Priceline Hotel: 4* San Juan (Old San Juan - Condado) Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel and Casino

[colesc15]

I'm going to be staying in San Juan coming up in mid March (14th through the 16th) pre-cruise, which is Friday night and Saturday night. I have a hotel booked right now that I can cancel (it's at the new Best Western), but I'm going to be bidding on priceline to try and get a 4* for a decent price for the two nights. What sort of price can I expect to pay if I bid? When will be the best time to start trying to bid? Are there any tricks to getting to bid before the 24 hour waiting time is up? Any help is great! I'm new to all of this!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Please click each of these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links, then reply to this thread and we'll have a look at your post above.

Also, in your reply let us know the rate of your back-up hotel as well as which zone(s) in San Juan you're willing to accept, and we'll advise accordingly.

[colesc15]

My back up hotel is in the old San Juan area, and I'm paying I believe 180 a night. I want to be in the old San Juan area and 4 star

[thereuare]

I want to be in the old San Juan area and 4 star

PRICELINE's Old San Juan zone also includes the Condado area, is this part of the zone also acceptable?

What is your back-up hotel?

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

[colesc15]

My back up is the newer best Western that they just refinished. And I believe the condado area is okay as well

[thereuare]

You can likely get a 4* hotel in the Old San Juan-Condado zone for less than $150/nite (be sure to zoom in on the zone on PRICELINE's page to confirm that you're comfortable landing a hotel anywhere within the shaded boundaries of the zone)... if you let us know your maximum bid for this stay we will suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[colesc15]

I'd be willing to pay up to around 180 a night. It has to be 4* though

[thereuare]

PRICELINE EXPRESS is currently offering a 4* hotel in the San Juan - Condado Area for $152/night with:

Free Internet in room

Outdoor Pool

Pets Allowed

Restaurant

Business Center

Casino

Fitness Center

My best guess for this one would be the Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel and Casino... would this work for your needs?

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

[colesc15]

Is it pretty nice? Or do you think I could get an even better deal by bidding?

[AaronJB]

You can see reviews on tripadvisor.com.

Bidding will likely result in at least a mildly cheaper price but you have to be wiling to stay at any of the hotels at the star rating chosen in the zone/s chosen.

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

[colesc15]

Are there any 4* hotels in that area that aren't up to par?

[Romelle]

Are there any 4* hotels in that area that aren't up to par?

You can see a list of the five 4* Old San Juan-Condado hotels members have reported here if you click the Priceline Hotel List Puerto Rico and other Caribbean Islands right at the bottom of this page. Then you can check out the reviews. People's definitions of par and sub-par hotels can vary a lot.

Of course it is always possible to get a new hotel not yet reported. I speak from personal experience.

Romelle

[colesc15]

I'll keep everyone posted

[colesc15]

When is the best time to start bidding? Or what's a trick to maximize bids? Adding certain areas that don't have 4 star hotels?

[Romelle]

There is a discussion about when to bid in the PRICELINE FAQ.

Yes, adding areas that don't have 4 star hotels is the trick, but it is important to determine those zones correctly. Again, one of the FAQs will explain the correct method. And when you think you've got the free rebid zones, a good idea is to post your list back here so somebody can double check that list. A surprising number of people miss at first, and with Puerto Rico, a wrong zone could get you clear across the island.

Romelle

[colesc15]

What it looks like to me, I can bid for 4* in Old San Juan - Condado, and then if that doesn't get accepted, I can add Mayaguez at 4* since they don't have a 4* hotel and then after that add Ponce - Guanica since it doesn't look like they have a 4* either, and that way I'll still only end up in Old San Juan - Condado, correct?

Could I add Isla Verde since that looks pretty close to the airport and the cruise terminal as well? I could stay there in a 4*?

[colesc15]

And also, does the O:Live or whatever get won very much if I were to bid? I don't feel like that looks like a 4* hotel

[thereuare]

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

... please click each of the links above and reply to this thread, we'll continue the discussion for your upcoming trip.

