Priceline Hotel: Questions on Miami 02/16 to 02/19

[areacode514]

Greetings,

(First time posting, so I hope that I won't be asking an "obvious" question.)

I'm looking for a hotel in Miami (Downtown or Coral Gables - Coconut Grove. Not Miami Beach, not South Beach). I've checked on Hotwire for the dates 02/16 to 02/19, and it had no available hotels, so I'm concerned about the chances through Priceline.

Would it be incorrect to presume that:

(1) with Priceline the chances of finding something will be slim, and

(2) if there are availabilities through Priceline, then I'll end up having to place a high bid before getting anything?

For comparison, I checked Miami Beach on Hotwire, and the least expensive place available was a 2* going at $194 per night. Would I therefore be out of my mind if I try a 4* (Downtown, or Coral Gables - Coconut Grove) somewhere between $100 to $130?

Thanks for any advice.

Regards,

areacode514

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Based upon the above information, it would seem that the chances of a Priceline win are somewhat dimished with no Hotwire availability, but not non-existent.

I'm not sure of the relationship you draw between the price of a hotel in Miami Beach and using that to determine your priceline bidding for Downtown/Coral Gables.

Do you have any back-up plan or reservation?

Have you considered SPLITTING YOUR BID?

[areacode514]

Thanks for your reply thereuare.

Sorry for the confusion; I hope the following helps to clarify:

Using the Priceline Hotel Maps link for Miami, I checked some of the recent wins in the Downtown/Coral Gables area and in the Miami Beach area. Generally, it seemed that 4* in all these areas could be found for under $100 (various times of year), and 2* or 3* were naturally less expensive.

Now, in my reasoning, I get the impression (perhaps incorrectly) that generally hotels in Miami Beach cost slightly more than those in Downtown/Coral Gables. Accordingly, having seen that a 2* is going for ~ $200 in Miami Beach, then (in my reasoning), a 2* could be found for slightly less in Downtown/Coral Gables. However, if that were indeed the case, then am I kidding myself to try to bid ~ $100 to $130 for a 4*?

Thanks for your opinions.

areacode514

P.S.

- We do not have a back-up reservation. Our plan would be to simply not travel at that time.

- We had not considered splitting our bid, but thanks for that suggestion.

Additional question:

I found out that week there is the Miami International Boat Show, and most of the hotels I called are sold out (I called over a dozen various). Does Priceline have access to a different inventory than the hotels' reservation desks (i.e. some hotels may set aside rooms for wholesalers who have bought a quantity in bulk -- does Priceline look up both inventories?)?

[thereuare]

I don't think you can make comparisons across zone lines as you did... well you can, but i don't think the conclusions would be very meaningful or have a high degree of consistency.

You can certainly try Priceline up to your bidding maximum, but if your plans are flexible and this is a leisure trip, i would consider re-arranging my plans for a less peak timeframe as it will likely cost you substantially less than going during the boat show. Something could potentially open up last minute, but i don't know where you're traveling from (if you need to purchase plan tickets) or if your schedule is flexible enough to pick up and go on just a few days notice.

[areacode514]

It will be a leisure trip, so indeed it may make more sense to try to travel at a future date.

Thanks again for your help and suggestions.

Regards,

areacode514