Priceline Hotel: Two failed bid--any advice appreciated

[Amy M]

Yesterday I bid 90 on a 3.5 star hotel in Santa Monica/MDR for 8/25-27. Rates on Priceline, Expedia, etc are 209 for those two nights. I didn't want to add a rebid zone because I really wanted to stay in SM/MDR. I waited until tonight and I increased by bid to 105. Rejected again. I then broadened it to Culver City and went to 117. Again rejected. With $209 rates, it seems like the bidding is reasonable. Am I just missing something? Am I too early? I don't want to wait too long and not get a room.

I may just do the $209, but I was hoping to get a deal in SM/MDR as we're about to kick off a 13 day trip up PCH and I was hoping for some nights (about 1/2) around $100-$120/night.

Any advice would be appreciated and I hope the failures above are helpful.

Amy

[Colfax]

Welcome to the board, Amy M.

HOTWIRE can be a good barometer of what might be available on PRICELINE, and at what general prices. If HW has little inventory, or expensive inventory, it's probably the same situation at PRICELINE.

When you search HOTWIRE for your dates do you see anything that interests you? If you'll post the icons someone can try to ID.

Also, how many in your party? Priceline only guarantees double occupancy, which could be a room with one bed. If you need two beds the safer choice is Hotwire, where you can enter the number in your party and be assured bedding for that number.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links for your purchases.

[Colfax]

p.s. To view Santa Monica hotels on HOTWIRE you have search "Santa Monica", not "Los Angeles".

[Amy M]

p.s. To view Santa Monica hotels on Hotwire you have search "Santa Monica", not "Los Angeles".

Thanks! I'm seeing the 3.5 Santa Monica - Venice - Marina Del Rey area Hotel which I'm guessing is the Marriott MDR which I can see on Expedia, etc for the same price. Based on trip advisor reviews--looks like it would be great, but 209 is probably $50-$60 more than I was hoping to spend. Maybe I need to consider something a little inland?

Thanks again for your help!

[Colfax]

which I'm guessing is the Marriott MDR which I can see on Expedia, etc for the same price.

You don't have to guess it's the Marriott MDR because that listing is in gray, and gray listings come from Hotels.com and show the hotel's name prior to purchase. It's the Marriott.

Only listings in red are opaque, where you don't learn the hotel's ID before you buy. If it's in gray you can click thru and see the hotel's name.

For your dates HOTWIRE has:

4* $259

3.5* $209 (gray, Marriott MDR)

3* $151 (gray, Courtyard MDR)

2.5* $305 (gray, Hotel California)

2* $99

I think you've bid to $117 for a 3.5* on PRICELINE. You may be close, like within $10 of a win now. If you don't get a 3.5* up to $125 or so then I'd say you're probably bidding too early for your trip, still two months away. Book a cancellable backup and keep trying up to $125 (or whatever limit you choose) every few days now.

Or try for a 3*? If Courtyard is $151 maybe try $60-90 or so on PRICELINE. Are 3* okay with you?

[thereuare]

I didn't want to add a rebid zone because I really wanted to stay in SM/MDR.

Note that re-bid zones are zones which only contain star levels lower than the star level you have selected... therefore it's a zone that you can't win since no hotels in the re-bid zone meet the minimum star level requirement you have selected. See this thread for more info: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained

At the 3.5* level you have TWO such re-bid zones.. you're encouraged to confirm your re-bid zones with the bord before proceeding and/or ask questions if you're confused by the information in the link above.

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

[Amy M]

Note that re-bid zones are zones which only contain star levels lower than the star level you have selected... therefore it's a zone that you can't win since no hotels in the re-bid zone meet the minimum star level requirement you have selected. See this thread for more info: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained

At the 3.5* level you have TWO such re-bid zones.. you're encouraged to confirm your re-bid zones with the bord before proceeding and/or ask questions if you're confused by the information in the link above.

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

Thanks! Just reporting that I tried $117 for SM/MDR and was again rejected. I'll up it to $120 tomorrow and if that doesn't work will go as high as $129. I was hoping that with the switch to July I'd get lucky :) Thanks again!

[Colfax]

Thanks! Just reporting that I tried $117 for SM/MDR and was again rejected. I'll up it to $120 tomorrow and if that doesn't work will go as high as $129. I was hoping that with the switch to July I'd get lucky :) Thanks again!

By using rebid zones you can place three bids ($117, $120, $129) in one bidding session. You don't have to wait 24 hours to bid again (unless you want to).

