I always add the US-currency after the "Your offer price"-line... it's 87 US$
I went up to 51 US$ / night for 4-star Riverside/Silom, but I just checked, it was for one-nights from 19-21 November, so not exactly the same period... that's probably why! Maybe done 2 or 3 days before.
Shangri La Bangkok
89 Soi Wat Suan Plu
New Road
Bangkok, 10500
Thailand
011-66-2-2367777
Zone: Riverside - Silom
Check-In: Monday, 15 November 2004
Check-Out: Tuesday, 16 November 2004
Your Offer Price: HK$681 (~ 87 US$)
Number of Rooms: 1
Number of Nights: 1
Subtotal: HK$681
Taxes: HK$117.79
Processing Fee: HK$75 (per offer)
Total Lodging Charges: HK$873.79
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Well, a bit more on the expensive side... but I told my problems to get 5-star in Bkk for 2nd half of November already before... so it's ok...
- Tried the 3-star-upgrading-story before for the Holiday Inn, but didn't succeed anymore for this night (within holiday-inn.com prices went up to 95 US$/night for the HI exactly from this day on...). So tried several attempts for Siam Square, 5*, up to 861 HK$! - always rejected, so added Sukhumvit, went down to an offer of 630 HK$ -> rejected, added riverside/silom -> rejected; went up one step to 681 HK$ -> accepted -> Sha-La..
Yeah, I did it too!!! Just been banned from TOBB!! God only knows why..... strange! Well, lucky me I've found this board before ;-))
--- Strange! Just after having posting my successful bid for the Holiday Inn Bangkok (upgrade from 3star level to 4star level!) she banned me... and removed the entry!!! That's interesting!!
Congratulations, you got your price of $35 for a hotel room, and we've upgraded your hotel quality level to a 4-star hotel!
Holiday Inn Silom Bangkok
Riverside - Silom
981 Silom Road
Bangkok, Thailand
Check-In Date: Saturday, November 13, 2004
Check-Out Date: Monday, November 15, 2004
Your Offer Price: $35.00
Number of Rooms: 1
Number of Nights: 2
Subtotal: $70.00
Taxes & Service Fees: $19.12
Total Charges: $89.12
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Well, strange... for same dates before when bidding 4star riverside/silom had been rejected ... - After a lot of rejections for
5-star for all areas of Bangkok... I just became curious and tried for 3-star riverside/Silom... started with 25 US$, then 28US$,
then 30US$... always rejected... Finally 35 US$.... -> Accepted, upgraded to 4star... -> Holiday Inn...
Well, sure, I would have preferred the Marriott - no doubt about that... but for 35 US$ I don't really complain.... Holiday-inn.com says
65 US$/night plus 17% taxes per night (pre-paid). So still a great saving. Will maybe upgrade to executive floor.. will see.
----
By the way... got banned in TOBB after posting this post there.. :) (post deleted already!)
Holiday Inn Macau
Rua De Peguim, 82-86
Macau,
Macau
853-783333
Zone: Central Macau
http://www.sixcontinentshotels.com/h/d/HI/hd/qmpch
Check-In date: Tuesday, 16 November 2004
Check-Out date: Wednesday, 17 November 2004
Your Offer Price: HK$401 (~51 US$)
Number of Rooms: 1
Number of Nights: 1
Subtotal: HK$401
Taxes: HK$60
Processing Fee: HK$75 (per offer)
Total Lodging Charges: HK$536
----
Started with 330 HK$, 4star central Macau -> rejected, next: added Taipa & Coloane Islands, 350 HK$ -> rejected; next: -> 401 HK$ -> accepted..
Was hoping for the Hyatt Regency or similar hotel... Will maybe drop this stay, not sure. Holiday-Inn.com sells this room for same period for 509,60 HK$+15 % = 586 HK$; so not a great saving at all! :)
I'm still bidding quite a lot with Priceline Hongkong - no problems ever. But sometimes I think the accepted-bid-price-levels are not 100 % the same as for Priceline US/UK, and you can rebid every 24hrs and there don't seem to be these 15-18-25-40-55 US$-steps per increase in hotel category. You can bid low and higher 50 HK$ again again and again....
If it was a problem with your card, they wouldn't just reject your bid, they would accept your bid first but ask you to enter another credit card or corrected cc details before they give you the hotel address and confirmation number.
What's happening with Priceline for Bangkok... after my several failings for 5* Hongkong for 2nd half of November, similar things happening for Bangkok now....
