Bidding for 1* and 2* hotels

[fourholesn1]

I have used this site extensively in the past and it has been a tremendous help. I am now unemployed but wanting to take advantage of my free time and take a long driving vacation to see some of our national parks such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, and many others in the west but I need to do it on an extremely tight budget. My question is how to determine an appropriate opening bid for 1 and 2* hotels? It seems there is little interest in them from people posting wins here. Can I save money using Priceline for these types of hotels? Also, I want to have a free breakfast and free internet as much as possible. So, any advice you have for minimizing expenses would be greatly appreciated.

[Colfax]

My question is how to determine an appropriate opening bid for 1 and 2* hotels?

I don't think there are any general rules. The answer varies by zone and date. There are cities, or zones within cities, where bidding 1* just isn't recommended ever, because of quality or safety issues with some of the potential hotels. In other cities 1* bidding could get you a nice deal on a clean basic motel.

Priceline and Hotwire don't usually work well near national parks, where much of the hotel stock is independent "mom and pop" type motels that don't participate in Priceline. Even among hotels that do participate availability could be date selective. You might win a room if you're bidding for a Tuesday or Wednesday, for example, but not for busier weekend days. Or you might win a room in winter, but never in summer.

I would take things on a city by city basis. Start a new thread for each destination, "What are the best budget options in City X on Date X?" In some locations Priceline or Hotwire will be your best choice; in other places they won't.

[arsenal_fan]

I have read that generally for 1* hotels the lowest value that PRICELINE will consider is $15, ~$17 for 2*, $19 for 2.5*, $25 for 3*. Don't bid below these values. You will be just wasting bids.

Firstly, decide your zones. Bidding for 1* and 2* is tricky since all zones have 1* and 2* hotels and number of re-bids decrease. Depending on how many re-bids I have I decide the starting value. Generally you will get bids for 1* hotels accepted within the range $17-$22. For 2* hotels it is usually $23-$29. For 3* hotels $30-$36. Getting bids accepted at the lower limit of these ranges are unlikely but it is worth a shot. If the number of zones you have are less then start with the median for each of these ranges. I usually increment by $1 for every rebid.

Also, pay attention to the median value that PRICELINE mentions when you select the zones, dates and star level of the hotels and are naming your own price. Don't ever bid near those values because they are ridiculously high but they are indicative of the bids that will be accepted. The ranges I mentioned above will work if the median that PRICELINE mentions are within the following ranges: 1* - $40-$60, 2* - $60-$90, 3* - $90 - $150.

Of course all this information is based on my research and my bids that have been accepted. There's no guarantee they'll work for you but I just wanted to share this with the forum. Hope it helps.

[fourholesn1]

Thanks for the advice, that will be useful in the future.

[Gallus50]

Nice job, arsenal fan. You seem to have the 1* and 2* category well figured out. It's good to have all price ranges covered on the board, so thanks.

[arsenal_fan]

Not a problem guys. I have saved quite a lot by using this board. Glad to contribute.