Loading...

Priceline Hotel: Newbie here needing of some advices on how my bidding strategy!


adilsonocruz
By adilsonocruz,
in

Recommended Posts

  I´m searching for a hotel in Amsterdam (in the central areas) from 3 May to 7 May. It´s too early to places bids in hotwire.com?
  
1) Amsterdam, Netherland
2) Zones: Royal palace - Central Station - Dam Square, Joordam - Canal Best West, Canal Belt Central - Flower Market
3) 3 May
4) 7 May 2018
5) 1 room
6) 4 starts, minimum
7) Lowest available rates found: U$ 200 (U$ 175 Priceline.com).
  
  I´ve checked the prices for at least 4 stars hotels on Priceline and the minimum price was U$ 175. Nonetherless, in May 2017 there as a winning bid (link bellow) of $89 (Hotel Vondel, 4 star hotel, "Museum Quarter - Vondelpark" area).
  
  https://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?showtopic=219324
 
  So I´m planning to start bidding in hotwire.com with initial value of U$ 60 (minimum 4 star hotel) and, while I don´t get a successfull biding, I will increase U$5 per day (up to U$ 190 max). What do you guys think?
  
  Meanwhile, I booked a place in booking.com (free of charge for cancelation) in case I don´t get a place on hotwire or priceline.
  
  I always click on the www.priceline.com and www.hotwire.com link when searching.
 
  Sorry for my bad English and thank in advance for the tips! :D
 
  Best regards,
  
  Adilson

Link to comment

Welcome to BetterBidding!

 

Thank you for using the board's PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links for your bidding, searches, and purchases... please also use our sister site RefundableRates.com for your back-up plans as it also helps support the board and keeps this place running as a free resource for everyone.

 

In regards to your plans above, there is no bidding offered on HOTWIRE, bidding is only available thru PRICELINEHOTWIRE works much like PRICELINE EXPRESS... they show you offers indicating the star rating, zone, price, and amenities offered by the hotel... you choose to either take the offer or not.

 

If you're looking to move forward by bidding on PRICELINE, please clarify the zones (by priceline name) that you are willing to accept.  However, i only gave a quick look (since i'm not 100% certain which PRICELINE zones you're willing to accept since the names and boundaries differ from HOTWIRE) but i believe that $60 is going to be way too low... the 4 star PRICELINE win above was for a solo Sunday nite, which is typically the least expensive nite of the week for hotels (tourists and weekend visitors have already gone home and business travelers have not yet arrived).  What hotel is it that you're seeing for $175/nite as i'm seeing regular rates higher than this.

 

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 how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

Link to comment

 Thanks thereuare for the quick reply! 

 

 I just realized that I made a mistake with the websites names (priceline and hotwire).

 

 The zones in Amsterdam that I´m willing to accept are: Royal palace - Central Station - Dam Square, Joordam - Canal Best West, Canal Belt Central - Flower Market.

 

 I decided to start with a low bid value ($60) because I have a lot of time before my travel and, since I´m planning to increase $5 every 24 hours, I was expecting to bid $176 in 20 days.

 

 The hotel of $175/nite was a 4 start on HOTWIRE.com and I was hopping to get a better deal on PRICELINE.

 

 And you bet I will return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases!

 

 Thanks!

Link to comment
3 hours ago, adilsonocruz said:

 I decided to start with a low bid value ($60) because I have a lot of time before my travel and, since I´m planning to increase $5 every 24 hours, I was expecting to bid $176 in 20 days.

The flaw in this approach is what if there is a hotel available today for $100 but in 3 days it's gone... you had a chance at a great deal but now need to pay more.

 

3 hours ago, adilsonocruz said:

The hotel of $175/nite was a 4 start on HOTWIRE.com and I was hopping to get a better deal on PRICELINE.

Both PRICELINE and HOTWIRE offer deeply discounted hotel rates, so while you may be able to get 50%+ savings vs. a hotel's regular rate, it would be very rare to see such a discount (or a 67% discount based upon the numbers you're talking) vs. HOTWIRE's already deeply discounted price.

