Stan

Need help bidding for 1 night on March 28, 2005 at Sheraton Atlantic Beach in NC. What do I need to do in order to make sure I get the same hotel? I already book 2 nights there. Would like to get additional night if I can. How much should I start bidding? The hotel web site posts a rate of $109. Is there a list of 3* hotels for Priceline in Atlantic Beach? Maximum bid is $60. Thanks. Stan

We stayed at the hotel from September 15 through 18, 2004. The room was clean and there was no bad smell as reported by other reviewers. Yes the hotel is old and needs renovation. There was a problem with the wall outlets. I could not charge my cell phone or PDA because the recharger kept falling off. I reported this to the Front desk, but nothing was done. There are 3 elevators in the hotel and the waiting time was less than 1 minute. I did not see any renovation going on in the lobby as complained by other reviews. The staff was friendly. The hotel is located next to a Police station. So we felt safe the whole time we were there. Overall I think the hotel should be rated less than 3*. After I won the bidding, I checked out the reviews of the hotel. I was very concerned because there were some bad reviews and some good ones. I decided to write a letter to the hotel Manager to express my concerns and to request for a trouble free room. The Manager wrote back and explained the validity of those complaints. In addition, the Manager did offer to refund the money if I want to cancel the reservation. I think she did not realize that I reserved through PL and therefore reservation can't be cancelled with refunds. Stan

Thereuare, Thanks again for your help in clarifying the bidding strategy. Yes, the bid price is still cheaper than booking directly at the hotel web site. My main concern is the condition of the hotel room (some of the hotel reviews were not encouraging). I will find out during my stay there next month. Stan

Thanks Thereuare for your comments. The hotel address is in Charleston and the hotel web site indicates that it is located less than 2 miles from downtown Charleston. In addition, before my bid was accepted, I added Ashley River area. When I made my bid on the 18th, I did not think I would end up winning the bid. I thought my biddings were too low (compared to PL retail price). I did not feel good when PL accepted my bid at $60. Furthermore, after I checked out the hotel reviews, it made me even felt worse. About half of the reviews are good and the half are full of complaints. I wrote the hotel manager a letter the next day to confirm my reservation and to request for a 2 beds room with a nice view and others. A few days later, a hotel employee called to confirm most of my requests. I tried to read your posted strategy, and I don't have the full understanding on the bidding process yet. The four areas That I selected (one at a time) were Isle of Palms (3*, 2*, 1*), Folly Beach (2*, 1*), Downtown Charleston (4*, 3*, 2*, 1*) and Ashley River (3*, 2 1/2*, 2*, 1*). I started the bid at $50 in Isle of Palms by selecting 3*. The bid was rejected and the 3* was greyed out ( Does this mean I was locked at the 3* level?). So I thought by selecting Folly Beach area which has 2* and 1*, I would be still bidding in the Isle of Palms area at the 3* level. So I raised the bid to $55 (after adding Folly Beach). It was rejected. Next I selected Downtown Charleston area and bidded at $56. Here I thought I was bidding 3* in Isle of Palms and Downtown Charleston. It was rejected. Next I selected Ashley River area and raised my bid to $60. At this point I thought I was bidding 3* in Isle of Palms, Downtown Charleston and Ashley River. PL accepted the bid @ $60. Please let me know what I should have done. In retrospect, I should have stop the bidding @$56 and tried again another day. I guess it was late and I was tired and I was not thinking rationally. Stan

Started bid at $50 for 3* in Isle of Palms. Rejected. Rebid Folly Beach at $55. Rejected. Rebid Downtown Charleston at $56. rejected. Rebid Mt Pleasant at $56. Rejected. Rebid Ashley River Area at $60. Accepted. Congratulations, you got your price of $60 for a 3-star hotel room. Charleston Riverview Hotel Your Offer Price: $60.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 3 Subtotal: $180.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $31.11 Total Charges: $211.11 I checked the hotel web site, the rate for the three nights averaged $82. PL showed suggested retail price of $189 which is misleading since the hotel website showed average of $82 for the same dates. Does anyone know anything about the hotel or the Ashley River area? Any comment on the bidding would be appreciated. Thanks. Stan

