Priceline Hotel: FLL Priceline Question

[kristinvw]

Hi,

Brand new to this. We are looking to book 2 rooms (3* or 4*) the night of March 10, in the FLL Airport Area or the FLL Beach Area prior to going on a cruise from Miami.

There is only one rebid area to add (FLL Airport North), just wondering what kind of price I should start at. I didn't have any luck at $90.

We would also consider Miami Downtown or South Beach- but I think these might be pricier.

Hoping to stay under $115 with Priceline taxes and fees per room.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[dopplerbob]

I am not as talented as others on the board in bidding, but what I found is it is probably better to stick to 4* bidding at first. This way you have more rebid options using zones that do not have a 4* hotel. here are the FL zones that do not have a 4* property within:

Fort Lauderdale (Airport FLL)

Fort Lauderdale (Airport North FLL)

Fort Lauderdale (Coral Springs)

Fort Lauderdale (Miramar)

Fort Lauderdale (Pompano Beach)

So you can start bidding at lets say $80 and increase by $5 while adding one of those zones above each time. Keep going until you get up to your max of $115. If you don't score, then now you may have to go down to 3* or 3.5 star hotels and start back at $80. You can see which zones have for star ratings when you check each zone separately one at a time. They list the star ratings down further from where you check off the zones.

Bob

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

If you haven't yet, please start by reading your messages.

We are looking to book 2 rooms (3* or 4*) the night of March 10, in the FLL Airport Area or the FLL Beach Area...

Are you willing to pay more for a 4* vs. a 3* (or a 3.5* for that matter) OR is your goal the least expensive 3* or better for this trip?

...prior to going on a cruise from Miami.

I haven't looked at rates in Miami yet, but if prices are similar i'd recommend staying in Miami if your flight doesn't get in too late and you can easily make the trip there from the airport (i'm assuming you are flying into FLL). I usually recommend staying closer to the pier as it just makes for less opportunity for things to go wrong on embarkation day... don't have to leave a large variable for traffic, if you have car trouble or delayed for any other reason you're much closer to the pier and more likely to get there on time, leave something important at the hotel (like a suitcase) you're only 10-15 minutes away in stead of an hour (which is 2 hours round trip), etc.

We would also consider Miami Downtown or South Beach- but I think these might be pricier.

Since you choose the price you're willing to pay, if these zones are acceptable you should include them, as it gives you more bidding opportunities to increase your bids slowly, and maybe you get accepted at a price you never thought possible... so there is a possible benefit and no downside (assuming you find these other zones acceptable)

Hoping to stay under $115 with Priceline taxes and fees per room.

What is this in terms of bid price?

Let us know the information above and which zone(s) you're willing to accept (and if South Beach there are 3 South Beach zones, please indicate which are acceptable) and we'll advise accordingly.

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

PS- you may also be interested in our niche sister site Pre Cruise Hotels which makes it easy see hotels on a map (along with star rating and pricing for your specific dates) and where they are relative to the pier... and then how much more/less it would cost to go up/down in star rating OR to stay closer/further from your ideal location. As well, we have recently added Walk Score data to the site so you can see what restaurants, coffee shops, bars, shopping, etc. are nearby and within walking distance of the hotel (which i know is an important feature for cruisers). Feel free to share the site with any of your fellow cruisers.

[kristinvw]

Thanks for all the info...I did check my messages.

That is a good point about staying in Miami. My mom spends the winter in Florida and will be picking us up from the FLL airport, so transportation is not an issue. My goal is the least expensive, but willing to pay more for a 4*.

Can you bid Miami Downtown and South Beach (central zone) at the same time as FLL? If not, should I start with Miami first as there are more rebid options?

I am hoping to keep our bid at our below $100 per room (allowing approx. $15 for taxes and fees).

I did check out the Pre Cruise Hotels hotels and am not going to lie, I found it a bit confusing :) but will try again.

[thereuare]

My goal is the least expensive, but willing to pay more for a 4*.

How high are you willing to bid for a 4* before lowering your star rating to 3.5*? How high for a 3.5* before lowering to 3*?

Can you bid Miami Downtown and South Beach (central zone) at the same time as FLL? If not, should I start with Miami first as there are more rebid options?

Miami and Ft Lauderdale need to be bid separately. I would first bid up to your limit for 4* in one region, if rejected try for a 4* up to your limit in the other region, then do the same at the 3.5* and then 3* levels.

I did check out the Pre Cruise Hotels hotels and am not going to lie, I found it a bit confusing :) but will try again.

What issue(s) are you having? You select the pier and dates and then a list of hotels is shown on the left and they are plotted on the map on the right. Clicking a hotel on the left side, or a marker on the map, opens an info bubble with more info about the hotel. If the map is too crowded you can show fewer hotels by UNCHECKING any of the star ratings you don't want (only leaving 3* and above in your example) and also by moving the price sliders only to your price range.

Let us know your maximum bid at each star level, as well as which South Beach zones you're willing to accept (all three of them are acceptable?) and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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