jkloni

(I know this is sort of 'off topic', but I didn't know where else to post it. Someone was looking for a hotel in Tampa that's going on a RCCL cruise and this was posted on the RCCL boards - Posted today on CC message board -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once you have your tickets finalized, you may also want to check HOTWIRE for hotels...I think you will see good deals. You can check betterbidding.com to help ID the properties. the 2 star airport for $48 is probably LaQuinta, The three and half at airport for $56 is probably Embassy suites or doubletree, the $56 three and half downtown is probably Sheraton or hyatt, and the $72 downtown is probably Westin. even with taxes, taxi to port and such, those seem like great deals. :) Kathy

Did you book the room? Was it the Sheraton? Kathy

Looking at Hotwire right now - (these dates are tough - no $76 rates for me. :)) 4 nights 5/5 - 5/9 Can someone help ID these hotels? 3-star hotel in Magnificent Mile Area - Streeterville = $142 Fitness Center Business Center High-Speed Internet Access 3.5-star hotel in North Michigan Avenue - Water Tower - Gold Coast = $153 Boutique Hotel Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Spa Services Thanks, Kathy

I could only be so lucky as to get the Hard Rock Hotel!! Congratulations! Never stayed at the HR Chicago, but have stayed in Orlando and it is fabulous. (at least to my tastes). Enjoy!

Thanks, AaronJB and Ohio Girl. After further review and info, NMA-River North is the best place for us. (We'd prefer not to switch. (Honesty's the best policy :) ) We're staying 4 nights Thurs 5/5 arrival and departing Monday 5/9. So... will it be difficult up to impossible? Looking at Hotwire right now (I know, this is the Priceline forum :)) and I'm going to try and ID these. Thanks again for any and all help! (Don't you hate when you buy airline tickets BEFORE you look for your hotel??!?!!!) Kathy

We are going to Chicago for Mother's Day weekend. Arriving Thursday evening 5/5 and leaving Monday 5/9. I know very little about Chicago, but just searched a little and think we would like to stay in the Loop (river north and west, Congress St to south) or Magnificent Mile/Streeterville area (north of the Loop area). I hope I have the names correct. Just checked Hotwire - and the pickins are slim... I haven't tried Priceline yet but have no point of reference to even know where to start. We'd like hotel close to public transportation (there is such in Chicago, right?) -. If there is another area that I should be considering, please let me know. I also just read the post of the person that has been looking for similar dates on our weekend and has not been successful. I'm thinking Priceline will be the best option. Agree? I'd like the best possible price of course... max bid $120? too low? Of course....we've bought our flights and have now started looking for hotels. So...we have to stay somewhere...or fall back on hotel points if necessary. Going check Hotwire again. Looked this morning and there were only 2 hotels. Looked 10 min ago and there were like 15! Upload on a Saturday morning I guess. (I know I'm in Priceline's forum. sorry). Kathy

Update... We no longer need the rooms for 6/8 - 6/10 because we will be staying with our daughter in her sublet apartment for this stay. (She didn't get the apt until last week.) Thanks for all the help

I'm ready to try again. Should I use the same strategy as recommended before? I really wouldn't mind a 3* if the price was less. We are hardly in our room anyway. P.S. I checked the link for the Beekman Towers and it's $516 total for 2 nights - 1 bedroom suite, 2 people. That's too high for me. Thanks.

What helped me in the beginning with the free re-bid zones was that I made a graph listing each zone on the left side of the paper and listed the stars at the top of the page. Then, when I checked each zone individually I marked an 'X' under each star category that particular zone had. At the end of the excercise I had a visual of exactly which zones had which stars. So in NYC, I have big blank spaces for anything over a 3* in UES and over 2.5* in UWS. All the others have at least 4* hotels in them. I know that those are considered my 'rebid zones' because when bidding for a 4* in say, MTW, and I'm rejected, if I add one of those (UES, UWS) and re-bid, I'm still only searching for a 4* in MTW because there are no 4* hotels in those other zones. This graph helped me alot. I still do it - even after bidding for 3 1/2 years using this board. Since Priceline does not forgive mistakes if you mess up, I'm very careful when I bid and this is the best way I know to make sure I'm bidding for exactly where I'd like to stay....

UES and UWS do not have 4* hotels and are free rebid zones. Did you read that section of this board where it explains this very important part of bidding stategy? This post is probably too late to help you with your earlier post, but maybe can be used in the future. Good luck .... but really read about how to rebid using the free rebid zones that Thereuare linked you to earlier. Priceline Re-Bidding Explained

Well, I needed more than luck...... I used your stategy except I stopped at $160 and was rejected on all bids. I then selected 3* MTE and bid $100, rejected added rebid zone (only one) and bid $105, rejected. Closed browser and re-accessed Priceline (all done thru Savingsbarn.com) Selected 3* MTW, bid $100 rejected Added rebid zone, bid $105 rejected Added MTE bid $115, rejected. I stopped. It's bugging me really bad that hotel rooms are so high for the June dates (I really can't alter the dates because our daughter's 21st birthday is June 8 and she will be in Manhattan for a summer internship) and the October 25-27 dates I have posted on another thread are also really high. How high do you think I'll have to bid for a 4*hotel for my June dates? A 3*? Thanks, as always, Thereuare.

Will be in NYC June 8th -10th, 2006. Bidding strategy for 4* for 2 nights? I'd like to bid as low as possible (of course) - max bid $175 - but I'd really like the $120-$130 range. Zones: MTW, MTE, CP/UMT, MTS Thanks. I'd rather pay less for 3* than raise my max for a 4*. But I'd like to try for a 4* first.