- Bid 5* up to 71 US$ for all PL zones in Bkk for several combinations of 12-15th November (one nights up to 3 night-bookings) - always been rejected.
- Now I was attempting to gamble: 1 night for Nov 19 or 20 or 21 (all combinations tried) for 4star-riverside/Silom... I bid up to
51 US$ (!!!) for 4-star... always rejected. Tried same within Priceline Hongkong for 4-star Riverside, starting at 300 HK$.. up to 409 HK$..
-> same: rejected.
(Checked spg.com: Westin / SGS showed avaibility for the dates tried; marriott.com: same, but from around 140 US$ for Quality Room in
Marriott Riverside up, so more on the expensive side. Holiday Inn shows availibitly too, but even there cheapest internet rate 95 US-$!! )
Seems Priceline-price levels for Bangkok will not only go up for 5-star but also for 4-star...?
FFN? = Frequent flyer night?!
Thanks for the update including the conventions!
Thanks Dave. However I don't really think these cultural and touristic events will really affect the PL availability of 5-star hotels in HK, was thinking more of some sort of international convention/meeting/congress etc. - but will try again one of these days.
The Shangri-La is a riverside hotel, not far from Saphan Thaksin skytrain station (10 mins walk); the "Krung Thep wing" is just next to the Skytrain station (separate hotel entry). Stayed at the main wing and payed 15USD++ extra (to the PL price) for a Deluxe Balcony Room which is a bit larger than most of the other rooms (40sqm instead of 34sqm) with a nice little balcony facing the river. The room was indeed large and comfortable, quite new TV (philips) and large king-size bed, sitting area with a couch, large desk with good chair.
The room showed some age, but only looking at the design - everything was very clean, in order and working. Executive rooms should be completely renovated (furniture). Big minibar, big wardrobe, steam iron, umbrella, slippers, bath robes, safe, everything was there. Quite nice bathroom but no separate shower cubicle.
Joining Golden Circle program is really worth it, as you'll get free breakfast (didn't because slept to long every morning :-( ) and probably a one-step upgrade in room category. Excellent service, welcome gift including fruit basket and delicious home-made pralin
Tried A LOT of combinations (2-3 nights) for 5star Hongkong (tried all zones) with different dates 2nd half of November,
each up to around 75 USD (hoping for the Sheraton) but everything failed (the Sheraton seems to be fully booked from
middle of November to Nov 20th according to spg.com, but the *wood online databank seemed to be offline sometimes).
Anyone knows if there's something going on in HK during this period? (I am still flexible with the dates and not in a hurry).
One of the Renaissance-Hotels (4star) would be fine too but I don't want to end up in one of the Regal Hotel or the
Kowloon Hotel.
Macau might be a sort of alternative too (should be the Westin there, the 5-star-PL-hotel), but it's not the same of course :-(.
Really a great hotel, excellent staff, fast check-in, very nice rooms (got a SPG room on the 17th floor), nice bathroom with separate shower cubicle. Welcome drinks served in room, fruit basket, turndown service, great location near BTS and MRT (subway). Lobby in 7th floor, so after arrival you have to take the elevator first and to get to your room you have to take another elevator later.
The Robinson departement store is in the same building, opposite of the Westin you'll finde the Sheraton Grande.
You're bidding far ahead.. but why not.. - Adding zones and highering your bid in the same time may cause an overbid, by the way. But however, apparently you got a good deal anway.
The cancellation insurance offered in Priceline US is only for cases of sickness etc., right? But not if you just cancel or change your travel plans?
It had availability!!! I checked before in systems like HRS.de and Lemeridien.com.... - so indeed verrry risky!!! So I was even someway relieved when I saw the 551 HK$ bid was refused.... (because the Renaissance usually goes for 610 HK$, according to the other - Asian - board...
78 USD ~ 610 HK$, that's my accepted bid ;-)
Extremely happy with this hotel...exactly the hotel I wanted; was afraid to get the Le Meridien Stillhorn... (was bidding in Priceline HK as the Le Meridien Stillhorn hasn't been reported there up to now...).
Great saving, as Marriott.com says 155 EUR / night for the Renaissance for this date.
------------------
Renaissance Hamburg Hotel
Grosse Bleichen
Hamburg, 20354
Germany
49 40 349180
Check-In: Friday, 29 October 2004
Check-Out: Saturday, 30 October 2004
Your Offer Price: HK$610 (~ 78 USD)
Number of Rooms: 1
Number of Nights: 1
Subtotal: HK$610
Taxes: HK$92.95
Processing Fee: HK$75 (per offer)
Total Lodging Charges: HK$777.95
----
First bid, 551 HK$ rejected, second bit: 610 HK$, accepted.
