Captgerryf

AaronJB, The results of my "win" have been posted in my previous post. Awaiting your reply concerning the possibility of swapping this win for another hotel managed by the same hotel chain. Thanks.

After rebidding multiple times and being rejected for a 3.5* in San Juan, I got up to $100 and accidentally hit Rio Grande/Fajardo check box for the zone instead of the San Juan checkbox. My error resulted in my bid being accepted for 10/9/10 at the El Conquistador which is about 1 hour east of San Juan. I'll have to eat the cost as Priceline doesn't take pity on people who make mistakes. I'm certainly not spending the short pre-cruise stay in Puerto Rico in the back of a cab traveling from the airport to the resort and then to the cruiseport the next morning, not to mention the cost of transportation would be three times the cost for the hotel room. Lesson learned.

I recently "won" the El Conquistador in Rio Grande/Fajardo Puerto Rico for $100. The one night stay isn't until 10/9/10, but I need to get this issue resolved ASAP. Unfortunately, I clicked on this area instead of the San Juan box which is directly underneath it on the zone selection page. I know--my error, not Priceline's. Calling Priceline within 15 minutes of seeing my error and a follow up e-mail has garnered a lot of "we're so sorrys" but they won't budge. Before I get flamed, I understand all of the rules and regs posted by Priceline, but I figured some good old fashioned Customer Service might be in order on Priceine's part--Fat Chance!!! My question is--Has anybody been stuck with a hotel they didn't want and was able to swap it for another hotel within the same chain? I was hoping to transfer the reservation from the El Conquistador to the El San Juan which is actually in San Juan. Both are part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection in the Hilton Group of hotels. I would even pick up the difference in the room rate from the bid amount to the posted room rate. It would probably cost me three times the $100 winning bid for transportation from the airport to El Conquistador and then to the cruise port plus the hours in a cab. I'm only going to be in San Juan for about 18 hours and really don't want to spend 1/3 of it in the back of a cab. Should I just go directly to the hotel to see if they would do this or do they need the approval of the Great and Powerful Oz, i.e, Priceline? Anybody that has actually negotiated through this type of situation and would be willing to help would be appreciated.

Probably $90 tops as I haven't seen a whole lot of successful bids higher than that. Most seem to be lower, but I'm sure the time of year has a lot to do with the acceptable bid amount. According to one web site, October is a slow time for San Juan, so I'm hoping a low bid will win it. The Sheraton in Old San Juan seems to fit the bill as there is no need for a taxi from a further away location should I want to see the town for the short time I'll be there, but I know there is no guarantee on a specific hotel.

I rebid using all of the six rebid zones and jumping the price of my bid $1 each time I added another zone. I saw on the boards where others have been told to close the browser and then you will have the opportunity to bid six more times. This is where I am confused. What exactly gets closed? Also what price is reasonable to start with on Oct. 9, 2010 for 3.5 *, 4.0* and Resort? I found the hotel list that others have indicated they have had successful bids and looking at those hotels and the reviews, the 3.5* places look just fine because I'm only going to be at the hotel from 4:30 pm to 10:am the next morning. Some of the resort hotels had ratings that indicate they might not be worth the extra $$$ for such a short stay. Can you list a bidding strategy for San Juan on October 9, 2010 for a 3.5 and up? Thanks.

Managed to submit an initial lowball bid and multiple re-bids(one for each of the non-resort areas in SJ), finally ending up at the $88 amount that one previous bidder managed to get the Caribe Hilton for. I was not that lucky. I tried to do the rebid process that allows for another series of re-bids, but I must have missed a step as priceline kept saying that I had already requested that trip. I'll try again in 24 hours. Still need an idea at what bid to do a resort at for 10/9/10. Also, how do I find out what resorts are available in San Juan besides the Caribe Hilton via PRICELINE? thanks.

New to this process, so excuse my questions if they are already posted elsewhere (I've looked around the site, but didn't see anything specific). Going on a cruise out of San Juan on 10/10/10 and want to stay overnight on 10/9 at a 4*. Is there a map where the 4* hotels and resorts are located? This is one of those things I looked for but couldn't find. When should I start to bid and at what price. I saw various "winners" for the Caribe Hilton ranging from $88 to $100. Should I expect that range of prices in October? Any help is greatly appreciated.