Tysonthebeerhound Posted June 10, 2012 Report Posted June 10, 2012 I'm new to the site and am wondering if Priceline is for me as I want to book a 12 day trip and most people seem only to be having short trips. I'm after a 4* in Downtown Portland for 21 Sep to 3rd Oct. Any help or guidance much appreciated.
Romelle Posted June 10, 2012 Report Posted June 10, 2012 I'm a member, not a moderator, but thought I'd help get things started here.Portland, Maine or Portland, Oregon? I'm assuming OR, since Portland, ME doesn't have a named "Downtown" area.I've personally booked up to 9 day trips, and I've seen others book longer spans. It definitely can work. Problems can occur when the span includes some holiday or event day that spikes hotel rates. Priceline can average things, but sometimes the hotels just don't give rooms to Priceline when there is something special occurring. The way to determine if there might be a problem is to carefully research the individual day rates - check Hotwire one day at a time, check hotel web sites, and/or check a site like www.Expedia.com that lists rates by day. There potentially is a problem with the the first few days of your planned trip. Hotwire showed a $154 rate when I asked for all 12 days, but showed no Downtown 4* offerings for Sep. 21, 23 and 24 when I did one day at a time. It only offered 5* and some levels below 4*. The individual days for which it offered a Downtown 4* varied from $151 to $155. For the record, Priceline rates tend to be a little lower than Hotwire rates, but not necessarily so. You can try first bidding the full span up to your budget level. But if you aren't successful, and you are willing to risk having to change hotels, you can try bidding shorter spans of time. Maybe the last 8 days first, and then the last 7 and 6. Priceline can offer you the right to extend your stay, up to the number of days of the original bid. Sometimes the offer is only at a higher rate though. Sometimes people fill in the last few days with a different star level or even a different zone. Is Downtown the only Priceline zone in which you are interested? Sometimes people also consider the adjacent Convention Center area.Hope something works for you.Romelle
thereuare Posted June 11, 2012 Report Posted June 11, 2012 Welcome to BetterBidding!Keep in mind that the majority of hotel stays (regardless of how booked) are for 2 nites or less so it would make sense that the vast majority of wins reported to the board are for just a few nites, since this is how the majority of hotels are typically booked.Please confirm the (state) location you're seeking, we'll then move this thread to the correct STATE category on the board and further reply to your questions above. Also, when replying, please indicate your expected budget (per nite before taxes and fees)Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
Tysonthebeerhound Posted June 11, 2012 Author Report Posted June 11, 2012 Thanks. I am really interested only in Downtown, Portland Oregon and would prefer not to split hotelsThanKs. Yes it's Portland, Oregon that I'm interested in. As for budget I'm not really sure-converting from English pounds I'd say $90?
thereuare Posted June 11, 2012 Report Posted June 11, 2012 I don't think that $90 will be enough for this complete stay, but as you have plenty of re-bid zones available you can certainly give it a try.When bidding 4* in Downtown Portland you have ELEVEN re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.Select 4* Downtown...Bid $63, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $68, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $73, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $78, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $83, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $88, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $90Any 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. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
slruud Posted June 11, 2012 Report Posted June 11, 2012 You could book the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower on Lastminutetravel.com for $91/nite for your entire stay, while you continue bidding for a 4*. LMT rates it as 4*, Priceline as 3.5*. This hotel allows cancellations up to 3 days before checkin.
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