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Priceline Hotel: Resort Big Island (Kona) 147 rejected


UAB Blazer
By UAB Blazer,
in

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Just wanted to post some info for the readers.

I've bid up to 147 over the past month with no luck for the big island - Kona. I am expecting the Sheraton, and the non-opaque price is $179 and the hotwire price appears to be $166.

I'm going to give it a while longer before I bite on the hotwire price, maybe something will open up between now and then.

I guess the big island is experiencing the travel boom all the other destinations are facing.

BTW, I have been rejected at $20 for an economy car rental from 3/18 - 3/23 and $32 rejected for a convertible.

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I don't understand your bidding strategy. If you can get the Sheraton for $179 non-opaque -- and you think the opaque services will give you the same Sheraton for $166 -- why bid?

Priceline and Hotwire are somewhat risky propositions. "Bad hotels" sometimes pop up unexpectedly. And if your plans change, you're SOL. They also charge booking fees.

It simply does not make sense to bid if you can't save a SIGNIFICANT amount of money. I personally like at least half off the best non-opaque rate, but could see the value of a 25% discount. Below that, it's pretty pointless.

Additionally, the hotel will likely treat you a little better if you book conventionally. You're probably more likely to get a room upgrade. And you can earn frequent stay points -- which in Sheraton's case, are pretty valuable.

Now if you think maybe you could get the Hilton Waikoloa for $150 on priceline -- a better hotel than the Sheraton, IMHO -- that would be another story.

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It could be that the Mauna Kea being closed for repairs has some bearing on room availability/price. Still I think you are close to a win, if PL has access to inventory, as PL is usually less than Hotwire. I would try 149-150 if you think the savings are significant enough. LoneStar does make a valid point about booking direct and joining a frequent guest program. At 166 with fees, you would not save very much. And there are times when properties have similar/same amenities, and people are surprised after purchase. I would book a room directly, rather than lose that rate. You gave it a good try. Best of luck, have a great trip!

As for a car--you should be able to save at least 25% off PL's retail inventory by bidding. Check that, and offer less, of course. Sometimes HOTWIRE has good deals, and other people use promotional offers/coupons for car rental and do very well. Hope your luck improves there, too. Kauai had bad weather last year (lots of rain elsewhere on islands, too) but Kohala coast has a reputation for being sunny and a lot of people may have booked on BI this year.

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Lonestar, thats why I stopped the bidding at 147. More than 147 is not worth the booking on Priceline.

There are zero undesireable RESORTS on the big island, so there is no risk of getting a stinker.

Not sure if you are trying to come across helpful or not, but you are condescending.

I posted as a guide for the readers that are looking for some recent data.

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Not sure if you are trying to come across helpful or not, but you are condescending.

Sorry, you've interpreted it that way, but we get a LOT of what I would consider "overbidding" in Hawaii. When you say "I'm going to give it a while longer before I bite on the HOTWIRE price" -- and that price is only $13 less than the published rate -- it certainly seemed like you needed to refocus your strategy.

BTW, both Priceline and Hotwire divide the Kona coast into two bidding zones -- essentially north and south. The Sheraton is in the south zone. The fancier (Kohala/Waikoloa) resorts are in the north zone. So (as long as there is no cancellation penalty), you could hold the $179 published rate at the Sheraton and continue bidding in the mid $150s exclusively in the north zone for a "better" resort. That is a vacation value strategy that would make sense to me.

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If it looks like you'll wind up at the Sheraton, I'd get a Starwood America PRICELINE EXPRESS card in advance. There's a current promo where you get 10,000 bonus points just for signing up and your first year is free. They give you a modest "preferred" status in the Starwood Preferred Guest program that might get you a room upgrade. You'd then earn points for your stay. Between the bonus points and the points from your stay, you'd probably have enough points for a couple more free nights somewhere decent.

America PRICELINE EXPRESS Starwood Card

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