Priceline Hotel: 10/8 Downtown Miami Bidding Help

[TravelAddiction]

I am hoping to get a 3 or 3.5 star in the downtown Miami area for a one night pre-cruise stay 10/8 - 10/9.

I'm not sure where to start because there isn't much data out there for these dates yet. I tried to use the calendar of wins for last year, but they were all for Orlando.

We would like to spend no more than $50. Is this doable since it is during a holiday weekend (Columbus Day)?

Thanks for any help that can be provided.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

We would like to spend no more than $50...

Based upon current rates, this would not seem likely/realistic... what is the best rate you're able to find thru traditional booking channels?

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

[TravelAddiction]

Thanks for your response.

I clicked the PRICELINE link and it looks like the best rate is about $180. The airport area shows cheaper rates. Do you think waiting it out might help or should I move on to another area like the airport? What do you think is the lowest price I can get for downtown in Oct?

[thereuare]

Rates may come down between now and your stay, but to come down far enough so that a $50 bid would be accepted doesn't seem likely at the moment, although nobody can say for certain (see the 'Bid Early or Close to Check-in' link in our PRICELINE FAQ)

You have plenty of time, so i don't think you need to rush into anything, and if your budget is flexible that you might go upwards of $70-$100 then it might pay to wait, but if you're firm on ~$50 it would take a pretty big drop in rates from current levels.

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

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

[TravelAddiction]

Darn it! I had a feeling it would be hard, lol. We are willing to go up to $75. If we have to go down in star level, we will do that as well. However, using your PRICELINE link, it looks like the 2 star level is about the same price.

[thereuare]

What time does your flight arrive? When we cruise i usually find that by the time we arrive, make it to the hotel and just catch our breath, there is little time for much more than dinner and a good nite's sleep (but we also travel with little kids so no major late nites for us)... is the trade-off of a lower star rating worth the downtown location?

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

[TravelAddiction]

Ha! I totally understand about traveling with kids. We will be traveling with our 1 year old. So, we won't be painting the town red at all. We are flying into FLL and will arrive at 1:15 pm. We were originally planning on staying in FLL, but after hearing there is absolutely nothing to do there besides the beach, we decided to stay in Miami (we will take a shuttle to the hotel). We would prefer to do something other than sit on the beach all day since we will do a lot of that on the cruise. After researching the different areas of Miami, it sounds like downtown is a good fit for us because it is close to the port and very close to the Marketplace.

We aren't looking for luxury, just a clean place to rest our heads. After reading about the airport area, it doesn't sound very safe. So, I don't think we will be looking there anymore.

Since you have traveled with kids, where do you usually stay when cruising out of POM? We are not familiar with the area, so we're just going off of our research.

[thereuare]

It's been awhile since i've cruised out of the Port of Miami (last time was a repo and we only returned to Miami and we had a late flight the same afternoon as disembarkation), but prior to that i stayed Downtown.

I usually prefer to stay as close as possible to to the port so if any problems the following day it's a bit easier to rectify (ie- forget a piece of luggage at the hotel, car trouble, etc) but if it's prohibitively expensive then i would have no issue staying further away... are you actually flying into Fort Lauderdale?

Still plenty of time between now and October, why not find a suitable back-up that is fully refundable and then continue to search PRICELINE / HOTWIRE in the weeks ahead?

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

[TravelAddiction]

Yes, we are flying into Fort Lauderdale.

Sounds like a plan. I'll be sure to report back how everything worked out. Thanks for your help with this!

[TravelAddiction]

Just giving an update.

I took everything into consideration and decided to look into Ft. Lauderdale again. I ordered brochures and realized that there is quite a bit to do out there with our son (I now assume that those who told me there is nothing to do gave these reviews because they didn't have a car...or maybe it just didn't live up to their expectations). I'm sure the area isn't quite as exciting as Miami, but it fits our budget better and is not as deserted as I thought.

So, we are now moving our search to the downtown, Hollywood, and beach areas of Ft. Lauderdale. We are renting a car, so we plan to possibly drive to Miami and hang out if we feel up to it (we're from the midwest. So, a 30 minute drive is nothing, lol). I noticed on PRICELINE (always through your link) that a 3.5* is around $90. I've bid up to $52 with no luck. I'll keep trying and see what happens.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the udpate...

I noticed on PRICELINE (always through your link) that a 3.5* is around $90.

Was this thru PRICELINE's "retail" version, as the 'name your own price' section of their site doesn't show rates... or was it HOTWIRE that you were search?

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

[TravelAddiction]

This was through the retail section that I saw the prices. The "name your own price" section showed the median at $98. Hotwire showed about the same prices as Priceline's retail section. So, I guess that could explain why my $52 bid wasn't accepted. As you can see, I'm pretty new to the bidding game. I've only done it once. It was a couple of days before the stay and didn't really matter if I got it or not. This time, I'm putting more effort into getting a deal.

[thereuare]

Is your maximum bid still in the low-$50's?

PRICELINE's retail section has the Marriott North for $81 which is on sale for nearly half off (regular rate $149) which, while not in the exact location you're looking for, would seem to be a very good value (and you said you'd have a car)... the $98 hotel i think you're seeing is the Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek? If so, that is not in the zones you're bidding either, so not really a property you should be using to be determining your bidding parameters unless you're also willing to accept this zone.

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

[TravelAddiction]

Giving another update.

We booked the Intercontinental through Lastminutetravel.com for $111 a night (I know, I know. I'm all over the place with my price ceiling, lol). We decided that we really wanted to stay in Miami just so that we are close to the port. This is our first time flying and cruising with our son. So, we would like to make it as painless and stress-free as possible. I also like that this hotel is within walking distance to Bayside Marketplace and we won't have to worry about renting a car now (we're going to shuttle from Fort Lauderdale). I still plan to watch this thread to see if the Intercontinental pops ups as a Priceline win for multiple bidders. We are able to cancel the reservation up to 3 days before the stay (although, I'm happy with this price and will more than likely stay put just in case I don't win it in the bid).

Thank you for your help and sorry if I made this more difficult than it had to be, lol.

[thereuare]

Glad you found something that works for your needs and you're happy with your decision.

Thanks for closing this thread and enjoy your stay.