Priceline Hotel: Ka'anapali - Lahaina unsuccessful bids7/13-7/16/05

[nelskw]

Greetings!

What a great website! Thanks for the insight.

I've been unsuccessful for the resorts @ Ka'anapali - Lahaina area on Maui. I've tried the suggested breakdown to get 2 free bids. Here it goes:

Dates 7/13-7/16/05

bid 1: $180

bid 2: $200

bid 3: $220

$220 is still unavailable.

The Westin is booked up for a convention. Any guesses on target prices for the Hyatt and Sheraton? I also tried the 50% United Airlines discount, but only the Sheraton was available and it started at $305. Any suggestions would be welcome!

THanks again,

-kn

[LoneStar]

I hate to say it, but I think it looks very grim for you there on those nights. You could keep trying, but you'll need a back up plan -- priceline will probably not work. Maui is that way -- very hit or miss, based on demand. Unfortunately, you seem to be hitting high demand. Even the 3 star hotels are very expensive on priceline for the moment.

A good next step is to call Aston Hotels and the Outrigger/Ohana chain and ask if they're honoring the Entertainment Card 50% off rate. If you can get that, it will probably be better than any other deal there.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

As Lonestar has pointed out, rates are very high for your dates which makes this a tough one. The Hyatt's website is in the $400's for these dates. HOTWIRE has some options but even they are in the $300's! :)

I'd make the phone calls suggested above and let us know if you make any headway on more affordable rates.

[nelskw]

Thanks for the reply. I will let you know what the Aston chain says.

Another question: Do you think the Wailea - Makena $224 4 star on hotwire is the Maui Prince? Here are the amenities:

Resort

Suite

Restaurant

Pool

Fitness Center

Spa

Kitchenette

Golf Nearby

Tennis Nearby

Business Center

Is that hotel worth $224 if it is? Or would the ASton be a better stay?

Thanks again for all your help.

-Nelson

[LoneStar]

Let us know what hotels Aston and Outrigger are offering on Maui for those days and the prices. We can then compare to what's available in Wailea, and whether it makes sense to try to buy it on hotwire or priceline.

[thereuare]

Doesn't the above match the Diamond Resort Hotel in the second post of the HOTWIRE HOTEL LIST?

Lonestar knows this area very well and if you include prices could probably advise you best as to where the best value is to be found.

If you do go with hotwire please use this HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase.

[nelskw]

I called ASton today and they do accept the Entertainment Card. I only asked about 2 resorts:

ASTON Kaanapali Shores, 1 bed garden view is $198 + Tax, no other room type available on the card

Papakea shores studio ocean view is $150; ocean front is $175

We've considered the Kaanapali Beach Hotel as well which goes for about $235 on Travelocity, etc...

Any input would be great as we've never been to Maui!

Thanks again.

-Nelson

[thereuare]

I'll defer to Lonestar to comment on the hotels themselves... board member Keoni may also be able to add some input if they hapens ot see this thread.

[LoneStar]

Is that a one bedROOM at the Kaanapali Shores at $198, or just a bed? From their rate list, I think you get a small apartment, which makes it a better deal.

I'm not personally familiar with either property, but both look OK.

But here's what I think the best deal is. Book a Kaanapali 3 star on priceline. I think you can get it for less than $100 (in fact, start at $80 to be sure). I think you're going to get the Outrigger Napili Shores, which generally gets very good reviews. You never know, but that's what is coming up on the priceline vacations search. I wouldn't pay more than $100 for it (discounted rates generally go for $145).

If I could get a "resort" for $160, I would do that instead. But I wouldn't pay $300 for a resort if I could stay there for less than $100.

[nelskw]

Thanks for all the input.

I've looked at the 3 stars, and think we would rather stay in a resort. We are redirecting our plan of action and are considering heading to Big Island - Kamuela instead. Tell me if my reasoning is correct: The areas on big island are Kamuela, Hilo, & Kona. Only Kamuela has a resort location, and the last 3 days only Mauna Kea, and there was another next door that looked nice that was listed a few days ago. Are these the probable wins? Where would you begin bidding? Its listed at $267 when you choose your exact hotel.

