Priceline Hotel: Resort Oahu (Waikiki Beach) Outrigger Reef on the Beach

[chas3]

Hi Folks,

Last year we used Priceline, through a link here, along with an Entertainment Coupon to obtain a 3-night reservation for the Sheraton in Waikiki (next to Roayal Hawaiian) and we saved quite a bit of money. The dates this year are roughly the same as last year-first few days in Dec.

Anyway, some non-traveling family members with health issues almost caused us to cancel our trip last year. So this year, even though everyone is healthy right now, I am wondering whether to start my bidding now (about 3 months out) or wait until we are closer to obtain the best price?

The Sheraton Waikiki worked out real well for us last year and we are hoping to get it again. Any help would be appreciated.

Also, does Entertainment still have a Priceline coupon in the 2011 book? If so, does each book have a different coupon code? And can a Priceline user who used one in 2010 use one in 2011?

Thanks!

[thereuare]

Nobody can say if rates will go up, down, or remain the same between now and your stay, it all depends upon hotel occupancy and supply/demand (ie- how expected new reservations and cancellations come in relative to expectations). For more on this subject see the 'Bid Early or Close to Check-in' thread in our PRICELINE FAQ.

priceline does offer insurance for an extra $5/nite which you may want to look into to see if non-traveling family members is a covered condition.

I don't have an Entertainment Book in front of me, but i don't think they use a universal coupon code, and discount would be book/user specific.

Lastly, note that there is no way to bid on a specific hotel, you'll need to be willing to accept any hotel in the zone at the star rating, or higher, that you select.

Once you're ready to move forward, let us know which zone(s) you're willing to accept, desired star rating and maximum bid, we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[chas3]

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my question. I did read your FAQ's

I do understand that there is no guarantee of getting a particular property when bidding.

If I remember correctly, the Sheraton Waikiki is located in the area that I see labeled as zone #7 on Priceline's website today? I also seem to remember last year there was no option for 5-star in that zone but it appears that this year there are 5-stars in zone#7 (I think we got the Sheraton as a 4-star or "resort" last year). Are there new properties in that zone that are considered 5-star? I see from your list that the Sheraton Waikiki falls under "resort", but it looks like at least one poster obtained it as a 4-star?

Anyway, I'd like to start my bidding soon to allow for plenty of time to re-bid and I'd like to try to target the Sheraton Waikiki as well as possible. As far as price, I think we got it for a little over $100 per night last year and would like to stay "near" that range. I believe that we had to pay a resort fee to the Sheraton of about $25 per night that covered parking (does that still apply?) We will have a rental car.

Please provide me with the best advice possible and I will give it a shot and report back with my results. I'll also investigate the cancellation insurance.

[Romelle]

Priceline changes the boundaries of zones from time to time. You might want to map the Sheraton into that zone map to be sure you are bidding on the right zone. If you can't see enough street name detail initially, you can zoom the Priceline zone map in further.

On the retail side of Priceline, the Sheraton Waikiki is a "Resort" - approximately a 4 1/2*. It is $235 for your dates. I haven't been following the Hawaii prices, but I know that in a lot of other areas people are being surprised at how much higher they have to bid.

If 5* bidding is available, there are 5* hotels that have given some inventory to Priceline bidding. When bidding the Resort level, Priceline could "upgrade" you to the 5* level. I did look at the retail area, and there is only one 5* there - the Royal Hawaiian. Of course there could be a completely different one show up on the bidding side.

You might keep an eye on that Bonus Money area. From time to time somebody posts in there how to get some bonus money. Also, be sure to check "My Rewards" before you bid. Priceline randomly gives money there occasionally. I think there is a $20 coupon in the Entertainment Book. If there is, you have to use your member number to obtain it.

Romelle

[thereuare]

At the Resort level you have FOUR re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select Resort Waikiki Beach...

Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $110, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $125

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[chas3]

Thereuare, Romelle,

Thank you for your help.

I have begun my bidding, however, since we are close to 3 months away I am just going to bid once a day for now and will use the link from here. I am also going to purchase the trip insurance for $5/day.

In reading the reviews for the 5 possible properties that we may get by selecting "Waikiki Beach" & "Resort" none of them sound too bad, but we really enjoyed the Sheraton's location and the property and hope that we get it again.

I did get the $20 Entertainment bonus linked to my account by going to priceline.com/entertainment2011 and putting in my Ent. card #. Now on my future bidding trips to Priceline I will use your link.

It may take a week or two, but I'll report back when I have an accepted bid.

[AaronJB]

I'd suggest bidding every few (2-3 days) rather than bidding every day. Additionally, definitely read the fine print on the travel insurance.

