Priceline Hotel: 4* Fort Lauderdale (Beach) Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel

[fishbudgreg]

We will return from the cruise the morning of 6/9/2013 and need a hotel for that night, flying out the next morning at 8:30 am. We were thinking since we'll be in Fort Lauderdale most of the day on the 9th it would be nice to get a hotel near the beach. Our biggest concern is getting back to the airport on time the next morning probably 6:30 am, for a 8:30 am flight back home.

Our questions:

1.) A hotel on the beach would be nice but might it be smarter to get one near the airport since we're leaving early the next day?

2.) Can we rely on hotel free airport shuttle service? Or just get a taxi? The reason I ask is because of this post Another reason for asking is when comparing hotel costs you must figure in the cost for transportation from the cruise port and to the airport for those hotels that do not have a free shuttle service.

3.) How many guests are allowed in a single room? We will be traveling with our adult (22) daughter on this trip so the hotel room must have 2 beds. Our adult son and his wife may want to join us for the night of the 9th before they fly out the next day on a very early flight (be at airport 5:30am). They do not want to pay for their own room so there could potentially be 5 people in one room. I have done this before (with all men and friends) and although not ideal, it did save quite a bit of money. Besides we only plan on being in the room to sleep. Thoughts? Suggestions?

4) What is the best way to "guarantee" two beds? Well OK request 2 beds.

[thereuare]

1.) A hotel on the beach would be nice but might it be smarter to get one near the airport since we're leaving early the next day?

It depend what you want from this stay... the Downtown and Beach zones are close enough to the airport that could make it work, but staying Downtown or Beach zones add the potential expense of needing a taxi back to the airport.

2.) Can we rely on hotel free airport shuttle service? Or just get a taxi? The reason I ask is because of this post Another reason for asking is when comparing hotel costs you must figure in the cost for transportation from the cruise port and to the airport for those hotels that do not have a free shuttle service.

See above... it depends upon what you want from the stay. Better to spend $20+ more and have things to do in and around your hotel then to sit at an airport hotel waiting for the day to pass, imo.

3.) How many guests are allowed in a single room? We will be traveling with our adult (22) daughter on this trip so the hotel room must have 2 beds. Our adult son and his wife may want to join us for the night of the 9th before they fly out the next day on a very early flight (be at airport 5:30am). They do not want to pay for their own room so there could potentially be 5 people in one room. I have done this before (with all men and friends) and although not ideal, it did save quite a bit of money. Besides we only plan on being in the room to sleep. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Discussed in your previous thread that PRICELINE only guarantees double occupancy which could mean one bed (hotel discretion as to what type of room assigned), whereas HOTWIRE guarantees sleeping accommodations for everyone you include in the search (but second 'bed' could be a rollaway, pullout sofabed, etc). Most standard hotel rooms (excluding large metropolitan cities like NYC, Chicago, etc) will accommodate two people (with one bed) or up to four people (with two beds)... five adults is pushing the limits, imo, but that isn't to say that it hasn't been done.

4) What is the best way to "guarantee" two beds? Well OK request 2 beds.

Use HOTWIRE for triple/quad occupancy.

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

Let us know once you decide which zone(s) you'd like to stay in and what you want to do regarding the occupancy, minimum star rating, budget, etc.

[fishbudgreg]

Thanks thereuare.

After discussing this with my wife we think it would be better to get a hotel in the beach zone and have something to do to pass the day. In order to save a little money we were thiking a minimum of 2.5* hotel for at least 3 adults and it would be great to have free shuttle from the cruise port to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport the next day. As far as budget, we are a little flexible but obviously it would be great to get somethng for around $100. A quick look (using the HOTWIRE link at the top of the page) shows a 3* hotel in the beach zone for $84/night for 4 people. Any idea which hotel that might be? The price sure is right, I do not see a shuttle amenity but we could call the hotel and ask if you could id it. Since this is a tourist area can we assume the area is safe to walk around at night? Last question, do most hotels not allow check-in until around 3:00 p.m.? It sure would be nice to check-in earlier than that, if possible. Anything we can do or say to increase our chances? Thanks for any help.

--Greg

[AaronJB]

Please provide the complete details of the listing and we would be happy to take a look and try to ID it (full list of amenities, price, star rating, zone.)

You can call regarding check-in, but it may depend on a lot of factors (the hotel, day, or who you talk to.) There is no way to increase the odds of early check-in.

Additionally, with shuttle, the only guarantee is if the listing notes a shuttle as amenity. While we can try to ID, there is always the possibility that a new hotel may show with the same amenities as a previously reported one, or there may have been a change with a previously reported hotel.