 

A better strategy would be to use re-bid zones which are explained in more detail here: If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

(NOTE: it's highly recommended that you confirm your re-bid zones with the board before using this method)

 

We can suggest a strategy for you to follow, but please first confirm the PRICELINE zone names as all of the following are from HOTWIRE:

3 hours ago, adilsonocruz said:

 Royal palace - Central Station - Dam Square, Joordam - Canal Best West, Canal Belt Central - Flower Market.

 

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

 

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

Link to comment

When bidding 4* in the Amsterdam area you have TWO re-bid zones.  If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

 

I still think you are starting much too low, but if you want to give it a try i would bid as follows:

 

At PRICELINE:

Select 4* Jordaan-Canal Belt West
Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...
Select 4* Royal Palaca-Central Station
Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...


Select 4* Jordaan-Canal Belt West and Royal Palaca-Central Station
Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $110

 

You can adjust the numbers however you'd like, but i went with $10 increments in the first set of bidding since i feel that anything under $100 has almost no chance at being successful (i'm on your side and hope i'm wrong, but i wouldn't 'waste' bid by only incrementing by $5 at under $100/nite)

 

Any questions feel free to ask, and of course confirm your re-bid zones with the board if you're unsure or new to the subject.

 

Assuming the above is rejected, i assume that Canal Belt East - Plantage and/or Museum Quarter - Vondelpark are not acceptable zones for your plans this trip?

 

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.

 

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

Link to comment


 Hi thereuare!
 
 Since I want a 4* hotel, I found out that the zones Haarlem and Hilversum only have 3* hotels, so I use them as my re-bid zone. Anyway, I did as you instructed but unfortunately I didn´t managed to the a room. 
 
 What can I do now? Retry the exact same steps or should I increase the values? Start the bidding value in $100, maybe?
 
 I checked out the Canal Belt East - Plantage and/or Museum Quarter - Vondelpark zones and they look nice, but I´m afraid that the hotels are located in the borders of these zones.
 
 Can I use the strategy that you had previously show me on other cities?
 
  Thanks for the tips!

Link to comment
26 minutes ago, adilsonocruz said:

Retry the exact same steps or should I increase the values?

You can re-try the strategy as-is, or increase the prices, but at current prices i think realistically you'll need to be somewhere in the $160-$190 to be successful for a 4* hotel in one of the two zones you're currently bidding. 

 

With your already failed bids in mind, and taking into consideration my thoughts on what it will likely take to win based upon your current parameters, what is your maximum bid price?  If you're under $150/nite i would also ask what your gameplan would be (increase your budget, lower your star rating, consider other zones, etc?) if you continue to fail up to your maximum bid price and you get closer to your travel dates?

 

31 minutes ago, adilsonocruz said:

Can I use the strategy that you had previously show me on other cities?

Sort of... you first need to confirm the zones you're willing to accept and the number of re-bid zones you have and then adjust the strategy accordingly (with more acceptable zones and/or re-bid zones you have more bidding opportunities... with fewer acceptable zones and/or re-bid zones you have less bidding opportunities).  If bidding in another area feel free to ask for help and/or confirm your bidding strategy before proceeding.

 

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 how you'd like to move forward for this trip and we will advise accordingly.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

Link to comment

 Ok thereuare!

 

 I already booked a hotel (with cancellation free of charges) for about $190, so I will increase the bid values weekly and add Canal Belt East - Plantage and/or Museum Quarter - Vondelpark zones, and keep trying every day.

 

 If in two weeks I still can´t get a hotel, I will increase the values even more.

 

 Thanks thereyouare, your tips are priceless!

Link to comment

If you are adding additional zones (Canal Belt East - Plantage and/or Museum Quarter - Vondelpark) you can substantially increase the number of bids you can make per session.  Are you ready to include these at this point in time?

 

If so, what is your current maximum bid?  What did you book as a back-up?


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.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

Link to comment
Quote

If you are adding additional zones (Canal Belt East - Plantage and/or Museum Quarter - Vondelpark) you can substantially increase the number of bids you can make per session.  Are you ready to include these at this point in time?

 Yes, I´m ready to include these areas and I will substantially increase the number of bids per session.

