Priceline Hotel: Bidding help Niagara Falls Can.

[Bob7]

We want a 4* in Niagara Falls Canada on a weekday, under $100 would be nice to beat Hotwire's offer of $117. Their hotel is ID'd as a 5 minute walk from the new Casino, maybe the Marriott? The other one on the BB hotel list is the Renaissance. There are 4 of us but Priceline won't let you enter that info like Hotwire will, they only promise a room for 2. So the bedding could be a prob if we end up with 1 Queen or King.

So for a bidding strategy, I've ID'd the 2 areas with no 4* as St. Cath-Thorold and Welland to use a free re-bids, and I see 3 people on TOBB have got 4*'s weekdays this summer for $85 and $95, thinking of starting at $85. I'm also able to change the date twice if necessary (total of 3 dates). Is there a maximum number of free re-bids if dates and areas are changed? Does it matter if I use date changes or area changes for free re-bids? Thx,

-Bob

[thereuare]

You have your 2 re-bid zones correct.

If you list the amenities associated with the $117/nite hotel on HOTWIRE we may be able to help you identify it.

Are you prepared and have a gameplan if you get a hotel that is only willing/able to give you a room with one bed? I'd have my priceline maximum lower than $100 because at that poin it's worth the extra $17 (to me at least) for guaranteeing a room that would accomodate everyone in my group.

[Bob7]

THe Hotwire hotel ammenities are resort, pool, business center, high speed net, fitness center, restaurant(s), laundry facilities, spa services. Pretty generic for a 4*.

I agree, about $20 more is worth knowing you have bedding for 4, but even though Hotwire lets you input 4 people, I don't know if that means they guarantee 2 beds. Our game plan with one bed was to order a rollaway and also use a portable foam bed we keep in the car. I guess that turns a nice 4* stay into a camping category? :-)))

[thereuare]

HOTWIRE guarantees that there will enough bedding for everyone that you include in your search. This can include a rollaway bed and/or a pullout couch, but this isn't the norm and the majority of hotels will give you two beds (especially at the higher star levels... pull-out couches tend to come into play at the 'all-suite' hotels at the lower star ratings, such as Amerisuites, Candlewood, etc)

With the above HOTWIRE hotel, if you click "continue" or "hotel details" do you also see an icon for Children's Activities? What are the dates you're seeing this property?

[Bob7]

Well 2 double beds wouldn't be terrible, the other couple does fine in one of those, and we'd probably put one of us in the other and order a rollaway, we're used to sprawling around a king at home. The worst rooms at the Renaissance have 2 doubles, and all the Marriott rooms have either 2 gueens or 1 king, so we could likely talk them into the 2 queens at checkin, so I'd prefer to be given the Marriott, and if I knew that was the Hotwire one I'd go for it, but it could be the Renaissance which has all types of rooms with 2D's.

On the Hotwire 4* offering for $117 I clicked Hotel Amenities and none of the icons were for kids activities, just the ones listed above. I was surprised that a 4* would have coin operated laundry for guests, maybe that feature would tell which is which, I'll check to see if both offer that. Our dates in order of preference are Wed Aug 30, or Tues Aug 29, or Mon Aug 28.

[thereuare]

so we could likely talk them into the 2 queens at checkin

This is your assumption, so you asking you "Are you prepared to handle the situation if you can't?"

I'm sure you can very easily handle the situation if you do get a room with two beds, but what if you don't or none are available when you check-in? THAT is the question... if you're willing to take this risk.

I believe the HOTWIRE hotel is the Doubletree. Would that work for your plans or do you want to try Priceline instead?

[Bob7]

Duh, you must have wondered why I was expecting to get the Marriott or Renaissance through Hotwire, when those aren

[Bob7]

I dawdled too long, today there are no 4*'s being offered any of my 3 dates :-( And we don't want to go 3* because of the Brock Plaza using 1 bed special mini-rooms for PL and HW. Do you find that sometimes rooms will open up later on HW when this happens?, or am I sunk?

[thereuare]

What are the date(s) for this stay... i can't seem to find them in re-reading the thread.

[Bob7]

It's 1 night, any of Aug 28, 29, or 30.

[Bob7]

Ok, I found the Hotwire glitch ... when I enter 4 guests I don't get offered a 4*, but when I enter 2 guests I get offered one. But it's not the previous one with the Laundry icon, that's gone now, and the amenities are fitness center, reataurant, high speed, pool, and business center, for $1 less than before at $116. Any idea of that's the Doubletree, Hilton, or Sheraton? The DT is $139 CAN for 2 on their own site, so $116 USD on HW for 2 would be about the same price. But that would be a nice deal for the Hilton ($189) or the Sheraton ($409).

[thereuare]

Looks like the same hotel we're discussing in this Hotiwre Niagara Falls thread.

[Bob7]

Well we decided to give up on bidding. At PL we could end up with the Renaissance with 2 double beds instead of the 2 Q's we want. And Hotwire at $116 USD could be the Doubletree that goes for $139 CAN direct, so no savings there. And we could book 2 queens at the Courtyard direct for $119 CAN, we've been there before, pretty nice place, free parking.

Thx for all your prompt and detailed help, you gotta win the "web site customer service gold medal" :-) We'll be back next trip.

-Bob