mgaebler

I have been bidding in this area for several years and this is the first time I have gotten "Princeton Marriott At Forrestal". I bid at 3.5 Stars. Normally this has resulted in wins at the Crowne Plaza Princeton Conference Center on Scudders Mill Road (Plainsboro, NJ) or the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Princeton (near Hwy 1 and Ridge Road). Bids of $65 and $78 were rejected so I jumped to $88. Prices here have been going up. I think this is a general trend, as opposed to seasonal or a conflict with a conference or two. I used to win here regularly at $60.

Many rebid zones in this area if you stick at 3.5* or above. Bid $55, $60, $66; all failed. Success with $70. Won the Crowne Plaza Princeton. It showed (on Priceline) as having rooms for $109. The Crowne Plaza is decidedly a step down from the DoubleTree, which (less frequently) has rooms with Priceline. When I bid, 'rack rate' rooms at the DoubleTree were $159 a night; I won the DoubleTree last week (1st week of Jan, a slow week perhaps) at $55 for a night, but the rack rate then was showing as $139. So the DoubleTree rack rate, as well as the Crowne Plaza rate, might give you a clue on what you are going to win. I also did this bid at 8:30am this week, vs much earlier in the morning (same day) the previous week, so it may be that the DoubleTree only has a few rooms.

Tried $65... Got a message "During our search for your price of $65, we found a hotel that would accept a price of $90 per room, per night" My normal rule of thumb is that you have to re-bid (using a free zone) by slightly more than half the difference between what you bid and what they suggest,when you get that message above.Against my better judgement, I instead bid $75 (as i had one 2 previous nights at $70). This was unsuccessful, so I believe in that rule of thumb even more. I realized I could have tried to extend my existing reservation but I was interested in bidding "new" in hopes of getting a different place (only because it is closer to my work). My plans are flexible, so I have a backup plan, so it's not a big deal. I of course tried to use the Better Bidding PRICELINE link.

Bid $65 ... no luck I got a message that said, " If you are willing to raise your price by $13 to $78 per room, per night, you can try the same request again right now." Instead, added a "free" zone and bid $65.... no luck. Bid $70 and one. I of course used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. (this bidding was very similar to my last use of Priceline; seems like somewhere between $65-$70 is the new threshold for Staybridge Suites).

Bid $68 and won. Note this was the day before my stay. I have had this experience before of bidding at the last minute and getting the Hilton - seems like they open up their inventory at the last minute (e.g. a few days before but not much more). I of course used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link.

Bid $60 for 10/10-10/12... no luck I got a message that said, " If you are willing to raise your price by $19 to $79 per room, per night, you can try the same request again right now." Instead, added a "free" zone and bid $65.... no luck. Changed my dates to 10/10-10/13 and bid $70... and won. I of course used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. (this bidding was very similar to my last use of Priceline; seems like somewhere between $65-$70 is the new threshold for Staybridge Suites).

Bid $65 and $70 for just 1 night, 9/14. Both failed. Went to $75 for 2 nights, 9/14 and 9/15 and got the Hilton. Happily used the Better Bidding PRICELINE link.

Bid $60 for 9/12-9/15... no luck I got a message that said, " If you are willing to raise your price by $18 to $78 per room, per night, you can try the same request again right now." Instead, added a "free" zone and bid $65.... no luck. Changed my dates to 9/12-9/14 and bid $70... and won. I of course used the Betterbidding Priceline.

Tried bidding 4* in USQ W; USQ E; Embarcadero; SOMA; and Marina starting at $70 and building up $101 in roughly $10 increments. Got nothing. I used to Priceline in San Francisco years ago and got great results. Seems like things have tightened up relative to a few years ago. Used the Better Bidding PRICELINE link and all of the good postings to make my best guess, but to no available.

