goes! have a great evening. Sherry

hi again, I decided to take a break from bidding but now that our trip is 2 months away I figured I'd start again. Just thought I'd check in to make sure... should I follow the same strategy you provided to me, or change anything? (now that I'm bidding 2 months before and not 3) I will still try my luck with a 4* but fully expect that this will end with a 3* win which is perfectly fine, as my backup is $238/night (Comfort Inn Midtown, good location, breakfast included) so obviously we don't need anything too fancy! Ideally I'd like to get something for $180 or less, and the savings are more important to me than getting a 4*. Our total stay is about $1,100 with taxes and I'd love to save at least $200 off that. thanks!

Thanks, will do. I do have a refundable backup worth $238 in a really good location with breakfast included... so my Priceline goal is to at least get below $200 -- preferably under $175, ideally $150 or so. I do suspect this will put us in a 3*, if anything. This is fine with me; I'd rather pay less for a good hotel than more for a great hotel. That being said... should I even be bothering trying for 4* or should I just concentrate on 3*? Thanks again so much for your help. Hope you are not getting too sick of me!

First time trying Priceline for cars. Used your PRICELINE Car Rental Link. Car type: Minivan Your Offer Price: $33.00 Total Rental Days: 3 Subtotal: $99.00 Taxes & Fees: $52.57 Total Charges: $151.57 Think I did ok with this... saved $20 total over Hotwire and $90 over Hertz direct price. However I suspect I maybe could have done a few dollars better... Yesterday I bid $27 and Priceline responded that my bid seemed low and a $31 bid had a "good chance" of being accepted and $33 had a "great chance". Stuck with $27 to see what happened: rejected. So today I was going to put in a bid of $30, thinking it would get accepted... PL was now saying I had a "good chance" with $38 and "great chance" with $40. Why such a jump in a day!?! I wondered. Well, yesterday they seemed to be right about me bidding too low ($4 under their "good chance"), so increased a bit, to $33 (still $5 under their "good chance"). When it was accepted I was pleased but also wondered if I could have been accepted with $31 or $32. All that being said, my husband and his 4 buddies will be splitting the price of the rental so each of them will still be only paying $30 each, and not having to squash into a midsize car. So, not too bad overall. Yes.... I realize I'm probably overanalyzing these things!! :) Thanks again for providing such a valuable research service, thereuare & co. !

Since you haven't received an answer from "the experts" yet, here's a very basic explanation... I was confused by this at first too so will explain it in the way that made me understand! A re-bid zone is a part of the city that does not offer hotels in the * level you are seeking. So if you're looking for a 4* you can add Brooklyn, Long Island City, Upper East Side OR Upper West Side as locations you are willing to stay in; however because Priceline does not list these areas as having 4* options, they are your "re-bid zones" -- you won't actually be offered hotels in this area, so in a way you're pretending to be willing to accept additional zones. (You can figure out where the re-bid zones are before your original bid by clicking on the different zones and seeing which * levels show up as being available.) So when you bid again, you'll keep your original 2 choices, then add one of the above-mentioned locations and increase your dollar amount. Because there are 4 re-bid zones for 4*, you can put in 5 different bids without changing your dates or star level. Thereuare has a more in-depth and helpful explanation under Bidding Again Before 24 Hours in the General Priceline Tips section. But hope that helps you for now. (Thanks to thereuare and AaronJB, who helped me figure all this out in the first place! Hope you don't mind me helping) :)

Hello again, I've tried the strategy for 3* up to $175; no luck. Rather than adding downtown at this point I think I'll wait a week and try again next weekend and see what happens. Unless you think I should maybe just wait until April or May? thanks for your help for now... will report back once I'm successful! Sherry

Thanks for the explanation; makes sense. I have gone through the full strategy you provided for the 4*s, up to $190, only changing some of the zone combinations / order in a few spots. But I am pretty sure I didn't miss any possible bids. (Used your PRICELINE link) But... no luck so far. Time for bed; will repeat strategy with 3* tomorrow and report back! thanks Sherry

Thanks so much. I did not have time to try this out last night but will try tonight or tomorrow. I am fairly certain I understand re-bid zones but can you confirm: 4* - Brooklyn, Long Island City, UES, UWS 3* - Long Island City, UES, UWS Also I see you're suggesting I start with MTE and MTW... as I'd prefer MTW over MTE (for proximity to theatres), is there any reason why I shouldn't try for MTW and the re-bid zones on their own, without MTE? Not sure if I understand why each bidding cycle begins with 2 options and not just one? (I do trust your recommendations, just want to make sure I understand them!) thanks again, Sherry

Thanks very much for the warnings on room sizes. Given your recommendation on that, and on getting the best quality I can afford, here's what I think I'd like to try. Please recommend otherwise if this does not seem like a good route; you are the expert: 1. Try for 4* up to $180 in Midtown 2. Try for 3* up to $160 in Midtown (or more? If I can't get a 4* for $180, might I have to go that high for a 3*?) 3. Add Downtown; not sure what prices you'd suggest. If my price limits are not realistic, please please let me know. Also, I'm prepared to be patient, as my trip is still 3 months away and I have a backup... if you suggest I try up to a certain amount then wait a week & try again if it doesn't work, that is fine with me. Also if you suggest I wait until first thing Sunday morning, or midnight on Monday or something I will do that too! (Not sure if there is a preferred time of day/week for bidding) Thanks again for all your time and patience with me. I will use your PRICELINE link for bidding. Sherry

