Priceline Hotel: 3* Honolulu (Waikiki South) Radisson Prince Kuhio

[slyspif]

Hello, GREAT BOARD! I have done some light stalking of this board but never had a winning bid to post. I would like (need) to get a decent hotel for a family trip 12/15/05 to 12/23/05. Is it too early? When is the inventory the best on Priceline/Hotwire? What is better for the Oahu/Waikiki market, Priceline or Hotwire? My wife and I have twin girls who will still be in cribs, so advice on where we can find larger rooms would be helpful. I look forward to posting a winning bid to brag about!

TJ

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

(and thanks for the compliments on the board)

It's probably a bit early, but more specifically which zone(s) and star level are you looking for?

Priceline is usually cheaper, but HOTWIRE enables you to target specific properties a bit better. Also, hotwire enables you to search for more than double occupancy, while priceline only guarantess double occupancy (although not likley an issue in Hawaii... although some aren't comfortable doing so)

Let us know regarding the above and we'll take a closer look.

[slyspif]

We need to keep moving with the twins, so we are thinking the Waikiki South area would provide good walking/strollering. I assume that infants are not an issue for occupancy, and I'll probably bring their own cribs (pack n -plays). I am considering a back up reservation at the ocean resort hotel, a ocean view deluxe w/kitchenette for $95/night. We would sure like 3 or 4 stars for the same $$.

Thanks so much for the help!

[thereuare]

If you want the South zone i would wait to make your purchase as the Park Shore has recently been upgraded to a 3* hotel in that zone and from board members i hear it's not up to the caliber of the other 3* properties in the area... hope it gets downgraded between now and then.

In the North zone the Royal Garden was recently downgraded from a 3* to a 2*, so this zone is a bit 'safer' to bid now than it was previously. The hotel is undergoing renovations which has a lot of their amenities out of service, so if you were considering this zone i would potentially bid 3* in this area now rather than later since the hotel could potentially be upgraded back to a 3* once the renovations are completed.

Let us know whatever you decide and we'll provide a bidding strategy for you to follow.

[slyspif]

OK, I've been noodling around the site and Hotwire, Trip Advisor, etc. and I would love to get the Radisson Waikiki Prince Kuhio for under $70.00. Now, you warned me not to bid 3* in Waikiki South, but I see people still getting the RWPK after the Park Shore "upgrade" to 3* Help!

[thereuare]

You can try watching the Vacation Packages for a large price difference between the two properties, but currently there is only a $5 difference between the package prices of the two hotels so there is no way to target either of them in the opaque product (and even when there is a large price difference this is not foolproof).

Since you have so much time between now and your stay, i would wait it out and see if the Park Shore gets downgraded, or perhaps HOTWIRE prices firm up a bit... plenty of time so i wouldn't take any chances this early on, wait for a probability opportunity and keep your options open.

[slyspif]

Sound strategy! Not willing to risk getting the Park Shore, period. Back to light stalking for now. Please post the link to use for priceline :)

Thanks again!

[slyspif]

:) Thereuare, There is now a $29/night spread between the park shore and the Radisson Waikiki Prince Kuhio. The RWPK is lower. Is this any indicator that the RWPK might be won on priceline? Thanks, TJ

[thereuare]

This strategy is not foolproof, so either hotel could be won at either time. It would stand to reason that your strategy is sound, but $29 for an 8 nite stay amounts to a $3 spread per nite so there's not really much room for error!

Hopefully Lonestar will see this post and comment as he takes this approach more often than i do.

[slyspif]

No, it's $29 per night more right now for the Park Shore. This seems like a safe spread. Mr. Lonestar... comments?

[slyspif]

:) Last night I went for it and bid on priceline, seeing that people had been winning RWPK and the spread was $29 on the packages. I bid $50, then $55, then $58. Not even an offer. The dates were 12/15 to 12/24, so maybe too long, too close to Christmas, or too little... Should I start with the first week or less and add on the rest later?? Am I crazy on the price for that time of the year? I thought that pre Christmas would be easy.

Rest in peace John Paul II.

[thereuare]

You might have success if you drop the first nite of your stay, which is priced higher than the other nites (you can try right away if you'd like without waiting 72 hours since it's for different dates than your original bid, so it's not viewed as a duplicate)

HOWEVER....