Bid on 5/19 for 5/19 to 5/21 (2 nights) Bid $60 per night and won on first try. Total for 2 night was $143.60. Best price on the Marriott website the day before was $139 per night (which doesn't include tax and fees) so I saved more than 50%. I used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link, of course.

bid $60 for 5/4-5/8 and was unsuccessful. But was prompted to get a free bid if I raised my bid by $15. This prompt is usually a good sign that one is close, and rebidding 1/3 to 1/2 of the increase that Priceline suggest is usually enough. Instead, I adjusted my dates (decided that was better for me) and rebid at $65, and won at the Hilton. And of course, I used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link.

Bid $60. Rejected but was offered free re-bid at $75. Instead, I added a "free" zone and bid $68 and one. This was all on 2/13 itself (same day). I of course used the Better Bidding PRICELINE link.

Bid $60 just one day before traveling and got it. At Marriott website, lowest price was $229 / night. I used the Betterbidding PRICELINE link.

Bid $60 and won right away. This was 48 hours ahead of the stay. Marriott Website price was $209 at the time. Used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. Thank you, BetterBidding!

Thought everything was sold out for this single night so I bid high. I may have started at $80 and then had to go to $90. I can't recall. In any case, I believe Holiday Inn in Woodland Hills is not listed on the Betterbidding Hotel List, so it should be added to the Betterbidding List. I am fairly sure that I used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link. This was last minute, so maybe Holiday Inn only puts last minute inventory on Priceline, or maybe they keep the price high. From the description: Warner Center - Woodland Hills Area 21101 Ventura Blvd Woodland Hills, California 91364 Amenities: Remote control TV w/ premium channels Radio Alarm Clock Business services Telephone w/ voicemail Iron and ironing board Hairdryer 24 hour front desk On-site Dining

Tried for 3 days, 11/15 -11/18/2010 Bid $60... rejected Bid $70... rejected Tried for 2 days, 11/15-11/17/2010 Bid $80... rejected Tried for 2 days, 11/16-11/18/2010 Bid $80... accepted at Staybridge Suites Chatsworth Tried to add an extra day to the beginning of the stay at Staybridge Suites. Unsuccessful. I was then able to win a bid for a single day on 11/15 at $90, but I'll post that as a separate entry. I used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link, although I then tried to apply a priceline cash reward, so it may not have worked.

Bid $60 at first and was offered a "free rebid" if I bid $75. Instead, I added another zone (with no 3 star in it) and re-bid $65. All of this was on 10/22, just a few days before the trip. I used the PRICELINE link at BetterBidding.com.

Editor, I think I did use the BetterBidding PRICELINE link, although I could be mistaken. Can you check and update this post? Thanks. mgaebler

Bid $60 per night and got it right away. Bid was place on early hours of 9/25. My sense is that Marriott puts inventory into Priceline at the last minute, so bidding close to the date one wants can help. Takes of $31.83 and $180 for 3 nights, so a total of $211.83 for 3 nights. Although you can pay for parking, there is free overnight parking on the streets nearby. Also, for wireless at the Marriott, it pays to have a Boingo account (about $10 a month, vs $12 per day).

Bid $60 for 1 night and was unsuccessful, but was prompted to get a free rebid if I bid $75... this is a sure sign of "weakness" by Priceline. I added a free zone and rebid $65: success, got the Marriott. I then added a 2nd night at the same price.

Won 8/22-8/23/10 only for $81 per night Also tried for 2 nights or more, going up to $90, but was unsuccessful. The rate on the Residence Inn website was $249, so that suggests that they were mostly booked up.

Successful bid just a couple of days ahead of time. Alas, I believe I wasn't able to use the BetterBidding PRICELINE link because my corporate firewall filters out the redirect.

Tried up to $25 with no luck.

Bid $60... rejected, but offered a re-bid if I bid $15 more ($75). My experience is that this means that I'm "close". Added a free zone (Studio City) with no 3 star, rebid $65/night, and got it.

Bid $65 and won. Bid was made on 8/1/2010, so just a couple of nights ahead of my stay.