Priceline Hotel: Help with 3.5-4* San Fran (FD, USE, USW, SOMA)

[Alia A]

This is my first time posting here so thank you everyone for the help! And I will be using the link on this website to enter my bids :)

I'm looking to get a 3.5-4* hotel in SF, checking in on 9/18 and checking out 9/20. I'm willing to stay in the Financial District, SOMA, USE, USW, and FW and I can pay up to $100 per night, maaaaybe $110.

I have tried bidding on my own sooo many times unsuccessfully but I have also never used Priceline before so that could be why :) I realllllly want to make this work because it's a 4 year anniversary trip with my husband!

I've followed the bidding history that some other people showed and they have fantastic deals but I kept getting rejected. Any advice?!

-Alia

[Gallus50]

Alia - I'm sorry to say this but your timing is really, really bad for SF.

Just checked HW and there are very few hotels available; any near downtown are over $300 a night. Do you have plane tickets for SF? If you are driving, I would pick another weekend or go somewhere else for your anniversary. (Napa? Carmel? Sonoma? We love Mendocino.) You could wait until last minute, but odds are that deals will be impossible to find.

I think there's a big convention that week - maybe Oracle World - and that makes things really tough. Hate to be a doggie downer, but things are rarely this tight. And when they are, PL and HW are not effective tools. Think about it and let us know.

[Alia A]

Oh, what a bummer! We are driving up from Orange County so we can just as easily go next weekend... check in 9/11 and check out 9/13. Is that weekend better?

[Alia A]

I have a different weekend in mind so I'm just going to start a new topic.

[Alia A]

I'm trying to book an anniversary trip to SF with my husband but I've never used Priceline before. I tried bidding a bunch of times using what I read on this site but didn't have any luck.

We want to go Sept 25-27 but we are flexible with which weekend we go since it seems like SF is pretty booked for Sept. We might drive, might fly, haven't decided yet but most important is getting a good hotel deal because driving and flying cost about the same for where we are.

I want to spend $100/night and want a 3.5-4 star hotel in the Financial District, Union Square East or West, Soma, or the Wharf. I'm not sure about the Civic Center zone because I don't want to end up in a bad area.

Any advice on what to do and how to bid?? I tried doing rebidding earlier but it was for a different weekend (Sept 18-20) and kept getting rejected.

Thanks for the help! And I'll definitely be using the links on this site to do my bids :)

[Gallus50]

AA -

Both of your new weekends have more potential availability than your original choice. On HW, 4* prices are hovering around $150- $170, which means you might get a room for less on PL. It's not awesome, but probably do-able. Perhaps you should try bidding for your preferred weekend first, then try the other one if you're not successful and decide that way.

The US Hilton and Intercontinental appear to be showing up on HW and LMT, so they are possibilities. Make use of rebidding opportunities to make the most of your bidding chances. (Look in FAQ's if you don't know what these are. There's a PL Re-bidding explained somewhere.)

Let us know if you need more specific help.

[thereuare]

Please keep all posts for the same trip in the same thread.

Are you willing to pay more a 4* vs. a 3.5* or is your goal the least expensive 3.5* or better for this stay?

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your purchases.

[Alia A]

Sorry about that!

My goal is the least expensive 3.5* or better; so I wouldn't pay more for a 4* hotel.

[thereuare]

You can try whichever date combinations you'd like, but i think your best chances are for 9/11-9/13... although even that my be difficult.

At the 3.5* level you have FOUR re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 3.5* FD, USE, USW...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $75, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* SOMA...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $75, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* FD, USE, USW, SOMA...

Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $100

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Alia A]

Okay, so to confirm... my rebid zones would be Civic Center, Marina, SFO- North, and South SF? I will give this a try and let you know what happens! :)

[Alia A]

Okay, here's what happened:

1. Select 3.5* FD, USE, USW...

Bid $65... rejected

Add CC, Bid $70.... rejected

Add Marina, Bid $75.... rejected

2. Select 3.5* SOMA...

Bid $65... rejected

Add CC, Bid $70.. rejected

Add Marina, Bid $75... rejected

3. Select 3.5* FD, USE, USW, SOMA...

Bid $80... rejected

Add CC, Bid $85... rejected

Add Marina, Bid $90... rejected

Add SFO- North, Bid $95... rejected

Add South SF, Bid $100... rejected

Add FW, Bid $100... rejected

We can't make it the weekend of 9/11-9/13 anymore so it's either 9/18-9/20, 9/25-9/27, or even 10/2-10/4 would work as well.

[thereuare]

I'm assuming that you tried the above for all three date combinations?

What is your gameplan now... wait it out and continue to try again, lower your star level, look to spend your anniversary someplace else?

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

[Alia A]

I only tried it for 9/25-9/27. I also went to Last Minute Travel and found a room at the Hyatt for $110/night but it was on request and the hotel didn't accept it. I'm going to try again right now on PRICELINE for the other two dates and see what happens.

[AaronJB]

Thank you for keeping us updated and for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links. Please let us know if you have any questions and what you decide.

[Alia A]

K so far I tried PRICELINE for 8/25-8/27 and 8/18-8/20 and nothing has been accepted :) I've looked at HOTWIRE and Last Minute Travel tons of times too but can't find anything. I'm willing to go up to 120/night but I'm so worried I won't be able to find anything. What should I try next??

[thereuare]

K so far I tried PRICELINE for 8/25-8/27 and 8/18-8/20 and nothing has been accepted...

I assume you're bidding September... not August?

How high did you bid this last round as i think 9/25-9/27 has a decent chance at being accepted if you bid up to $120.

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

[Alia A]

Oh woops, yes I meant September :) I'll try again and go up to 120 and see what happens....

[AaronJB]

Thank you for keeping us updated and for using the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links to start your purchases and searches. Please let us know if you have any questions.

[Alia A]

So I tried all sorts of dates and prices on PRICELINE but nothing worked. I ended up booking the Clift Hotel on Last Minute Travel for $124/night.... a little bit more than I wanted to pay but I really don't think I could have gotten anything cheaper so I'm happy :) Thank you all for the help!

And Beav's hotel finder link is seriously amazing!!

[Gallus50]

I think you made a good decision. Deals can be hard to come by in Sept/Oct. If you visit SF some other time, you may get a 4* for $70. It's all about peak times and availability.

There were some good happy hour specials for drinks and apps around Union Square on my last visit. Check them out and save some $$ on dinner. Visit the ferry building - it's great. And if you don't go to Alcatraz, take a boat of some kind. Take a bay tour or visit Sausalito by boat.

Now that your plans are set, you can enjoy your anniversary. Have a good trip.

[thereuare]

Glad you found something that works well for your plans.

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

Enjoy your stay and happy anniversary :)