Priceline Hotel: Resort Palm Springs (Rancho Mirage-Indian Wells-Palm Desert) JW Marrio

[shouldbworkin]

I was applying the strategies I learned here to find a hotel out in Palm Springs for January 11-13, 2010.

When looking at the 3 different desert areas, Priceline (booked through this website's PRICELINE link) only showed Palm Springs as having any 4* properties available, so I bid as follows:

4* Palm Springs, $45 - bid rejected

Added Indio - bid rejected at $60

Added Rancho Mirage/Palm Desert bid accepted at $70 per night, but for a hotel in Palm Desert, the Desert Springs, a JW Marriott Hotel.

I didn't expect to get anything outside of the Palm Springs area, as it didn't show any 4* properties available when i selected just the Rancho Mirage/PD area. So wondering what's up with this and if this is a new policy for Priceline. Seems like this could mess up our good strategy.

I can deal with the extra drive and I know this is a good deal on the hotel, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had similar experience and if this is something that changes the overall bidding strategy.

thanks

[thereuare]

Sorry to hear you received a hotel in a zone that you didn't intend.

When you select a star level it is the minimum that you are willing to accept... and PRICELINE will always try to upgrade you to a higher rated hotel, if possible. As a result, a re-bid zones is a zone that not only has the star rating you're bidding... but nothing higher as well.

While there are no 4* hotels in the Rancho Mirage-Indian Wells-Palm Desert zone, there are Resort class properties there. So the 'problem' is that Rancho Mirage is not a re-bid zone, since it cotains a hotel class ('resorts') which is higher than the 4* zone you selected, and as you found from this purchase, PRICELINE can upgrade you to a higher rated hotel.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and using our PRICELINE link to begin your bidding.

Hope you can make this work for your plans.

PS- please read YOUR MESSAGES

[shouldbworkin]

When I picked only the RM-IW-PD zone, it didnt show anything available higher than a 3*, so I thought that if I re-bid for a 4* including that zone would just give me another shot at the Palm Springs zone. So this will give me pause next time I need to add a zone, as I don't want to end up in a bad spot in the future. This time works out fine, though, and I'm sure I'll enjoy the hotel. Thanks for the info and for this great resource!

[AaronJB]

Glad to hear that the property will work out for your plans/needs. Certainly looks like a beautiful Marriott property. Plus, warm(er) weather - which much of the country is probably wishing for right now. :)

[thereuare]

When I picked only the RM-IW-PD zone, it didnt show anything available higher than a 3*...

If you check PRICELINE again, you'll see that this zone does contain RESORT class properties... but it's listed below 1* hotels in the list of available categories, which is why you may have missed it :)

[shouldbworkin]

You're right, I missed the "Resorts" selection at the bottom. Hadn't even noticed that before, so will take note for future bookings. Thanks again.