Priceline Hotel: 5* London (Mayfair-Soho) InterContinental Park Lane

[Katt]

Hi, I'm new here and wanted to ask for some help, please, so I hope I've done this right. I'm looking for a 5* hotel in London (Mayfair/Soho) from 1/18/11 to check out 1/22/11. What would you suggest as an opening bid on PL for this time of year? I assume January is off-season, but realize people go for the shopping sales, too.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Katt

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

What would your desired max budget per night be, and which zones would you be interested in bidding for?

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[Katt]

Hi Aaron, Thanks for your question. I'm interested in the Mayfair/Soho zone of London and I'd be willing to go to $170 per night, although less would be terrific. I know you can't choose your hotel on PL, but I was really hoping for the Gosvenor House. Any hints on what boxes to tick in order to make Grosvenor House more of a possibility?

[thereuare]

There is no way to increase your chances of the Grosvenor House over any of the other 5* hotels in this zone... would you be happy with any 5* hotel in this zone for a $170 bid? Is this the only zone you want to bid at this time?

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

[Katt]

Thanks for your reply thereuare. Yes, I'd be happy with any 5* in this area. I was only thinking of bidding in this area, although I'll consider any suggestions you might have.

[thereuare]

At the 5* level you have SIX 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.

(NOTE: 're-bid zone1' is not the same as priceline's Zone1, 're-bid zone2' is not the same as priceline's Zone2, etc, etc)

Select 5* Mayfair-Soho...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone4...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone5...

Bid $145, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 5* Mayfair-Soho and re-bid zone6...

Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $155, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone4...

Bid $168, if rejected add re-bid zone5...

Bid $170

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.

[Katt]

Thank you for the bidding strategy. I followed it exactly and went up to $175, and everything was rejected in the 5* category. Should I wait until closer to the dates I need (Jan 18-22)?

[thereuare]

You can continue to try in the days ahead, but with only 2 1/2 weeks to go before your stay i'd also suggest booking a refundable back-up just incase you're still not successful and/or should rates rise as you get close to your stay.

Will you be keeping your maximum bid at $175?

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

Keep us updated and let us know if we can be of further help along the way.

[Romelle]

You might read through this San Francisco Hotel thread.

Your situation is pretty much the same, in that your last night is a lot higher than the first three when one looks at the individual night prices.

Romelle

[Katt]

Romelle, you're brilliant! I tried the first 3 nights (1/18 - 1/21) at 5* in Mayfair and got the Intercontinental Park Lane for $155 a night... $14 a night less than the best western just-in-case reservation I'd made. My bidding history for this was:

5* Mayfair $140

Mayfair + Bloomsbury $145

Mayfair + Bloomsbury + Finsbury $150

Mayfair + Bloomsbury + Finsbury + Hammersmith $155 SUCCESS

Here are the details:

Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $155.00 (USD)

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 3

Room Subtotal: $465.00 (USD)

Taxes and Fees: $102.81 (USD)

Total Room Cost: $567.81 (USD)

While researching for the last night (1/21 - 1/22) I saw that someone got the London Marriott Hotel Regents Park for $87 a night and decided to give it a try, just starting at $87, and I got it the first time. Details:

Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $87.00 (USD)

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 1

Room Subtotal: $87.00 (USD)

Taxes and Fees: $24.67 (USD)

Total Room Cost: $111.67 (USD)

And of course I used the PRICELINE link from this site each time. I want to thank all of you so much for walking me through this. I really appreciate it, and will always come here first in the future. Happy New Year everyone!

Katt

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see that SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID worked out great for you and that you received a great deal on each of these hotels!

We've used this thread to reflect your first purchase of the Inter-Continental Park Lane... can you please start a NEW TOPIC for your Marriott Hotel Regents Park win... this will allow users to be aware of both wins when searching the topic titles on the board and in the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins.

Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay.

[Katt]

New Topic posted... done. Thanks again for your help and suggestions. It's nerve-wracking the first time you use priceline, and nice to have people help you through it.

[thereuare]

We're glad you found the board useful in your purchase... we're happy to have helped! :)