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Priceline Hotel: Deal Sold Out (for 2 weeks!)


jwl3
By jwl3,
in

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Hi, have you ever encountered this problem with Priceline Express: It seems international deals either never get updated or something sketchy is going on.  I've had my eye on the 4.5 star hotel in Beijing (Forbidden City district) for the dates of 3/24 - 3/26.  Tried to book it with multiple browsers and every single time, it says that it is sold out after I click Book.  Tried every different type of room available with the same result.  Must have tried at least 15x over the course of 2 weeks.  If it is sold out, why on earth does it keep showing up in search results??? I've called them twice and all they can give me is canned answers that don't address the problem.  (I know the hotel is the Crowne Plaza by the way.)

 

I'm wondering if it's because I'm using a 10% Priceline Express coupon and somehow the hotel is deciding that the cost is too low.  What's really odd is that I tried booking a different hotel for a different date in Shanghai and had the same exact result.  That one too was the Crowne Plaza Shanghai.

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Yes, i have seen this with both local and international locations, although admittedly not necessarily for 2+ weeks.

 

I have no inside information, but my take on the situation is that it's a decision upon where to put and/or balance server resources.  Without getting too technical, most hotel rates are not necessarily retrieved on each and every search that a user makes (as this would be very resource intensive and actually slow down the amount of time it takes to see search results).  Instead, rates are obtained in mass and held on to for when a search for that location and date combinations is made in the near future... rates are updated 'in mass' at different intervals, for very common search locations and/or dates that are very near (when rates are more likely to change), this process takes place more frequently; for locations that are not searched often or dates that are far in the future, this process takes place less frequently.  A system like this is also (should be) designed so that when a hotel is no longer available, it is put back into the queue to have its rate updated.  This process works well for an extremely high number of searches (i'm guessing a 98%+ or better success rate), but sometimes a search location/date falls thru the cracks and is not updated in a timely manner after it is found to be 'no longer available' (eventually it is updated or removed from the search results, but i know it can be frustrating to continue to see an offer you want to purchase only to see each time that it is no longer available).  On a side note, sometimes the above works in a user's favor when after clicking the offer a message is given that they have found a new lower rate.

 

I don't believe it has anything to do with using a Priceline Coupon as i'm seeing the purchase fail even before entering any credit card information... if i search PRICELINE for your dates and click the offer you're referring to, i get the 'no longer available' message before entering any promotional code (or my credit card details for that matter).  I also tried searching for each nite individually with the same result.

 

I know you would like to use your PRICELINE EXPRESS coupon, but have you tried searching HOTWIRE for the same hotel or a similar deal (we also have a Hotwire Coupon you can use which may make the prices for each very similar?)

 

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 what you ultimately decide to do for this trip or how we can be of further help.

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

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Thanks a lot for the thorough response.  I think you're totally correct on how the bidding system works. 

 

I've sorta given up on Hotwire because the prices are a bit deceptive - their fees are very high for the few hotels that I've had my eye on.

 

Love the site and I've always linked directly to the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE sites from here!

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I would have another look at HOTWIRE; while there fees are slightly higher, the difference is much less than it used to be a few years ago.  Not to mention that sometimes their room rate is lower which makes it a better deal on an all-in basis.

 

We don't necessarily favor one booking service over another as each may be better/worse for a given stay, but we do recommend looking at both, so that you can be assured you're getting the best deal possible.

 

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

 

Good luck and let us know whatever you end up doing for this trip or if we can be of further help.

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

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