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

[fishbudgreg]

OK so I found this:

Fort Lauderdale Beach area (zone)

3 stars

$84/night

This Hotel features the following amenities:

Beachfront Property

Fitness Center

Pool(s) (one pool area)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

Laundry Facilities (self-service)

High-Speed Internet Access

Accessible for the deaf

Accessible path of travel

In-room accessibility

Accessible bathroom

Handicapped parking

Roll-in shower

Any ideas? We'll plan to call the hotel(s) and check on any shuttle service before booking.

Thanks!!!

[thereuare]

The Ocean Sky Resort has previously been seen with this amenity set so that would be my best guess for this one.

Note from the Hotwire Hotel List that if you look at Fort Lauderdale >> BEACH that not one hotel reported to the board shows a Shuttle amenity... most hotels in this zone do not offer this service.

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.

[fishbudgreg]

Thanks thereuare. So, since it appears that if we want to stay in the beach zone for the night we return from the cruise we'll have to pay for transportation from the cruise port to the hotel that day and then from the hotel to the airport the next day. I was looking at some of the posts in the priceline thread on this board and I've seen cheaper rates ($75) for better quality (4*) hotels in the Fort Lauderdale beach zone and was thinking I might try the priceline route. WITH THE UNDERSTANDING that we are not guarenteed two beds in the room we get.

[thereuare]

Is $75 your maximum bid for a 4* in the Fort Lauderdale Beach zone? We will of course start lower, but how high should we go with a suggested bidding strategy?

[fishbudgreg]

Sorry for the delayed response. Since we can get the (most likely) Ocean Sky Resort (3* correct?) for $84/night, it makes sense that this should be our maximum bid. Does that sound resonable? Since I'm new to the Priceline bidding how do we proceed? I will, of course read the tips on Priceline bidding on your website first. Thanks!

--Greg

[thereuare]

Yes, your gameplan is reasonable, i was confused since previously you mentioned 4* hotels for $75 and under so i wasn't sure what star rating you were trying for... so to confirm you're looking for the least expensive 3* or better in the Fort Lauderdale Beach zone?

Please confirm and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[fishbudgreg]

That's correct. I already went through the process of identifying all the zones in Fort Lauderdale and their highest star rating. I read the priceline strategy for rebidding within the 24 hour time limit. So what's next? Should we move (or create) a new topic in the Priceline forum? Thanks for your help.

[thereuare]

You can keep all posts for this stay in this thread, if/when you win and if you use PRICELINE, the entire topic will be moved to that section of the board when you use the EDIT TO REPORT WIN button on the lower right corner of the board.

When bidding 3* in Fort Lauderdale you only have ONE re-bid zone... feel free to confirm your re-bid zone with the board before bidding.

Select 3* Ft. Lauderdale Beach...

Bid $55, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $60

If the above is rejected wait 24 hours from your last bid and re-try:

Select 3* Ft. Lauderdale Beach...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $70

If the above is rejected wait 24 hours from your last bid and re-try:

Select 3* Ft. Lauderdale Beach...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $80

If the above is already rejected you also have the following options:

PRICELINE EXPRESS 4* hotel for $86/nite (Indoor or Outdoor Pool, Pets Allowed, Restaurant, Free Internet, Fitness Center)

PRICELINE EXPRESS 3* htoel for $83/nite (Indoor or Outdoor Pool, Free Breakfast, Free Internet)

At the moment i'm not seeing the 3* offered on HOTWIRE anymore, but it could re-appear in the next 2-3 days once you've tried the bidding above.

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

Keep us updated on your progress and let us know if we can be of further help.

[yellowdog]

If the above is already rejected you also have the following options:

PRICELINE EXPRESS 4* hotel for $86/nite (Indoor or Outdoor Pool, Pets Allowed, Restaurant, Free Internet, Fitness Center)

PRICELINE EXPRESS 3* htoel for $83/nite (Indoor or Outdoor Pool, Free Breakfast, Free Internet)

4* hotel

Best guess would be Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel

3* hotel

Best guess would be Best Western Plus Oceanside Inn

Yellowdog.

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

[fishbudgreg]

So...if we wanted to start with a 3.5* hotel then we would have 3 zones to use in the bidding process. Correct? (Fort Lauderdale - Airport North; Miramar; and Pompano Beach) If we do that what would be a good starting bid?

[thereuare]

Yes, THREE re-bid zones at the 3.5* level (but always double check just before bidding to make sure that nothing has changed since you last checked)

Still using $80 as a maximum bid?

Select 3.5* Ft. Lauderdale Beach...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $80

I will also suggest that you may be able to get a 4* hotel within your $80 budget, and if you want to try that first, before bidding the above, i would try (using your FIVE re-bid zones):

Select 4* Ft. Lauderdale Beach...

Bid $65, 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

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[fishbudgreg]

Took your advice thereuare and went for the 4* hotels. Had to rebid 4 times and the $75/room rate was accepted (we got 2 rooms). Thanks so much for your help!

Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel

1140 Seabreeze Boulevard

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you were able to get a 4* hotel within your budget and are pleased with the results.

Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay and have a great trip!