Buzliteyear

So Noted.

So, we didn't get to stick it to the man this time via Priceline. :) We just did a direct booking and are staying at the Point Hilton. We had bid the North Phoenix zone again this morning up to $80 with no luck. The Hilton had lowered their rates and offered free Sundays, so at least we didn't play rack rate. (Plus they had a special offereing 4x HiltonHonor Points) Anyway, just wanted to close out the thread. Thanks for everyone's help and to BB. We did use the PRICELINE link for all of our bid attempts.

I know that Priceline is not a good tool for trying to target or avoid a specific hotel. Having said that, is there any value in first researching the direct purchase side of Priceline? For example, if I check the Phoenix area for 4-star hotels and seven hotels come up, is it safe to assume they would be the only ones that could be awarded if I were to switch over to the Name-your-own price side? This would be an interesting experiment.

The battle continues... We've been closely watching the rack rates in the Phoenix area and noticed a drop in prices. We tried bidding again (Resort level targeting Phoenix North, 11/5-11/9) using the numbers below but no luck. The retail rate for the hotel with the most wins in this area is now $118. (When we began this, it was $159) Maybe we're spoiled, but I have a hard time bidding above $100 for a hotel that's going for $118. Even $80 is hard when you're use to 50% plus under retail. With rates dropping, we're going to keep watching and bidding at lower levels. 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100 102 Buz

Sorry about that. Yes, it was the Marriot Philadelphia Airport.

Finally. We've re-bid this one several times, and, finally, we're in. Aaron I changed the level to 3.5 as you suggested and was able to get a deal. $70. (They refused $70. but gave a counteroffer of $90. which I refused) $73. Denied $76. Accepted Others have gotten this property cheaper at off times, but this was an especially good deal for 11/1-11/2. The retail rate for the same room is $219. Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $76.00 Subtotal: $76.00 Taxes & Fees: $18.63 Total Charges*: $94.63 We used the PRICELINE link. Buz PS: Mod's, I couldn't figure out how to change the title of this thread, but I assumed you wanted this posted here rather than open a new thread.

First bid of $55. accepted. Others have gotten this a bit lower, but there are no close rebid zones, so I wanted to get this one done. Rack rate of $89. on Traveocity. Thanks BB. I used the PRICELINE link.

We bid the Philadelphia airport zone, 4 star level hotel for a one-night stay from 11/1-11/2. No luck. 60 61 62 63 64 65 66

We made some more bids today but no luck. Mods, we changed our dates to 11/5 to 11/9 if you want to adjust the title. Our bids for a resort level property targetting the north Phoneix zone were as follows: 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100 102 105 107

They accepted our first bid for $39. This was our first time using PRICELINE for a car rental. The lowest price on the main travel sites was $548, so we saved over a hundred dollars. Now, off to bid on hotels. Your Offer Price: $39.00 (per day) Total Rental Days: 7 days(6 days and 20 1/2 hours) Subtotal: $273.00 Taxes and Fees: $169.71 Total Charges: $442.71

Thank you for asking. We don't really have a pre-set maximum. We're just going to keep inching up until we get that approval screen. So far we've found decent airfare from PHL, so if we can couple that with some good hotel rates we'll be in business.

On 9/29/10 we tried again for a resort property for the same dates targeting the North Phoenix zone in the following increments: 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. No bites or counteroffers. We will try again. We used the BB PRICELINE link. Buz

FYI members looking for a five star property in Phoenix... On 9/27/10 we bid for a Five Star level hotel for 11/2 - 11/8 in the Carefree zone in the following increments: 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 No bites or counteroffers. We used the BB PRICELINE link.

The hotel list doesn't show any 5 star properties, but on the bidding screen, the 5-star selection lights up in zone 2, Carefree. I'm thinking maybe the Waldorf Astoria. Any other ideas? Buz

FYI members looking for a resort in Phoenix... On 9/21/10 we bid for a resort level hotel for 11/2 - 11/8 in the North Phoenix zone in the following increments: 60. 61. 63. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. No bites or counteroffers. Tomorrow, we may bid it up a bit higher, but airfare is high right now, so we may choose a different destination. We used the BB PRICELINE link.

Gran Melia is a fantastic property. We stayed there last year. Congratulations on a great win.

Mods, I originally started an info thread which had some great replies. I put my win in here as a separate thread. I'm not sure how how you guys preferred it. Anyway, started at $39 and went up a dollar and a zone each time. Won it at $50. I can't beleive in this day and age we can get 4* hotels for $50. Just crazy. Anyway,

Got this yesterday. Started at $50 and went up in increments of $5. I was hoping for a riverfront hotel. Priceline should put the waterfront properties in their own zone. Anyway, the retail cost of the exact hotel was $155, so we're happy.

Great posts guys, thanks. We purchased the airfare and are going to do six days between Savannah and Atlanta. I'm not sure how we're breaking it up yet as I'm still researching the activities we're doing to do when we go. I'll probably bid for hotels in both cities this week and a rental car as well. I'll make sure to post all my results. Thanks again! Buz

We will be traveling March 2 to March 9. When using PRICELINE, we generally bid for 4 star hotels.

I will be flying to Atlanta during the first week of March and we're going strictly to explore Atlanta. There are a lot of bid zones. Any recommendations as to zones that would be good or zones I should avoid? Thanks.

Bad news. If you're use to Wynn'ish hotels, you're not going to be too happy with the old Luxor. We stayed there two weeks ago, and were very disappointed. We didn't use Priceline either. I found coupon codes putting the hotel at $55. per night. Just remember, any trip is what you make of it. Go with a good attitude, don't expect too much and you'll be okay. Cheers. Buz

Very nice win. I might try it for two weeks later. Did you use any strategy or just do a direct bid of $80?

Most happy, especially since I was bidding a resort level property close to Spring Break. Accepted Bid $95. night Same dates, room, etc. Hotels.com $239. per night Expedia $239. per night Hotel Site $199. per night Omni Resort At Championsgate Disney World Vicinity 1500 Masters Boulevard Orlando, Florida 33896 321-677-6664 Check-In Date: Thu, Apr 9, 2009 / After 03:00 PM Check-Out Date: Fri, Apr 17, 2009 / 11:00 AM 1st Bid $80. Rejected 2nd Bid $85. Rejected 3rd Bid $90. Rejected 4th Bid $95. Accepted

Okay, disregard. I booked it for a good price. Thanks anyway.