hooperon

Needed one night pre-cruise hotel that had restaurants within walking distance. I was pretty sure I was going to get this hotel and turned out I was right. total cost: $153 plus $27.39 taxes/fees = $180.39. Lowest price (which was hard to find) on hotel website was an AAA rate of $222.72 including taxes. Amenities: Restaurant, pool, fitness, business center, high speed internet access

Forgot to add -- I bid thru the savingsbarn link

First bid $130 - rejected & told to add $22. Added Airport zone, 2nd bid $136 - rejected Added Executive zone, 3rd bid $140 - accepted. Lowest price on Sheraton website (AAA rate) was around $199 Total: 140 plus 25.55 taxes & service fees = $165.55

Success! I went ahead and purchased all 5 nights because we decided to accept whatever we got! And we did get the Hyatt, so that is great. Thanks for all your help and I did use the SavingsBarn.com link. Details: 9/25-30, Hyatt Regency Maui, 4 1/2*, "customer favorite" $217 a night (Lowest rate on Hyatt website was $268/night AAA rate). Amenities: Resort, Beachfront, restaurant, pool, fitness, spa, childrens activities, golf nearby, tennis nearby, business center, self-service laundry. Thanks, Diane

Hi, Thanks for the quick response. I went back to Hotwire to run the checks you suggested, and it kept giving me a screen where I had to register to go any further (after I identified the area I was interested in). Hmmmm. Maybe they noticed I've been checking hotels a lot today and want me to sign up! Anyhow I went in through a different browser and this time it worked as usual. When I checked out all the different date options you suggested, I kept getting the same hotel with the same amenities and with the note "customer favorite". The 3 customer remarks were the same for all the different date options. However, only one of the 3 comments was one that I had seen previously, the other 2 were new -- do they keep changing the customer comments?. The other thing that caught my eye was that all but one of the date combinations showed the hotel at $217. But the rate was $212 for 9/26 thru 9/30. Because of those differences, I'm still debating on taking a chance on trying for the first night only. If I do, I will certainly use your link. Thanks, Diane

Yes, I know I shouldn't use Hotwire if I really want the Hyatt, but reading thru these threads it seems a pretty sure thing to get that hotel if the amenities match. Does this sound like its a relatively "sure bet" to be the Hyatt??? Hotwire has a 4.5* for $217 for these dates. Amenities: Resort, Beachfront, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Spa, Childrens Activities, Golf nearby, tennis nearby, business center, self-serve laundry. Its a "customer favorite" with these words in the reviews: "I travel very much and this is the most beautiful hotel that I have stayed in for this price. The swimming pool was the biggest attraction, with a slide and waterfalls. The entire hotel was spotless and the shopping and restaurants were also great. We enjoyed this hotel very much!" "You won't be disappointed This is the best resort and spa and beachfront in the entire area. Definitely a five-star experience. The rooms were comfortable but the real luxury was the exterior grounds and ocean views." As I said before, we really want the Hyatt and I was ready to make reservations on Hyatt.com. Cheapest rate was $268 (AAA rate). But if I can be reasonably sure to get it for $217, I might take the chance. I also checked the "package" section on Hotwire if that might help identify anything. Using Honolulu as the departure point, two 4.5* resorts were listed: Hyatt: $879 pp Westin: $816 pp What do you think?? Diane

First bid of $40 rejected. Added Bristol zone for free rebid of $45. Got counteroffer message to add $13. I increased the bid to $48 but that was not accepted. Then I added Hartford South zone for free re-bid of $50. This was accepted. Total was $120.68 ($50/nite plus $20.68 tax & service fee). The lowest price I've seen is $114/nite internet rate on the Sheraton website. Used SavingsBarn.com.

Thanks everyone -- I'm now clear on my original question -- that I don't have to close the browser to just add each free rebid zone. However, I'm still not clear on when it would be appropriate to remove an already checked zone by closing the browser. Is that sometimes done in the "free rebidding" process?

Hi, I'm glad to see a "friendly" forum about bidding where I feel free to ask this question. I have read prior threads and I though I understood how to select and use free rebidding zones, but I am still not clear on one thing. Is it necessary to exit the browser and reenter and start a new bid each time I add a rebid zone? I'm not clear on that one. Yesterday I tried using free rebid zones for the first time --- After my initial bid on a 4-star in my desired Zone A was rejected, I wanted to then try again by adding Zone B as a free rebid (Zone B did not have anything above a 2 star). But Zone A and the 4 star category were both greyed out on my screen. I was afraid to just add Zone B with a higher bid amount because I was not sure that the greyed out "4-star" category and "Zone A" was still active. In other words, I didn't want to risk bidding on Zone B only when my intent was to just add Zone B to my Zone A and 4-star selections. So my question is: Is it necessary to exit the browser and then start up again and enter Priceline.com each time when you add a new free rebid zone??? It takes a lot of time to reenter credit card info, but I'm willing to do it if that's the way to go.