Priceline Hotel: Looking for Help - Vancouver DT 4* 9/16 - 9/19

[mymontreal]

Hi

Is there something going on in Vancouver this weekend that makes it particularly expensive ?

Based on a few recent successful bids, I tried $129 per night for 4* in Downtown Vancouver - unsuccessful

Added "Granville Entertainment " area and increased my bid to $141 per night - still unsuccessful...

Any thoughts/advice ?

Thanks

Mike

[thereuare]

I'm not sure what is happening in the city this weekend, but rates are just a little higher then usual.

I'm mostly seeing rates at $200+ for 4* hotels in the downtown area, and given the counter-offer you received, it's likely that you'll be successful at some amount between $130 and $141, which would still seem like a pretty good deal relative to traditional retail rates.

What is your maximum bid for this stay? Are both zones equally acceptable?

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

[mymontreal]

Hi

So just to clarify - I did not receive a counter offer, even when I bid at $141 and added the Granville area.

Would like to keep it $165 max - Downtown is preference, but Granville would prob be ok

Would you suggest maybe adding 3.5* to the Downtown mix, or just rebidding at a slightly higher rate after 24 hours ?

By the way, I am using the forum PRICELINE link.

Thanks

Mike

[thereuare]

So just to clarify - I did not receive a counter offer, even when I bid at $141 and added the Granville area.

Thanks for pointing that out... i did read your post wrong.

Would like to keep it $165 max - Downtown is preference, but Granville would prob be ok

Are you willing to pay more to stay in the Downtown zone vs. Granville OR is price ultimately the more important factor and the least expensive of either of these two zones is what you're seeking?

Would you suggest maybe adding 3.5* to the Downtown mix, or just rebidding at a slightly higher rate after 24 hours?

Hard for me to say as it depends what you seek from your hotels and how flexible you are in your budget. My guess is that you're looking at ~$165-$175 for a 4* hotel, so right on the edge of your budget, if perhaps that helps you make a decision if you prefer to try for a 4* near the top of your budget OR try for a 3.5* for less (and hard to say for certain what a 3.5* hotel in this zone may go for since the only previously known 3.5* property has closed and was turned into condos during the real estate hey day)

By the way, I am using the forum PRICELINE link.

THANKS!! :)

Give the above let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

[mymontreal]

Hmm... not having much luck this time

I increased my bid last night to $169 for 4* for Downtown or Granville - bid rejected, without even a counter offer... :)

At the same time, I receive an email "bid alert" from PL, saying that somebody just had a bid of $125 accepted for 4* in Downtown... However, the email doesn't mention any dates, so I'm assuming that it could be later in the month ?

In the end, I need a hotel for next few night so just booked LE SOLEIL directly for $202 per night... :)

Guess the lesson I learned is that I should have started the bidding process a week ago ?

Only problem, is that I only decided on Vancouver a few days ago...

Mike

[thereuare]

The bid alert may not only be for a few weeks from now, but it could be months from now... as you point out, it may (and did) have little relevance to what would be needed for your own win.

Bidding last minute isn't such a good idea, imo, but if you just made the decision to go to Vancouver not much you could have done in that regard... but another tip is to research what it will cost to book direct should your bids fail. If you had know you'd be paying $200/nite, you may have set your maximum bid limit a bit higher than $125/nite.

Thanks for letting us know what you decided and enjoy your stay... feel free to ask for help before your next trip.