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Colfax

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Everything posted by Colfax

  1. Welcome to the board and thanks for your words of appreciation. If both were available which would you prefer: a 4* for $150 or 3* for $100?How low in quality level will you go for savings? 3*? 2.5*? 2*? Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for your purchases and searches.
  2. Do you want to bid up to $130 for 4* first; then if unsuccessful try for 3.5*? Or are you looking for the least expensive 3.5* or higher available in those four zones? Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for your purchases.
  3. $190 is a lot but Palace's regular rate is $309 that night. Still a nice discount. Good to see you around again, vayla!
  4. Welcome to BetterBidding! Priceline uses Alamo, Avis, National, Hertz, and Budget. Hotwire uses the same five, plus Enterprise. Priceline and Hotwire both serve JAC airport. If you'd like help with a rental car bid/purchase please post your dates and desired car class(es). A moderator will probably move this thread to the Car Rental section of the board. Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for your purchases and searches.
  5. How about a 4* in PRICELINE's San Mateo zone? San Mateo's right next to the SFO South-Burlingame zone, and I think a 4* win might be possible there in the $60-90 range. Or a 3.5* in SFO South-Burlingame? Doubletree and Embassy Suites are reported.
  6. North County Coastal zone has been a very tough bid all summer. Glad you got it settled, rrrtina, and none too soon, since you're leaving today. The price might be a little more than you originally planned on but no need for buyer's remorse. This Holiday Inn is almost new and it gets excellent reviews (#4 of 27 hotels in Oceanside on TA). And it's just a few blocks from the harbor. Parking is free at the HI and you would have paid at the 3.5* you originally targeted, so the overall cost will work out the same. The nearest zones to the Airport are Downtown-Harbor Island and Point Loma-Old Town-Shelter Island. Winning a hotel in one of those zones should be easier (and cheaper) than North County Coastal was. If you want help with a bid there please start a new thread.
  7. My best guess is either Days Inn Rocklin or Howard Johnsons O'Cairn Suites in Rocklin. If you purchase please use this HOTWIRE link and let us know what you get.
  8. Friday and Saturday are usually harder to get than the other days. Since your trip is tomorrow I suggest focussing on getting a room for your first three nights at least. You can deal with Friday and Saturday separately and later if necessary. Some things you can try: 1) Repeat the $85/$100 for 3* strategy, but for 8/9-8/12 only. The 3* have rack rates ~$180-220, so $100 is still a good deal. 2) Bid $95 for 2.5* for all five nights. There are no rebid zones for 2.5* in San Diego, so you only get one bid. If you had more time I'd suggest starting lower and bidding up in steps every day. 3) Bid other zones. North County Coastal zone is one of the most expensive this summer, so you can do better bidding someplace else and driving. If you're willing to do this I suggest bidding $55 for 3* in Sorrento Mesa zone. Add North County Coastal at $60. Add rebid zone San Ysidro and bid $65. And yes, if you're going to Legoland and the beach I recommend renting a car if you're able. Cabfares and shuttles will be very expensive. The only hotel that's within walking distance of Legoland (the Sheraton) is sold out, so you're going to need transportation whichever zone you stay in. Please remember to start your bids with this PRICELINE link.
  9. At 4* level you have SIX rebid zones in SF. Those are zones that only have less than 4*. Let us know if you need help determining your rebid zones. Please click this PRICELINE link, select SFO South-Burlingame, and bid $72 for 4*. Then add your rebids, one at a time, raising your bid $3 with each, up to $90. Good luck and please let us know how your biddding goes.
