Hotwire Hotel: 4* San Juan Caribe Hilton

[Northern Ontario]

I am attempting to place a new bid for San Juan and any advice would be great.

We will be staying one night, pre cruise, Nov 9.2012.

Hoping for a 4*/5* or resort (I am not sure what the differences in these classifications are so if anyone can help explain that to me it would be great!)

I have placed one bid for $80.00 (using the links above of course) but was unsuccessful.

Which zones in San Juan can I choose as alternative zones (as long as I don't end up staying there)? I believe it was the Mayaguez, zone 5, that does NOT offer 4* + so I would be safe choosing that area?

Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

I would go check again but I have so many tabs open, and I am in the middle of bidding, that I don't want to start over :)

Thanks!

[Romelle]

The Resort level acts like a 4 1/2* level. So if you are bidding 4*, Priceline can choose to upgrade you to Resort or even 5*.

There is a lengthy discussion as to how to determine free rebid zones in the FAQs.

Essentially:

---When bidding 5*, you can use any zone that doesn't have 5*.

---When bidding Resort, you can use any zone that doesn't have either Resort or 5*.

---When bidding 4*, this is the tricky one. You can use any zone that doesn't have 4*, Resort, or 5*. The trick is that Resort is listed at the very bottom of the list, out of order, and people often miss it.

You need to check the free rebid zones just before a bidding session. You can't ever rely on an old list, since things change frequently.

Have you found "Maps and Hotels" in the Tools area up above? Great fun! Also a couple cruise oriented "tools" further down in that menu.

It is probably too early for it right now, but you might also enjoy watching the Calendar of Wins after it starts getting some of your dates filled with other people's successful bids.

Romelle

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Star ratings are somewhat subjective, so it's can be difficult to differentiate the 'difference' between a 4* and a 'Resort'... in some regions you may prefer the hotels which are rated Resort better than the 4* hotels, and in some areas you may find the 4* preferable to the Resort properties.

It may still be a little early, but what is your maximum bid for this trip?

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[Northern Ontario]

Thanks for all the information! Both of you!

I think our max. bid would be approx.$115.00

I have checked out quite a few pages on this website ..sometimes its hard to keep track but I will go back and have a look at the different wins and hotels again.

[Northern Ontario]

I think I posted something wrong...but anyhow, I did go through the Maps and Hotels page, as well as the list of hotels near the pier. The Priceline Maps information is very interesting! Its great to see how people bid and what works.

I did try to bid, but it was too low and I didn't have time to follow through..hopefully tomorrow I will get it done!

Thanks for all your help!

I will keep you...posted :)

[thereuare]

Before bidding again...

Were you able to figure out your re-bid zones as these will be essential in any bidding strategy? At both the Resort and 4* levels you have SIX re-bid zones... do you want to confirm them with the board OR need help in how to determine?

If you'd like help with a bidding strategy let us know if you want to first bid for a Resort property up to your maximum $115 bid OR if your goal is the least expensive 4* or better for this trip.

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

[Val L]

I also am trying for the same date: November 9, 2012 and want to be in area #8 San Juan in a Resort. I have unsuccessfully bid from $105 up to $138 (which with taxes/fees is closer to $160). The rooms outside of priceline are in the $200-$220 range. Any suggestions for rebid amount or should I wait until closer?

[AaronJB]

I also am trying for the same date: November 9, 2012 and want to be in area #8 San Juan in a Resort. I have unsuccessfully bid from $105 up to $138 (which with taxes/fees is closer to $160). The rooms outside of priceline are in the $200-$220 range. Any suggestions for rebid amount or should I wait until closer?

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

Please post the details of your stay (date/s of travel, desired budget per night, star rating and zone) and we would be happy to offer suggestions.

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

[Val L]

I gave all that info in previous post....November 9, 2012 / Area #8 San Juan / Resort Rating / Amount???? I have bid up to $135....not sure how much higher to go.

[Romelle]

I gave all that info in previous post....November 9, 2012 / Area #8 San Juan / Resort Rating / Amount???? I have bid up to $135....not sure how much higher to go.

Val L,

What AaronJB was asking you to do is post as a new topic. The little button "Start New Topic" down in the lower right corner will accomplish that. While there is often chatter back and forth between people with similar situations, the eventual goal is to keep each person's particular stay separate so each is a little complete story. It makes it much easier for later readers to understand things and follow along.

Regarding your stay, it might be a particularly busy time in San Juan. I looked at Hotwire for your date, and the only thing they had available was a 3 1/2* at $122 and a 2 1/2* at $76. Things can change. And Priceline has different hotels than Hotwire. When you get your own thread established, I'm sure you will get lots of good help.

Romelle

[Val L]

Sorry for being snitty...I should not be on the computer after having been to happy hour. I will start a new post and see what happens. Thanks!!!

