Priceline Hotel: Need Help for Miami Hotel

[Snlr]

I have been trying to win a 2 night bid on 4 rooms for March 30 - April 1, 2012 in Miami on Priceline.

We are going there for a beach wedding and then a cruise on April 1st, 2012 and we all want to stay together in the same hotel.

I have bid on the areas of South Beach Ocean Drive & Collins Ave for 3.5* & 4* up to $185.00/night.

I have ensured that I have followed all the board's advice regarding multiple bids using the Adventura, Dadeland, Miami West, North Miami, and Southwest Miami areas.

I have also bid on the Downtown area for a 4* up to $165.00/night using the same multiple bid strategy.

(I have noticed winning bids on this forum for a Downtown 4* for much less than this.)

I have been working this for about 2 weeks and have gotten nowhere.

This leads me to a few questions as well as a request for some advice.

-Is there something going on in Miami on those dates making it more difficult to obtain rooms?(i.e. Sping Break??)

-Should I be waiting till the dates are closer before bidding?

-Is the fact that I am bidding on 4 rooms making it more difficult?

Also, I have been using the BetterBidding link to PRICELINE for all of this.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

You're not in the heart of Spring Break, but there are still some schools which have Spring Break during this timeframe. Rates in South Beach are extremely high, Downtown you may not be that far off from a win.

Unfortunately nobody can say if rates will come down, or move even higher, between now and your stay... it all depends how actual demand (new reservations and cancellations) come in relative to expectations. More booking and fewer cancellations then expected and rates will move higher... more cancellations and fewer new reservations, then rates may drop. See the Bid Early or Close to Arrival link in our PRICELINE FAQ for more on this subject.

While it may be too early to compromise, although never a bad idea to have a back-up plan or perhaps get turned on to other viable options which you hadn't previously considered... have you considered Miami Beach and/or Coral Gables? Assuming you want to avoid the spring break crowd, and given that your group will probably stay together and 'make your own fun' as a group, i would consider some 'outlying' areas and try for the nicest hotel possible as opposed to be in the thick of the 'hot spots' (like South Beach)... but you know the needs/expectations of the group better than i do.

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed (bidding a little higher for Downtown if you're looking to 'get this done' if you need to focus on other aspects of the wedding) and we'll try to assist and offer additional insight.

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