Priceline Hotel: SF Bidding Help

[bluegreen2468]

Much like the previous thread, I can see myself in timmyx's predicament quite easily. I am traveling to sf late october (10/21-10/23) and am interested in the union square area with a limit of ~150/night. Any recommendations on a bidding strategy? Is a 4* within reach?

Please advise. Thank you!

[Colfax]

Welcome to the board, bluegreen2468.

When you look at Priceline's SF zone map which zones by name are you interested in bidding? USE, USW, or both?

Rates are moderately high but not in the stratosphere. You'll find out if $150 is enough when you bid. Hotwire's 4* in USE and USW are $220+. Priceline usually beats Hotwire on rate but not necessarily by $70 or more. It doesn't cost anything to try though.

Are you familiar with how rebidding works? You've got six rebid zones for 4* in SF.

Let us know which zone(s) you want and someone will provide a strategy.

For help in ID'ing your six rebid zones see this thread: Priceline Rebidding Explained. Ask if any questions.

Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for your puchases and searches.

[bluegreen2468]

Thanks Colfax :)

My gf and I will be visiting for the first time so I'm just looking to maximize our weekend stay. A friend recommended the union square area- is there a consensus as far as which zone is preferred between USE & USW in terms of location/quality of hotels?

With 6 rebid zones, it appears that I'll have plenty of bids haha. How low would you recommend starting? Do $3 increments sound reasonable?

Many thanks for the help!

[Colfax]

People have different opinions about USE vs USW. A few hotels in USW are near the Tenderloin, which is kind of a rougher area. Some people only bid USE to avoid the Tenderloin. But USE only has three reported 4* hotels while USW has nine. That means you greatly improve your odds of winning something if you bid both zones. Some of SF's largest and most popular hotels, like the Hilton SF and Parc55, are in USW zone.

Personally I think both zones are fine. But don't just rely on my opinion. Scan though some of the threads here and read others opinions too.

If you prefer one zone over the other you can bid to $150 in just that zone first. Then if rejected bid to $150 in the other zone. Or if you want the least expensive 4* available in either zone bid them together.

With 6 rebid zones, it appears that I'll have plenty of bids haha. How low would you recommend starting? Do $3 increments sound reasonable?

I suggest starting at $105 and raising in $5-10 increments up to your $150 limit. You can do it anyway you want, including $3 increments or $1 increments, but that will take a lot more time to bid, and you'll run out of rebid zones before you hit $150. Up to you though.

It's important that you understand how to determine your six rebid zones before you bid. If you don't you could end up in a neighborhood you don't want. If you need help with figuring them out just ask. You can post the names of the six zones here if you want confirmation before you bid.

When you get ready to bid please start with this PRICELINE link.

[bluegreen2468]

Thanks for the info!

Could you please confirm (Zones that don't have 4* hotels):

Civic Center South

Fisherman's Wharf

Japan Town

Marina

SFO North

South SF

[Colfax]

You got em, bluegreen!

Here's a way you can bid up from $105 to $150 in $3-$5 increments:

Click the PRICELINE link, select USE and USW (or just one zone if you prefer) and bid $105 for 4*.

Add rebid zone 1 and bid $108

Add rebid zone 2 and bid $111

Add rebid zone 3 and bid $114

Add rebid zone 4 and bid $117

Add rebid zone 5 and bid $120

If rejected exit Priceline, close browser, then reaccess PRICELINE again.

Select USE and USW plus rebid zone 6, and bid $125

Add rebid zone 1 and bid $130

Add rebid zone 2 and bid $135

Add rebid zone 3 and bid $140

Add rebid zone 4 and bid $145

Add rebid zone 5 and bid $150

Good luck and please let us know how it goes.

[Gallus50]

bluegreen - USE and USW are where I usually stay because they're close to my office. But Emb/FD is nice and somewhat central, close to public transport. Lots of people like SOMA - also central but busier at night, IMO. And if you're a tourist, many people like Fisherman's Wharf, though it is, of course, touristy. (Not as central.)

If bidding proves difficult, you may want to have a few more options.

[bluegreen2468]

Thanks for the info Gallus50 :)

I will be sure sure to post my progress/bidding history.

[bluegreen2468]

Checked online and noticed hotel rates for 4* are $60 more in comparison to this priceline hotel win, who happens to be travelling two weeks prior. Anyone have an idea as to why? Should i wait a couple of weeks before trying again especially if I can win a bid around $110...

[Colfax]

You won't necessarily get a $110 rate if you wait. The other bidder bid the day before his stay apparently and got a great deal as a result. But we've also seen people wait til the last minute and get nothing, when they could have had something if they'd bid earlier. It's happened to me!

Rates vary by day, sometimes dramatically. And a $60 rate change isn't large in the scheme of things. I've seen the Hilton charge $109 to $459 for different days in the same week. Also you're bidding for a Friday/Saturday and the bidder in the other thread was bidding for a solo Monday night. Single night stays are sometimes less expensive than longer stays.

If you don't want to bid as high as $150 this far in advance you could bid up to $125 or $130 now, for example; then if no luck raise your bids higher as your travel dates approach.

Did you ever make a decision which zones you want to bid in?

Please use this PRICELINE link when you get ready to bid.

[bluegreen2468]

Thanks Colfax.

For the time being, I'm targeting USW, but will probably end up extending my zones to USE and Embarcadero.

[Colfax]

Have you attempted any bidding yet? What's the plan? Do you want to try for 4* in USW now or wait awhile?

[bluegreen2468]

Yeah, I've tried to bid up to $120 for 4* in USW in increments of $3 and $5, but had no luck. I was planning to continue to do so every couple of days, unless there was a better alternative? If that didn't work, I was going to include USE and Embarcadero/raise my bid ceiling.

[Colfax]

Why aren't you including USE in your 4* bids up to $120 now? Unless there's a 4* in USE you're trying to avoid bidding both zones will improve your chances. All the reported 4* in USE are within one block of USW zone, so it's pretty much the same neighborhood. Someone else won the Grand Hyatt in USE for $110 for other October dates (not your dates), so under $120 may be possible there.

[bluegreen2468]

So I've been bidding pretty consistently every couple of days up to $150 (using my free bids in increments of $3-$5 on the PRICELINE link above) for USW/USE/Emb (Financial District) and am getting a little discouraged to say the least haha. Cross checking other sites, it seems like 4*s for these areas are going for $290-320/night. I know I still have some time, but I cant help but wonder if $150 is too low. But then again, there's a Hotwire deal for what I'm assuming is the Omni albeit for $40 more at $193/night....should i hold off or should i just go w/ the Omni assuming I want to go w/ a 4*? Suggestions anyone?

Please advise. Thanks again :)

[thereuare]

When rates move higher, the discount (on a percentage basis) often goes down. Although there is more margin for a hotel to discount a $300 hotel room then a $200 room, the $300 room rate indicates a period of stronger then usual demand, and hotels may be less likely to discount as deeply. So, with rates at $300/nite, a 50% discount may not be as easy to come by as it may be during times of more 'usual' demand.

Nobody can say if rates will come down, or move higher, between now and your stay, but based upon your current options, it comes down to whether it's worth paying a little extra (thru HOTWIRE) to increase your chances of receiving the Omni vs. bidding a little higher and receiving any 4* hotel in the zone (thru PRICELINE).

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

Let us know what you decide and how we can be of further help.