Priceline Hotel: would like to try to book one of the two Fairmonts...

[OliverB]

Hello,

I'll be in SF for 11 nights in late January 2012 and would ideally like to book at either the Fairmont SF on Nob Hill or Ghirardelli Square by the Waterfront.

I've only ever used Priceline once before for downtown Toronto, so I'm not really all that familiar although I've read through all the FAQ's.

Can anyone direct me through bidding to increase chances of ending up in one of the two Fairmont properties for my stay, and alternatively list other properties that I may end up with if unsuccessful?

I have Pres points racked up with Fairmont and know that I can get easily upgraded, even if booking through PL, to a nicer tower suite or something for minimal if no extra cost... which is why I'd really like to try and score a Priceline deal at one of these hotels. I'd book direct, but 11 nights is a bit too expensive at rack rate (or any cost right now) to be staying with them, as I'm trying to keep expenses lower. Is there any chance I can get a room at the FSF for around $150/night throguh PL bidding?

Thanks!

[Romelle]

If you look at the very first post in this San Francisco - Priceline area, you can find a list of hotels other people have reported here as wins. These are all possible, and it is also possible to get a hotel no one else has ever reported here.

When bidding via Priceline, there is no way to control the outcome.

With Hotwire, there is a good chance one can determine the specific hotel via the listed amenities. That might work better for you.

And finally, with stay as long as yours (11 nights), it is more likely you will run into a some event with peak rates. Holiday, conference, sporting event, etc.. This can make bidding a challenge. Are you willing to split your stay into different hotels?

Romelle

[OliverB]

Hi Romelle and thanks for the help!

I would be willing to split my stay if need be, although it wouldn't really be ideal.

As I'm travelling solo, I'm a bit less picky than usual... I am normally very concerned with room class and all of that, and will often book into higher end properties to rack up preferred guest points with the big chains (Fairmont, Starwood, MO, etc). This time, I'm on a more restrictive budget and am just trying to save money while also staying in a nice 4* in a great location.

[Romelle]

Splitting a bid actually makes bidding easier, as it gives you more possibilities in a 24-hour session. As an example, if you are bidding days 1-7 in the month, you can bid the full 1-7 span first, then days 1-3 and 4-7, days 1-4 and 5-7, etc.

To determine if splitting might be necessary, you look for days with unusually high rates. Expedia can be good for this, since they list individual days. Or you can check one day at a time with Hotwire. Then see if you can reasonably break your stay up into groups of higher and lower days.

Even if rates are totally flat, splitting can still help a long span like 11 days. For 11 days to work requires that some hotel place rooms into Priceline inventory for every one of those nights.

Either piece of research will also give you a bit of education as to what bidding level might work. Some people like to start something like 15-25% below Hotwire, or 50% of Expedia. Since bidding is free, it is always a good idea to check out those lower levels first. Just in case. But not waste a huge amount of time.

Romelle

PS - I hope you've found the Calendar of Wins in the center of this page. You can watch it for other wins on your dates. You can also enter things like "francisco nob" in the Quick Search box up above and see other bidder results for a specific Priceline zone.

[Colfax]

The two Fairmonts have never been reported as Priceline wins here, so they probably don't participate.

You can see the 4* hotels that have been reported to the board here:

California Priceline Hotel List

If you still want to use Priceline for this, knowing that you probably won't win a Fairmont, let us know which zones by name are acceptable and someone will provide a strategy.

Or if you see anything interesting on Hotwire for your dates post the icons here and someone will try to ID.

Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for your purchases.

[Gallus50]

What he said is almost exactly what I was going to say!

[OliverB]

Thanks so much for the help guys,

Before I make a decision, I am waiting to see whether a friend will be joining me, in which case I may just book a vacation rental.

I am desperately hunting for discounted fares int he airline section of the forum now. I was able to purchase my tickets on a limited seat sale the other day. I'll return to this thread shoirtly to determine whether or not I'll be putting in bids on a room. I really appreciate all of your help though; thanks very much!