Priceline Hotel: 3* Ft. Lauderdale Downtown Marriott Marina

[mlgood]

This great board helped me to book the Sheraton Biscayne Bay for $35 pre-cruise stay for Nov 15/03. Now, since we have decided to fly out of Fort Lauderdale I need a Priceline bidding strategy for post-cruise, one night stay in Fort Lauderdale on Nov 23/03. We fly out at 6:30 am so we need to be fairly close to the airport. Our preference is likely 3* or better but we wouldn't mind the Amerisuites at 2.5*. Can you recommend a bidding strategy with prices. For info I checked Hotwire and it is listing 3.5* with 'S' symbol at $64 (likely the Embassy Suites, right?), 3* for $100+(can't remember exact price) and a 2.5 * no 'S' symbol at $44. Thanks a bunch.

[thereuare]

Thanks for supplying the background info.

I'm assuming you'd be willnig to stay in either the Airport zone or the Downtown zone, but if this is wrong post back and i'll re-adjust the strategy. For 3* it's a 3-step process, in which you can swap the first 2 steps if you'd like (depending upon which zone, hotels, prices you like better... if you don't understand or want more clarification of this, just ask):

1) select 3* Downtown

Bid $49, if rejected add re-bid zone and

Bid $55

If rejected close that browser and start completely over in a new browser...

2) select 3* Airport

Bid $45, if rejected add re-bid zone and

Bid $50

If rejected close that browser and start completely over in a new browser...

3) select 3* Airport and Downtown

Bid $56, if rejected add re-bid zone and

Bid $59

=========================================

4) For 2.5* there are NO bonafide re-bid zones

Select 2.5* Downtown bid $40, if rejected

Add Airport zone and bid $43

NOTES: as stated above, you can bid step 2, then step 1, then step 3, then step 4 if you'd like. HOWEVER, if you are going simply for price and start with step 4, you won't be able to bid steps 1, 2, and 3 for 72 hours.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

[mlgood]

Thanks so much for your assistance. Here's how it went:

First bid - 3* Fort Lauderdale Downtown $49. It processed for quite a while and then I got the message that they were still working on my request and to check back within 15 minutes.

Waited a bit then hit 'Check my request' and was shocked to see

'Congratulations you got your price of $49 for a 3 star hotel room.' (Of course now I'm thinking, darn I should have gone lower! But I am thrilled!)

Got the Marriott Ft Lauderdale Hotel and Marina

Price = $49.00

Taxes & S/C = 12.08

Total = $61.08

Thanks again for all the help and for your extremely fast reply. Without this site I would never have had a clue how to start bidding at Priceline and had I just tried it on my own the first time, I would definitely have overbid. I'll be back!

[thereuare]

Glad we could help!

Best rate i found at their website is $219, so i don't think too much lower would have been successful.

Enjoy your cruise and hotel stay(s).