Thanks,

-Nelson

[thereuare]

I'm not sure what you mean by this:

Only Kamuela has a resort location, and the last 3 days only Mauna Kea, and there was another next door that looked nice that was listed a few days ago

(italics the part i don't understand)

[nelskw]

Sorry for the confusion, I should proofread!

The priceline areas on big island are Kamuela, Hilo, & Kona. Only Kamuela has a resort location listed on Priceline. If you go to the "see available prices and choose your exact hotel" Only Mauna Kea Beach Hotel is listed as a resort in Kamuela for date 7/13-7/16/05. A couple of days ago, only Hapuna Beach Prince hotel came up. I've also seen Waikoloa Beach Marriot, the Fairmount Orchid and Hilton Waikoloa Village if you do the same search for different dates. Does this make it more likely to get the Mauna Kea Beach in a priceline resort bid in Kamuela? And where would you suggest we begin bidding? Are there any bad resorts in the area?

Thanks,

I know its a lot of questions.

-Nelson

[thereuare]

I think it's too early to tell how the 'non-opaque priceline' results correlate to the opaque product.

We recently had a user rejected at (i forget the exact numbers) $65 but then was able to get a hotel in the zone thru the non-opaque product at $50. I view the non-opaque version as another "me too" product and don't think it will differ much from Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity"]Travelocity, etc.

Although both the opaque and non-opaque selections fall under the same "priceline" brand, i think hotels will view them as very different products and won't necessarily make inventory available to both sides of the service at the same time.

For the time being i think the Vacation Packages product would be a better indication of availability.

[LoneStar]

In the resorts category on the big island, I recently paid $135 to stay at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. If it's available at that price, it would be a great alternative for you. See my review in the hotel section.

The Marriott in that zone is a 4-star and goes for $95. You can read my review for that one. But if you want a glitzy resort, as you appear to, you'd better pick the Hilton (you won't get any other property unless the Hilton is unavailable as it's the "cheapest" resort in the category). Hopefully, it's available.

[LoneStar]

BTW, start at $125 at the Hilton Waikoloa. Very, very few have ever been hit below $135, but I think there's a tiny possibility it could go for a few dollars less (don't bother bidding below $125 unless you get your kicks from bidding and are willing to rebid in 3 days). You may get a message to bid a little more. Regardless, you can then use the additional zones to get the Hilton for $135 IF it's given Priceline inventory.

[nelskw]

I tried bidding for the Hilton and started at $125, then $135 and then $145 to no avail so far. It looks like the Hapuna Prince is the other option in that area. I also have booked using the 50% off United Airlines coupon for the Sheraton which is going for $160 as a backup. THis one can be cancelled. What is the better hotel? The Sheraton at $160 or the Hilton at $155? Just curious. It looks like they are in different areas.

Thanks again,

Nelson

[LoneStar]

The Sheraton just opened this year. It is a renovation of a hotel that had been closed for many, many years. I didn't stop by on my visit last month, but I'm quite familiar with the property (I considered cashing in Starwood points before I was able to get cheap rates through priceline at Waikoloa). The property seems quite nice. It is by no means as fancy as the Hilton, so at the same price, I'd certainly pick the Hilton. It's probably more comparable to the 4-star Marriott Waikoloa. But looking at priceline's July inventory, it seems quite unlikely you will ever get the Hilton -- or any other Waikoloa resort -- for under $200. So I think the Sheraton at $160 is a pretty good deal, given what Hawaiian resorts generally go for.

BTW, you might also want to consider staying at the nearby Outrigger Keauhou Beach, which is a 3-star on priceline. I am not that familiar with this hotel, but it generally gets good reviews. I believe it is somewhat inferior to the Sheraton (if for no other reason than the Sheraton just had a complete makeover). However, it DOES seem to be available on priceline, perhaps around the $100/night range, and is probably not "$60 inferior."

FWIW, I think Keauhou is a signficantly better location than Waikoloa. Much closer to Kona (the traffic from Waikoloa to Kona makes the drive nearly impossible in rush hour), and has more nearby activities, restaurants, etc.