rynodaddyo Posted February 27, 2006 Report Posted February 27, 2006 Need 3 nights in Boston in the Downtown-Charleston zone only. It doesn't matter if it is a 4* or a 3* hotel. I may have to consider a 2* as well if need be.I would have the original bid as well as 2 rebids in each hotel * class.This is how I have bid thus far using the savingsbarn link to PRICELINE-4* Hotel-Starting bid.......................$70...........................rejectedAdd Medford.....................$73............................rejectedAdd South Boston.............$76............................rejected3* Hotel-Starting Bid.......................$60............................rejectedAdd Medford......................$65............................rejectedAdd South Boston.............$68............................rejectedI would like to stay under $100 (after fees and taxes). Any help would be appreciated.
thereuare Posted February 27, 2006 Report Posted February 27, 2006 I would like to stay under $100 (after fees and taxes).What does that equate to pre-taxes and fees? Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
rynodaddyo Posted February 27, 2006 Author Report Posted February 27, 2006 Approximately $85. I have budgeted $2000 for the 20 nights worth of hotel rooms that I need. So far I have booked 6 nights and am $101 under budget so I could go higher if need be, and pick up some savings somewhere else.
thenewbie Posted February 27, 2006 Report Posted February 27, 2006 So you're not flexible on your areas? Boston is a fairly easy city to get around in, so expanding your areas may help as rates are high for your dates. If you're willing to expand your location, Hotwire is showing a 4* (Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Spa, High-speed Internet Access, Business Center) in Cambridge for $110 per night, which can likely be won for less on Priceline. Otherwise you have the right idea for rebidding. If you have an Entertainment Book, you could check to see if any of the hotels have the 50% off rack rate price for your dates.
rynodaddyo Posted February 28, 2006 Author Report Posted February 28, 2006 I will be arriving by train from New York at 1pm on July 29th. I wanted to stay downtown because of our 2 games at Fenway Park as well as most of the sites are in and around downtown. I have received in the mail info concerning public in Boston and will check Cambridge out. Not being familiar with the cities we are travelling to I don't want to get caught in an area I do not want to be.Thanks for the info about the Entertainment Book. I had checked the hotel section titled " Guarenteed Best Rate", but found it was giving the same price as Hotels.com, Orbitz, etc. so I for got about it. There are 3 $$$$ hotels listed for Boston. I will check out their locations and see if they will work for me. Thanks for the idea.I have plenty of time so would you have any ideas on how I should proceed? I would like to see if I could stay under my budget, and 50% off a $$$$ rack room may be over what I want to spend. I will check the hotels out to see iwhat rack rates are. Thanks again
thenewbie Posted February 28, 2006 Report Posted February 28, 2006 The guaranteed best rates section of the e-book doesn't offer the best deals. The direct to hotels section is where the 50% off rates are, so hopefully there may be one there within your budget.Otherwise, you have the right idea for rebidding. If you wanted to get an additional rebid, you could try:DTDT+1, close windowDT+2DT+2+1
rynodaddyo Posted March 1, 2006 Author Report Posted March 1, 2006 Thanks I will give it a try. After I look at the availability of public transportation to other zones I may expand my search area. Plenty of time to play this game of hotel hunting.
rynodaddyo Posted March 5, 2006 Author Report Posted March 5, 2006 My last city is Boston, and it seems that it is much more expensive than the wins I have gotten in Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York City (Newark), and Niagara Falls. I really would like to stay downtown because it is close to Fenway Park and the sights, but I may have to move to another zone.I have bid and rebid on 4 different occassions on 4 and 3 * hotels in the downtown area. 1st round with rebids......$77......rejected2nd round with rebids.....$85......rejected3rd round with rebids......$88......rejected4th round with rebids......$90......rejectedNot ready to change zones yet but If I do what zone would you suggest that would be the safest and most convienant to downtown Boston for the best value for my money? Any help would be much appreciated.
