Priceline Hotel: 4* Amsterdam (City Center-Museum Quarter) Marriott

[surferboy]

Hello,

I will be in Amsterdam for a few nights, 10/15 - 10/17 and am looking for advice on a good plan for a 4* on Priceline. I saw other posters winning bids at $80 and $90 and getting The Amsterdam Marriott (which would be great!). Do I start by bidding at $80 and only select "city center" and 4* or would it be better to start at 5* with other areas? Any advice is greatly apperciated! I'll then let you know how it works out.

Thanks.

Surferboy

[WillTravel]

You have some time, so you could give it a try with 4* and City Center/Museum Quarter selected. You will probably not succeed, but you will get a counteroffer. There aren't any free rebid zones, so you'll just have to wait to try the bid again.

Of course you might get some hotel other than the Marriott.

The fact that your stay starts on a Saturday might make your bid more difficult.

There's not much point starting with 5*, unless you want to pay a significant amount more.

[thereuare]

You can start at $80 and continue to bid as WillTravel suggests... i do think you'll have success at under $100/nite.

Keep us updated.

[surferboy]

Wouldn't the "Northwest" area and "City Center South" be re-bid zones? Or are there four star hotels in those areas as well? Thanks for your help!

Surferboy

[thereuare]

At the 4* level those are not re-bid zones.

From PRICELINE RE-BIDDING EXPLAINED:

The way to check what star levels are available in each zone is to open a Priceline page, check ONLY the zone you are inquiring about, and then proceed to the next page (as if you were going to select a zone)... this will give you the available star ratings in that area. You can then hit BACK on your browser, uncheck the current box, check the next box, and repeat the process. It is important to do this before EACH attempt at adding a zone that you really don't want, as new hotels can be added and the star ratings can change at any time.

You should understand the above as re-bid zones should be checked each time before you start bidding... is it cleaerer now?

[surferboy]

Ok, I have tried twice so far.

The first time last week I bid $91 for a 4* City Centre and Museum Quarter. Got a counter offer of $117. Rejected it and tried again today. This time I bid $101, rejected and counter off of $123. I'm gong to wait the 72 hours and try again.

What should I try the next time, $106 or higher?

Thanks,

Surferboy

P.S. Starting through savingsbarn as well.

[WillTravel]

I think if you want a serious chance at getting it, $110.

[thereuare]

$110 seems reasonable... even if we had hundreds or prior wins at this same exact level it may not work precisely for you due to currency fluctuations. A successful bid a few months ago at $110 may need $112 today (or could be had for $108) depending upon which way the native currency has fluctuated against the dollar.

Given the amount of time before your stay i would likely progress $105, $110, $113, $116.

[surferboy]

Thanks for your suggestions! I got it for $113 through savingsbarn.com

[WillTravel]

That's great.

Which hotel? :)

[surferboy]

Amsterdam Marriott Hotel

[thereuare]

Glad to see you got it all worked out.. and not too much over your original budget.

Thank you for using the SavingsBarn.com to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay.