Priceline Hotel: Bidding tips for downtown la?

[Michelle111]

Hi Everybody,

I'm new to the betterbidding forums and relatively new to using priceline, so I'd love some help from more experienced members on how to successfully bid on hotels.

I'm trying to book a hotel from 2/16/2012 - 2/21/2012. I tried bidding $80 for a 4 star hotel in downtown LA, but the bid was rejected. I increased my bid to $85 and added 3.5 star hotels (keeping the area restricted to downtown), but my second bid was also rejected. Any advice on where to go from here?

Thanks!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Few things to ask in order to assist in improving your bidding...

Is Downtown the only acceptable zone for you for this trip? What is your maximum bid at the 4* level? At the 3.5* level?

Are you familiar with re-bidding? If not, see this thread: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones before bidding. (NOTE: at both the 3.5* and 4* level you have FOUR re-bid zones). If you read the previous thread and are confused just post back and we'll break it down further for you.

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

[Romelle]

I looked up your dates in Hotwire (the link just above on the left side). For Downtown LA their 4* was $121 and their 3* was $104.

While Priceline can be a little less than Hotwire, the numbers at least suggest you'll have to bid higher to be successful in the Downtown zone.

If you will have a car there, or public transportation would work for you, the Priceline zones a little further out are not quite as expensive.

Romelle

[Michelle111]

Thanks for directing me to the information on re-bidding. That's very helpful. Just to confirm, my re-bid areas are: USC, Inglewood, Culver City and Lawndale, correct? And to make sure I understand the process, if I re-bid on 3.5 or 4 star hotels including those additional areas, there's no way I'll end up with a hotel in one of those areas?

I'd like to keep the cost of the hotel under $100 a night. Looking at others' postings in the forum, it seems like people frequently get four star hotels in downtown LA for around $85-90 a night--for this reason, I started my bidding low. But my hotel dates are over a weekend, does that tend to increase the price?

Thanks again!

[Romelle]

Your free rebid areas are correct for bidding 3.5* and 4* Downtown Los Angeles.

Romelle

[thereuare]

And to make sure I understand the process, if I re-bid on 3.5 or 4 star hotels including those additional areas, there's no way I'll end up with a hotel in one of those areas?

Correct, but always doublecheck your re-bid zones just before bidding to make sure that nothing has changed.

I'd like to keep the cost of the hotel under $100 a night.

Assuming you're maximum is a $100 bid amount and that you'd like to try for a 4* up to your limit before trying for a 3.5* up to your limit, you can bid as follows, using your FOUR re-bid zones:

Select 4* Downtown...

Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $98, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $100, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3.5* Downtown...

Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $98, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $100

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.