rynodaddyo Posted March 8, 2006 Author Report Posted March 8, 2006 Tried bidding Boston again with no luck. I will try it a couple of more times before I change zones. I am suprised that it takes more for Boston than it does for DC, Philly, and Niagara Falls. Here is my last set of bidding. I did the same bid for a 4* hotel and when that did not work I bid the same amount for a 3*.Bid............$91...........rejectedrebid.........$92...........rejectedrebid.........$93...........rejectedThen I bid on a 2.5 hotelBid...........$70...........rejectedrebid........$75...........rejectedThen I bid on a 2* hotelBid..........$55............rejectedrebid.......$60............rejectedANY HELP?
blindman Posted March 8, 2006 Report Posted March 8, 2006 Be Patient :) You have loads of time to win this so don't panic. I would bid every 4\5 days or so.Inventory may not be available yet.Is there any major event going on during your stay?Relax and enjoy.
rynodaddyo Posted March 8, 2006 Author Report Posted March 8, 2006 Not that I know of. I will check the chamber of commerce website to see if anything is going on. Looks like just a summer 3 days in July. You might be right. It might be too far in advance for the inventory of rooms being released. I just didn't have this trouble in the other cities I am visiting, but had I been more patient maybe I would have gotten better rates. I figured that like the baseball tickets.....the sooner I got them the better choices I would have.
rynodaddyo Posted March 10, 2006 Author Report Posted March 10, 2006 Checked the Boston Chamber of Commerce's website and saw nothing special listed for the 3 days we will be staying there. Must just be summer and too early to get the kind of deal I would like. I will take a look at Cambridge and some of the other zones for good public transportation.
rynodaddyo Posted March 10, 2006 Author Report Posted March 10, 2006 Copley seems to have the best access to the subway and the sights downtown.....so I gave it a shot. Here is how I bid-4* and 3*Bid..........Copley.........$70..........rejectedrebid.......Medford........$75..........rejectedrebid.......S. Boston......$77..........rejectedrebid.......Downtown.....$79..........rejectedDidn't think I would get it, but I thought, "What the heck."
blindman Posted March 10, 2006 Report Posted March 10, 2006 Be Patient :) You have loads of time to win this so don't panic. I would bid every 4\5 days or so.Inventory may not be available yet.Relax and enjoy.And what part of this are you failing to grasp :)
rynodaddyo Posted March 15, 2006 Author Report Posted March 15, 2006 Well here is the latest set of bids that I did for " fun and relaxation ". Still have not had any success. It seems that the time of year may force me to bid much more than I want to, or stay where I may not have chosen as my first location.Downtown-bids and rebids4*................up to $97...............rejected3*................up to $97...............rejected2.5*.............up to $83...............rejected2*................up to $71...............rejectedCopley-bids and rebids4*................up to $90...............rejected3*................up to $90...............rejected2.5*.............up to $83...............rejected2*................up to $71...............rejectedI have started to look into the Cambridge zone, but I have one concern. Access to public transportation in one of the hotels that show up with winning bids (Hyatt Regency-Cambridge) is not close enough to make it worth the risk. I guess I could take a cab from the hotel to the subway, but am concerned about the return trip from Fenway to the hotel.As always.....any help is much appreciated.
blindman Posted March 16, 2006 Report Posted March 16, 2006 ....... Plenty of time to play this game of hotel hunting.Be Patient :) You have loads of time to win this so don't panic. I would bid every 4\5 days or so.Inventory may not be available yet.Sometimes with Pl you have to wait for the bargains to appear. Check every 4\5 days on Hotwire for likely rates and if you spot a lower rate than usual then try on PL.Be Patient!
rynodaddyo Posted March 17, 2006 Author Report Posted March 17, 2006 So far I have increased each bid and rebids by $5-$7. Should I back off on the increases of my bid? If the inventory is released, and I keep raising my bids I would guess that I would get a room for much more than I could have. Any advise?
rynodaddyo Posted March 18, 2006 Author Report Posted March 18, 2006 Please give me a bidding strategy that I can use every week until I get my room. I would like to bid for a 2.5, 3, or 4 * hotel room for under $100 if at all possible. I would like for it to be in the Downtown or Copley area for the time being. I am afraid if I keep bidding a little higher each time I bid that when the inventory of rooms are released that I will win a bid much higher than I need to pay. Thanks in advance.
