Priceline Hotel: 3.5* London (Notting Hill-Bayswater) Hempel

[pjwm]

I was trying to bid for 5* in Westminister area. Added other areas that did not have 5* hotels won 5* Hempel in Notting Hill are . I bid max $240

and won this. The price on their website was $10 less than what I won on this bid. Very upset

[thereuare]

Sorry to hear you received a hotel in an unwanted zone... hopefully you can still make this work for your needs.

It appears that you may have used the hotel lists to determine your re-bid zones, which is not recommended. From the top of the Priceline Hotel List:

This list is NOT a complete list of all hotels that Priceline offers in this area, it is ONLY a compilation of hotels that have already been reported on this forum. Hotels are added/removed by Priceline all the time, and star ratings can change at ANY time. As well, the geographic boundaries of an area are subject to change, so it is always a good idea to look at the Priceline map before purchasing. DO NOT USE THIS LIST to determine what areas to add when attempting to bid again within the 24 hour window (CLICK HERE for information on how to add cities in order to bid again).

The correct way to determine your re-bid zones is outlined here: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained, and using the techniques in that thread you can see that there are indeed 5* hotels in this zone. Feel free to ask any questions you have regarding re-bidding so that you understand how to use the proper technique for your future bidding.

How long ago did you win this and what are the dates of your stay?

Thanks for helping us add this new hotel to the Priceline Hotel List.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[pjwm]

I won today and the stay is for 6/23/2010.

You are right, I did not open a new page for that zone before I rebid and that is what cost me.

[thereuare]

PRICELINE does have a Best Price guarantee, but you need to make your claim within 24 hours of your purchase... so i'd see if indeed the $10 lower rate is the best you can find and then make a claim accordingly... at least a few dollars back. (NOTE: the 'better price' has to be available to the public (no AAA or membership group rates) and is based upon room rate only (ie- not including taxes and/or fees))

Feel free to ask for help and/or confirm your bidding strategy/re-bid zones before trying for your next hotel.

At least it's just for one nite... maybe this new knowledge will keep you from a similar mistake on a week long stay! :)

[pjwm]

Thank you for the information. I did make a claim and after confirming with the hotel, they matched the price plus refunded the difference plus 10%,

in addition gave me $50 bonus for next time I choose good up to one year.

[thereuare]

Not bad... hope that makes this purchase a bit more palatable.

Enjoy your stay.