Priceline Hotel: 3* Philadelphia (Downtow) Wyndham Franklin Plaza

[sibley]

Hello,

I am new here...I discovered this board after reading the bidding forum at Flyer Talk. First, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who shares their experiences here. I learned a great deal by reading the forums here, and immediately put that knowledge to work.

I had never used Priceline because I didn't think the tradeoff of a few $$ was worth not knowing my hotel until it was a done deal. That was before I started my latest project, in Philly. Hotel prices here were killing my per diem and cutting into profits. A colleague told me she pays $50-$60 for a room by using Priceline. I was paying more than double that!

So, I placed my bid at $60 (colleague had told me $50 was too low for this week) for a 4*, and when that was rejected I bid $60 for a 3* and got the Wyndham. Did I strategize correctly? Is there a certain day of the week I should do my bidding for the next week? For this week, I did it last Thursday.

I will be up here for another month or so, and I plan on doing Priceline for my hotel each week. :)

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Glad you find us. I think most non-users have the same perception, "saving a few dollars isn't worth not knowing the hotel beforehand", but once realizing the savings are more than a few dollars they give it a try and are hooked!

One thing that i can think of that you did which we don't recommend is that you lowered your star rating and kept your price the same. Why this is not advisable is discussed in this PRICELINE TIPS thread.

As for the specific day to do your bidding, there doesn't appear to be any pattern to this (nor with the time of day you place your bid, which is another common question). As prices/rates differ from day-to-day based upon hotel demand, best advice is to start a new thread with the details of your upcoming stay (dates, star level, acceptable zones, etc) and we'll try to provide a strategy to follow in order to get you the best deal.

If you haven't done so already, reading and understanding PRICELINE RE-BIDDING is vital to getting the best deal on Priceline (so let us know if you understand the concept and if you have any questions regarding it)

Hope you're enjoying your current stay.