Hi Thereuare, Sorry for taking so long to reply. To answer your first question, the bid price of $67 was for Niagara Falls, Canada only. My bid price for Niagara Falls NY was in the $40's as you suggested. Priceline only showed 3 areas for Niagara Falls, Canada: Niagara Falls; St. Catherines - Torold; and West Niagara Falls (the last area was not an option). Because of schedule change, I am no longer planning to go to Niagara Falls. I sincerely want to thank you for your offer to help me in the bidding process. I will definetely need your help to get a hotel room in Charleston, SC (between Sep 15 and Sep 18). I will post my question in the appropriate area. Thanks again. Stan

I tried bidding on different dates (Sunday 8/15 through Wed 8/18 and Wed 8/11 through Sat 8/14)) without any success. But I only bidded up to $67 for 3* or 4*. During the rebid, the Niagara Falls area was greyed out, if I rebidded by just changing the dates and price, was I still rebidding for the Niagara Falls area? Is this true for the star also (rebid by just changing the dates)? I noticed that I rebidded for St. Catherines even though I did not select that area. If I selected 2 areas at the same time (Niagara Falls & St. Catherines), and St. Catherines' highest star is 3, if I selected 4*, does that mean I only bid in Niagara Falls area only? Thanks. Stan

Hi, Firts bid at $65 Niagara Falls, On 4*. Bid rejected. Next selected 3* at $60. Rejected. Used back button to first page, selected St Catherines (Thorod) 3* at $65. PL said it was duplicate request. Used back button to first page. Selected Niagara Falls, NY. Fist bid $40 3*. Rejected. Button for Niagara Falls, NY was greyed out. I used the back button to go back to first page and selected East Niagara Falls, selected 3* bid $40. I got the following statement from PL " Your request has already been submitted & received. It is not possible to make any changes to a request after it has been submitted." In your reply, you said to "re-bid zone". How do you do that? After my first bid was rejected, the selected area was greyed out. The only option available was to select a lower star rating. Am I missing something? Thanks. Stan

Hi, Thank you for you quick reply. Yes, Niagara Falls, NY can be an option ( PL areas: Niagara Falls, NY or East Niagara Falls, NY). Thanks. Stan

Hi, I would like help in bidding for a 4* or 3* hotels in Niagara Falls, ON or St Catherines. Bidding dates: Aug. 12 through Aug. 15. First bid at $55 for 4* Niagara Falls area was rejected. How much should I start my bidding for 4* and for 3*? What brand hotels are listed for 4* and 3*? The alternate dates: Aug 19 through Aug. 22. Thanks. Stan

Just want to give an update on the Renaissance Ft Lauderdale Plantation, Fl. It was a very nice hotel worthy of 4* rating. Most of my advance requests were honored except for a room upgrade. The hotel restaurant Bin 595 is a bit pricey. It must be custom in Florida where they include tips on the bill. I made a mistake leaving another tip on the charge card. The location is very convenient to the beach and Miami. When I checked in, I chose to deposit cash instead of credit card ( I remembered theruare 's advice). If I had used the credit card I probably would not have known about the additional charges until I get home. The hotel charged me for the movie that I did not watch ( my kid must have click on the movie chanel by mistake) and for the phone call that was not connected. In the end, they cancelled the charges after checking their records. Stan

The hotel was fully booked the night (4/9/04) we checked in. I found the hotel clean and comfortable. We enjoyed the free breakfast. The hotel provided us with a roll away bed, as requested, without charge. I was a little bit concerned to see that the front desk has a bullet proof side window. I assumed customers have to communicate with the front desk through the bullet proof window after a certain time of the night. Stan

After my bid was accepted, I emailed Marriott with a list of requests, one of which was a request for a 2 beds room as we have 2 children under 8 yrs. Their reply was that I bidded for a King bed room which limits to 2 person in a room. They suggested that we need get an additional room. I called the hotel directly and spoke with the Manager there. She reminded me I bidded for a king bed and that there is not much she can do. I kept pleading with her and finally she said the hotel will provide a roll-away bed. I will find out whether there will be extra charge for the roll-away bed. Will post additional infos after the stay. Stan

First bid at $25, accepted. Only 2* available. Anyone has experience with hotel? Is this a good rate? Any input would be appreciated. Your Offer Price: $25.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $25.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $9.03 Total Charges: $34.03 Stan

