Priceline Hotel: Prague, Budapest, Vienna in September

[mjlimx]

Hi I'm new to this site so I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask questions... I'm planning a trip to Eastern Europe in September (dates not set, yet) and I'm hoping to get some good deals from bidding. So my questions are...

1) I was reading a couple of forum posts for the cities that I'm interested in going and I saw this post by "cheapboy" and it read like this:

"start with 75 $ for a 5* adding free zone ( without 5*) and increasing to 77 $ and 79 $ and I got it... they offer me to pay 93 $ by night when I hit with the 77$ and I refused as always... bidding 79$ and I got Intercontinental:"

What is the "free zone" and how can you keep bidding like that? I've used Priceline before, but I don't think I was able to rebid like that. If I was able to rebid at all. I remember that I had to change my settings to be able to rebid. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

2) For traveling the three countries (Prague, Vienna, Budapest), I'm thinking about September 7-16 or 14-23 (same time frame, just a week later). Would there be a difference in price between those time frames? When I have set dates for my schedule, could you provide more strategies specific for my situation? Would I get a better deal bidding now than later?

3) I'm also thinking about bidding for flights. Can I bid for multi-city flights?

Thanks in advance!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

1) What is the "free zone" and how can you keep bidding like that? I've used Priceline before, but I don't think I was able to rebid like that. If I was able to rebid at all. I remember that I had to change my settings to be able to rebid. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

You can add zones which only contain star levels which are lower than the minimum star rating threshold you set in order to bid again. See this thread for more details: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained

2) For traveling the three countries (Prague, Vienna, Budapest), I'm thinking about September 7-16 or 14-23 (same time frame, just a week later). Would there be a difference in price between those time frames? When I have set dates for my schedule, could you provide more strategies specific for my situation? Would I get a better deal bidding now than later?

Rates can vary greatly from one day to the next, i don't see how there would be any seasonality differences, but there could easily be differences based upon what is happening in each city on any given date in the range (conferences, festivals, holiday events, etc). You can search some hotel websites (ideally which break out the rates day-by-day) and see if any rates are particularly higher than others. As far as when to bid, see the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

3) I'm also thinking about bidding for flights. Can I bid for multi-city flights?

No, this is not an option.

Let us know once you're ready to book or if any other further question arise in the interim.

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

[mjlimx]

Thank you for answering my questions. I'll post again when I set my travel dates. And I'll make sure that I'll use the link you have provided.

[mjlimx]

Hi

My schedule has been set and I'll be in Europe for September 14-24. I thought this was a good time to travel, but now that I'm trying to book hotels, it seems like things are more expensive during this time. I expected that for Germany, but it seems like prices are up everywhere as well during this time. I used your link to PRICELINE here to book a hotel in prague, but I messed up in rebidding that I ended up getting a 4* hotel ($79 value) for $70, which was really upsetting. So I want to ask for help in my other bids. Before I found out about this price rise, my plan was....

14-15 Prague

16-17 Munich

18-19 Salzburg

20-22 Vienna

23-24 Budapest

But now I feel like it'd be better to make changes, which I'm not sure how yet, because of the higher price (almost doubled) than expected. Btw, why are the prices higher during this time? Before I do that, I wanted to ask for any strategies that I can use if you have one. Please let me know. Thanks!

[thereuare]

I used your link to PRICELINE here to book a hotel in prague, but I messed up in rebidding that I ended up getting a 4* hotel ($79 value) for $70, which was really upsetting. So I want to ask for help in my other bids.

Please share your Prague win with the board as a NEW TOPIC so that others will be aware of it when searching the board and the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins.... then reply/bump this thread and we'll have a look at your post above.

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

[four leaf clover]

Always start with a low bid, then you won't end up paying high rates for your hotels.

[Romelle]

If you looked at European hotels with the prices in dollars, a few months ago the euro/dollar exchange rate was down to about 1.20. Today it is up to 1.31. So, even if the hotels didn't change their rates in euros, it would look like about a 10% increase when viewed in dollars.

