mikeyatl Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Need help bidding on 4* for USE, USW, OR FIN DIST for 4 nights Wed 8/21- Sun 8/25..secured 3.5 on cheap tickets(cheap20 code) for back up at 165...how soon can i bid and what price to start? Link to comment
thereuare Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Welcome to BetterBidding!At current rates i think you're going to have a difficult time getting a 4* hotel for $165 or less... what 3.5* hotel is it that you reserved as a back-up?If you want to give it a try, when bidding 4* in San Francisco you have SIX re-bid zones available. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.Select 4* USE and USW...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $148, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* Financial...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $148, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* USE and USW and Financial...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $153, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $155, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $158, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $163, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $165Any 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. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
mikeyatl Posted August 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 HOTEL VERTIGO is my back-up reservationI checked conventions and it appears the weekends before and after have big conventions, not my weekend. Should I start bidding now or wait longer? Link to comment
mikeyatl Posted August 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 why not try to bid USE first then USW, then FIN DIST each one separate? instead of USE & USW together? Link to comment
thereuare Posted August 5, 2013 Report Share Posted August 5, 2013 The Hotel Vertigo is currently 2.5* rated by PRICELINE, so you are not comparing apples-to-apples when trying to get a 4* hotel at the same price as this back-up hotel.As the strategy above goes from a price of very unlikely acceptance for a 4* hotel ($120) up to your maximum bid and still gets to your maximum bid of $165, i don't see any reason to first bid USE and USW individual... what would you gain by doing so? Also, while i doubt that this is the case, let's assume the following:4* USE hotel available for $148/nite4* USW hotel available for $125/niteIf you split the zones and bid them separately, first following the strategy above for USE and then repeating for USW, you would win a 4* hotel at $148/nite in the USE zone... never having a chance to win the 4* USW property at the lower $125/nite price. By bidding both together as per the strategy posted you're able to get the least expensive one in the zone.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Let us know what you decide and how it goes or if we can be of further help. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
mikeyatl Posted August 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 bid up to 164 with no luck yet (USE,USW,FIN DIST,SOMA) 4 NIGHTS 8/21=8/25 Link to comment
thereuare Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 Not surprising given current rates.Keep us updated on your progress and let us know if/how we can be of further help along the way.Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
mikeyatl Posted August 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 Am I bidding too early or just too low price for my dates? I see other dates win at lower prices. any more thoughts on strategy? Link to comment
thereuare Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 Nobody can say if rates will come down, or move even higher, between now and your stay, but i don't think it's too early given that your check-in date is just 12 days away. As noted above you're basing you're maximum bid for a 4* hotel on your back-up reservation which is 2.5* rated by PRICELINE, so the your strategy of choosing a maximum bid is flawed (it's fine if you're truly happy with your back-up hotel and perfectly fine staying there and looking for the cheapest acceptable property, but it's flawed if your using your back-up hotel to determine what it would take to win a 4* hotel for your dates). At the moment i think a 4* hotel for your dates is more likely going to take in the $200-$220 area.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
mikeyatl Posted August 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 what kind of hotels are 3.5* for this area? what sort of price points are 3.5* for my dates? any help on different strategies? I can only only check reviews for my 2.5 backup and looks ok. Link to comment
thereuare Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 I don't think you're looking that much cheaper for a 3.5* hotel... maybe $190-$210 area.To get an easy and quick overview for your dates use our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com and search for '3 miles of San Francisco Union Square' (as this will include both the Fishermans Wharf and Financial District).Then UNCHECK all star ratings except for 3.5* and above and zoom in on the map... you will see the star ratings and price directly on the map.As well, click the PRICE link above the list of hotels and all the hotels will be sorted by price, showing that the least expensive 4* hotel for your dates starts at $249/nite (and note how this is cheaper than any of the 3.5* offerings, which start at $289/nite)Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
mikeyatl Posted August 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2013 No Luck at 199 4*, it appears wed-sun is the problem thu or fri-sun is about 50/night cheaper Link to comment
thereuare Posted August 18, 2013 Report Share Posted August 18, 2013 Is the rate per nite the same throughout your entire stay at your back-up hotel? If so, would SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID be an option and trying to bid for the cheaper nites of your stay and only using your back-up hotel for the more expensive nites... or do you prefer to just stick with your current reservation for the complete stay?Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
mikeyatl Posted August 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 good idea, backup hotel one night and Marriott Marquis 3 nights 196, better prices yesterday 24 hr out but could not wait that long Link to comment
thereuare Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 Nice to see you managed to piece this together, however, it's not clear from your post...-did yo use PRICELINE or HOTWIRE for the nites at the Marriott Marquis (if HOTWIRE what were the amenities shown before your purchase... you can still view this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page)-for which dates did you book the Marriott-what is the star rating and zonePlease use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Thanks. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
mikeyatl Posted August 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 Tried PRICELINE one last time before trip for 4* USE,USW,FIN DIST,SOMA AND STARTED bid for Thu 8/23- Sat 8/25 at 151 to go to 200 using 6 free zones...they rejected and countered immediately with 45 more at 196 and I accepted..no more bidding on SFO, tough market...a friend had worst luck than me trying to get a 4* for WED-SAT, it appears WED was our bad day, rates dropped 60-80/night for THU-SATMarriott Marquis SOMA area Link to comment
thereuare Posted August 29, 2013 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 Thanks for the follow-up... hope you enjoyed your stay. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
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