:rolleyes:Hi, I started bidding at $24. Bid rejected and PL required increase by +$6. 2nd bid at $30. Accepted by PL. The hotel is Baymont Inn and Suites Brunswick. I went to www.travelnow.com website, price listed at $69.95. It also listed Ramada Inn Brunswick at $49.95 for the same night. From the photo for Baymont Inn, It looks like a nice hotel. Congratulations, you got your price of $30 for a 2-star hotel room. Your Offer Price: $30.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $30.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $9.63 Total Charges: $39.63 I want to thank Thereuare and Bturner13 for their helps. Stan

Hi Bturner13, I did restart my bidding tonight. Please read my first post. I started at $24. PL wants me to increase by +$6. It won't take anything less than $30. Hoteire lists 2* at $35. Regarding my wife credit card, it has both our names on it. Does it have to be her credit card only? Thanks. Stan

Hi, This is a reply to Bturner13. I did use a different credit card and different email address, but I did not clear the cache and cookies and reboot. I use dial up connect. Thanks. Stan

Hi, I just started my first bid tonight at $24, it was rejected. For the next bidiing, PL requires me to increase my bid by +$6. Anything less, PL would not allow me to proceed. I thought one can increase the bid by any amount. If I increase the bid amount by +6, the total would be $30 + service fees and tax of abount $9. Any suggestion? I still have time until April 2. I will be waiting to hear from someone. Thanks. Stan

Hi, Last week, I tried to use my wife's name from the same computer as the person doing the bid. But PL knew and replied that I could not rebid until after 72 hours. Maybe I did not clear the cache or maybe the credit card info reflected my name since we are sharing the same credit cards. If I was not doing it right, please tell me what I need to do. Anyway, I sent PL an email last night asking them when I can rebid again, and their reply was tonight after 9:30pm. I will post my result tonight. Thanks. Stan

Hi, I will start my bidding tomorrow 3/18 (72 hrs wait). I will post the result afterward. Thanks. Stan

Hi, I waited 72 hours after I bidded on Tuesday. Tonight I started with 2* hotel, area Brunswick for April 3, 1 night. I started my first bid at $22. It was rejected. The second time, the 3* and 2* were greyed out leaving only 1*. How come I was not allowed to bid 3 times? What is the proper bid for a 2* in Brunswick, Ga? Do you think I can find a 2 * hotel for about $33 on I-95 in or near Brunswick, Ga without booking in advance? I remember seeing hotels advertised on billboards at that rate while passing through Georgia on I-95. Is there any coupon I can use with my bidding? I checked with Hotwire, there is a 2* hotel for $32 in Brunswick, Ga. Thank for your help. Stan

Thanks for your advice. This was my second time using Priceline since Aug 2003. I did not know that a 4* hotel is a stepdown from Resort. The renaissance is listed as a 3* in other rating. In your opinion, do you think I overbidded by about $10/night? Thanks again. Stan

Priceline. Started with area selection: FT Lauderdale Beach Area, Hollywood and West Ft. Lauderdale-Plantation. I checked off Resaorts. Started 1st bid at $50 2nd bid at $55. Then for 3rd bid, added 4-Star Deluxe and bid $60. Accepted at $60 for Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Plantation (Marriott). Is this good bid price for that hotel? Need your input. $60 per night 1 room 5nights sub-total $300 Taxes & service fees $45.09 Thanks. Stan

The Wyndham Montreal Hotel is located at 1255 Jeanne Mance St., Montreal. Stan

Thanks to Thereuare and VT_hawkeye for your responses. After the first try with Priceline.com 3 days ago, I gave it another try today and got the winning bid for 3* hotel in Montreal for 3 night stays from Aug 12 thru 15. The rate was $55/night + taxes & service fees of $22.04. If I had failed today I would have gone back to Hotwire. I did not check the posting from VT_hawkeye until after the winning bid on Priceline. But in any case it worked out well since it is the same hotel, except Hotwire listed it as 3.5* on hotwire was listed for $57 today, up from $56 3 days ago. I also posted my comment on Canada/Priceline section of this web site. Thanks again to both of you. Regards, Stan