  10. We give bid strategies in pre-tax dollars. What is your bidding limit for a 4*, pre-tax? Something like ~$90-95 pretax will be $110 inclusive. You understand that on Priceline you can get a room with one bed, right? Hotwire doesn't have any 4* near the airport for your dates, but they have a 3.5* in San Mateo-Redwood City zone, which is a good area close to the airport, with two beds guaranteed for $114. It looks like a match for the Crowne Plaza Foster City, which gets pretty good reviews and has free parking. (The hotels in SFO zone charge.) Smokefree, Shuttle, Fitness, Pool, Restaurant, Business, Laundry, Highspeed, Golf. If this interests you be sure to search on 2 adults/2 children. The price is the same whether you search on 2/2 or 2/0, but only the 2/2 reservation guarantees two beds. If you purchase please use this HOTWIRE link and let us know what you get. Or if you'd rather gamble on two beds on PL let us know your pre-tax limit and someone will give strategy.
  11. There's no one date when all schools start but generally it's later than mid-August. You're definitely visiting during Legoland's peak season. Hotels use Priceline to sell rooms at a discount that would otherwise go empty. When the hotel is sold out they have nothing to give Priceline. If you want to try for a 3* you only have one rebid zone, which is San Ysidro-Mexican Border. I suggest $85 for a 3* in North County Coastal, then add San Ysidro at $100. Please start your bids with this PRICELINE link.
  12. This looks like a match for the La Quinta Inn & Suites. If you purchase please use this HOTWIRE link and let us know what you get.
  13. The two reported 3.5* in North County Coastal zone--Sheraton and Grand Pacific Palisades--are sold out for your dates, so I don't think you'll get a 3.5* bid accepted, no matter how high you bid. The highest rated hotel HOTWIRE has in Carlsbad zone is a 2*. Even eliminating your Friday and Saturday at the end (usually the two busiest nights) Sheraton is still sold out and Grand Pacific $299. If Grand Pacific is available on Priceline it will probably be 8/9-8/12 only, and I think you need to be bidding closer to $150, which is half price. Would you like to try for a 3*? HGI hasn't been reported as a Priceline win here, but PL rates it 2.5*.For more info about pricing in North County Coastal zone see this Priceline San Diego thread.
  14. I don't know of a specific event those days; SF has just been busy all summer. With the Prescott now sold out you can almost plan on getting one Queen per room, and probably no upgrades to King or two Doubles will be available. Are you willing to sleep three in a Queen sized bed? If not I'd seriously consider booking another room nearby in advance. At this point a 2* or 2.5* might cost as much as you're paying for the 4*. :)
  15. HOTWIRE has a 3.5* in San Rafael for $92 (less than you've bid on PRICELINE) that appears to be the Four Points. Smokefree, Fitness, Pool, Restaurant, Laundry, Highspeed If you purchase please use this HOTWIRE link and let us know what you get.
  16. With "On Request" listings LMT has to contact the hotel and see if they'll accept the offer. It can take up to 24 hours to hear back. If you can get the Hyatt for $149 that's terrific. It probably beats PL and HW. But it's a maybe. Were your $155/3.5* and $140/3* bids in Fisherman's Wharf only? Have you done any bidding Downtown? Before you contact LMT about the Hyatt I would try bidding up to the $149 LMT price on PRICELINE first....because you'll get a yes or no immediately. Why wait 24 hours for a reply if you don't have to?
  17. Sometimes you can get "Sunday night only" stays for better rates than the rest of the week, and this is an example. Have you tried Priceline's Add a Night feature to see if you can get the Hyatt for Saturday 8/20? If Hyatt's PL rate on Saturday is higher than $80 you'll be told what it is and you'll have the option to accept or not.
  18. Hopefully it will all work out. Maybe someone with a two-bed reservation will cancel at last minute. Fingers crossed!
