Priceline Hotel: Bidding Strategy -- Kaanapali Resort Hotel

[honeymooners]

Please provide me with a bidding strategy for a resort hotel in Kaanapali for 5.15 - 5.22.

Here are the published rack rates:

Westin - $248

Hyatt - $280

Sheraton - $345

Free re-bid zones: Kahului, Kihei

Noticed some winning bids around the same time for $150. Is that where I should start?

TIA!

Honeymooners

[bschnuck]

Yes, $150 is the perfect place to start. Be patient, as i've learned from the people here, patience is the key. You should be able to get it for $150. Be willing to break the date range apart as well. It helps.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Did you see and understand the thread on RE-BIDDING? Feel free to ask any questions that you may have and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board.

[honeymooners]

I used the link you provided.

Started off with the Kaanapali area and checked Resort

Bid $150

Rejected

Added free re-bid zone and upped the bid to $155

Rejected

Added free re-bid zone and upped the bid to $160

Rejected

Should I follow the same stategty in 72 hours? What happens when you break the date range? Is there a possibility of getting two different hotels? How should I break the bids down?

Thanks!

[thereuare]

In splitting the bid there would be a chance of receiving different hotels, as discused here: SPLIT PRICELINE BID.

Is this an option for you? Let us know either way and we'll advise on how to proceed.

[honeymooners]

I'd accept the risk if the reward is big enough. What do you think the per night savings would be...$25 or more? If the answer is yes, then I'd try splitting. If it's most likely $20 or less, I'd rather up my max bid. Thoughts?

Thanks for your help!

[thereuare]

Try bidding again as follows:

Started off with the Kaanapali area and checked Resort

Bid $170

Added free re-bid zone and upped the bid to $175

Added free re-bid zone and upped the bid to $180

If rejected try the bid split as follows:

Started off with the Kaanapali area and checked Resort for 5/15-5/20

Bid $150

Added free re-bid zone and upped the bid to $155

Added free re-bid zone and upped the bid to $160

If rejected try the previous series of bids for 5/15-5/19

Hopefully you follow the above, but if not ask any questions you may have. Thanks for continuing to use the link you have been.

[honeymooners]

Waited 72 hours from my last bid

Used the SB link

Followed strategy (started @ $170) #1

Rejected

Followed strategy (split dates 5/15 - 5/20) #2

Rejected

Follow stategy (split dates 5/15 - 5/19) #3

Rejected

As a final attempt, I split the dates to 5/15 - 5/18 and bid up to $160

Rejected

Given my history, how should I bid in 72 hours? Thanks!

[thereuare]

Rates are now higher than 3 days ago when we suggested the strategy above... bymp this thread a few hours before your 72 hour lock-out expires and we'll take a look at current rates at that time.

Thanks for trying your bids thru SavingsBarn.com :)

[honeymooners]

Hello, another 72 hours has passed and I'm ready to bid again.

Here are current rates:

$345 - Sheraton

$269 - Westin

$280 - Hyatt ($269 on Expedia)

Please provide a bidding strategy...thanks!

Honeymooners

[thereuare]

Start off with the Kaanapali area and checked Resort for complete stay

Bid $170

Added free re-bid zone and upped the bid to $175

Added free re-bid zone and upped the bid to $180

If rejected try the bid split as follows:

Started off with the Kaanapali area and checked Resort for 5/15-5/20

Bid $150

Added free re-bid zone and upped the bid to $160

Added free re-bid zone and upped the bid to $165

If rejected try the previous series of bids for 5/15-5/19

I'm almost certain you could have success for 5/17-5/19, but since this is neither a begin or an end date, it's too risky bidding for it as you could then be faced with two hotel changes.

Thinks may not 'break' for a weeks yet but i would try the above in hopes of resolving it a bit sooner. If you're nervous about not having a hotel i would book a fully cancellable back-up as it will likely make the entire process a lot less stressful for you (and it's also always better to bid with a level head).

[honeymooners]

Thank you -- I'll keep you posted. It's true -- a level head is a good thing to have when bidding!

[LoneStar]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's no reason to continue bidding at this point. The packages feature shows that there is no priceline availability in Kaanapali below $200 for ANY of those nights.