Thank you for keeping us updated and for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[chas3]

AaronJB,

What is the rational of not bidding everyday, and instead waiting 2-3 days between bids?

Thanks,

Chas

[AaronJB]

There's nothing wrong with bidding every day, but every 2-3 days is a bit more reasonable/relaxed, especially as you do have a decent amount of time between now and your trip.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[chas3]

Well, I've been bidding for a couple weeks now and have had no luck, so I think I will lay low for a while before I start re-bidding.

I have been using the PRICELINE link from this site and have $20 bonus cash from the Entertainment Book to use, which works out to $4 per night. I started my bidding at $95 and slowly increased to $126 (which, with the bonus cash, was a $130 bid). I've been selecting "Resort" & "Waikiki Beach".

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit nervous at this point.

Any thoughts and/or suggestions?

Thanks.

[thereuare]

Do you have any back-up plan anywhere near the levels you're bidding?

HOTWIRE has what i'm guessing to be the Waikiki Parc for $140/nite if that is of any interest to you.

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

[chas3]

I gave one last stab yesterday at $127+$4 bonus=$131 and was turned-down again. If I can keep myself away from Priceline for a while I may try to resume bidding, reverting back to lower bids, in a week or two.

In the meanwhile I reviewed the list here for potential Waikiki Beach "resort" properties and checked their prices and locations individually. Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach gave me a decent rate of $164 (+tax), so I booked a cancelable reservation as my back-up for now. The location is hard to beat and Trip Advisor reviews were pretty favorable. Still, with tax I'm looking at about $186 a night, plus the $30 parking fee which I can't avoid even with Priceline. Nobody said Hawaii was cheap!

I'm sure I will resume bidding, probably sooner than later, but in the meantime at least I have a reservation to fall back on.

I'll keep you posted and keep using your PRICELINE link.

[thereuare]

Always much less anxiety when you have a back-up reservation.

Keep us updated on your progrss once you resume bidding and let us know if we can be of further help along the way.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[chas3]

I couldn't help myself. I went ahead today and bumped it up to $131+$4 bonus= $135. Still rejected! This bidding is addicting!

You may be wondering why I would be OK with pay $186 w/tax not bidding, but hesitate to escalate much further bidding? It's because in reality I would be very happy with the Sheraton Waikiki, Moana Surfrider and even the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach. I would not be so thrilled to get the Marriott Beach or Outrigger Reef, but it would not be the end of the world. I just like the location of the first 3.

[thereuare]

Understood... the Resorts on your 'preferred' list are worth the retail rate to you, but if you were to receive one of the 'less preferred' properties, it would have to be at a rate of $135 or less to be worthwhile.

Thanks for the update and for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

Good luck in the coming weeks and let us know what you end up with or if we can be of further help along the way.

[chas3]

As of just a few minutes ago, using the PRICELINE link here, I bid $137+$4 bonus cash=$141 per night for Waikiki Beach Zone 7, Resort and got a big fat NO!

This is the highest bid I have made yet and I am really getting the feeling that real drastic bargains are not to be had using Priceline for this reservation.

I have got a new message from Priceline after placing my last 2-3 bids:

Try Again Right Now

We searched hundreds of options to find your hotel room, however we can't accept your offer of $137 per room, per night. Your credit card has not been charged for Request Number xxx-xx-xxx. If you are willing to raise your price by $34 to $171 per room, per night, you can try the same request again right now.

Normally you are required to change additional items (add zones, star level, or dates) in order to try your request again. However we are able to extend this one-time opportunity to you because of the zone, quality level and dates you requested.

I'll keep dabbling here and there.

[AaronJB]

Given that you got a counter-offer, the required bid is somewhere in-between your last failed bid at $137 and the counter-offer; it could be only slightly higher.

Thank you for keeping us updated and for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[chas3]

Yesterday I gave it another shot and this time it was accepted.

My bid was $146+$4 bonus cash=$150, Waikiki Beach area, Resort.

We ended up with the Outrigger Reef on the Beach, which, as luck would have it, was my last choice among the possible properties that we would get. This was mainly because of it's location-not right on Kalakaua and kind of on the fringe of Waikiki Beach. I guess that we'll just get a little more excercise walking.

I remember last year not being thrilled with the Sheraton Waikiki when I won the bid, but after staying there really liked it. Hopefully this will be the same experience as the reviews on Trip Advisor are favorable.

Anyway, I rolled the dice to save a few bucks and we'll see if it paid off.

Thanks Betterbidding for all of your help. I'll be using your help again for our Miami trip.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

While not your preferred hotel in the zone, sounds like you'll be able to make it work (you're in Hawaii, how bad can it be :) ) and are looking forward to your trip.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

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

Enjoy your stay.