To do three bids in one session you have to understand free rebidding, as explained in the link thereuare posted in post #6 above. If you need help ID'ing your TWO rebid zones for 3.5* in LA feel free to ask after reading the posted link.

Good luck!

[Amy M]

Thanks! I might be at the point of trying the rebids tonight because over the weekend I bid 119, using the link pl from this site, and it was rejected to. If I can't get it for around $120, I might try another part of LA, but was really hoping for Santa Monica because it has both some beach and some nice places for evenings without too much driving.

Have a great day!!

Amy

[Colfax]

HOTWIRE still doesn't have any opaque inventory in SM-MDR; not at 4*, 3.5*, or 3* levels. So PRICELINE may not either.

I think you could still be bidding too early for this stay 7 weeks away. Do you have the patience to keep trying up to $120 for a 3.5* on PRICELINE for a few more weeks?

If you're eager to secure something now you could try for a 3* in Santa Monica-MDR, or maybe a 3.5* in Redondo-Manhattan Beach zone? HOTWIRE has a 3.5* in Manhattan-Redondo for $86 that looks like the Crowne Plaza. Do either of these options appeal to you?

[Amy M]

Just giving an update. Using the PRICELINE links from this forum, I bid 120 for 8/25-27 and was rejected. I did not rebid. I'm using Santa Monica as my base for 2 days in LA after a conference before driving up PCH. Does it maybe make sense to try for only one night in Santa Monica and try somewhere in between Santa Monica and Monterrey for the second day? Would Santa Barbara make sense?

Not familiar enough to know, but I'm now also seeing 3.5* red inventory at HOTWIRE for 169 per night--what do you think I need to bid via PRICELINE to get that and do you think it's Marriott Marina Del Ray or Double Tree? It has: near beach, fitness center, restaurants, business center and high speed internet if that helps identify it?

Thanks for all of the help. Also, am I understanding the rebids right that Culver City would be a good rebid zone for me if I'm bidding 3.5 in Santa Monica?

Thanks again!

Amy

[thereuare]

Does it maybe make sense to try for only one night in Santa Monica and try somewhere in between Santa Monica and Monterrey for the second day? Would Santa Barbara make sense?

Depends upon how feel about packing/unpacking and changing hotels. I'm sure somebody else local to the area can comment if Santa Barbara is a good midway point or not, but even if it is, i think it's typically a very expensive hotel market.

Not familiar enough to know, but I'm now also seeing 3.5* red inventory at HOTWIRE for 169 per night--what do you think I need to bid via PRICELINE to get that and do you think it's Marriott Marina Del Ray or Double Tree? It has: near beach, fitness center, restaurants, business center and high speed internet if that helps identify it?

These amenities are common for a hotel of this rating, but the Hotel Erwin has previously been reported to the board with this amenity combination... but as per the previous link this is 3* rated by PRICELINE, so if correct not an apples-to-apples comparison to use in determining a PRICELINE bid.

Thanks for all of the help. Also, am I understanding the rebids right that Culver City would be a good rebid zone for me if I'm bidding 3.5 in Santa Monica?

Yes, currently Culver City is a re-bid zone when bidding 3.5* in the Los Angeles area, but you actually have TWO re-bid zones at the 3.5* level. Please see Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and see if you can determine your other re-bid zones and confirm it with the board... or if you're confused post back and we'll break it down further for you.

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

[Colfax]

I'm using Santa Monica as my base for 2 days in LA after a conference before driving up PCH. Does it maybe make sense to try for only one night in Santa Monica and try somewhere in between Santa Monica and Monterrey for the second day? Would Santa Barbara make sense?

It's not for me to say if you should stay one day or two in LA, that's your call.

If you take the more inland "freeway route" from LA to Monterey that's about 320 miles, maybe five hours, and you can do it one day.

But if you take Pacific Coast Highway (which I recommend if you have the time) it takes much longer, and I'd suggest breaking it up with a night in Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo or Pismo Beach. PC Highway has long stretches of narrow winding road. Some beautiful views but it makes for slow driving. Breaking the drive up you'll have time to stop along the way, enjoy some of the scenic viewpoints, visit a few of the coast attractions.

But again it's your call. My suggestion is that you first decide how many days you're staying in LA and secure your LA room first. Then if you're going to spend a night along the way to Monterey we can talk more about those alternatives after.

Though you haven't been having 3.5* success in Santa Monica-MDR yet I think you may have success at 3* level. Is 3* in SM-MDR an option?