baldtomato

Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts! I'm no expert at PL but certainly been around enough (including being the official bidder for friends and family) so "beating" PL is really an "honor" thing - to keep my reputation and their ongoing trust!! LOL I really don't want to be caught dead as the person who has the highest closing bid on a certain city on this board! (admittingly - those stats can definitely be outdated as it's hard enough to find enough posts on memphis, let alone bids that were in the past one year). I had followed previous suggestions that i had come across on this board when I was still bumping around as a newbie - i can't recall the exact thread now, but it was suggested that all internet browsers be closed when going for a rebid to ensure that the system is "cleansed" and not run into unexpected trouble. - As I go onto PL via sponsor sites (to support this wonderful board :-), each of those closing-opening sequences are quite a bit of work but that's part of the game and i'm fine with that! So yes, each of my bids would have been viewed as a brand new bid, although none of them repeat each other (because of my rebid combos). but you raised a very good point - perhaps i should NOT have started it "brand new" after the counterbid, but to just go on with my next rebid combo directly after the counter-offer. Perhaps that way PL will "settle" on my additional $3-$4 instead of constantly telling me I have to add $12. that's a good point - i had tried a mini experiment myself to see if PL fees are proportional to length of stay given a similar bid-amount. For example, my 3-night bid for $44 would cost Travel Insurance: US$15.00 Taxes and Service Fees: US$29.84 while a 6-night $36 bid (I was just too lazy to adjust it to $44 to make it a perfect comparison) would cost Travel Insurance: US$30.00 Taxes and Service Fees: US$44.56 Math is not my strength ... um, am I being stupid? I'm splitting the bid partly b/c I'm worried that a 6-night bid will escalate my winning cost, but more so because I thought my family would find it too boring to stay at the same hotel for 6 nights straight... so if splitting doesn't compound PL fees too too much, I wouldn't mind paying just a bit extra PL fees to try for a chance for 2 different hotels (being aware that well, i might just end up at the same place anyways!). Waiting to hear your thoughts :-)

Las Vegas is so confusing on Hotwire... coz all the hotels are so well equipped, it's hard (for amateurs like me) to guess the ID!! Here are my two contenders: 4* South Strip $77 Resort Casino Restaurant(s) Pool(s) Fitness Center Spa Services High-speed Internet Access Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Business Center 4* North Strip $81 (basically all of the above w/out "Resort", in the following order... i'm not sure if the listed-order matters to ID but here it is) Casino Restaurant(s) Pool(s) Fitness Center Spa Services High-speed Internet Access Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Business Center I had found the Excalibur for $69 standard room directly from their site for the above dates - would it be counted as a 3.5* or 4* on hotwire? I have also gone to EasyClickTravel (aided by the extremely cool reverse tool from this site) - and found Aladdin for the above dates for $71. I used to think the Aladdin was cool and unique, but i'm not too sure about trading that for Planet Hollywood! In any case, would the Aladdin be classified as North or South strip on Hotwire? (in real life, it seems to be on "centre strip" to me!). I'm mentioning this coz if either of the above 2 hotwire results = Aladdin then obviously I'd just forget about Hotwire and book thru EasyClickTravel instead. It seems that the South Strip hotels are nicer, we would love to be in the Mandalay Bay although MB is unlikely going to have so many empty rooms to be pawned off to discount sites! If we can stay around $85 or below, any of the other 4*hotels on the strip would do fine except the Luxor (my mom just feel bad vibes about staying there, don't ask me). Thanks for all the wonderful resources you provide (and for all my previous trips too!)

Hi, I'm trying to bid for one room x 3 nights - 3* in Memphis - trying to settle into the Memphis East area as it seems to have the balance of convenience vs price. (i've never been to Memphis before). Based on stats on this page, it looks like 3* Memphis East goes from $36/37 (winter price) to $45, $46 summer price. I started the bid in the high thirties knowing that I have a lot of free rebid combinations. I started getting counterbid offers of +$12 at my $40 bid, so I went to to bid for $43 but the counterbid stayed the same (+$12). In fact, the counterbid is the same for my $44 bid (+$12). Should I go ahead to bid for close to $50, or should I just hold off for a few days? I do still have quite a few rebid combos (at least 5 more tries before I run out) ... there's just not as much reference data from this city as some of the others I've bid for. (my total stay is actually Aug 15 to 21, but for variety and cost considerations, I have chosen to split my bid into 2. Thought my family would actually appreciate changing hotels half way.) thanks a bunch

Do you mind me asking - what were your travel dates? it seems like a below average price (considering someone else had gotten a 2* bid for the same zone for $30) - was yours winter travel?

