rasmtsu

Thanks for all the advise. Looks like I'm going to be able to use my military discount to get a hotel (Sheraton, Sheraton Towers or Hampton Inn) for $200. Since my next bid would be in the $200 range, it makes no sense to continue bidding knowing I can get a gauranteed rate just as good-- if not better.

Went as high as $195 with no luck. Now we are getting into a range where getting a 4 star gets painful. We want to stay in a decent hotel-- i.e. not a shoe box or thin walls. I'm hesitant to drop down to a 3 star even though the price would be more attractive; although, I'd appreciate a bidding strategy for 3 star. Guess I'll have to hold my nose and hope not to get a certain hotel. Thanks.

I've followed the first half of your strategy. So far this is what I've done: Select 4* MTW... Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone1... Bid $140, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously. Select 4* MTW and re-bid zone2... Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone1... Bid $160. I'm in my 24 hour waiting period before being able to go up to my max limit. Thanks.

I've tried the strategy up to $160 with no luck. I'm now in my wait period. I'll let you know how things turn out.

I'd prefer MTW. We want to be close to Broadway and Times Square. MTE and UM/CPS aren't the location we are looking for. If unable to get a MTW for our price range, we may consider MTE or UM/CPS. Thanks.

It looks like I'm ready to make my bid. Looking for 4* in MTW 15-19 May (4 nights Mon-Thur)-- not interested in splitting bids/dates Max willing to spend is $180 before taxes

I'm new to this whole bid for travel/hotels thing. I read the FAQ and did a lot of research on the site considering how new I was. I lurked for probably a day while reading over the site. Some of it was pretty straight forward; other parts (like the MOST important aspects of the FAQ) were murky at best. After thinking I had a grasp on the whole process, I joined and meticulously followed their "assistance form" for a bid that I was going in good faith make. I got a very quick response to my request. I put my request in at 10:30 at night, thinking I wouldn't get a response until the following day, but no. I got a response within 30 minutes. On their "form" I indicated that I was going to make an immediate bid. For me, the next morning, but not for her. She sent me a nastygram at 1:15 A.M. wondering if I had made a successful bid or not. I didn't immedaitely respond because I was going to wait until making my bid. Then something happened between the time I went to bed and when I was planning to make my bid, I found out from work (the military none the less) that I was potentially going to be sent on temporary duty during my expected vacation time frame. My boss advised me not to make any purchases until the matter could be rectified. I explained this situation in a very detailed private message. I told her that I my request was in good faith and that I intended to bid as soon as my work situation cleared up. I told her I would post my results. I sent off the private message thinking I did her a favor by explaining things. After sending the message, I forgot about the whole matter knowing my travel plans were on hold. I came back TOBB a few days later and got the badge of honor by saying I was banned. I know I can get into the site via shadowbrowsers. I even tried to send her another message only to be told I'm on her ignore list. I might have just set the record as the shortest lived member over at TOBB. The most pathetic thing is that I'm a newbie and found their site to actually provide a wealth of information. Why she has to be a "BB ****" is beyond me.

I'm new to this whole bidding thing on Priceline. I think I have a pretty good grasp on how it works, but I do have some questions. First off, my planned vacation trip is for 15-19 May. Right now, I have issues at work (i.e. I may not get to go on these dates). As of now, I'm probably 90% certain I'll be able to go, but I'm don't want to place a bid until my work issues are resolved. BTW, my work is in the military, so there never really is a sure thing which leads me to my first question. Does Priceline offer any leniency to those in the military in case duty calls? I know many other businesses do offer this to the military, or are we simply out of luck? Second question, given my travel dates are over 2 months away is it too early to bid? I don't want to play the game where I keep low-balling bids in hope of getting lucky until I get within 10 days of travel. In other words, when I do make all my travel arrangements, I want them completely set in advance. I do realize that some hotels may release rooms closer to my travel dates, but I'm willing to risk that in order to lock up a good hotel at a reasonable price several weeks in advance (at the latest). If I can save $50-$75/night at a 3 or 4 start hotel, I'm willing take the risk of losing out on $100 by waiting until just before traveling. If I can't save the $75 or so now, I'd probably just stick with going to Travelocity"]Travelocity or Expedia. Now for my more technical questions. First off is there a more up to date list of hotels and their star rating-- i.e. what doe Priceline consider to be a 3 or 4 star in the MTW area? Secondly, is the Paramount the 3 star of choice in MTW for Priceline? I've done a lot of research and it seems the Paramount seems to be the one most people get when looking for 3 stars in MTW. Again after researching the hotels in the area, I've heard some negative things about the Paramount. To me, what I've read would make the Paramount be more in-line with being 2 or 2.5 hotel. If I do bid, this is one of the hotels I wouldn't want. In other words, this would not be the hotel I would choose if I knew the names of the hotels offered. In light of this, would I be better of bidding on a 4 star for piece of mind? If I did bid 4-star what would be a reasonable bid? I don't want to go over $225/night INCLUDING taxes and fees. Thanks in advance for any help.