 

 

Quote

If so, what is your current maximum bid?  What did you book as a back-up?

 My maximum bid is $190, since is the price that I will pay in my backup room  (with cancellation free of charges) that I have booked. Also, this room that I have already booked is a simple room, much worse them a 4* hotel.

 

 But since I will only travel in May I think I have plenty of time to keep biding, trying to save some money.

 

 In my other cities, in order to decide my starting bid price, I search a "Hot Deal" in Hotwire.com, get the minimum value for a 4* hotel in my desired zones and use 60% of the price as my starting bid. What do you think? This way of deciding the bidding value is ok?

 

 Also, I have one concern about the hotels quality: I´m searching for a 4* hotel in order to get a quality hotel. I don´t need fancy things, just a clean room with shower (wifi and breakfast is a plus). All the 4* hotels have this, right?

 

 Thanks!

Link to comment

 Hi thereuare,

 

 I will start to search for 4* in the cities below. 

 

 Prague
 Zone: Old Town Square - Astronomical Clock
 Starting Bid: $60

 

 Vienna
 Zones: City Center - Opera - Ringstrasse Boulevard - Museum District,  city center - stephanerstadt - inner ring
 Starting Bid: $50

 

 Budapest
 Zone: City center - Great sinagoge
 Starting bid: $ 15

 

 In every city, I will add re-bid zones and increase $10 in every bid.  What do you guys think?

 

 Any suggestions and tips (including more zones) are welcome!

 

 Thanks!

Link to comment
On 3/12/2018 at 5:50 PM, adilsonocruz said:

 In every city, I will add re-bid zones and increase $10 in every bid.  What do you guys think?

Please use separate threads for each segment of your trip as this helps keep things better organized as well as enables the hotel you ultimately receive for each city to be reflected in the topic title of the thread (which in turn also enables a link to be placed for each win in the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins)

 

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.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

Link to comment

 Hi guys,

 

 Today I´have tried to find a 4* hotel in Amsterdam in the zones Royal Palaca-Central Station, Jordaan-Canal Belt West, Canal Belt East - Plantage, Museum Quarter - Vondelpark using the re-bid zones Haarlem - Heemstede, Hilversum, starting from $ 100 to up to $ 170, with no sucess.

 

 Should I increase even more the bid value?

 

 I was planning to decrease to 3* hotels? I´m afraid to get a hotel with low rates from customers (I dont care for stars, just to cleaningness and basic stuff).

 

 Thanks!

 

Link to comment

I would take a break from bidding for 2-3 days just to give yourself a day or two to re-group, think about what is important to you for this trip, and whether it's more important to stay within budget OR if receiving a so-so 3 star property would spoil your trip and you would wish that you had spent a bit more.... but now you can at least see why i thought your original bidding plan of $60 was way off the mark.

 

At the moment it also looks like rates have gone up about $10-$15 from my original $160-$190 range a few days ago.

 

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.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

Link to comment
14 hours ago, thereuare said:

I would take a break from bidding for 2-3 days just to give yourself a day or two to re-group, think about what is important to you for this trip, and whether it's more important to stay within budget OR if receiving a so-so 3 star property would spoil your trip and you would wish that you had spent a bit more.

 Yes, I will do this.

 

14 hours ago, thereuare said:

but now you can at least see why i thought your original bidding plan of $60 was way off the mark.

Yeah, totally!

 

14 hours ago, thereuare said:

At the moment it also looks like rates have gone up about $10-$15 from my original $160-$190 range a few days ago.

 This kind of situation is momentary or the prices always go up?

 

 Thanks!

Link to comment

Rates are always a function of supply vs. demand... so in this situation it all depends how actual new reservations/cancellations come in relative to expected new reservations/cancellations. 

 

If the hotel begins to see more reservations come in for these dates than anticipated you will see rates continue to rise... should they get more cancellations than expected (or fewer new reservations than expected) then you may see rates drop.  It's a bit more complicated than i'm making it out to be, but that is the basic premise.