Thanks, Thereuare. I'll keep you posted on my bidding until I win ......or give up. :) Again, thanks for your help. You are really great. (My 2 nights total $381.14 at Radio City Apartments with taxes, etc. . With Priceline a $160 bid 2 nights totaled $381.76. That's why I don't want to go over $160 pre-taxes and fees.)

No pre-taxes. I have a confirmed reservation at Radio City Apartments for a Studio for $165.

All 26 bids rejected just like you thought. I went through SavingsBarn.com each time. What do you think I should do next? Bid this same stategy every few weeks? Wait? I don't want to pay more than $160. Thanks for the help.

I would rather go down to a 3* than raise my bid over $160. I just thought maybe I could start at low like $110 or $120 or so and work my way up to $160 and see what happens. I do have a confirmed reservation for $165 on West 49th, so if I don't get anything better, I still have a place to stay. What do you think?

I know its really early, but I just figured I could try to bid. Bidding stategy? 4* 10/25 - 10/27 2 nights. MTW preferable, but willing to bid MTE, UM/CPS and MTS. Maximum of $150 - $160 but would like to try for less first. I have a refundable reservation for $165, so I'd like to try to be under that. Thanks for any help.

Bid the above. All rejected -- which we both figured, but I just gave it a shot because you just never know. I'll try from time to time using the same stategy, maybe going up $10, but using the same strategy. How much to you think I will have to bid (realistically) to get a 3* room? I checked the Priceline Maps (which are awesome, thank you) and alot of the 3* accepted bids in the history were $150 - $180. I hope I don't have to go that high. Thanks again for your help. I still have plenty of time. Used Savingsbarn to access Priceline for all bids....

Was hoping to get a room for $100 - $110. 3* or above. I know its early, but I thought I could give it a shot with the success I had with San Juan for 11/4. Couple of years ago stayed at the Roosevelt for $100 during Oct. MTW, MTE, UMT/CP. I would bid MTS later if unsuccessful with the above. Thoughts?

I sent an email of my PL win from last night to the people traveling with us and one called tonight and asked that I bid for her. I did. Identical to my previous bid (Resort, San Juan zone, $65, 11/4/06, 1 night) And won another room! Just wanted to post to let everyone know. Used SavingsBarn.com to access Priceline. Now I just have to work on 2 nights pre-cruise in NYC. Don't think I'll be getting $65 rooms there. Thanks for all the great information, counseling and hand-holding. I thnk I'm getting better at it. When I click 'Buy my hotel room' my heart rate goes up and I think I hold my breath. it's like watching a roulette wheel! Sometimes I wish I could bid all the time!

I won! Caribe Hilton 11/4/06 1 night 1st bid, $65 - Resort , San Juan zone - accepted - Caribe Hilton. Your Offer Price: $65.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $65.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $15.93 Total Charges: $80.93 We paid $159 last October for Marriott in Condado (almost $200 after taxes and 'resort' fees). $81 for Caribe Hilton makes me one happy person! Maybe it's a little payback for having to pay $117 for a 2.5 hotel in Miami for February. :) Thereuare, -as always- thanks for your help and support. Sometimes I wonder if you even sleep! And I used SavingsBarn.com to access Priceline.

We will be arriving in San Juan 11/4/06 and want to stay 1 nite post-cruise. I was going to wait to try PL until closer to Nov, but with the $65 Caribe Hilton wins, I'd like to try now. Can someone help with how? Do I select Resort and bid $65 for the San Juan zone? What is the best guestimate of my winning another one of the resort hotels in the San Juan zone for $65? We stayed at the Marriott in Condado last year. It was fine, we'd just hope for different. Thanks.

Winning Bid!! Courtyard by Marriott Downtown $117 - 4 rooms 2/25/06 1 night After the rejections noted in previous post, I went back and bid 2.5* Downtown Miami $95 - 4 rooms. PL came back with the ...add $22... so I did, bid $117 and won. I was afraid to wait or try rebidding in another window because of what happened earlier with PL rejecting the additional $22 bid on 4*. Your Offer Price: $117.00 Number of Rooms: 4 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $468.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $76.04 Total Charges: $544.04 ($136.01 per room including taxes and fees) Miami hotel tax is $13% which (if I figured it correctly) leaves $3.80 for PL fees on this bid. Very happy with the hotel. The Marriott website has this night at $239 -$269, so $117 is a pretty good price I think. I'm just especially happy that this pre-cruise hotel ordeal is finally over. 2/25/06 has had and still has very high rates and lots of sold out hotels. And we are not getting to the hotel until after 1am.... Thanks for all the support and help.

Just bid and was rejected. Bid 4* Downtown Miami, $90 - rejected - but PL countered with 'add $22 right now....' I opened another window and bid 4*, Downtown Miami, but bid $11 more ($101), rejected Added rebid zone, bid $106, rejected. Went to original window and bid the add'l $22 ($112), PL rejected it. - even after they offered the ....bid $22.. Opened new window, bid 3* downtown Miami $100, rejected, Added rebid zone, bid $110, rejected Added rebid zone, bid $116, rejected Added South Beach, bid $120 rejected So now I either go down to 2.5* or wait 72 hrs and try again. Thoughts?

I'm ready to try again. Downtown Miami or South Beach. I'll go to $110 - $120. Think I could get 4 star for that? I'll be bidding for 4 rooms. Thanks for your help.