scottlevin

Looks like the Hilton is running for $259 on HOTWIRE. So, yes, I think you are being unrealistic.

Can someone fix the title? I was copying and pasting from another paste to create the title. It's not $183. It's $200. I wish.

Turtle Bay Resort 57-091 Kamehameha Highway Kahuku, HI 96731 808-293-6000 Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $200.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 3 Number of Nights: 2 Room Subtotal: $1200.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $192.48 (USD) Total Room Cost: $1392.48 (USD) Check-In: Wednesday, August 4, 2010-03:00 PM Check-Out: Friday, August 6, 2010-11:00 AM Bid up in $10 increments from $150. At $180, I was told to increase it $40 to $220 in order to win. At $190, I was told to increase it $40 to $230 to win. (This was a different day.) Won it at $200. Not a huge savings versus $219 at HOTWIRE and $277 on the hotel website but a savings nonetheless. Anybody who's stayed there previously know about resort fees? Are they per night per room? Used the PRICELINE link nonetheless.

Realriver, I know you don't have to do this, but could you describe your bidding history? (zones, number of bids, etc.) I'm trying to get a sense of the price range/availability of 2* hotels in NYC. Most people don't report hotels with that few stars.

Update: The glitch doesn't have to do with the bonus cash. It has to do with the counteroffer. Today I bid $120 + $10 bonus cash. It then said that if I raised my bid by $20, I could bid again. So I did! It then told me that inventory had changed and the counteroffer could not be filled. So basically, it's a phantom counteroffer. Who knew that if PL offers you a counteroffer, it could be fake?! Someone should change the name of this thread to: "Beware of fake counteroffers!" I have to ask myself, what incentive does PL have to give a fake counteroffer? It must be a glitch.

I wanted to share this with the community... I had always believed that bonus cash "worked" as PL said it does. But tonight something happened that made me think differently... I bid $130 for a resort in Oahu and was told I could automatically rebid $150 without changing anything. I thought to myself: "A-ha! I'm getting close." Then I realized I hadn't included my bonus cash. So I used another account in a different name that had the bonus cash. I then rebid $140 (+ $10 bonus cash), hitting the $150 mark that PL asked me to hit. And I didn't get it!!! In other words, PL would have given it to me for $150 on one account, but not $140 + $10 on another account. The only other explanation is that the $150 rate got snapped up in the five minutes it took me to switch accounts. If you are a true believer in bonus cash, that would be your explanation. (I used the links for all these bids.)

Okay, sorry for not following up sooner. Here's what happened. We didn't really care for the Waikiki Parc @ $135. We didn't think it was really worth the 4* designation and was not really a resort, like the ones we were looking at. We kept bidding all the way up to $125, even $130 once, without winning. Then today, I noticed on HOTWIRE what looked to be the Waikiki Beach Marriott @ $119. This was for two adults and 1 child, so we could get separate beds. Without the 1 child it was $129. Go figure. So we tried it out and booked it and sure enough it was the resort we wanted! A little more than our initial budget of $115 but not too bad. Here are the amenities, just so people know: (They are consistent with previous reports) Near Beach Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Laundry Facilities High-speed Internet Access So I guess this is now technically a HOTWIRE post and not a PL post. It should probably be moved and the title changed. Sorry I don't know how to do that! Two lessons learned: 1. Sometimes adding a child can get you a lower rate. People should try that if they don't mind getting two beds. 2. Hotwire supply does not equal PRICELINE supply. When I saw the $119 rate on HOTWIRE, I quickly went over to Priceline to bid for the Marriott up to $125. I didn't win. This property was only available on HOTWIRE. Okay, thanks so much for your help, BB!

Looks like he said "Ames."

I guess my question is... do people think it makes sense to try bidding for a resort again later? It seems like there is no inventory right now. What about splitting a bid? Trying to figure out what to do. Thanks!

Very sorry! Clicked three times. Does it help if it's more times? And next time I will only copy the amenities. I'm going to see if I can fix the other post.

Okay, let's see... It's a 4* Waikiki Beach area hotel... "Recommended in 65% of customer reviews" 4/5 TripAdvisor Amenities: 4-star hotel in Waikiki Beach This hotel features the following amenities: Near Beach Property is located within easy walking distance of a beach. Smoke Free Rooms Guest rooms at this hotel are always smoke-free. Fitness Center Guests have access to exercise equipment; an additional charge may apply. Pool(s) Property offers at least one pool area; hours and dates of operation may be seasonal. Business Center Guests have access to business equipment and services; an additional charge may apply. Laundry Facilities <amenity names only please... not descriptions> High-speed Internet Access Guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access; an extra charge may apply. Golf Nearby Property is located within walking distance or a short drive of at least one golf course; an extra charge typically applies. Tennis Nearby Property is located within walking distance or a short drive of at least one tennis court; an extra charge typically applies. Please note that Hotwire cannot guarantee the level of services offered at a property and/or if services are operational at the time of visit. Services may be closed due to seasonality reasons and/or may be closed for renovation. THANKS!!!

