rmunson1

Fitness Center was the only amenity listed. I had concern, for good reason. The only hotel listed on Better Bidding for this zone for 3* was Phoenix Inn Suites. So was surprised, disappointed when this was the result. Oh well, I fully understand no guarantees - now you can add this one to your list.

Painful...12 free rebids at 4*, 10 free rebids at 3.5. 4* bidding started at $55, up to 109 (highest willing to go), failed. 3.5* started at $65 up to 109. So, counting my initial bid plus 12 rebids @4* plus initial bid plus 10 rebids at 3.5* - 24 bids to get in a 3.5* at $109 for the weekend nights. Had hoped for better, but I guess that is as good as it gets. Thanks to Betterbidding for the coaching/tools to use PRICELINE.

Used free rebids for 4* $50- $90. Failed. Then used free rebids for 3.5* $50-80. Then tried 82. Then 84 and won on 84. It was a struggle. Since they offered a 'no bid' $87 3.5* in La Jolla, I thought I might do better. But, that is what I got.

San Diego has many free rebids. I had been trying perhaps 5-6 times over the past month, using 4* and going from $50 - $86. Today, I dropped to 3.5* and started at $50...$78 failed, $80 got the Sheraton.

13 free rebids, had tried numerous times starting around $60-65 ending around $95. Last night, finally won starting at $75, increasing by $5 until I won at $90. The win submission form needs an update - there is no 'Coastal' - the actual area bid was La Jolla.

I have used Better Bidding for years as a source of info to start my bidding. I have also gone to San Diego many times, attempting to stay in the La Jolla area, but bidding an area referred to (previously) as San Diego Coastal that covered a pretty wide range. Looking over the Better Bidding Priceline hotel list, San Diego Coastal is still shown as an area for Priceline, but when you go to Priceline, they have greatly restructured the bidding areas. There are 20, and one is now called 'La Jolla'. 13 of the 20 have no 4*, so if 4* is your desire, you still get your first bid, and 13 free rebids for the 13 areas (that currently) do not have 4* properties. Anyway, given the new zoning on Priceline, I am not sure how you restructure the Better Bidding list, but it should match with the Priceline offerings. Thanks. Here they are: Coronado Del Mar Downtown El Cajon Escondido Gaslamp Quarter - Convention Center Hillcrest - Balboa Park Hotel Circle - Mission Valley West La Jolla La Mesa Miramar - Rancho Penasquitos - Poway Mission Bay Mission Valley East - Central San Diego National City - Chula Vista North County Coastal Oceanside - Carlsbad Point Loma - Shelter Island - Old Town Rancho Bernardo San Ysidro - Mexico Border Sorrento Mesa

Started at $55, increased by $5 for each free rebid, failed at $70, succeeded at $75.

I should have included my bidding strategy. With the so-called $9 add on, and 13 free rebids, I started at $50, $60, $65, $70, $75, $80, $82, $84, $86, $88, $90, $95 and finally a win with a 4*.

I don't know whether or not to believe Priceline's line (we will add $9 per night to your bid). I bid $95, they added $9, making a total bid of $104. Of course I entered PRICELINE from Better Bidding.

I prefer to be 4* MTE, but willing to go for any bargain (nice hotel, nice price, Manhattan). I reviewed some of my prior posts, and have been unable to find warnings from thereuare - that is, he told me about certain zones at certain * levels might result in a 'win' that was a severe disappointment. My vague recollection is 'beware of MTE 3.5*' but I it seems like there were other zones, other stars to avoid, and I just can't remember. So, this post is two fold. Can you remind me what I need to be watchful for? Can you suggest a strategy for the best one night stay in October? I have no budget/no backup plan at this time. I just started looking (actually there for 3 nights, got the Hilton Timeshare tour for 2, they wanted $299 for the 3rd night and I turned them down).

I tried Priceline one last time last night. I bid every NY area except Hell's Kitchen for a 4* and failed at $225! I finally gave up and booked Franklin Hotel 164 East 87th Street New York, NY 10128. I used 'getaroom' and paid $236 plus taxes/fees. Since our target destination is actually 201 E 87th Street (daughter's place), this hotel always had some appeal (queen beds, expensive, so not our first choice, but...). It was a long frustrating month with Priceline. If I'm not mistaken, this is my first time in 25-30 attempts that I have had to give up and use something else other than Priceline. Previously, I was always able to get something at a reasonable price. So, it usually works, but this time it didn't. My initial attempt on Priceline was for 4 nights, 5/10 - 5/14. I spent an inordinate amount of time browsing various web sites. I saw some that showed 5/10 at $219 and 5/11-5/14 at $933!! I saw one that had Tue at $180 and Wed at $310. So, my only conclusion is that I hit some spectacular mid-week event that has nearly every room in NYC booked for some of the dates I was looking for. A very tough reservation to get. But, the saga is over.

Amenities Restaurant, Business Center, Internet - full match with your data base. Thanks.

