Priceline Hotel: 3* Vancouver Coast Plaza

[NitaB]

I am new to Priceline and BetterBidding.

I think I'm bidding correctly, but obviously not high enough. How will I know if there's something going on to keep the prices up?

I bid 4*, 3 nights, 9/19 - 9/22, downtown. I got up to $81, using all of the rebid zones that were below 4*. I see for June there are bids accepted for well under this. I also changed to 2 nights, the 20th and 21st, still with no luck. I now have to wait 72 hours, as if I went to a 3* for price, I may get the wrong zone!

Is it too early to get a good bid? Too late??? Or, what price might I expect to pay mid-week, mid-Sept.?

Thanks for any suggestions!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Rates in June may have nothing to do with rates in September... it's all based upon supply and demand for the actual dates of your stay.

You can bid again immediately for a 3* hotel by closing your browser and re-accessing priceline. This will allow you to 'start from scratch' and only select the zone(s) you want (this is away around the fact that Priceline does not allow you to UNcheck zones once a bid has been submitted with that zone).

However, there is a 4* hotel offered thru Hotwire in the Downtown West zone (believed to be the Sheraton Wall Centre... Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Spa Services, High-Speed Internet Access, Business Center) available for $82/nite (your price may differ slightly).

If you've never used Hotwire you can also use the coupon code 'giftcard06' for an extra $10 off per nite (up to $50)... bringing your cost even lower than you've already bid!

Let us know how it goes and what you decide to do.

[NitaB]

Thanks!

I don't have time until later today to check all of this out. I did go to Hotwire for those dates, and the only 4* for downtown west shows at $168! Way more! Am I doing something else wrong? I also did a price check and found a 2* on their own website, for $117, so I may have been bidding too low for then, anyway. I will try again, thanks to your advice, with a 3*. How much should I bid in downtown? I can't change zones, as only want downtown! Oh, I guess I can change once to Delta, as it only had 1 and 2*, if I remember correctly. Will finish later!

[NitaB]

thereuare, thanks again for your tips. I spent about an hour, bid and rebid, but finally came up with a nice hotel in downtown Vancouver, BC, Coast Plaza Suites on Comox, for $85 a night.

Started with 4*, going up to $81, for 9/19 3 nights, via zone and date change rebids, and rejected.

Changed to 3*, trying $60 and adding Delta and Langley zones, changing the dates to 2 nights for 9/20, bidding up to $80, and rejected.

Changed to 2 1/2*, as there weren't any listed on your website as 2 1/2*! First at $75, 3 nights, rejected. Added Delta zone, $80, rejected. Changed to 2 nights from 9/20 at $85 and accepted! I checked out the Coast website and I'm very pleased with the look of the hotel, and the location! It is a 3* on PL, but is a 4 Diamond AAA property, which I can relate to, as we use AAA often! Also on TripAdvisor, it is very well liked, ranked 24 of their over 100 hotels reviewed!

Is this information clear enough, and posted in the correct area of the board?

[thereuare]

Congratulations!! Looks like a pretty good deal you ultimately received... nearly half off!

Don't worry, they're not all this difficult! :)

Thank you for shairng your win with the rest of us and adding this new property to the board.

Enjoy your stay.

[NitaB]

You can imagine my surprise when the win was with a hotel I hadn't heard of! :)

Actually, the difficulty I encountered only helped me learn the ways of PL bidding! So, I feel more confident in trying again! Surprising to me, the whole bidding process all worked out, without waiting 72 hours, becasue of the changes I was willing to make. I think it paid off, as It's now settled and looks to be a good buy! :)