Also, I noticed that other people have won with lower bids. Is it that we are staying for 7 nights? Better to split up the bid maybe?

Okay, just to recap, I did all that bidding, all the way up to $120 actually. And we every single one was rejected. I noticed a 4* on Hotwire that is $139 for those dates. I wonder if that hotel is also biddable on Priceline, and if so, how to get it for less? Can anyone ID it? Does anyone have a suggestion for finding an affordable resort at that time? Not sure what we will do. Used the link by the way! Don't know if that helps even if we didn't win.

I will be bidding. Of course I will hit the PRICELINE link! Maximum bid price = $115.

Hey everyone, I wanted to see if you could help me on a bidding strategy for resorts in Waikiki. Levels that are okay: Resort Zones that are okay: Oahu (Waikiki Marina) Oahu (Waikiki City Central) Oahu (Waikiki Beach) This is from 7/28 to 8/4. I think they are willing to pay up to $115 but would really like to keep it as low as possible. After $115, however, I think they would start thinking about trying a 3*, etc. Does anyone have a bidding strategy? Also, what is this resort fee? Can anyone estimate how much a resort fee will be in this area? Like $50/night? Or like $50 total? Or like what? THANKS!!

Just adding in an old win that I never shared. This was for the Holiday Inn LAX, a 3*, for 4/14 for one night. I won for $40. I originally bid $40 for 3.5* and then added in 3*. Won for $40.

Just to give you all an update, we stayed at the Mayfair. It was a nice enough place. Sure, a little run down, but the room was clean, and the sheets were white. What more could you ask for? The neighborhood was not sparkly and clean, but a few blocks away it gets better. In terms of occupancy, they typically give their Priceline customers, it turns out, two TWIN beds. Which is really unfortunate. They ended up charging me $10/night extra (plus tax!) to get two double beds. However, my deal was SO good that it ended up being okay. So more like $50/night instead of $40/night. Also, the $20 thing doesn't really work at a hotel like this. For the record! LOL. Also, regarding parking, we were able to park on the street for free, as the Mayfair abuts a residential neighborhood with non-permit, non-metered parking. So, all around, we really got a "starving student" deal.

Omni Boston Parker House... I won it for $80 for the night of 2/20. This was a while ago obviously. It was a 4* in the "Quincy Market - Faneuil Hall - Financial" area. I bid first for $60 and then for $80 so who knows what could have happened? Maybe I could have gotten it for $70. It was a nice stay. Only got a double bed and wanted a king. They told me they were out. Were they really out? Hard to say. But I got free WiFi for joining their frequent stay club and a newspaper in the morning!

Here's another win from a while back: Club Quarters Boston 161 Devonshire Street Quincy Market - Faneuil Hall - Financial 3.5* I won it for $65. 4/23-4/24. I started bidding at $55 and moved up in $5 increments, so I think this was the cheapest this was going to go for.

I wanted to post some wins to give you all some more info: Radisson Hotel Boston 200 Stuart Street This Saturday night, 5/15-5/16! I won it for $65. I started bidding at $55 and amped up from there in $5 increments, so I'm pretty sure that was the lowest I could have paid. It is: Copley Square - Theatre District It is: 3* Hope that helps!

Also, I didn't mean to sound that disappointed. This is totally awesome! What a great value.

This has probably been discussed somewhere else, but what do people think of the idea of giving the hotel clerk a $20 bill?

Just to update you all on what happened, I bid $40/night for 4 nights in two zones: Hollywood and Downtown. This was for a 2*. I won the Mayfair Hotel, which Priceline classifies as a 2*. With the Entertainment Book taking $10 off per night it came to $150 total, so 37.50/night after taxes/fees. I am hoping to get two double beds instead of one bed because I am traveling with another guy, a big guy for that matter. I have tried calling the Mayfair to ask them what kind of rooms I can expect, but their phones don't really work. This place seems like a REAL DIVE. I probably would not have bid if I had known this was an option, but oh well, that's the game. Now I guess future BetterBidding forum members will know what happens when you lowball a downtown bid at 2*. I'll report back and tell you how wonderful a place the Mayfair Hotel is (or is not).

Oh, I hadn't thought about the issue of winning a downtown hotel and then having to fork over for parking. There's no free street parking after a certain time of night? Also, is the Crowne Plaza at LAX for $42 a standard thing? That seems like a pretty good deal. And do people know if parking costs money there? Lastly, doesn't including fewer areas and then adding more give you more bids? That seems like a good thing right?

Hey gang! I have been reading this site for a long time but never written in. Now's my chance! I am going to be in LA for 4 nights in April and was wondering if anyone had a good sense of what strategy I should use to get the cheapest room possible! I don't have any star requirements. Location-wise, we need to be near USC, though we will have a car. So Downtown LA is great, as is Hollywood. West Hollywood/Beverly Hills or Culver City are not ideal but I guess we could manage (although it seems the cheapest rooms are not in those areas). Anyone have any tips? Thanks from a very poor college student!