So you have some choices. The first is to wait. There's not a lot of time left, but there's certainly a few weeks. Just wait. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to call one of the hotels and ask if anything is going on in town those days. I find it odd that May would be so tough.

The second is pick another island. Even if you have non-refundable, non-changable tickets, the extra airfare to a neighbor island may be a lot less than the "surcharge" for staying on Maui that week. Think about splitting your time.

Finally, do you have any family members with Starwood points? Make that their wedding gift. :)

MAUI WESTIN

[LoneStar]

I'm almost certain you could have success for 5/17-5/19, but since this is neither a begin or an end date, it's too risky bidding for it as you could then be faced with two hotel changes.

That's interesting, thereuare. I do see the rates dip a bit for those 2 days, but probably not enough to hit "the usual" discounts. For instance, the Sheraton is coming up at slightly less than $200/night after airfare on the packages front. (Most nights, the cheapest is about $230.) I don't think they'll sell it for $150.

I agree, though, the best thing to do is wait. Or figure out someplace else to stay.

[honeymooners]

It's bidding time again...

I called the hotels to asked if there is something going on and the only thing they show for that week is the International Canoe Festival. It doesn't sound that big but they did say that people visiting for the event are staying at their resort. I just looked at the packages and the Hyatt, Sheraton and Westin aren't event showing up for that week. However, if I search for May 15 - 21 the Hyatt shows up. I have SPG points for one night at the Westin so we could always stay there on our last night.

I've booked the Maui Westin at the SPG rate of $260 a night as a backup. I have until April 5 to cancel.

Is it worth it to bid for the entire week given that info? It it typical that rooms open up closer to the actual travel dates or is this a bad sign for future vacancies?

Switching islands is not an option and it is unlikely that I'll be able to find 24,000 SPG points as suggested by Lonestar.

Thank you!

[sk84fungirl]

honeymooners,

I've been unsuccessful with my bid for a hotel in this area as well. However, I am also being patient. I have booked a backup hotel as well. Mine is with the Hyatt. It also includes a $25 a day resort credit. That brings the per day cost to under $200. So, I'm comfortable with what I have if I can't get a room in the $150 range via Priceline.

Good luck to you.

[thereuare]

Rates change, both up and down... book a cancellable back-up and continue with your bidding.

[honeymooners]

sk84fungirl,

Thanks for the feedback. Where did you find that rate for the Hyatt?

[LoneStar]

It's not really a question of whether hotels "show up" on the packages page. What matters is that the price, after subtracting airfare (about $180 pp if you use HNL as the origin) is within "the ballpark" (say 30 bucks/night) from what folks have been successful in bidding. If the hotel is priced a lot higher on packages, it's unlikely there's "a deal."

As far as getting 24,000 SPG points, there's nothing to stop you from splitting up your stay. You're not going to get a deal as good as that one on priceline for Maui (60 bucks a night -- the Hawaiian hotel deal of the year!!), and you're probably not going to get a week at the same hotel anyway.

Good luck. I'm off to the Big Island now. Where hotel prices are mercifully a little cheaper. :)

[bluedog925]

We were in Maui last year during the Canoe Festival. It's not that huge of a deal that it would impact the hotels that much, at least we didn't notice

any large groups at the Hyatt. The Canoe festival was held under the

Banyan Tree in Lahaina, but like I say, it didn't seem to be like, say, a

Las Vegas type of convention packed to the gills with canoe festival people.

I'm somewhat surprised the rates aren't a little lower. This is the low-priced season in Maui before the summer rush.

Guess it must be all those people flocking to Hawaii instead of their

European trips since the dollar isn't that strong against the euro.

[honeymooners]

I was able to snag 5 nights (May 16 - 21) at the Maui Westin for 20,000 Starwood points plus $300. I booked the first and last night at the SPG 35% off rate of $260. The total cost of my trip is $820 for 7 nights and I had to give away a free flight on America West in exchange for the SGP points. A 4.5 star resort on Hotwire in Kaanapali just dropped to $199 so perhaps some inventory has finally opened up. A little too late for me, but regardless I ended up with a smoking deal.

Thanks everyone!

Happy Honeymooners

[sk84fungirl]

Wow, that is awesome. Smart thinking.