Hotwire Hotel: 2* Toronto (Brampton) Best Western Brampton

[jtdl]

I don't see it on the hotwire hotel list.

Dec. 14-16, 2*, $59, only amenity is highspeed internet.

Thanks

[dahammer]

with one amenity this is difficult to identify, it could be the Howard Johnson's, Comfort Inn, or Days Inn.

Please use the HOTWIRE links on the board if you proceed with this.

[jtdl]

I'm looking at staying at the Days Inn and was hoping maybe that was the only 2* in Brampton. The Comfort Inn only has a couple reviews where I check and they aren't the best reviews. Thanks for your help.

[dahammer]

just curious, if you can't identify the hotel before purchase what are your options? For this stay, would you rather book an "unknown" 2* through HOTWIRE or would you consider a higher rated property through bidding on PRICELINE that is also unknown but within your budget? I only mention this because I stayed at the 3* Holiday Inn Select in Brampton through PRICELINE in the spring for $66, and I can't imagine that prices increase when the outside temperatures are below zero (Celsius). Note that if you bid, there is no guarantee that you would get the Holiday Inn Select.

[jtdl]

I did scout around PRICELINE a bit but really don't understand how to go about using it - lol! I know it's probably quite simple but there are so many different hotels in a star rating is there anyway to know which one you will probably get or do you just know it will be one of them? Maybe I'll go read some more on that thread and see what I can learn. Thanks again.

[jtdl]

There are no Brampton hotels listed on the Priceline hotel list. I would love to get Holiday Inn Toronto-Brampton Conference Centre as it has an indoor swimming pool and is directly across the street from the Bramalea Mall. Any ideas what star rating it would be on Priceline or how I would go about having the best chances at winning it?

[Romelle]

There are no Brampton hotels listed on the Priceline hotel list. I would love to get Holiday Inn Toronto-Brampton Conference Centre as it has an indoor swimming pool and is directly across the street from the Bramalea Mall. Any ideas what star rating it would be on Priceline or how I would go about having the best chances at winning it?

If you look on the retail side of Priceline (direct purchase rather than bidding), you will find that HI as a 3*.

If you haven't been on the retail side, up at the top of the screen you get when you link from betterbidding is a line that starts "Flights/Hotels/Cars....". Just click on Hotels.

Of course there is no way to direct one's bidding toward a particular hotel. You might prefer using Hotwire where one can make an educated guess as to the offerings (not 100% sure, but pretty good).

Romelle

[jtdl]

If you look on the retail side of Priceline (direct purchase rather than bidding), you will find that HI as a 3*.

If you haven't been on the retail side, up at the top of the screen you get when you link from betterbidding is a line that starts "Flights/Hotels/Cars....". Just click on Hotels.

Of course there is no way to direct one's bidding toward a particular hotel. You might prefer using Hotwire where one can make an educated guess as to the offerings (not 100% sure, but pretty good).

Romelle

Thanks I see that. It also is the only 3* listed for Brampton but someone else on another thread said they have the Holiday Inn Select as a 3* in Brampton. I though the Select was different than the Conference Centre. The HI Conference Centre is on Peel Rd. Anyone know if these are one and the same? There is another HI Express in Brampton, I'm wondering if that would be the HI Select? They both have pools and so probably both have same star rating? But the HI CC is in the perfect spot - directly across from a mall! How should I proceed? Would Priceline's star rating be the same for their retail listings as the name your own price?

[jtdl]

Dahammer, was that HI on Peel St?

[thereuare]

The hotels listed in the 'retail' version of PRICELINE are not necessarily the hotels you will receive when using the 'name your own' price section of their site. In fact, if you go to PRICELINE and browse the retail version and then click a 'name your own price' link on that page a warning message will be shown informing you that the hotel you receive may not be one of the hotels on the previous page. For more on this see the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

If you haven't seen it yet this is a good read as well: I've Never Used Priceline or Hotwire as it explains the general principles of each service as well as their similarities and differences.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[jtdl]

I've read the above links. I understand how it basically works. I would like to go ahead and find out how I can best increase my chances of getting the HI Brampton Conference Center. I've also posted on the Priceline thread. Thanks for your help.

[dahammer]

Dahammer, was that HI on Peel St?

YES it was on Peel St. A wee bit worn around the edges, but still a decent property and I would stay here again.

That said, you seem to want to specify your hotel but you really can't do this with PRICELINE, you have to accept any hotel that is in the star rating that you have selected.

[Romelle]

Thanks I see that. It also is the only 3* listed for Brampton but someone else on another thread said they have the Holiday Inn Select as a 3* in Brampton. I though the Select was different than the Conference Centre. The HI Conference Centre is on Peel Rd. Anyone know if these are one and the same? There is another HI Express in Brampton, I'm wondering if that would be the HI Select? They both have pools and so probably both have same star rating? But the HI CC is in the perfect spot - directly across from a mall! How should I proceed? Would Priceline's star rating be the same for their retail listings as the name your own price?

While the other win reported was a Hotwire win, that "HI Select" bears the same "30 Peel" address as the HI Conference Centre, so presumably are the same.

Star levels do stay the same on both sides of Priceline unless there is some error.

When bidding, it is possible to get a hotel that is NOT appearing on the retail side. Your bid is a commitment to accept ANY hotel at the bid star level (or higher) within the shaded area of the PL map. I've gotten an entirely new and different hotel a couple times.

Romelle

[jtdl]

YES it was on Peel St. A wee bit worn around the edges, but still a decent property and I would stay here again.

That said, you seem to want to specify your hotel but you really can't do this with PRICELINE, you have to accept any hotel that is in the star rating that you have selected.

I'm pretty sure that there are only two 3* hotels in Brampton (and no other star levels are available) - the HI CC and the HI Express and I would take either one. I'm somewhat familiar with Brampton and I'm pretty sure there aren't any other "high end" hotels there. I did try a bid of $50 but it wasn't accepted. Don't understand the technique of bidding in another area that doesn't have that star rating, so I'll wait 24 hours and try again.

[Romelle]

Don't understand the technique of bidding in another area that doesn't have that star rating, so I'll wait 24 hours and try again.

Free rebidding 101:

When you get into PRICELINE and are about to bid, check the area just below Brampton (Burlington) and look at how the buttons beside the star levels act. You will see that 3* and lower turn white, indicating there are hotels available at those levels. Higher than 3*, the buttons stay gray. No free rebid here when bidding at the 3* level.

Now uncheck that one, and check Toronto Airport East. For this one ALL the buttons turn white. No free rebid here at ANY star level.

Now uncheck Toronto Airport East and try the others, one at a time. I promise you there is one and only one that can be used as a free rebid area at the 3* level. It ONLY has 2* and lower hotels available at the moment.

Just to be sure we are communicating, post your finding back here. And then I'll cover how to use it and get two bids each day rather than just one.

Romelle

PS - some cities have lots of free rebid zones and consequently are really easy to bid in.

[jtdl]

Found the one with 2* or less available - Toronto East.

[thereuare]

Correct... so when bidding 3* in Brampton if you're rejected you can then add Toronto East to your bid and raise the bid amount a little, knowing that you won't receive a hotel in the Toronto East zone since that area only has hotels rated less then the threshold are bidding (ie- 3 stars)

Two things to note:

1) always double check your re-bid zones before every bidding cycle to make sure that nothing has changed since the last time you checked

2) remember that the star rating you select is the minimum you're willing to accept and PRICELINE can always upgrade your bid... so if you're bidding 3* and another zone doesn't have 3* hotels but does have 4* hotels, that is NOT a re-bid zone since PRICELINE could upgrade your bid and give you a 4* hotel in the zone you just added

Hopefully the above didn't confuse you at all, but if it did, feel free to ask any questions you may have.

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

Good luck and keep us updated on your bidding.

[jtdl]

Thanks for the one-on-one instructions :) Tried again with adding the Toronto East with a bid of $58 and it wasn't accepted. I'll try again tonight.

[dahammer]

There are no Brampton hotels listed on the PRICELINE hotel list.

Sorry about that! My Brampton Holiday Inn Select win was through HOTWIRE. :)

[Romelle]

That HI-Conference is $128 per night for your dates on the retail side of PRICELINE. Unless you are particularly lucky, I'd guess you aren't close enough to score when bidding in the high $50s range. Less than 50% is unusual.

You don't have a lot of time left to explore the lower levels. Maybe $63 and $68 tonight? Or even a little more? It sort of depends on how anxious you are to have things set. Some people need to be sure months ahead of time, and some have nerves of steel and calmly bid up to the very last day.

If you get one of those "counter-offers", it is highly recommended to just ignore it and stay with your strategy. All it means is there is something somewhere between your last bid and the offer. Once in a while only $1 more, and usually no more than 1/2 way between.

And give a thought to the 2 1/2* level? If you shift to a lower star level, you can lower your bid. Do double check that free rebid area to make sure it is not represented at the lower star level.

Nice work on daring to try the free rebid technique. It will serve you well.

And finally, it is 24 hours from that second bid, not the first.

Romelle

[jtdl]

And finally, it is 24 hours from that second bid, not the first.

Romelle

Oops, thought it would be 24 hours from first bid. Guess I'll be waiting till tomorrow morning to try again. Yes, I think I'll try $65 for the next bid.

[jtdl]

Bid $63 and 68 and still no go. There is a 3* on Hotwire - comp breakfast, fitness, rest., business, golf for $73 and I'm thinking it could be the Holiday Inn?

[Romelle]

Bid $63 and 68 and still no go. There is a 3* on Hotwire - comp breakfast, fitness, rest., business, golf for $73 and I'm thinking it could be the Holiday Inn?

Sorry those bids didn't work out.

I'll let the experts deal with the Hotwire hotel identification. It isn't an exact science, but pretty close. The amenities are different than any shown in the list of prior bidders results, but the hotels change them so the difference doesn't rule out the HI.

If you are considering this route, do take a really close look at the Hotwire map to be sure you are OK with anything within its boundaries.

Also, there is a slight difference in the fees for Hotwire and Priceline (Priceline is a little more), so a PL bid of $72 totals close to the same as the Hotwire $73.

You may have tried this already, but if you click on the gray Brampton 2 1/2* (gray means you get to see the hotel name), it is a Best Western. Grays are a little more expensive, for the privilege of knowing what you are getting yourself into.

Romelle

[thereuare]

The Holiday Inn doesn't offer a complimentary breakfast so i don't think that is the HOTWIRE hotel being offered.

The ameniteis of the HOTWIRE property do match those of the Monte Carlo Brampton Suites so that would be my best guess for this one.

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

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[jtdl]

Thanks for the info. I think I will try bidding again tomorrow, maybe start with $75? If I don't get it tomorrow than maybe I will go with the Best Western on HOTWIRE.