 

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.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

Link to comment

Just adding my 2 cents

I am bidding for Amsterdam for July

I am only doing 4 or 5*  for  2 zones  Royal palace & Canal plantage  but prices they recommend are over $200 

I just bid every few days  ( I still have time)  last bid rejected was $190  as I get closer to the date I need I will increase the bid

I have booked a refundable hotel  just incase

 

Try not to stress about bidding ..worst case  you could do  the Express hotel option or just keep the one you have booked

 

Link to comment
3 hours ago, kitty28 said:

Try not to stress about bidding ..worst case  you could do  the Express hotel option or just keep the one you have booked

 

 Hum, I think you are right. I just (unsuccessfully)  finished biding for Amsterdam. I did the following bids:

 

$ 100 4* Joordam - Canal Best West

$ 110 4* added re-bid zone

$ 120 4* added re-bid zone

 

$ 100 4* Royal palace - Central Station - Dam Square

$ 110 4* added re-bid zone

$ 120 4* added re-bid zone

 

$ 100 4* Canal Belt East - Plantage

$ 110 4* added re-bid zone

$ 120 4* added re-bid zone

 

$ 100 4* Museum Quarter - Vondelpark

$ 110 4* added re-bid zone

$ 120 4* added re-bid zone

 

$ 130 Joordam - Canal Best West, Royal palace - Central Station - Dam Square

$ 140 added re-bid zone

$ 150 added re-bid zone

 

$ 130 Royal palace - Central Station - Dam Square, Canal Belt East - Plantage

$ 140 added re-bid zone

$ 150 added re-bid zone

 

$ 130 Canal Belt East - Plantage, Museum Quarter - Vondelpark

$ 140 added re-bid zone

$ 150 added re-bid zone

 

$ 130 Museum Quarter - Vondelpark, Joordam - Canal Best West

$ 140 added re-bid zone

$ 150 added re-bid zone

 

$ 160 Joordam - Canal Best West, Royal palace - Central Station - Dam Square, Canal Belt East - Plantage

$ 170 added re-bid zone

$ 180 added re-bid zone

 

$ 160  Royal palace - Central Station - Dam Square, Canal Belt East - Plantage, Museum Quarter - Vondelpark

$ 170 added re-bid zone

$ 180 added re-bid zone

 

$ 160  Canal Belt East - Plantage, Museum Quarter - Vondelpark, Joordam - Canal Best West

$ 170 added re-bid zone

$ 180 added re-bid zone

 

$ 190 Joordam - Canal Best West, Royal palace - Central Station - Dam Square, Canal Belt East - Plantage, Museum Quarter - Vondelpark

 

 Tomorow I will try again.

Link to comment

Today and yesterday I have tried the previous bidding with no success. 

 

 Should I change the strategy and try to find 3* hotels? The problem is that the only hotels below 4* listed here are:

- Park Plaza Vondelpark: normal price $180  

- Leonardo Hotel Amsterdam City Center: normal price $ 214

 

 I would be happy to book these hotels but I´m afraid to book another one with very low quality. Do you know if the other hotels below 4* are similar to these ones?

 

 Thanks!

Link to comment

My viewpoint would be that it is too early to lower your star rating, especially if you're concerned about quality.

 

Rates were lower when you started this thread and i would hope that at least one 4* property lowers their price between now and your trip.

 

If you haven't yet, i would also set alerts at RateDrop with both PRICELINE and HOTWIRE so that you can be notified if any 4* hotels in any of the zones you're bidding fall below their current prices... this would also be a good indication that it's time to start bidding ASAP (or to take the PRICELINE EXPRESS offer if it falls into your budget with the board's 5% Priceline Coupon.

 

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.

 

Keep us updated on your progress.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

Link to comment
Need help with your own trip?

Register now, we have a huge community of travel enthusiasts to answer any questions you might have.

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account
Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
EXCLUSIVELY at BetterBidding:
10% OFF

PRICELINE COUPON


(click here) and use

promo code

: EASTEREGG

(Hotel and Car Express Deals max $60 discount... expires 03/31/2024)
QUICKQUOTE [X]
PRICELINE & HOTWIRE on one screen!
NOTE: Priceline searches for
DOUBLE OCCUPANCY ONLY
Room %roomN%:
Age of child:
FINDFAST[X]
×
×
  • Create New...