(Tried before for 5star in Priceline US, rejected up to 82 USD).
Booked a harbour view balcony room for 35SG$ extra per night , and been rewarded with a fantastic view on the skyline of Singapore and Marina Bay of Singapore - worth every dollar (the surcharge to the priceline deal). Room was ok, good king-size bed, very nice big bathroom with separate "walk-in" toilet and separate shower and nice bathroom amenities. Comfortable chair, nice large desk, nice TV set and minibar. More a 5-star-hotel in Singapore hotel listings. Location really great, walking distance to Suntec city, Marina Bay (10 minutes walk to Merlion), MRT station however maybe 15 minutes walk (City Hall MRT). 20 minutes from airport to hotel by taxi (around 15 SG$); very nice and big atrium lobby, fast and friendly check-in (they offered my an "executive package" which inluded breakfast for two, 1 complimentary piece laundry per day, free local calls etc. upon check-in including the room upgrade which I took, so all over 55 SG$ extra to the priceline price.) Swimming pool still under renovation, but we could have used the pool of the Marina Mandarin - what we didn't). Nice breakfast buffet by the way.
I never got bad rooms with priceline - at least in Asia. Just came back from stays in Bangkok, and for the Westin Grande, I got a wonderful room on the 17th floor, SPG floor, including welcome drinks, fruit basket, and personal welcome letter from the manager. (and, as usual for Thailand hotels, I got 8 Starpoints - even though nothing else charged to my room, I only paid the priceline rate. Strange. Same for Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit in June). [And I am only a Starwood basic member]
Thanks LHFlyer, indeed I joined the Golden Circle Club already some time ago. I wanted a balcony room in the main wing (heared that Krung Thep wing can be someway loud on the balcony due to near Thaksin bridge). They offered me Dlx balcony room for 15++ USD plus which I took. I was considering Horizon Club room too (50++ USD surcharge indeed; 100++ for Horizon Premier) but decided against it as I usually don't use the lounges a lot. So I think it's not worth for me. And the Dlx Balcony room has 40sqm (not sure if they include the balcony size there) while Horizon Club rooms seem to have "only" 34sqm something.
By the way, they told me that now ALL rooms seem to be completely renovated by now.
...well perhaps it was just a technical problem and the JW Marriott server was stuck or something (however I don't know how it's technically done or how often the room quantities "given" to priceline are updated).. or they sell these hotels first for which they have a larger quantity of (PL-)rooms available.. We will probably never know ;-) - but on the other side, all this imponderableness ("Unwaegbarkeiten" in German) make every PL offer in some way thrilling too ;-)
Personally, I think the Banyan Tree Bkk is some way overrated... the only thing that makes Banyan Tree extraordinary is the great view from the rooms. Ok, all rooms are suites, but with sizes of 48sqm for the Standard suites, it's not such a large difference to the Deluxe rooms at the SGS. I don't have to stay there again. However I have never been to the Sha-La yet, will be my first stay there now next weekend. I am curious.
Congrats to the Westin. Had similar problems to get the Shangri-La for the next weekend in the "western" Pricelines.. so finally got lucky in Priceline HK. Strange! Seems to me the inventories of Priceline US and Hutchison-Priceline are really not identical all the times.
I've read somewhere on a board (this one?) that Priceline usually gives that hotel which price level (on priceline) is nearest to your offer... - which might be confessed by the usual experience to get the Banyan Tree instead of the Sha-La if you bid near to 100 USD, b. ex. (of course, only if both hotels have priceline vacancies during that time). But if, by ex. JW and Westin have the same minimum amount for the same booking day, then I don't know which one scores... maybe only decided by a random generator ;-)
Have a nice stay too in Bkk this weekend!
Yeah, the Regal Kowloon Hotel is part of the Regal-Hotel chain while "The Kowloon Hotel" used to be part of Peninsula-Hotels (not anymore, I think).
Regal Kowloon:
The Kowloon: (don't know the homepage of the hotel, so here's the tripadvisor-link)
4* Hong Kong (Tsim Sha Tsui) Holiday Inn Golden Mi
in Priceline Hotels - Other Countries
Posted
Well, apparently a "new" Priceline-property for Hongkong...
Holiday Inn Golden Mile
Tsim Sha Tsui
50 Nathan Road
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Check-In Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004
Check-Out Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004
Your Offer Price: