bigredsfan

thanks, that is what I figured. We Canucks get the shaft all the time LOL. I do have a TD US Visa Card which we have used to book Vacations, hotels in the U.S. and will likely just use that. We are billed in exact U.S. funds as you are with your BMO I am sure...

I asked this question in a general forum, but I think a response will be quicker here. I think the answer is obvious but I want to make sure. We are from the Toronto Area and are going to bid on a Hotel in the Toronto Downtown South Zone, and want to clarify that our bids are made and billed in USD? Obviously I would like the winning bid to be in CAD since the Hotels are in Canuckland, but pretty sure it's USD no matter where you book?

hey, it is the luck of the draw, and buyer beware of course when bidding...I am curious as to how Priceline decides to rank their hotels, as something brought this one down half a star. I suppose over time this could chance, so who knows. There are still a handful of those who bid successfully and got the Marriott, so who knows how the system works..I think it is important though to let other knows before hand. Could have been worse and I could have paid full price, right? I do wonder though if they do set aside sub par rooms for third party agencies? Cheers!

First let me state that I was aware that the Hotel Indigo has recently been added to this Zone in Buffalo. We have stayed at the Marriott many times and have loved it almost every stay. I had read some not so good reviews about the Hotel Indigo but hey we took our chances, and had to accept the outcome. Now, I must say it is very unfortunate that Priceline has moved this Hotel to the 3.5* Zone. In no way does it compare to the Marriott, and after our stay I would 3* would be a stretch for this property... There is a horrible curry like smell throughout the hotel on each level. We stayed on Floor 3 and were shocked to see Mold and Mildew in the showers. As well, there was no Exhaust Fan, and no soaking tub either..just a shower! As well, it looked throughout this floor that either renovations were going on or have been for a while and no work has been done. Drywall work on the ceilings outside the door are not very attractive. If being fixed up I accept this, but no idea if this was the case. And to boot, our sheets were stained, throw Pillows dirty as well. To be fair, the Pool area wasn't horrible, however, one of the jets in the Whirlpool does not work, and I think I have read elsewhere that this has been the case. It looks to me like the new owners of this Hotel have no intent of keeping it up to standards, thus the drop from 4 to 3.5*. We need to book a Hotel in this same aread for a Vacation in mid December and will not again chance bidding on Priceline for the fear of getting this same property.. Hopefully this is an aid to others...

The Indigo looks like a descent Hotel as well...we were going to use them for Park N Fly in November but couldn't get through PL. We booked through the hotel itself with a Park N Fly rate for around $100 which isn't too bad. We wound up getting the Marriott for cheaper though

I just did a booking look up and it is still there...am I missing something for the OP?

that is possible now that I read your link...my wife did the booking so she automatically jumped to the $81 bid instead of going up gradually so I can't confirm if a smaller counter offer would have helped. Think she just got trigger happy and bid what they suggested. cheers

let me clarify what happened with us now that we won a bid...we were under the impression that once we booked a Priceline Hotel they would refund on the mistake booking we made...well it was my wife that dealt with them and did not read the fine print during this period. So to be short, yes they did give us Credit Back on our mistake booking, but they also did take $40 as a surcharge to process the transaction. I did not speak to them my wife did, and they claim this is clearly stated in writing. I honestly didn't take the time to read where this is but took them for their word. What I learned about this was two things: ALWAYS make sure you are booking with the correct date, and two: NEVER LET YOUR WIFE DO THE BOOKING!

as discussed in a lengthy thread, here is our win from today: forgot to mention it is for the Marriott 1st try- $65 suggested to rebid $81 as there is a hotel that will likely accept this bid 2nd try- $81 Accepted Cheers

well, finally success today! Weird though it seems Priceline name your own bid bid acceptance words have changed: First bid was rejected at $65, we than got a message saying that we have found a hotel that would accept an offer of $81/night so change your bid and you should have success, etc. We bid $81 and it was accepted, for the days originally accepted, and for the Marriott-Amherst at 3.5*. Thanks for your help and patience with this thread.

not sure this helps but we have tried with no luck winning our bid...during the initial process my wife by mistake bid on the 3.5* Amherst zone which won us the Marriott (which we want) but she didn't put in the date we needed the hotel so it defaults to the current date you are at. She called Priceline and explained to them what happened and although they did not refund our wasted money, they agreed to allow us 1 year to rebook a hotel through Priceline and that they would credit us the amount of our "original" won bid.. Maybe worth a shot?

update: tried multiple times to rebid, still no luck

will do, and I wasn't aware of that...my wife was the one that booked the Hotel too. I will keep this thread updated as I rebid in a couple of weeks in hopes of still getting the Hotel we want.

we have booked Hotel Indigo with their cruise park n stay package for $99. This is a newer hotel, which claims to be a 4*. Looks nice through pics, also in the Amherst area..

I will likely do that and thanks for all your tips....next time we plan it's great having a better idea how to bid, especially not having to wait. Oddly enough the hotel we have in Buffalo is a 4*, just not offered on Priceline yet. cheers

I have done multiple rebids up to $90 now with no luck, eek. I do not want to bid higher as we have another hotel for just a bit more money so I am going to wait a couple of weeks and bid again and see what happens... I will keep posted.

thanks will let you guys know...just to clarify that when I rebid following a failed attempt all I can do is add a Zone, not change the Star Level, right? ie, there are two options to rebid: 1. Can you select additional areas where you can stay. This is where I add the Zones 2. Can you select additional star levels. I leave this alone Cheers and thanks!

Thanks for all the tips here. Max bid we are looking at is probably $90, and our last bid was at $82. Cheers

LOL.. so all I need to do is keep Amherst checked and then add each of the other Zones separately to be able to bid on 3.5*? Are we having fun yet?

highest star rating for all the others Zones is 3* as well. Discovered that using romelle's technique

post 3 I listed them. 3* is the highest outside of Amherst...

yes, that is what I have seen when checking each Zone. What I am confused with is if this means I have will then have free zones to bid 3.5* as long as Amherst is checked, thus ensuring I get the Marriott? Or, if it means there are no free ones... Thanks

k, gotcha makes sense. Thanks for the tips and I will try and see what I come up with. We hit a bit of a snag because we are travelling Turkey Day, so it is probably more of a premium on the hotels in Buffalo due to Canucks like I shopping Black Friday, etc. I will let you guys know how I make out in the end!

I will LOL so no worries....think I have it now! By White Buttons turn white do you mean the area maps for each zone on the right side? When I click on those other Zones they are White in the background bt highlight Green? No type of button turns White so not sure I follow....you are saying that I can still add another Zone for each bid....I am coming pretty close to booking something outside of PRICELINE as the price is up over $82 already...

I see what you are saying yes...but the star levels turn blue LOL. All the Zones only offer 3* hotels or lower, so that means there will be no free rebids for the 3.5* in Amherst I want, right? If I click on any of the other Zones they do not allow me to bid 3.5...