-make sure the spread difference still exists for the new set of dates before bidding

-i would not bid below $58 as we haven't seen an acceptance as the Radisson below that price in quite some time, i would think that bidding below $58 only exposes you to the other 3* hotels in the zone and not to the Radisson (and note this goes against recommended strategy of: DON'T BID HIGHER FOR A SPECIFIC HOTEL.

Let us know if you have any questions regarding the above.

[slyspif]

Well I tried. No go. I'll have to lurk and try again. Thanks Thereuare.

[LoneStar]

Sorry, I didn't respond earlier -- I was IN Hawaii. :)

What concerns me about the Park Shore is that the first poster got it even when it didn't show up AT ALL on the packages feature! That's something I hadn't seen before.

What was the per night price of the Radisson on the packages feature for your dates (remembering to subtract the dummy airfare cost and adjust for the package's double occupany quote)? One thing you could try is to bid for just a few nights, and this way if the Park Shore turns up, you won't have to stay there for your entire vacation.

[slyspif]

When figuring the package prices, I was just using the difference in the price (for two people) between the two properties. It has been $23 to $29 in the last week. Since my last post I have rebid: I went to one week, 12/15 to 12/22 and bid $60 and $65, not willing to go to $70 just yet (I had a funny feeling). I read the FAQ and saw that the priceline rates can be fairly consistent, just moving with the seasonal demand and convention activity, so I am wondering if my dates are considered high season? Also, I am reluctant to move around as we have baby twin girls.

Thanks Lonestar, your help is appreciated.

[LoneStar]

Don't worry so much about high season/low season -- it just depends on when rooms are available, and in Hawaii the hotels seem to make them available whenever they are not sold out. As an example, I just used priceline over the Easter week (when it was near chaos trying to get an airplane seat to the Islands and most hotels wound up full) and I didn't have much trouble getting priceline accomodations a couple months in advance (I had to settle for a 4-star one night when a "resort" was completely sold out!). I do think it will be trickier getting a long block (more than 3 nights) during a holiday period, but perhaps not impossible (you never know).

While increasingly imperfect, running the data through "packages" is the most reliable method I know of checking inventory. Use KOA as your origination, subtract $180 per person for airfare, and see what the per night room fee comes out to be. There is a good chance you can bid for that room for about $20/night less and be successful.

[slyspif]

I have changed my dates and now I am going to Hawaii over Memorial day week. I tried 5/28 - 6/4 at $58, then added ilihani zone at $63, then added Honolulu airport at $70, NO GO. So I broke up my dates, as there is a rate hike in June, and went with $60, GOT IT! Now the Park shore shows less than a dollar less per day on the packages and I am not willing to risk getting the Park Shore for the remaining 3 nights, so I will wait and watch for the RWPK to be lower...

Thanks to Thereuare and Lonestar!!! Of course, I bid through savingsbarn.com.

slyspif

[thereuare]

Glad to see this one work out for you (so far) after the effort that has been put in!

Thank you for updating us on this stay and as well for using the SavingsBarn.com to begin your purchase... we do appeciate it!

If you'd like to continue this for the remaining dates please start a NEW TOPIC so that the we'll be prepared in case a different hotel is ultimately won... this way the new property, price, dates, etc can be accurately shown in its own thread.

Enjoy your stay.

[txgeekboy]

You were right to break it up. Package prices show Park Shore cheaper than RWPK for 6/1-6/4. Lowest available web booking for 6/1-6/4 from Radisson is $179, and $170 from placestostay.com. However, Hotwire shows RWPK for $120/night for those dates (reasonably certain that it's the RWPK - it's the only 3.5* in Waikiki Central with that amenities list). I know it's twice the rate of the first part of your stay, but you might consider using HOTWIRE for the second half if you are dead set against moving. It's still a great rate for a very good hotel during a high occupancy period.

[slyspif]

I checked the packages twice today and the second time RWPK did not even show up... so I may go with a 4* for the last three nights. Off to a new thread...

[slyspif]

FYI - The RWPK has been missing for a few days...now it is showing up as a 4* on Orbitz and other sites... HMMMM.

[slyspif]

Follow up: The RWPK is awsome. Great staff, location, amenities. The food is not great. When we checked in, they offered a room upgrade, $20 for mountain view, $40 for oceanview.

Thanks again,

Slyspif :)