rykos Posted June 21, 2010 Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 I've been using the PRICELINE link to try to get a 3.5* hotel in Hamilton for August 4-August 5, 2010. From my research, the only 3.5* hotel (afaik) is the Sheraton, and that's the one I want. I started off with a lowball bid of $50 and of course it was rejected.Then$55$58$60$64$66$68$70All rejected.I saw that someone had a winning bid of $60 last year for similar dates (7/31-8/2--a weekend as opposed to my lone weeknight), but that person didn't start bidding until a few days before their arrival in Hamilton. Would I be better off waiting till July to bid, and then start again? I have another hotel room booked, so if I don't get a Priceline room, I'll still have lodgings. The Sheraton is showing plenty of vacancy for my date with prices starting at $139/evening, and I don't want to go over $70 since including taxes and fees, any more than that will be more expensive than the room I already have reserved.Any hints? Link to comment
yellowdog Posted June 21, 2010 Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 Any hints?Rates are date specific so you can't allways compare them. And it could be that the Sheraton don't have any invetory loaded to the PRICELINE system (yet).In terms of when to bid, please read this link: Should i Bid Early or Close to Arrival Date So the only thing you can do is to keep trying if you don't want to go higher than $70.Keep us updated.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Yellowdog. Link to comment
rykos Posted June 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Thanks. Seems like there are many points of view--some say bid early, some say bid closer to your dates. So I guess I'm doing the right thing by bidding early, then since I'm not getting the prices I want, waiting to bid again. Will post again if I get my dates! Link to comment
AaronJB Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 There is no set rule regarding when to bid; conventions, events and other factors effect prices, which can vary significantly from day-to-day in many cities. Waiting until the last minute is a bet on prices falling. Some have been successful, and others have decided to wait until closer to their dates - only to find when the dates have gotten closer that prices have ramped up significantly. Early August isn't too far in advance; I can't imagine that rates are going to vary too much for Hamilton from this point.One idea is to pick a reasonable "ceiling" and bid up to that point every few days. If a couple of weeks have gone by and nothing has been accepted, bump the ceiling higher.Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches. Link to comment
rykos Posted July 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2010 Just an update, I've been bidding now and then using the board's PRICELINE link I posted above. I've gone up to $75, and still no dice. According to their website, they still have rooms available (including the cheapest rooms) for my date, and the Hotwire price has gone down by about $10 since I started bidding last month. I'll probably continue trying, but since I already have a room in my price range, it's not imperative that I win a room via Priceline. Link to comment
AaronJB Posted July 9, 2010 Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 Thank you for keeping us updated and for using the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links. Please let us know what you decide and if you have further questions. Link to comment
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