Priceline Hotel: 4* Houston (Galleria) Hilton Post Oak

[dougieieie]

Hi there,

My wife and I are celebrating our 1-year wedding anniversary this weekend (6/9-11) and thought i'd surprize her with one or two nights at a 4-star in the Galleria area.

I see that the Omni, Intercontinental and the Marriot are usual suspects with the Omni having recently gone for $80 a night, while the ITC was picked up for $60.

I'd ACTUALLY be willing to pay $80 a night for the Omni and maybe even do TWO nights if i got that hotel, as i'm familiar with it (great bar/dance club, great pool, better location)

SOOOO, does bidding higher increase my chances for getting the Omni, or should i start at $60 and see what happens?

Also, i understand sometimes after having a bid accepted PL will ask if you want another night.

Any idea how often this happens?

My thought is to bid for one night (Saturday) and if i get the Omni, i'd take a second night. Otherwise, i'll stick with just Saturday night.

sorry for the "nit-picky" questions and appreciate any help and advice.

basically i'll be happy regardless.

thanks,

dougieieie

[thereuare]

The "add a nite feature" is fairly new... well, it's been around for awhile but now offering it on the confirm screen is new, so no statistics yet regarding how often its offered (but i'd say 'frequently') or how often it results in an additional nite (as it is still subject to availability). Even if not offered, you can use the "add a nite feature" to try for the same hotel.

Regarding bidding higher for a specific hotel, here is a thread on that very subject:

DON'T BID HIGHER FOR A SPECIFIC HOTEL

If you'd like a detailed bidding strategy let us know how you want to play it (bidding higher in hopes of the Omni or not) and we'll take it from there.

[dougieieie]

thanks for the reply and pointing me to that thread.

after reading it, i'm wondering if i should follow the advice early on in the thread and bid $60 (a recent rate for the ITC) and if it is rejected, bid the $80 and hope (take the risk) for the Omni.

I'm willing to pay up to the $80 or so for a 4* in the Galleria area. (Omni or otherwise)

I'm still confused on the "add a nite feature." Is there a thread about how this works?

You wrote:

"Even if not offered, you can use the 'add a nite feature' to try for the same hotel."

Not sure what you mean by "try"? Could you end up at a different hotel??

sorry for so many questions, but appreciate all the help.

dougieieie

[thereuare]

The "add a nite" feature is actually new in the sense that it is now offered on the winning bid screen (when available). It used to never show up on this screen and you could add a nite by going thru the HELP>>Add a Nite at priceline, but i just looked there and the wording has changed to:

...return to your Itinerary Page and see if your offer qualifies to add nights!

You actually have 13 re-bid zones at the 4* level in Houston so why not start low and then gradually increase to $80? If you'd like a more detailed strategy let us know and we'll type it out.

[dougieieie]

My first bid of $60 for Saturday night was accepted by the Hilton Post Oak.

(course i wondered for a minute if i shoulda started lower, but now i'm over it ...)

The Hilton is now apparently a 4-star after a major re-model last year. I confirmed it's listed as a 4* at Travelocity"]Travelocity, Expedia and TripAdvisor and there are lots of great customer reviews at those sites.

Was so happy with the reviews that i went back and used the "add a night" feature for Friday and was accepted as well.

One last thought though. After being accepted i see this in the fine print:

Here is the itinerary for your additional nights reservation. You may have to change rooms for your additional nights.

Since the plan is to just relax all day Saturday, hit the pool, etc., the idea of having to pack up at Noon and move to another room would be annoying.

I'm assuming the odds are minimal that this will happen, but i didn't notice this disclaimer BEFORE choosing the "add a night." It COULD have been there, but I can't go back and see now.

Does anyone know if they did warn me ahead of time?

Either way it's something to think about in the future. Not as big a deal if you're planning to be out and about during the day.

AGAIN, very happy with the results and appreciate the help here on the board.

Also, i linked thru SavingsBarn.

thanks,

dougieieie

[thereuare]

I would put the chances of you having to change rooms at less than 1%.

When you check-in, make sure they know that you're there for two nites and if the reservation is only for one nite let them know about the second reservation... shouldn't be a problem.

Glad to hear you're happy with the outcome and thanks for using the links at SavingsBarn.com to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your anniversary :)