Got it first bid... weird. Data for this area indicated that most wins in this zone / this category were >$80, so i thought it'll still be a while to go with $75. Got it first bid... oh well, makes me wonder whether i could have started lower perhaps coz it's just one night also, this hotel had never been listed as Resort for this zone??? (thereuare, please correct me / verify) Your Offer Price: $75.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Subtotal: $75.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $17.02 Total Charges: $92.02

oh! oopsie um. i was hoping too hard to get South Edmonton, coz it's surrounded by restaurants anyways and it's close to the airport. many thanks for the reminder! to webmaster - how can i change the subject title, i listed the wrong zone by mistake

tried bidding $33 for South Edmonton just for a test, rejected, added Edmonton (downtown) to South Edmonton, $38, rejected restarted with South Edmonton + airport (?which is usually actually more expensive than downtown on PL!?) $40, rejected put $45 for all three zones at last and was accepted the hotel's own website list the lowest price as CAD139 for that date, which is about USD100 making the PL price better than 50% off at least. Check-In Date: Sunday, May 29, 2005 Check-Out Date: Monday, May 30, 2005 Hotel Name: Coast Edmonton Plaza 10155 105th Street Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1E2

I'm in Canada and my friends and I (and an endless stream of people coming into the store) all got the print-out coupon honored :-)

wow it

GOT IT!!! $83/n for 4* Millenium Gluocester Kensington for 3 nights Oct 1-4/05, and i'm VERY HAPPY! (esp when USD is not at its strongest now) I will post my bid strategy on a separate topic heading on this forum thanks everyone!!!

sorry this is getting a bit off topic for a PL forum but i'll just wrap up, thanks for all the help!!! i did a couple of other postal code search/quotes - and figured that for eg Kensington OR Mayfair (includes W1, SW1, SW7 etc) it's pretty much: Gatwick --> hotel = GBP 40 hotel --> Heathrow = GBP 19 (i didn't check for Bloomsbury) for anyone else interested, if done the other way (Heathrow to hotel, and then hotel to Gatwick) the prices will become GBP35 and 24 respectively Heathrow to hotels in these areas by this company, RETURN is GBP 43 I think I'll stick to taking this private chaffeur service to/fro the airports and booking for a hotel in Kensington :-)

recently happened to me! so what about different users in the same household, on the same computer? I place a bid series on my account on Day 1, failed so i got locked out 72 hours. My brother then used his account (with different credit card, username name etc) to bid on the same itinerary in his name (we're going on the trip together as a family) 3 hours after start of my bid series, also didn't get anywhere, and got locked out too. and then 2 days after our original bid, we got dad to register for priceline (he lives in another city vs me and my bro so a completely different billing address, but he did the bid at our place coz we had to show him how) and when he booked, he entered same itinerary and same last name for main check-in guest(although different first names, of course). He didn't get a room either so his new account had to wait the 72 hours now however, it seems like PL had treated our 3 accounts as one same user - all 3 of us got locked out 72 hours counting from the start of dad's bid!!!! (ie a whole 5 days after my own bid series) is it because of the same itinerary (they know we are the same traveling party?) and that we're bidding from the same computer??? - despite different usernames, different credit cards, different billing addresses!

Thanks lwitchel! i think i'll consider using the money saved in hotel cost to use private shuttle service as suggested by WT earlier - what post codes would Kensington fall in coz i want do a rough online price quote and see how much it would cost to do that - and what about Bloomsbury - what (ballpark) post codes should i search?