Thanks thereuare -- sorry, I didn't realize you were an affiliate for those hotels as well. I actually booked over the phone directly with the hotel but am watching the rates and will re-book if they drop, and will definitely use your link. (However, if I end up cancelling the booking due to a priceline bid, do you still end up benefiting? not sure how it works.) Will for sure use your PRICELINE link when ready to bid though. To answer your question, yes I would include Downtown, but as a last choice. Now, the more I think about it the more I suspect I'll probably end up with a 3* win, based on how much I want to pay, which will be fine (will still try my luck with 4* to start with, but only to a certain $ limit, maybe $190.) That being said, I know you occasionally warn against some potential 3*s. Are there any zones I should avoid, based on your list (which I understand does not necessarily reflect all possibilities), so as not to risk getting a certain undesireable hotel? Are there any here that would warrant me avoiding the zone entirely?

Hi, sorry to poke my nose in, but can someone explain what this means: "I already did some trial balloons" (from initial post) - is this some priceline lingo I have yet to learn? thanks

Hi thereuare; sorry about that -- hope you had a great vacation! I kind of figured $150 wouldn't get me a 4*, but to be honest I'm sure a 3* would meet our needs -- we don't really need to be somewhere too opulent; I'd rather spend more money on entertainment etc., than lodging anyway, and we typically go for basic accommodations when we travel. Last time we were in NYC (2003) we stayed at the Belvedere, and were more than happy with it -- and I think that's only a 2.5* on Priceline? Yes I did book a backup a few days ago, as I know you always recommend that. Wanted to not pay too much above $200 but still be in a good location, so booked the Comfort Inn Midtown for $238 - with good reviews, great location, and free breakfast I thought it was a decent deal; looks not bad even though it's (I think) just a 2*. I would be satisfied to stay there, but I think if I could get something for under $200 by booking through Priceline for a 3*, it would be worth it for the risks of being opaque, non-refundable, etc. So I'd still like to at least try. All that being said - would there be any zones I should stay away from when bidding for 3*? Thanks so much in advance. And yes I'll definitely use your PRICELINE link.

Thanks for the feedback Aaron. I thought that might be tough, but maybe possible for a 3*? Will check out the RW hotel you mentioned, but may still try my luck with bidding and possibly getting something for less in a little while. thanks Sherry

Hi there, just wondering if I have not provided enough info, or too much... or if I am just asking for help too early? thanks, much appreciated...

Hi, just thought I'd throw in that if you are unsuccessful in bidding and are "stuck" with the Belvedere: I stayed there a few years ago ('03) and we were extremely pleased with it. Nice room, great location, the staff were very helpful, and the breakfast was super (full hot buffet in a nice big room). I'd definitely say you're getting a pretty good deal for $209/nt.

Hello, hoping for some assistance in finding a hotel for June 9 - 13 (Monday to Friday). First off, I have read your pros and cons for bidding early, but I'm still wondering if this is way too early? (3+ months in advance) Anyway, here's what we're looking for: - anywhere on Manhattan (but Upper East/West would be last choice). Midtown West first choice I suppose. - up to $150/night before taxes for 3* or 4* (is this possible?) - prefer to pay lower price and get a 3* than more for a 4* (eg. if I can get a 3* for $100 as opposed to a 4* for $150, I'd prefer the 3*. However if my choice is $115 for 3* vs. $125 for 4*, would prefer the 4*. Hope that made sense?) - I do not want to split my bid If this time of year (2nd week of June) is unusually expensive and I'm being unrealistic with my top bid expectation, please do set me straight! (I'm hoping since we are not including a weekend, that will help us?) Was going to try to figure out my own strategy but have learned from experience that your advice is really quite invaluable! I really appreciate it, thanks in advance. Sherry

I see that others have won the PH for much cheaper in Jan/Feb but I understand the prices have been going up for March, and this is a busy weekend (big car show at the speedway and probably other stuff too), and this is for 3 rooms ... so this may not be the best win but we're happy with it, as it's still a better price-location-quality combination than we would have gotten booking direct at lesser hotels. And to stay at PH by booking direct would have been over $200/night average for the weekend. So I consider this a success! Here's what I did: 1. Linked in through SavingsBarn.com :) 2. Bid $85 for Strip South, rejected. Priceline offered me $125; didn't take it. 3. Added re-bid zone (Nellis), bid $99, rejected. 4. Added re-bid zone (Airport), bid $105, rejected. (I was a bit surprised at this, but realized it's a weekend & only a few weeks away...) 5. Added re-bid zone (Summerlin), bid $115, accepted: Planet Hollywood. I didn't ask for specific advice for this but have been reading and using your tips to others, plus the help you guys gave me as a priceline newbie last summer. So THANKS very much for this site; it's very appreciated! Sherry