Thanks for the tip. I may regret this, since I never got past $210 for all 4 nights on Priceline and would certainly have preferred to not move hotels mid-stay. Anyway, I went ahead and booked Hotwire for Thur/Fri nights, now I need Tue/Wed nights. It was the Helmsley, but I knew it was before I bought it due to your incredible data base of amenities for each hotel. $206. Now to try Priceline for the other 2 nights. Thanks.

Update (as an aside - if repeating the same behavior while expecting different results is insanity, then...I'm getting there). Reminder - I'm trying for NYC 5/10 - 5/14, best value I can find. Last night I failed to win bidding 4* $150-$180 for areas I want (TS, MTE, MTW, CPS) and 4 more bids at $180 for areas I don't want so much (Chelsea, Soho, ESB, UWS) and 6 more free rebids for areas that don't have 4* properties, taking my total bid up to $210 for every area in NYC but Hell's Kitchen. Today, just for the heck of it, I tried the exact same $s bid and same areas as last night, but modified the dates. Once for 5/10 - 5/13 and again for 5/11 - 5/14. All failed. Then I tried 3* (didn't bother with 3.5*) for 7 areas that are acceptable (TS, MTW, ESB, UES, MSG, Chelsea, Soho) bidding from $120 - $150 and then did 3 free rebids (UWS isn't exactly free, but Better Bidding indicates no 3.5* and no 3*, only the Empire as a 4* - we've been to the Empire (last time in NY) and find it acceptable) so Coney, Queensboro and UWS I used bids of $160, $170, $180 - nothing. Bottom line, virtually everything in NY, 3*, $180 got nothing. Everything in NY 4*, $210, got nothing. 5/10 is coming soon. I guess I just keep going higher.

This is redundant, but, FYI, I never go to the PRICELINE web site without going to/through Better Bidding first. New highs last night with no luck. - 3* $170 for some new areas (Chelsea, ESB, MSG, UES, TS, MTW (plus Queensboro and Coney Island)) and 4* $190 for every area in New York except Hell's Kitchen and Soho. Later I even tried Soho up to $180 as a 4* with no luck. So, I am only leaving out Hell's Kitchen!?!?! My frustration with other wins continues to haunt me. Priceline has a new feature that allows me to request emails learning about new wins (of course Better Bidding does that, but not everyone posts their wins on Better Bidding). Better bidding is FAR more explicit - it includes the name of the hotel and the dates. Priceline's email only includes the zone, the star level and the price - here is a recap of those emails from Priceline: TS $130 4* TS $120 3.5* TS $140 3.5* I get about one of these per day. Hasn't helped, but I get them anyway! My only plan, right now, is to keep bidding every area but Hell's Kitchen and keep going higher until I get one. If I were to split, would I do Tue/Wed separate from Thur/Fri, or would I need Tue-Thur separate from Fri. My stay is fixed, arriving next Tue, 5/10 - 5/14.

Thanks for the warning about 3.5* and below for CPS and MTE. Duly noted. Current high bid has been $165 on 4* (ESB, MTE, TS, MTW, UWS, CPS). Tonight, I didn't try 3.5* nor 3*. I hate to think of $180-220, especially when I see what other winning bids have been lately, but I fear that is the reality of the dates I have chosen. Anyway, thanks for the info. I'll keep plugging.

Yes, I could split, but probably as a last resort. But, I have browsed around quite a few sites looking for something reasonable and one site was showing me Tue-Thur nightly prices of $166 and Fri night was $219 (can't remember the property). I guess higher midweek vs. higher on the weekend may depend on the specific hotels involved. No, I can't change the dates, the dates are fixed. Not only do I have my airline (I could pay a lot for a hotel before it paid for changing my tickets) but we are going to a 5/12 program at the grandson's pre-school, so the dates are rather immovable. No particular reason for failing to include ESB and MSB (more south than I want, but not horrible), but to confirm, they were not included in any of my bidding. So, yes, I can include those. Yes, I was including MTE and CPS in my bidding at all levels (4*, 3.5*, 3*). Tell me more about 'want to reconsider' regarding MTE and CPS in 3.5* and below bidding (perhaps this is just related to your advice to 'include ESB and MSG') - if so, then I got it. Anyway, if your 'reconsider' comment was because some 3.5* and 3* winning bids in MTE/CPS might not be what I want, then I need clarification! One poster reported $121 for Memorial Weekend MTW at the Hilton, 3.5*. I would have thought Memorial weekend would be much higher demand than 5/10-5/14. That is why I am so stunned and frustrated to be failing in the $160s while going all the way down to 3*. Thanks, Bob