Regarding your schedule, IMO it is pretty ambitious. Some people like "whirlwind" tours, but I like a little more time in each place. If you dropped one city altogether, it would give you longer stays at the other 4. It takes quite a bit of time just to check out of a hotel, move to a different city, and check back in. Actually, 3 cities would be even better, with a firm promise to yourself to hit the other ones on your next trip.

Do some serious research before bidding. Check sources like kayak, venere, and even the hotel web sites themselves (sometimes they have unpublished specials). There are a bunch of links on this site under the Support/Travel tab. If you know the going rate from these sources, it saves you from over-bidding. I think you will find Budapest and Salzburg quite a bit less expensive than the other three, but please don't take my word on it. Munich often is pretty reasonable, but you may be running into Octoberfest (yes, it can be in September). Things are sky high then.

Sounds like a grand trip.

Romelle

[mjlimx]

I just posted my bid history for my Prague priceline hotel. Can you look at my post above? I decided to drop Munich since it's too expensive. Instead I'll stay 1 night in Fussen and 1 night in Innsbruck. Those places don't seem to offer bidding for hotels. So now my itinerary will be...

Salzburg September 18-19 (2 nights)

Vienna September 20-21 (2 nights)

Budapest September 22-23 (2 nights)

Depending on the deal I could get in Vienna, I might stay 1 night in Salzburg and 3 nights in Vienna. Please suggest some strategies that I can use for these places! Thanks!

[thereuare]

Since the dates of your Salzburg stay will be dependent upon your Vienna stay, let's try for Vienna first.

For Vienna, which zone(s) and star rating are you interested in and what would be a 'deal' which would have you stay 3 nites there?

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[mjlimx]

Thanks for getting back to me. I actually would like to stay in Vienna for 3 nights (19, 20, 21, and check out on the 22nd). I was hoping to stay in the city centre with 4* hotel. I was looking at the 5* hotels and the price seemed to be double during that time so I lowered my expectation. My worry is that if I bid for the 4* hotels, I might get Hotel Bellevue and pay more than I should, which is what happened for my last bid for Prague. I'm looking to spend less than or about $80/night for a 4* hotel, but I'm willing to pay more if a 5* hotel is ever possible and if the difference is not much. And of course, I'll use the priceline and HOTWIRE link from here! :)

[thereuare]

I might get Hotel Bellevue and pay more than I should...

What is the current rate at the Hotel Bellevue?

[mjlimx]

I just checked and it is $100 (it's been going up from somewhere in the $90's) while other 4* hotels range from $125-257 with the mean of $150, based on PRICELINE website.

[thereuare]

With the Bellevue at $100, what would be the highest price you would still be happy if yo won the Bellevue?

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

[mjlimx]

Since I don't want to stay at Bellevue, I wouldn't be happy unless it's extremely at a lower price like $50. But I know I'm not being realistic. Is there any way to avoid a certain hotel in bidding?

[yellowdog]

mjlimx

Is there any way to avoid a certain hotel in bidding?

Sorry to say that you can't bid for or avoid a specific hotel when using PRICELINE. You need to be willing to stay at any ?* or higher in the zone you're bidding at.

Let us know how you want to proceed.

Yellowdog.

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

[WillTravel]

I think Priceline is often not the best choice for central Europe. I would try these sites and determine the best price possible, comparing the taxes and fees included in all cases. Also, if these sites give you a price with breakfast, a high-quality German or Austrian hotel will generally have an excellent buffet, and that is worth something in my opinion.

www.hotelscombined.com

www.hrs.de

I got a fabulous deal for Vienna a couple years ago with www.ameropa.de, but that site is in German and you get vouchers mailed to you, and I am thinking you probably don`t have enough time for that. (Not sure if there are any other option for getting the vouchers.) The hotel I got is the Lindner am Belvedere, and I really enjoyed it, but it`s generally more expensive on other sites.

[mjlimx]

Thanks for all your comments. I'll see what I can find! :)