thereuare Posted March 18, 2006 Report Posted March 18, 2006 Please give me a bidding strategy that I can use every week until I get my room. ... I am afraid if I keep bidding a little higher each time I bid that when the inventory of rooms are released that I will win a bid much higher than I need to payThe problem of overbidding if/when rooms are released is the reason why there is not a fixed strategy to suggest until you win your room... rates change and bidding strategies are based upon current rates.You're obsessing about this daily for a stay that is 4+ months away. I'm not saying that users shouldn't bid this far in advance, but once you do and it fails, the chances of success at the same prices 24-48 hours later is very slim... there is little or no reason for hotels to adjust their inventory levels this far in advance as their occupancy levels for a stay 4+ months away don't change that much from day-to-day.Why don't you forget about this for 2 weeks, then post the current rates for the star level you want, and we'll suggest a strategy at that time. If that fails, repeat the process (of posting current rates) 2 weeks later. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
rynodaddyo Posted March 18, 2006 Author Report Posted March 18, 2006 Thanks for the help. I will give it a try. The sooner I get this done, the sooner I can pay for it, plan transportation, plan an agenda, etc. I try to cover every angle possible in advance so I have few surprises when the time comes. The other cities came so much easier even if I may have paid more for the room. That is why I trying to get this done as soon as I can.
rynodaddyo Posted March 23, 2006 Author Report Posted March 23, 2006 Where would you like me to get the rates from for the time I am staying in Boston so you can figure out a strategy? I can go to hotwire and get the * rating plus the amenities from the hotels in the area I want. I can get the hotels from this site that have accepted bids and get their rates from priceline, or from their websites. What is most advantageous for you to build a strategy? Thanks
thereuare Posted March 23, 2006 Report Posted March 23, 2006 Using our PRICELINE HOTEL LIST get the rates on some of the hotels in the star rating you're seeking, directly from the hotel's website. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
rynodaddyo Posted March 25, 2006 Author Report Posted March 25, 2006 Last time I bid was March 14th so I am ready to try again.I checked out all the hotel websites for the hotels that have won bids on Priceline, and are listed in the Massachusetts hotel section of this website. It is a 3 night stay from July 29th through August 1st. If there was a rate change I took the 3 nights and came up with an average nightly rate. This is based on double occupancy for 1 room, and the cheapest price listed. Here is the results of what I found for any help it may give you for a bidding strategy.COPLEY4*.....................Colonnade Hotel...................................................$279 a night4*.....................Fairmont Copley Plaza..........................................$379 a night4*.....................Marriott.................................................................$233 a night4*.....................Sheraton-Boston...................................................$369 a night4*.....................Westin Hotel..........................................................$399 a nightDOWNTOWN4*.....................Hyatt Regency-Financial District.............................$312 a night4*.....................Millenium Bostonian...............................................$233 a night4*.....................Onyx Hotel.............................................................$279 a night4*.....................Wyndham Boston...................................................$493 a night3*.....................Boston Park Plaza..................................................$355 a night3*.....................Club Quarters.........................................................$130 a night (no hotel website found)3*.....................Doubletree Hotel....................................................$209 a night3*.....................Holiday Inn Select...................................................$179 a night3*.....................Radisson-Boston.....................................................$219 a night2.5*..................Residence Inn Boston Harbor on Tudor Wharf........$299 a nightI would prefer to stay in Copley first, and then the downtown zone. I would be willing to bid up to $100 a night in these 2 zones, and if that means I get a 2* instead of a 4*....so be it. Thanks for your help.
thenewbie Posted March 25, 2006 Report Posted March 25, 2006 With those rates, you'll likely only get the 3* Club Qtrs in downtown. As I believe I previously mentioned, you may also be successful at the 4* level in Cambridge if you were willing to take the subway or a cab into the city.Select 3* Copley...Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone 1...Bid $70, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline...Select 3* Copley + re-bid zone 2...Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone 1...Bid $80Select 3* Downtown...Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone 1...Bid $70, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline...Select 3* Downtown + re-bid zone 2...Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone 1...Bid $80Select 3* Downtown and Copley...Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone 1...Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone 2...Bid $95
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