First, my fall back plan - I don't really have one, but if I absolutely have to, I have a VRBO double bed (problem with a bed that small for me/wife) for $800 for the 4 nights. Looking at other recent wins on, what seem to me to be, dates having more demand and they are winning at prices far below my offers. I have been working daily for a week with various bidding strategies, starting low, using free rebids, watching that miserable 'Negotiator' screen (doing refreshes 8-10 times before it tells me my credit card has not been charged). I am using the usual areas - MTE, MTW, CPS and TS with the available free rebids. I have tried 4* up to $160, 3.5* up to $164 and 3* up to $160 with no luck. Is there some monster convention in NYC that week? Prices on Expedia seem to be $300-400 for most rooms. Hotwire's cheapest is $180 for a 2.5* in TS. Not appealing. Hotwire offers a smoking deal of $424 for a 5* in TS, but that becomes $1990 for 4 nights after taxes and fees!!!?!?!?!?! Obviously, I can just keep trying daily and up my price, but seeking any inside knowledge/guidance on what is going on and why can't I get a room? Basically, my plan is to finally force a room by bidding high enough, but it is killing me to pay that much for a room for 4 nights in early May. Thanks for any help/advice anyone has.

I guess I should add, FYI, I never go to PRICELINE without accessing it through Better Bidding. :)

True, they have no way of knowing how many bids I will be making. But, it seems within the realm of computer programming possibilities that they take note that, every time I add another zone, that zone actually contains zero of the star level options for which I are searching. If they could do that, then they would know when I am at my last bid (no more zones left containing zero hotels at that star level). It is just that my last 4 'wins' (2 NY, 2 San Diego) over the past 4 months have been on my 'last' bid. Coincidence? Perhaps. If that happens the next 10 times (I actually use PRICELINE a lot), I will have detected a pattern!

Not a great price, but at least it is done. HOTWIRE offered one that looked like the Doubletree for $126. Others were getting much lower prices on PRICELINE, but they were not August dates. My dates were not flexible, so... With 9 free rebids, I started at $80 and worked my way up to $115 no success (4/22) Today (4/26) I made my second try, starting at $90 and working my way up to $125. I 'won' on my last bid. I wonder if there is any chance that PRICELINE has figured out that the customer will keep on bidding until they have run out of free rebids? Anyway, I have my room.

Hyatt web site offered the same property, same dates for $126.65, so saved a little, not as much as I hoped for. Strategy, with 13 free rebids, was start at $65, increase by $2 per bid, until the 13th and final bid at $91 when I finally 'won'. This was my first day/first time trying for this Memorial weekend. At least I am done with it at a fairly decent price.

I have quite possibly been unrealistically optimistic after reading two postings in early February where they were able to get the W for $90. So, rather than ask for bidding advice, I have been doing it on my own. I was hoping to spend $90, willing to go $130 and have even made bids as high as $142 without success. Due to some personal logistics, I want to confine my search to MTE. I have made my initial bid for MTE and then used my 5 free rebids (Brooklyn, LIC, MSG, Coney Island and UES) to up the price, failing every time. This has been going on every day for 2 weeks, and now I have less than 2 weeks until I will be there! I had been thinking - just hold out, when the time gets near the price will drop. But I remain unsuccessful. During the 2 weeks, I have usually begun at $90 (again, based on the Better Bidding posting where multiple winners got the W for $90), although sometimes my initial bid was higher. My lowest high bid has been $105. My highest high bid has been $142 with may days reaching into the $130s. What's my fall back plan? I don't have one. Just keep bidding higher until Priceline finally gives me a room. But I am running out of time. Any other strategies to suggest other than expand to other areas (MTW, UWS, CPS, TS, ...)? Thanks.

Very disappointed. Not that it might not be a fine hotel at a decent price, but my bidding strategy went south when I miss clicked on my free rebid (UWS when I meant to do UES). ;-( Strategy Day 1 - 4 suitable locations (TS, MTW, MTE, CPS preferred in that order), 5 free rebids using $3 raises. TS @ $90 plus 5 rebids up to $105 MTW @ $90 plus 5 rebids up to $105 plus add TS at $108 MTE @ $90 plus 5 rebids up to $105 plus TS at $108 + MTW at $111 CPS @ $90 plus 5 rebids up to $105 plus TS, MTW, MTE getting up to $114, no go. Strategy Day 2- 4 suitable locations (TS, MTW, MTE, CPS preferred in that order), 5 free rebids. TS @ $115 plus 5 rebids up to $130, except, on the last 'free rebid' I selected UWS instead of UES and I got an UWS property for $130. Darn! Called Priceline, told them about my miss click, about my loyalty, about my many times on the site making successful purchases to no avail. They said a deal is a deal, cannot be canceled. Of course they make that very clear up front, but I thought whining might win them over. Not. By the way, I understand that I could have done pairings (TS, MTW) and triples rather than just throwing TS, MTW, MTE into the mix at the end of my 2nd, 3rd, 4th bidding start, but I thought I could get a win and get it over with, so I didn't bother with it.

Needed an additional room for Sat night only - hoping for the same property as the 2 night stay. So, I put in one bid, area 7, 1 night, 2* $40 and got the room.