When to bid

[disneyworldfan]

Hi

I tried asking this question at another board before and it didn't go over very well, so I figured I'd give it a shot here :)

We visit Orlando six times a year and I only use priceline so any help you could offer would be a greatly appreciated :)

Is there any advice you can offer on when the best time is to bid? There seems to be two trains of thought that have been mentioned and can you please tell me from your experience which you would suggest.

I have heard before (but can't confirm) that when you issue a bid on a certain time period, priceline has a "specific inventory" of available hotels they pick from in each star rated catagory during that time period. Once a hotel's inventory is used up, then it is dropped from their list of available hotels and they would then choose from the list of remaining available hotels. So if you were trying to win a bid on a specific hotel it may benefit someone to bid as far in advance as possible.

Then I heard that if you are using the very valuable boards that are available out there (like yours :o ) that you can better monitor the trends and when a hotel starts to come up as available. In this case, it would benefit someone to wait as long as they can to bid to see what the trends are!

So... what's your advice :)

Thanks for your help and for making this great board available...

Tom :D

[thereuare]

This thread may be of interest to you: Should I Bid Early or Late to Arrival (and we encourage anything you wish to discuss, as long as it's 'saving money on travel' related (and even a few off-topic discussions too!))

My personal opinion is that you should start bidding when your plans are firm. I'd rather not get my prefered hotel than risk getting 'shut out' and getting nothing if i wait too long. I always use the example of my stay in the Princeton area where i didn't get the 2.5* AmeriSuites i was expecting (upgraded to 3* Radisson) and later found out that there was a soccer tournament in town and availability very low. The Radisson i won actually ended up selling out, and had i waited, i don't think i would have gotten anything!

To answer more of your question, 'wins' certainly do come in streaks, so if you see a hotel you want for the same dates as yours, i'd certainly bid it immediatlely. However, i have seen back-to-back bids for the same zone and the same dates get different hotels.... so no guarantees.

Other things you can do, if the hotel is also offered thru Priceline's Vacation package, is to check there to see if the hotel has given Priceline access to inventory for the dates of your stay.

Here are some other threads you may be interested in:

Using Hotwire to bid Priceline

Don't Bid Higher for a Specific Hotel

I only use priceline

Why? I know Priceline is usually cheaper but we have seen many examples where it isn't. Hotwire also gives you a little more control over the hotel you'll receive, so it certainly serves a purpose. At the very least, it should be used as a resource (IMO).

[disneyworldfan]

Thanks again for your prompt response :) I am going to go through all the links and great information you gave me, but first I wanted to answer your question.

I only use priceline because of the sucess I have had, and becase of the negative feedback I received from the people involved with the "other board" whenever I asked about Hotwire. To be honest, I have never used Hotwire! I know priceline can be cheaper, but this is the first time I have ever heard in cases where it's not! Especially involving Disney! I will also check your information forums on Hotwire today too! It appears that I may need to give them a second look based on your advice!

There are some hotels on priceline that I do not believe have an accurate rating (Hilton WDW 4* resort) but in most cases I cross my fingers and hope I don't end up with it and land something like the Swan & Dolphin or Wyndham. This was the purpose of my other question to see if there was a way I could help my chances of not landing the Hilton.

Even if I end up sticking with priceline, the information you provided me with in this board has already proven to be a great asset because it will help to better educate me on Hotwire... so thank you and thumbs up for the new board!!! :) I'll will check out Hotwire (Disney) and pass along my feedback! Thank you again...

Tom :o

[thereuare]

I don't favor either Priceline or Hotwire... i think they both have their purpose. You are not alone, as many people have 'written off' Hotwire because they have led to believe that it's useless.

Sometimes price isn't everything. Using your example of not wanting the Hilton.... would you be willing to pay extra $5/nite ($10?, $15?, $20?, etc) over the expected Priceline rate if you were relatively sure it was the Swan? the Dolphin? Portofino? Only the user can determine if the extra cost is worth it to them, but we try to at least give them the option of making that decision for themselves :)

This board is only 6 months old, so please help spread the word if there are others that you know that would find the information here useful.