Thanks.

[colesc15]

I just did

[thereuare]

What it looks like to me, I can bid for 4* in Old San Juan - Condado, and then if that doesn't get accepted, I can add Mayaguez at 4* since they don't have a 4* hotel and then after that add Ponce - Guanica since it doesn't look like they have a 4* either, and that way I'll still only end up in Old San Juan - Condado, correct?

The zones you're referring to (without any 4* or higher rated hotels) are what we call re-bid zones, and you actually have SIX re-bid zones that you can use when bidding 4* in the San Juan area. If you're new to re-bidding and how to determine your re-bid zones, see this thread: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained, and feel free to ask questions and confirm your re-bid zones with the board.

Could I add Isla Verde since that looks pretty close to the airport and the cruise terminal as well? I could stay there in a 4*?

Both the "Old San Juan-Condado" and the "Ocean Park-Isla Verde" zones are bid frequently. The Old San Juan zone is closer to shopping and such... the Isla Verde is more of the beach area. There are also TWO cruise ports in San Juan, so i'm not sure which one your cruise will depart from. You can also view our sister site Pre Cruise Hotelshotels for an overview of the area where the hotels are in relation to each port.

And also, does the O:Live or whatever get won very much if I were to bid? I don't feel like that looks like a 4* hotel

From the Priceline Hotel List this property has not yet been reported to the board, but as per the comments at the top of the hotel list, new hotels can be added at any time and other hotels can be upgraded/downgraded since last reported to the board.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed, or what additional questions you may have, and we'll take it from there.

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

[colesc15]

Hey everyone. Can you let me know what the rebidding process would be for Puerto Rico (Old San Juan - Condado) area for 4*? Once I bid 4* for the Condado area and it gets rejected, what are the next areas I can add without getting a hotel in that area since they don't have any 4* hotels? I think I have an idea but I'm afraid to just do it since I've never done it before

[thereuare]

You can confirm your re-bid zones with the board, but you need to know how to check on your own as they can change at any time and therefore need to be confirmed each time just before bidding.

If you've read the Priceline Re-Bidding Explained thread above and are still confused or need more information in order list them and confirm them with the board, try the following:

Start with the following...

1) Use the PRICELINE search box on the upper right of this page, enter 'San Juan, PR' and your dates, and click "GO".

2) List each zone that is offered in this region.

3) Next to each zone list the highest star rating offered in the zone. The way to determine the highest star rating offered in the zone is by selecting the first zone i the list, then scrolling down to see the highest star rating selectable (ie- not greyed out). NEXT UNcheck the selected zone, place a checkmark in the next zone, and repeat the process for each zone in the region. Each time you take note of the highest star rating in the zone, make sure that only ONE zone is selected above.

4) post your findings and we'll take it from there

If you don't follow the above just post back and we'll break it down further.

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

[Romelle]

And also, does the O:Live or whatever get won very much if I were to bid? I don't feel like that looks like a 4* hotel

Down at the bottom of this page is a link to the Hotel Lists where one can see all hotels reported as wins by members. I did check it out, and didn't see any reports for the O:Live or Olive. Of course it is always possible to get a new hotel, not yet reported.

On another post you ask about the Sheraton. While I've not been in their rooms, the exterior and lobby are very elegant and classy. It is across from PR's relatively new Convention Center. It isn't in the Old San Juan area, but public buses run between the hotel and OSJ all the time - $.75. A couple nice restaurants in the general area.

Romelle

[colesc15]

The 6 that look like I can add to the bid that DON'T have 4* hotels are:

Culebra

Humacao

Mayaguez

Metropolotian

Northwest – Porta del Sol

Ponce

Does that look right?

[Romelle]

Yes. You've got it. But do recheck with each bidding session, since things change regularly. An easy way to do it is to just click on those 6 zones when you are within Priceline. If the 4* and 5* buttons never go from grey to white, those 6 are still good at the 4* and up levels.

Romelle