Priceline Hotel: Question re: using PL to rebid in a new zone but including same-star h

[csthomas]

I'm new here and apologize if this was answered somewhere else, but I couldn't find it in Getting Started, FAQs, or other areas.

I'm traveling to Boston June 3rd - June 7th for a big conference (room rates are high and availabilities are low b/c of the 9,400 attendees who will saturate the area). I understand this will make my quest a little more difficult but I'd like to stay in either the Copley Square - Theatre District zone (1st choice) or the Quincy Market - Faneuil Hall - Financial zone (2nd choice) and see what I can get through Priceline. The conference is offering 4-star hotel prices for 200 to 300 dollars, which is pretty darn good but I'd like to try my chances with PL to squeeze into something between the 150 to 200 range.

Anyway, I plan to begin bidding in Copley Square for 4-star hotels, using the rebidding strategy laid out by this website (after rejected bids, add zones that do not have 4-star or above hotels), using the A, AB, AC, ABC strategy that folks have mentioned. Assuming I can't get anywhere with that method, I wouldn't mind being in the Quincy Market area. My questions: should I add the Quincy Market zone to the Copley Square zone and again raise my bid, or once Quincy Market is added, should I decrease my bid to something similar to what I started with when initially bidding in Copley Square? Also to take into account is that Quincy Market has 4.5 star hotels, while Copley Square only has 4-star hotels. And another question, while I'm at it, should I look in Quincy Market at a reduced bid and leave Copley Square out until I've exhausted my rebids for a 4.5/4-star hotel in Quincy Market?

Thank you very much for your help, and I will certainly use your PRICELINE / HOTWIRE links once I get started. Great website.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding! (and thanks for the compliments on the board)

I'm not following your post 100%, but this is what i gather...

You want a 4* hotel with a $200 maximum bid.

You want to bid for the Copley zone first up to your maximum bid, if that is rejected you then want to bid on the Quincy Market zone. (if both zones are equally acceptable i'd sooner suggest you bid both zones at let whichever is cheaper be the one which accepts your bid... but if you favor the Copley zone and are willing to pay more to stay in this zone vs. the Quincy Market zone then you should bid the Copley zone first up to your limit as you've indicated)

Do i have it correct and are you indeed willing to pay more to stay in the Copley zone vs. the Quincy Market zone?

Please confirm and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[csthomas]

My post IS a little confusing but I think you got the gist of it.

I would like to stay in a 4-star hotel in the Copley zone for under 200 dollars. If I'm unable to get this, I'd like to look at the 4-star hotels in the Quincy Market zone to try to get a hotel under 200 dollars. I'd also be willing to drop down to a 3.5-star hotel in either area but would want to drop my bidding prices. Doing some research today, I found a 4-star (the Westin) in the Copley zone for $279 through Hotels.com, and a 3.5-star (the Sheraton in the Copley zone for $209 through Hotels.com, so I don't feel as though I'm being ridiculously over-ambitious.

Ideally, the order of things would be something like:

1) Copley zone 4-star hotels, if all rebids exhausted, then

2) Copley zone 3.5-star hotels, if all rebids exhausted, then

3) Quincy Market zone 4-star hotels, if all rebids exhausted, then

4) Quincy Market zone 3.5-star hotels

Not sure if the above is possible; I think I read that Priceline doesn't allow people to start bidding on higher-rated hotels once they've already started bidding (eg, changing to a 4-star in Quincy Market zone if I've been bidding on 3.5-star hotels in Copley zone)

I can get a little wordy when I type. I hope the above is clear and thank you for your help!

[scottlevin]

"Ideally, the order of things would be something like:

1) Copley zone 4-star hotels, if all rebids exhausted, then

2) Copley zone 3.5-star hotels, if all rebids exhausted, then

3) Quincy Market zone 4-star hotels, if all rebids exhausted, then

4) Quincy Market zone 3.5-star hotels"

Go ahead and do that. You'll be just fine.

[thereuare]

Let us know your maximum bid for a 3.5* hotel and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... and please click this PRICELINE link before replying.

Thanks.

[csthomas]

Decided to go ahead and start bidding this morning but I seem to have run into a problem with rebidding. It's possible I'm just missing something.

Bid history:

4* hotels

1) Copley $160

2) Copley-Brighton $160

3) Copley-Brighton-Fenway $165 --> didn't realize that Brighton was still checked and when getting ready for my next rebid, I was unable to uncheck any of my previous choices

closed browser, went back to PRICELINE through betterbidding.com and was then able to check only the boxes I wanted

4) Copley-Fenway $170 --> "Request already been submitted and received. Not possible to make any changes to request after submitted." I figured I wasted this option when I picked Copley-Brighton-Fenway. Instead of closing browser, hit Back button a few times and was able to recheck zone choices

5) Copley-Medford $171

6) Copley-North Cambridge $176

7) Copley-South Boston $181

8) Copley-Brighton-Medford $183 "Request already been submitted and received. Not possible to make any changes to request after submitted."

9) Copley-Brighton-North Cambridge $185 "Request already been submitted and received. Not possible to make any changes to request after submitted."

I thought Priceline allowed rebidding in the A, AB, AC, AD, ABD, ABD, etc. fashion? Has this changed or did I mess it up with my premature Copley-Brighton-Fenway bid?

To answer your question, here are my desired top bids by hotel star level in either Copley or Quincy Market

4* $200

3.5* 165

3* (I'd only want to bid on 3* hotels in Quincy Market) $130

Thanks again

[csthomas]

Answered my own question. Currently bidding on Quincy Market and remembered to not accidentally go from 2 zones to 3 too early. I'm closing the browser after each rejected bid, then going back to PRICELINE through this website, giving me the option of not having to use the same zone again (ie, I can use the A, AB, AC, AD, ABC... strategy).

I'll let you know how it goes...