  19. You can bid to $150 for 4* first; then to $150 for 3.5*; then to $150 for 3*. Or if you don't want to do all that bidding you can go straight to 3* and Priceline will upgrade you if a 3.5* or 4* has a lower Priceline rate than a 3*. Since you've got 3+ weeks to go I suggest trying for the 4* first. When bidding for a 4* in SF you've got SIX rebid zones. Those are zones that only have hotels less than 4* quality. When bidding for a 3.5* in SF you've got FIVE rebid zones. Fisherman's Wharf zone goes as high as 3.5*, so it's a rebid zone for 4* but not for 3.5*. If you need help ID'ing your rebid zones feel free to ask. First for 4*: 1) Click this PRICELINE link 2) Select USE, USW, SOMA, and Embarcadero and bid $120 for 4*. 3) If rejected add the six rebids, one at a time, raising your bid $5 with each, up to $150. If that doesn't work exit Priceline and close browser to start over for 3.5*. 1) Click this PRICELINE link 2) Select USE, USW, SOMA, and Embarcadero and bid $125 for 3.5*. 3) If rejected add the five rebids, one a time, raising your bid $5 with each, up to $150. If those don't work report back and someone will give a 3* strategy. 3* is a little trickier to bid because there's only one rebid zone for 3*. Good luck!
  20. If this thread seems a little confusing two threads were merged. sophielaura, Priceline only guarantees double occupancy which could be a room with one bed. There are cities/zones/hotel chains where it's usually easy to get two beds on request, and bidders who mostly use Priceline in those places sometimes get the idea that two beds for free on request is the norm everywhere. It's not. Union Square area is one of those neighborhoods where one bed is the norm on Priceline, and two beds if you're lucky. A lot of hotels near Union Square are 80-100 years old, built when hotel rooms were smaller than they are today, and there's just not room for two beds. They can be very nice hotels, but with small rooms. Paying an upgrade fee for two beds is common near Union Square. Not just on Priceline. The hotels charge more for two beds to guests who book conventionally too. Some of the newer hotels like Hilton and Parc55 have bigger rooms and more two-beds, but there's no way to assure you'll win one of those on Priceline. When bidders want two beds near Union Square we usually suggest Hotwire, where you can gurantee bedding for all, although HW usually costs more than PL. Two beds are also easier to get in Fisherman's Wharf zone or near the Airport than Union Square. (But not guaranteed anywhere.) If Prescott had two-bed rooms available they might offer them to you for an upgrade fee, but all I see available for your dates is single Queen and Single King, from $349. I see two-double rooms available on other nights, but not yours. I would contact the Prescott and be frank about your situation. "We have two rooms but it turns out there might be six of us. Are any options available? Do you have cots? Could we get two beds for a fee?" Hopefully you can work something out with them. But if you can't you want to know where you stand in advance, so you can make arrangements...maybe a third room if necessary, or a foam pad on floor, if fire code allows. Different subject but this thread shows how sometimes bidding far ahead is best. You got this for $95 bidding last April. Bidding 4* now would probably need $150 or more.
  21. The five rental companies that participate in Priceline also participate in Hotwire. Priceline usually (not always) beats Hotwire on rate. If you see a price drop on Hotwire it's likely the Priceline rate dropped too, and that would be a good time to bid. The car rental forums on BetterBidding can be misleading because they're skewed towards reporting wins and not all the failures, which I think probably outnumber the wins. There are certain circumstances and certain markets where PL and HW work well for car rentals, and others times and places where they just don't work. I often have good luck with weekend rentals or single day rentals, but rentals that combine weekdays and weekends are often problematic.If you want more specific help please post the dates and car class you're looking for. Also it's no longer consistently true that Priceline's fee is always higher than Hotwire's. Lately, on hotels at least, I've seen situations where Hotwire had a higher transaction fee than PL.
  22. Hotel Sierra has never been reported to this board as a Hotwire purchase. And Hotwire doesn't have anything in Rancho Cordova zone for your dates. Hotel Sierra has come up as a 3* on Priceline but if you bid there's no way of insuring you'll get that hotel. Any 3* or higher in Rancho Cordova could come up. If you want to try Priceline--knowing you might not get the Sierra--I suggest $45 for a 3* in Rancho Cordova. Then add your only rebid zone (Parkway-Elk Grove) and bid $50. If you try please use this PRICELINE link and let us know how it goes.
  23. Priceline allows same day bidding until 11pm Eastern time. If Ohio is Central time you'll need to bid before 10pm then.
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