Priceline Hotel: 4* CAYMAN ISLAND Marriott Grand Cayman Beach Resort

[belindai]

I bid $140 4* cayman islands, 4 nights, 5/12/12-5/16/12, 1 room. Unsuccessful

Was offered an instant rebid for an additional $35 to $175. Didn't take it.

I was thinking to next bid $151?

It seems like this could be the Marriott?

When I went to rebid the 4* was greyed out but also the resort category. Does this mean it is assumed when you bid on 4* you are also bidding on resorts and could get this? Are they equivalent ?

Another thought when I went to try resort first and put in 140, it came up with this bid is unlikely to be accepted based on recent data, I put in increments of $10 up to $200 and all with the same message. Even though the resort category has "best deal" next to it?? I was thinking this was the Westin.

Westin $289

Marriott $259

Grand cayman beach suites $297

Is the Marriott a good choice?

[thereuare]

When I went to rebid the 4* was greyed out but also the resort category. Does this mean it is assumed when you bid on 4* you are also bidding on resorts and could get this?

The star rating you select is the minimum you're willing to accept and PRICELINE will always check for higher rated hotels to see if your bid is high enough for a higher rated hotel. In the star rating hierarchy you should think of Resorts as a 4.5* property.

Was offered an instant rebid for an additional $35 to $175. Didn't take it. I was thinking to next bid $151?

What we 'know' from this counter-offer is that the 'right' price, at this point in time, is somewhere between $141-$175. As you don't have any re-bid zones available when bidding the 4* level, i would increase your bid every 24 hours over the next week ($145, $150, $155, $160, $165, $170, $175). The risk is that the current offer disappears or increases, but you should be able to get to $175 within a week which should leave you enough time for alternate plans should you for some reason not succeed once you reach $175. Of course you can adjust accordingly whereas if you wanted to finish in 3-4 days you could increase by $10 bid amounts.

It seems like this could be the Marriott?

With PRICELINE there really isn't any way to gain insight as to the hotel you may receive, it could be any hotel at the star rating (or higher) that you bid. There is a low correlation between the hotel with the lowest retail rate being the one to accept your bid, so i wouldn't give too much weight to that comparison, nor would i read into PRICELINE's "Best Deal" designation.

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

Let us know if you have any questions regarding the above and/or how it goes.

[belindai]

Thanks for the info, that's helpful

Bid $151. Unsuccessful. Will try again tomorrow.

"We searched hundreds of options to find your hotel room, however we can't accept your offer of $151 per room, per night. Your credit card has not been charged. If you are willing to raise your price by $24 to $175 per room, per night, you can try the same request again right now."

I saw someone recently bid up to $160, without sucess, but earlier others $152, $153. I was thinking of trying smaller increments over a few days, unless you think best to next bid $160?

[thereuare]

Except for very low priced hotels, I usually find that $5 increments is a good balance between getting a good deal and valuing my time. When trying for a hotel that typically sells for $250-$300, i'd be happy with $151, $153 or $155 (or even $175... but i don't like wasting money either ;) ). The risk of bidding in very small increments is that the hotel that is currently available for $175 could disappear, and you then lose a $75+ per nite savings because you're trying to squeeze an extra $2/nite out of the deal... not a good risk vs. reward in my book.

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

Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.

[belindai]

Offer Price: US$153.00 avg. per room, per night

Rooms: 1

Nights: 4 + Add nights for the same rate!

Room Subtotal: US$612.00

Taxes & Fees: US$136.32

Total Charged to Card: US$748.32

Bid yesterday at $151 not successful, prior to that bid $140 unsuccessful. Was counter offered $175.

Today Won the Marriott Grand Cayman $153.

(Retail 4* priceline $259 Marriott, $289 Westin, $297 Grand Cayman)

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you received a nice deal at this property and are pleased with the results.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[sandflea]

Which dates did you choose for this offer?

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding.

The original poster's dates are in the topic title, 5/12-16.

If you need assistance with your stay, please start a new thread.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.