Priceline Hotel: When is the best time to purchase?

[fish350]

I was trying some bids for hotels in Pittsburgh in October in the Downtown and North Shore-Stadium areas, but I wasn't getting any accepted bids around the prices in the Priceline map and winning bids page. There is a football game around the dates I was trying, though. Is it more likely that the bid will have to be higher because of the football game or is the date being too far away causing the rejections? Is there a recommended time from in which to make a bid? Or any other tips I should know about?

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding.

 

There is no "best" time to bid, really. There is a belief that "last minute" results in the best deals, but in the years post-2008 as demand has ramped up, waiting can definitely result in sudden price jumps as demand comes in greater than expected. Price jumps can happen at any time and/or a potentially appealing hotel listing on PRICELINE EXPRESS can go away quickly if inventory runs out.

 

Let us know more about your stay (dates, budget, desired star rating and any other information) and we would be happy to offer more specific suggestions based on the dates.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

[thereuare]

8 hours ago, fish350 said:

Is it more likely that the bid will have to be higher because of the football game

Is it a Steelers game?  If so, Steeler home games typically increase regular hotel rates in the area and as a result will require a higher bid to be successful as well (and the discounts may not be as deep as when demand is low since hotels can likely fill most of their rooms with football fans at regular rates).

 

If you let us know your actual dates of travel we can advise further, but you could use our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com to see rates in the area for the date(s) of the home game during which you're traveling, and then do the same search for a non-home game date (either the weekend before or the weekend after)... not a scientific example (since the dates before/after may have their own reasons for high hotel rates other than a football game) but it will at least give you a sense of how the football game is driving up prices for your dates.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

[fish350]

The dates I'll be there are 10/01/16 - 10/03/16, and I was looking at the downtown area of Pittsburgh. All of the hotels in the area are 3 stars or greater, so that would have to be the preferred star rating. I don't really have any other preferences, just location mostly (as long as it's downtown or close to it). For prices, I saw some successful bids for <$100, but they were during September I think, so no Steelers games like on the weekend I was checking and I think they were purchased with less notice. I don't really have a set price right now, but under $150 would be great. All of my bids up to $100 were denied. 

 

I checked the Maps and Hotels website, and the prices are definitely higher for the weekend I was searching, by about $75 I'd estimate. Would this generally suggest that the winning bid would have to be $75 higher for these dates? Also, is there a usual discount amount that I should aim for? I've seen the 60% off claim, but not sure how common that is.

 

Thanks!

[thereuare]

There is no 'set' discount amount as it is a function of supply/demand (hotel occupancy levels).  In fact, when prices are high there is more profit margin in the rooms for hotels, but in times like this they will actually discount less since demand is high and they can usually sell most rooms on their own at full price.

 

Unfortunately $100-$150 does not seem realistic at the moment as i'm seeing more 3* and higher rated hotels starting at $300+ per nite for your dates.  At current rates i think you're likely looking in the $220-$240 area to be successful for a Downtown hotel.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.