Priceline Hotel: 4* Vancouver (Downtown) Renaissance Harbourside

[countryman68]

I am new to this website and I have never used Hotwire or Priceline before, but I am considering trying one of the services for an upcoming trip to Vancouver. My question---Is there more chance of having my bid accepted if it is submitted a few days before my date of arrival or should the bid be submitted 4-6 weeks before the date of arrival? Any thoughts about this? Thank you for any ideas.

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

There is no way to know for sure; it depends on the dates, the city, events, seasons, etc. Some have had success waiting until the last minute. On the other hand, some have chosen to wait until the last minute and have found that prices have ramped up out of their desired price range in the meantime. Overall, it's a matter of taking regular rates into account, looking at HOTWIRE prices and judging the possible upside/downside for prices for those particular dates. You can read more about this in our PRICELINE FAQ

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[countryman68]

Thank you for your reply. I will check out Priceline FAQ.

[AaronJB]

Happy to help! :)

Please let us know if you need further assistance.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[countryman68]

This was my first time ever using Priceline. I decided to go through the Better Bidding Website To place my Priceline Bid for a one night stay at a 4 star Vancouver, BC downtown hotel. After some bartering, a bid was accepted for $120 including all the fees and taxes. I was booked at the Renaissance Vancouver Hotel Harbourside.

When we arrived at the hotel, my wife and I checked in without much difficulty. When we saw the room, we were shocked! The room was nothing more than a matchbox with little room for 2 people to move around. There was no view and the furnishings and bathroom facilities left much to be desired. There was not even a hook in the bathroom to hang things on. I spoke to a man at the front desk, and he indicated the hotel was full and the room I had been assigned was among a group of lower echelon rooms reserved for Priceline customers! He stated I could get a better room if I was willing to pay more! I refused, and I decided to keep the room rather than hassle anymore. After settling into the room, we discovered the sink would not drain! I called to complain about this, and a plumber was dispatched after we waited 30 minutes. He worked on the sink, and he stated he could not completely fix the problem, but he thought the sink would drain better. It did not, and I spoke to the front desk again asking that we be moved to another room. I was told it was not possible because there were no other rooms available!

We had no choice but to spend the night in a matchbook sized room with a sluggish sink!

I am furious about this experience because the 4 STAR room I was given through Priceline was far inferior to a Motel 6, Comfort Inn or Hampton Inn. I could have done FAR better at any of those hotels with a free breakfast to boot! If this is how Priceline operates, I DO NOT understand why anyone would book a room through Priceline! I certainly will never do so again!

[thereuare]

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience at this hotel.

He stated I could get a better room if I was willing to pay more!

I spoke to the front desk again asking that we be moved to another room. I was told it was not possible because there were no other rooms available!

How did they offer you to pay for an upgrade if no other rooms were available?

Can you please add a reply to this thread with the date of your stay so we can add this information to the topic title and enable your purchase to appear in the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins. Also, if you do decide to use PRICELINE or HOTWIRE in the future please share your wins with the board as you receive them so that the information can best help others in a timely manner... not just when you have a problem.

Please provide the dates of your stay and we'll comment further on your sitaution.

Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding.

[countryman68]

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience at this hotel.

How did they offer you to pay for an upgrade if no other rooms were available?

Can you please add a reply to this thread with the date of your stay so we can add this information to the topic title and enable your purchase to appear in the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins. Also, if you do decide to use PRICELINE or HOTWIRE in the future please share your wins with the board as you receive them so that the information can best help others in a timely manner... not just when you have a problem.

Please provide the dates of your stay and we'll comment further on your sitaution.

Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding.

[countryman68]

I stayed at the hotel Friday evening, August 20, 2010.

I did not make myself clear, I guess. I was told there were no other Priceline category rooms available. However, I was told there WERE rooms in a more expensive non- Priceline category available, if I was willing to pay more! It sure felt to me as if those who booked through Priceline were treated differently!

[yellowdog]

countryman68

Thanx for the follow-up!

Sorry to see that the hotel treated you diffrently for a PRICELINE stay :)

Yellowdog.