babyblue78 Posted November 20, 2011 Report Posted November 20, 2011 Hi! This is my first attempt at using Priceline for hotels... I have always had a knack for finding good deals, but it looks like PL is my best bet for this. I have been reading all of the threads and think I have a good idea of what I should do, but I wanted to run this by the experts first! B) We are needing a pre-cruise hotel for one night, prefer the downtown Miami area due to being close to Bayside and port area. We will be flying in, arriving approx noon on Friday 4/27 and will need two rooms for one night. Some more details:1) We are wanting a 4*, I am hoping for the Intercontinental but I would be happy with the Hyatt Regency. The other two (Tempo and JW Marriot) are farther down my list but would be workable for one night, hoping to avoid the Tempo if possible due to the additional resort fee but I know that is a potential result. I understand that other hotels could show up, but I think any 4* in this area would work. 2) I have been unable to identify any of the hotels on the other sites such as LMT or bookit.com. Is that a clue that they are not trying to "move" rooms, or is it too early for those?3) I will have two children (3 & 5) in my room. I understand that PL only guarantees double occupancy, but we can make any arrangement work. We could always put one child in the other room (my parents). Do we have to "sneak" the kids around at checkin or is that OK?4) I am not sure where to start my bidding. The IC is currently at $259 on their website, and I have not seen any wins on the calendar of wins for a 4* close to the dates. Based on 2011, I saw wins for the Hyatt approx $56, and I saw threads with wins at the IC in the $89 range for different dates.5) I read the thread about re-bidding, are these zones correct?AventuraDadelandMiami WestNorth MiamiSouthwest MiamiThanks for your help! This site has a wealth of information... I will be sure to click through your links! :)
thereuare Posted November 20, 2011 Report Posted November 20, 2011 Welcome to BetterBidding!2) I have been unable to identify any of the hotels on the other sites such as LMT or bookit.com. Is that a clue that they are not trying to "move" rooms, or is it too early for those?If hotels are offered then they are trying to sell rooms, so not sure how you're not being able to identify them relates to them not wanting to sell rooms.3) I will have two children (3 & 5) in my room. I understand that PL only guarantees double occupancy, but we can make any arrangement work. We could always put one child in the other room (my parents). Do we have to "sneak" the kids around at checkin or is that OK?Depends upon hotel policy... some allow kids to stay free, some charge for anything over double occupancy regardless of age. However, with kids so young i wouldn't imagine too many hotels making big deal out of it, it's still possible you could receive a room with only one bed, but i couldn't see too many hotels demanding extra payment for the children (unless you want a room with two beds and the hotel you've won charges more for rooms with 2 beds vs. 1 bed... which would then be understandable that an extra charge would apply)4) I am not sure where to start my bidding.What is your maximum bid for this stay at this time?5) I read the thread about re-bidding, are these zones correct?AventuraDadelandMiami WestNorth MiamiSouthwest MiamiThe above are currently re-bid zones when bidding 4* in this region, but you actually have one more which you can add to the list... please double check and confirm.Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
babyblue78 Posted November 20, 2011 Author Report Posted November 20, 2011 I have seen so many posts about people getting the IC on LMT, and I do not see it on there currently. (Maybe it is too early to show up?) That had me figuring that maybe they are not needing to discount rooms on that date. Just a total observation on my part! If I get charged an extra person charge for the children, I understand. I would actually prefer a King bed so we can put them in between us and not worry about them falling out of the bed.I would like to try to get our charge down below $150 including taxes/fees if possible.I went back and checked, I was missing Miami Lakes Hialeah.
thereuare Posted November 21, 2011 Report Posted November 21, 2011 Yes, you have your re-bid zones correct, but always double check just before bidding to make sure that nothing has changed.Your $150 all-in equates to about a $125 bid price, which i'm guessing will likely fall just a bit short, you can try as follows:Select 4* Downtown...Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone...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 $125Any 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.PS- tomorrow (hopefully) or the day after we should have a brand new tool to help users looking for precruise hotel stays ;) Stay tuned. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
babyblue78 Posted November 21, 2011 Author Report Posted November 21, 2011 Thanks for the help! What do you think is the more realistic amount to bid? I have never stayed in this area, so if I am shooting TOO low, please let me know and I can adjust. Another $20-30 bucks won't kill me! :D
thereuare Posted November 21, 2011 Report Posted November 21, 2011 At the moment i think a bid price of $150 would be more realistic, but rates can always change, both up and down, between now and April, which is still a good 5+ months away... so it becomes a question of how soon do you feel you need/want to get this done.With so much time before your stay perhaps a better approach then 'chasing' this higher is to find a suitable back-up which can be fully canceled up until a few days before your stay... then you continue bidding in hopes of a price drop, but should rates only continue higher, you're protected with your refundable reservation.Thoughts?And as noted above, if you wait until tomorrow we should hopefully have a new tool for evaluating all the hotels in the area, quickly being able to weigh cost, distance, star rating, etc. (intrigued?? ) Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
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