Priceline Hotel: Bidding Help - Newport, RI 7/4/13-7/6/13

[LexLuthor]

I'm pretty proficient with Hotwire, but I haven't ever used Priceline since we normally travel as a group of 4, but this trip we are just 2.

I'm looking for a 3* or above hotel in Newport, RI for 2 nights, 7/4/13 through 7/6/13. I'd like to keep it to $150/night + tax (with that budget number including a potential parking fee, so closer to a $135 bid max if I'm going to have to pay parking).

Looking at the Priceline Maps, the Newport region or Middletown region would be fine. I could probably live with the Kingston region as well. The Holiday Inn there is showing $279/night on holidayinn.com. I'd want to be careful about getting something further than that hotel in South Kingston though and would certainly prefer Newport/Middletown regions at the same price (even if the hotel wasn't quite as nice).

Best I can get on hotwire is 3* for $141, but I'm pretty sure that's the Ramada Middletown, which has pretty bad reviews (and a recent warning from a user in this forum). I'd like to do better than that.

Please help me come up with a bidding strategy here. Let me know if you need any additional information from me.

All help is appreciated and I will be sure to book through the links here.

[thereuare]

Given the season and holiday dates i think your $150 budget will likely fall short, but if you want to give it a try, exactly which zones do you want to include in your first attempt at bidding? (it's not clear if we should include your 'acceptable but not as desirable' zones in the first round of bidding or not)

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

[LexLuthor]

I'd like to include Newport and Middletown on the initial bidding.

It looks like someone got a price in range for the day before me, so maybe I have a chance.

Let me know how you suggest I bid.

[thereuare]

There are no re-bid zones when bidding 3* in this region, so i would try:

Select 3* Newport...

Bid $135, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...

Select 3* Middletown...

Bid $135, if rejected add Newport...

Bid $140

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[LexLuthor]

sorry I havent posted back. We wound up with some family issues and aren't going.

Thanks for the advice though!

[thereuare]

Thank you for closing this thread with your decision.

Hope all is well / resolved on the home front.