Priceline Hotel: timing

[blindastoria]

Hello.

I'm new to priceline and this site. I've been trying to book a room Aug 5-7 in NYC. I've been bidding and waiting on and off for a month now and am wondering if bids are more likely to be accepted closer to the date of travel or if I'm maybe just doing something poorly. I bid up to 160 for 3.5-4 stars in MTE, MTW, Times square, central park area. I saw that some people had gotten hotels within this range, so wasn't sure if I should wait on it or raise my price a wee.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

There is no way to know if bids will be accepted closer to the date, and waiting until the last minute can go wrong if there is an event and rates continue to go higher. Prices may come down, but they can also go the other way in a hurry if there's solid traffic for the dates. Rates also vary significantly by dates - if one user may get a particular rate for one set of dates, the required winning bid for a few days later may vary quite a bit.

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

[blindastoria]

Has anyone noticed a pattern with regard to which day of the week more bids are accepted? I usually only have time to bid on the weekend and wonder if that is a bad time because of the volume of other people searching.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

See the "Bid Early or Close to Arrival" in the PRICELINE FAQ.

When was the last time you bid? Note that the two wins for your dates are for longer stays then your own... it's possible that the hotel accepting those bids has a minimum stay requirement OR that the average rate for the nites of those wins is less than your two nite stay. Another possibility is that the hotel only released a limited number of rooms at that rate and they have now all been taken.

What is your maximum bid for this stay? Are any other zones (such as ESB... or at the 3.5* level MSG?) acceptable?

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

[AaronJB]

Unfortunately, there is no particular/predictable pattern with new inventory and if inventory is taken on PRICELINE or HOTWIRE, there is no way to know if new inventory will be offered.

[blindastoria]

Thank you.

The last time I bid was tonight. I still have some rebids left, but wasn't sure if it was better to do it all at once or wait a few hours and do it again later.

Tonight I've done:

6:30 MTE/MTW/TS/CPS/ESB + brooklyn + 9:00 upper east side + long island + coney island (I guess I have 2 left)

My maximum bid is $150 - I have the $10 a night bonus in addition so $160 total. I'm willing to get a 3.5 star, but wanted to exhaust my possibilities first. I'm not sure how long to wait until I drop my star level because I'd rather the 4 star if possible.

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you.

[thereuare]

As per above, nobody can say if/when prices will drop into your buy range or if they (and the 3.5* hotels too) will continue higher from here, so there is no right/wrong answer in regards to when to lower your star rating... it's really one of personal preference taking into consideration your risk tolerance and how much you want a 4* vs. a 3.5*. If you lower your star rating to 3.5* now there is a chance that in the days ahead a 4* would have come into your buget... if you wait there is a chance that prices move higher, and a 3.5* which may have been accepted today is suddenly out of your price range.

However, i'd suggest bidding up to your limit... you may get accepted, get a counter-offer, or learn some additional information which will help i making a decision as to when you should lower to 3.5* (or if accepted at 4* you won't even need to make that decision :) )

Please note that you can still use your Bonus Cash along with the board's PRICELINE links as follows...

1) click the PRICELINE link on the board

2) go to the MY PROFILE >> MY REWARDS link at the top right of their home page

3) use the bonus money link in the MY REWARDS section of your profile (not a link from an email) and bid as usual

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