Priceline Hotel: 4* Vancouver Sutton Place

[OysterHo]

I followed the SavingsBarn link and the bidding advice I had seen here (specifically the person who just won the Metropolitan bid). I was hoping to find an $80-ish rate also. I'd probably go up to $100, but I'm kind of holding out hope, testing the waters first.

I realize this is Victoria Day weekend in Canada as well as the beginning of cruise season, but I'm wondering if I'm bidding too low. Should I wait a while and try again or does it not matter how long I wait because there's no way I'll get $80-ish in May? I really don't want to wait 2-3 months before we leave, that makes me very nervous.

Here's what I did and lost (all 4*):

$49 V

$54 VS

Closed browser

$59 VD

$64 VDS

Closed browser

$69 VL

$73 VLS

Closed browser

$78 VDL

$83 VDLS

[WillTravel]

You have months to succeed, so I wouldn't give up yet. I would reserve a cancellable backup so you don't have to worry. Because it's a Friday night, on Victoria Day weekend, in cruise ship season, it might be harder for sure.

[OysterHo]

Thank you for replying. :)

I was thinking of booking something cancellable, I just hope I don't forget to cancel it! :)

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Thanks for trying your above bids with thru the priceline hotel links at SavingsBarn.com :)

Rates are not that high for these dates, but the Metropolitan is not a frequently won property so i wouldn't use that one win as the basis of your own bidding (besides the fact that rates are date specific, and rates for that win are different than your own stay).

After 24 hours from your last failed bid, i would try as follows, using your three re-bid zones:

Select 4* Vancvouver...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $70, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* Vancvouver and re-bid zone2...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $80, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* Vancvouver and re-bid zone3...

Bid $83, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $85, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* Vancvouver and re-bid zone2 and re-bid zone3...

Bid $87, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $90.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[OysterHo]

Cool, thanks! :)

[OysterHo]

If you book a back-up reservation do they penalize you? Has this ever happened to anyone?

I was thinking of booking one of the hotels we were interested in and I started wondering if they could reject your bid or charge a penalty if they see you cancel your reservation after winning a bid.

Far-fetched, I know. But if I get stuck without winning a bid, I want to get stuck in a nice place.

[thereuare]

The idea behind a back-up hotel is that you choose one that is fully refundable without penalty (or that the penalty is small enough that it is negligible).

Your scenario above isn't valid since you would be cancelling your reservation after you had an accepted bid (so there would be no way for them to know if you intended to cancel). Regardless, that's not the way the system works, as it's entirely automated, so nobody is checking to see if you already have an existing reservation at the hotel which may accept your bid.

Just make sure that the rate you book is fully refundable (or the penalty for cancelling is negligible enough that it shouldn't matter) and you'll be fine. Best places for fully cancellable reservations is usually thru the hotel website (which usually has both refundable and non-refundable rates, just make sure you know which you're booking... we have plenty of hotel direct links in our support page as well as EasyClickTravel travel whose reservations are refundable without penalty (if cancelled at least 72 hours before check-in, in most instances))

[OysterHo]

Thanks! :)

[OysterHo]

I just wanted to post an update.

Periodically over the last 2 months I upped my bidding and ended up with this today. I added small increments to this last round because I'm bidding on two different dates - 1 before and 1 after my cruise, so the first round had a larger increment.

Anyway, this is what I did. When I bid the $127, I got a "Do you want to add $22 to your bid and try again" message which I've never gotten (I opted out). Does that mean I'm close and should continue bidding in $2 and $3 increments over the next few days?

I find it funny that on Hotwire the $149 hotel is supposedly Sutton Place, which is a 5* and that priceline's rates are on par with Hotwire. Is that normal? If so, where's the bargain? Should I wait longer before continuing to bid?

Select 4* Vancvouver...

Bid $112, Bid $115,

Select 4* Vancvouver and re-bid zone2...

Bid $118, Bid $120,

Select 4* Vancvouver and re-bid zone3...

Bid $122,

Bid $125,

Select 4* Vancvouver and re-bid zone2 and re-bid zone3...

Bid $127,

Bid $130.

Thanks :)

[thereuare]

I find it funny that on Hotwire the $149 hotel is supposedly Sutton Place, which is a 5* and that priceline's rates are on par with Hotwire. Is that normal? If so, where's the bargain? Should I wait longer before continuing to bid?

This isn't really that unusual... both Priceline and HOTWIRE are opaque suppliers, so their rates will not be that far apart from each other (differences is based upon the business model of each).

If i'm following your post correctly, you're basically looking at the Sutton Place Hotel for ($149/nite) while the Sutton Place hotel website is showing rates of $259CAD ($220US)... which is about a 1/3 discount, and that is where the bargain is. You shouldn't be looking for a bargain in Priceline vs. Hotwire, but more so a bargain in Priceline or HOTWIRE vs. a 'traditional' booking.

If you let us know your maximum bid we'll advise how to proceed from here.

[OysterHo]

I see what you're saying - it makes sense.

I guess what bothers me is that I saw people winning $80 last year around these same times. I was hoping to see priceline offers drop a bit more by now. I have the back ups already, but i don't want to pay for those. Yes, I'm cheap! :)

What's my max? I don't know. Since they advertise up to 50% savings, I was hoping for at least 50% savings. I realize the "up to" is probably a way to cover all their bases, but that's what I was hoping for. So, I really didn't want to pay more than $120 - at this stage of the game.

[thereuare]

Where and how much is your back-up?

[OysterHo]

Sheraton Wall Centre, $239 (canadian $)

[thereuare]

Please note, as per our support page that we are an affiliate of the Sheraton and using our links helps keep this place a free resource for everyone.... so please use our links for your back-up reservations.

The hotel market, all over the globe, is much stronger now than it was a year ago, so looking at least year's prices may not be relevant. As well, a weddding, conference, etc, can easily affect rates for any particular date, which is another reason why using rates from a year ago may not be a realistic approach.

When a company advertises "up to (50% off)", that is probably in a 'best case scenario', and not something you shoud expect. You should evaluate your own best alternative and determine your maximum bid based upon your next best offer.

[OysterHo]

Right, that's why I have a hard time answering the "what is your max bid" questions.

Thank you for your help.

[thereuare]

Your maximum bid should be based upon what you'd be spending on your next best deal if the opaque suppliers don't come thru for you.

So if you're spending roughty $200(US) how much would you need to save to make an opaque purchase worthwhile?

[OysterHo]

I was going to stop at $140 as a max, wait a while and do it later in the month, but it looks like I won at $135! :)

I was bidding on the day after our cruise, 5/26, 4* and I got Westin Grand for $135! *woot* Should I start another thread for this win? I still have to bid on 5/18 and I'm expecting to get about the same thing then. Should I post a separate thread for the 5/18 win too?

This is what I did for 5/26:

V 120, VS 122

VD 125, VDS 127

VL 130, VLS 132

VDL 135 :)

[OysterHo]

I got $135 for 1 night, 4*, 5/18/07 at The Sutton Place.

V 130, VS 132

VD 133, VDS 134

VL 135 Winner! :)

I used the PRICELINE link at www.savingsbarn.com

Thanks for your help here, I really appreciate it. :)

[thereuare]

Another nice win :)

Glad you went just a bit higher than you did previuosly. Same price as your other win... but different hotel; just goes to show you that there is always the 'unknown' with the opaque suppliers.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE links at SavingsBarn.com to begin your bidding.

Have a great stay (and cruise!)