I just ran a PL package search there are no 5* hotels listed for the dates I entered (Oct 1-4) from reading other threads, it sounds like 5* actually not a good bid in Kensington area (coz one of the 5* too far?) but 4* in Kensington a much better value? what about 4* in other areas? I haven't quite decide which area to focus my bid on yet, perhaps leave that till another night when i have a better idea of the layout of London - most likely largely dependent on how easy it will be for me to get to/from the two airports to these areas' hotels. also, we two are more into the culture and palate (nice buildings, nice shops, famous postcard spots) rather than night clubs and pubs (not really a pub rat) - sounds like Kensington would be where we would want to stay? but as suggested, I will look into Mayfair, Bloomy and Kensington any advice on how convenient that are re: getting to the airport, how the "feel" of each of these 3 area is? and then I will be asking for advice on re-bidding strategies - re-bid zones etc my only other previous attempt at PL was for a series of Paris bids that did not succeed. this time around i would like to start out in the right foot!

wow - Gatwick express can be US$25 each day per person (return) - i guess that really would eat up whatever $40-$60 we try to save in hotel price. but yeah, i don't quite like the idea of dragging suitcases in and out of very busy stations (our suitcases won't be very small...). If anything, I think we'll be taking either direct hotel shuttle or private shuttle. I guess most of the large hotels would have airport shuttles (for a fee) - what would you say about hotels in Bloomsbury or Kensington? what are those areas like - are they fairly tourist-y? I'll read up a bit more on those areas in PL too. I just did a rough price quote on www.justairports.com as suggested, assuming we're getting into city center (post code??W1, i'm just guessing coz i really don't know London) Gatwick -> W1 would be GBP40 one way (USD 80) W1 -> Heathrow would just be GBP 19 one way

Thanks WillTravel and lwitchel for your kind advice! one concern (fear) of mine - we will probably have at least 2 big pieces of suitcases as we will be on a 3 week tour (or maybe 3 medium pieces). Will it be quite a scene if we get onto the Underground (?Gatwick Express) with those, and/or connecting to the tube after, and then getting from the tube to the hotel? (and then do the same when we go out to Heathrow!) Do most PL 4* hotels in the concerned areas have airport shuttles to Gatwick and Heathrow? My thought is that if we were to stay at Heathrow (or Gatwick), at least it will just be us two w/out luggage going onto public transport in the mornings. We won't have to worry about moving suitcases more than when going from airport to hotel, and then checking out (likely via local shuttle one of the ways)

Hi everyone, I would really appreciate some cumulative wisdom!! My soon-to-be-husband and I will be arriving in London (Oct 1, Saturday 6pm) at Gadwick, and then departing London from Heathrow on Oct 4 (Tues) at 5 pm. - 3 nights total (but only 2 and a half functional days to be a tourist). We will count as first-timers in London (I've been there before but "not really", kind of), and this will be the end of our honeymoon trip so we want to have fun while not spend too much time worrying about dragging suitcases on and off airport shuttles (Gadwick to city-centre hotel, and then hotel to Heathrow!) I'm not sure which area we should stay in to make the most of our time and money - from what i've read from this forum, looks like if we stay at either Heathrow or Gadwick at a 4* it will be about $55-70 per night, while in the centre of action (Mayfair-Soho) it will be about $100 - $120 for a 4*? For anyone who knows London - does it make sense to take the underground in the morning from either one of the airport area hotels to city-center, and then to return to the hotel at the end of the day? we'll be doing that for 2 days, (or if we have enough time on departure day we can head out for a bit too?) - if so, should we stay near Gadwick (where we arrive) or Heathrow (where we depart)? Alternatively, I can just go bid for a room in Mayfair-Soho, paying about $40-60 more for each of the 3 nights. How long will it take to commute, is the time worth the savings? thanks a big bunch in advance, much much much appreciated!

thanks a bunch!!! I did the same dummy search following your suggestion, the following came up 3.5* - Husa Barcelona Mar came up as "Near Beach" so it's probably not the bingo Husa Arenas also 3.5* but not the same list of amenities Husa Marina Barcelona also "Near Beach" Husa Marina Universal has the same list of amenities and seems to fit the price range. It says it's near Las Ramblas, opened in 2001... i think this could be it I'll try other websites too, thanks a bunch!

Hi everyone, first time here. I'm trying to bid for one room Barcelona Sept 15 - 19, 2005 I want ~ 4*, hoping to be fairly central / close to Metro station (i don't speak Spanish!) Hotwire is giving me a 3.5* in Ciutat Vella - Barri Gotic with the following amenities - restaurant, pool, fitness center, high speed internet, business center for USD 116/night does anyone know which hotel is under that card? will it be fairly central? (Priceline seems pretty unhelpful in Barcelona from what i'm reading from this forum?) thanks!