[Romelle]

Northern Ontario,

Hope you check out Val L's separate posting. She scored a very nice Priceline win.

Romelle

[Northern Ontario]

Hi there,

Yes I was able to figure out how to use the rebid zones. Its all good. I ended up adding a zone, 4 I believe, then I also upped the price to 100.00. I was still unsuccessful but its Monday and I am ready to try it again. I read the posts from Val L as well and saw that they won at $145.00? Someone mentioned in Val L's topic that it might be too soon to compete with the bids as the travel date is so far away. I will keep trying as I am not too sure I want to go that high. Its costing enough for the cruise..lol.

Thanks for the help though.

[Romelle]

I took my granddaughter to San Juan several years ago. We stayed right in San Juan for a week. When bids for the 4*s started getting too high for my budget, I bid the 3.5s*s. Ended up with the Old San Juan Sheraton and it worked very well for us. The list of hotels reported here is in the very first post in this area. Some are reviewed in the Hotel Review area at the end of this site, and there are some links to Trip Advisor reviews.

It is way too soon to be compromising, but thought I'd mention the idea while I thought of it. You can tuck it in your mental pocket (it is likely to fall out of mine).

The San Juan hotel rates are largely driven by the cruise business. The cruise companies have made an effort to spread the arrivals and departures. But things can still bunch up a bit and the ships are different sizes. Hard to say right now whether you are running into a little spike or not. At least for the next several months you could just patiently bid up to your comfortable budget level. Maybe just every several days. Plenty of time later to consider a more aggressive budget or a compromise in star level.

Romelle

[Northern Ontario]

Hi Romelle,

Yes I was looking at the Old San Juan Sheraton. It would be great too. My husband and I are not all that fussy we just thought it would be nice to start our vacation off with a bang.

I assumed as well that with the departure and arrival of the ships that it would influence the rates. I will bide my time.

Thanks for the info!

[thereuare]

Rates for these dates are not that high are the moment so i suspect it may just be a bit early for November.

What star rating were you bidding when you bid up to $100?

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

[Northern Ontario]

I tried both resort and 4* yesterday. But nothing happened.:(

[thereuare]

As per Val's Priceline winning bid s/he was turned down at $138 but accepted at $140, so for now that is likely about the 'right' price. If you're only willing to bid up to a $100 at this time i wouldn't bid more than once per week as you'll likely get frustrated very quickly. While sub-$100 4* and Resort properties do occur in this area, it's not that common, so i would at least be thinking of a back-up plan and consider what you intend to do (lower your star rating or raise your bid) should you continue to be rejected as you get closer to your check-in dates.

While you're waiting and continuing to bid, i'd suggest booking a fully refundable back-up hotel to protect yourself from rates rising while you're hoping that they come down. See our sister site: Pre Cruise Hotels which makes it easy to see how much more/less it will cost to stay closer/further from the pier and to go up/down in star rating (as well as directions and distance to the pier)... but not all hotels there are fully refundable so be sure to review the terms of the hotel/room rate you're buying.

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

[Northern Ontario]

So..over the past couple of months, I have tried various bids. Adding zones, going up in increments of anywhere between $2.00 and $5.00. I still can't get anywhere. Of course, being rather cheap, I have not gone over a bid of $100.00 either for a minimum 4*. So I thought I would try for a couple of weeks longer, then possibly see what the rooms are coming in at on hotwire as well.

I will keep trying..

Oh... and as you had advised, I have booked a room at the regular rate so that I can cancel if need be.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the update... where and how much is your back-up reservation? Is that declaring double or quad occupancy?

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

[Northern Ontario]

Thanks for the update... where and how much is your back-up reservation? Is that declaring double or quad occupancy?

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

For my back-up reservation, I booked the Courtyard San Jaun Miramar, Marriott for $152.22 (including taxes). That was also declaring a double occupancy.

[thereuare]

What appears to be the Caribe Hilton is on HOTWIRE for $114/nite... just a few more dollars then you're currently bidding and you could be 'done with it' and it's cheaper and higher rated then you're back-up hotel.

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

[Northern Ontario]

I am just having a look at it now. Is this the one going for $112.00 now? I just want to make sure and yes I will probably go for it once you confirm.

Thanks for all your help!

[thereuare]

The 4* property in the San Juan zone with these amenities showing:

Beachfront

Fitness

Pool

Restaurant

Business

Tennis

Spa

Deaf Accessible

Free Internet

Travel Accessible

Room Accessible

Wheelchair Accessible

Handicapped Parking

Roll-in Shower

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

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[Northern Ontario]

After repeatedly trying to bid on priceline..and having to go beyond $110.00 for at least a 4*, we decided to book this hotel on hotwire based on admins suggestion.

A bit more than we were hoping to spend but it looks nice!