Priceline Hotel: bidding help Honalulu 4/3-4/7 or 4/7-4/11

[hengeme]

Hi

I need some help with bidding for resorts in honalulu. I have been following the recent posts and the wins and would like to get some advice from the expert before I venture into bidding myself.

I did see that the Hyatt was won at 135 and 150... and I see that people are bidding for 4* and getting the Hyatt.. I thought Hyatt was a resort. I realize that if you bid for 4*, you can get anything above 4*... is that the strategy to apply

I would love to get a resort for around 140ish.. Hyatt would be great.. Could the experts please advice me on the possible strategy to bid.. I also see that the closer you get, the better deal people are getting.. is this normally ture.. or just a coincidence....

please advice

[kohalasunset]

It may be that the hotel has been re-rated. Not sure. There is a lot of wiggle room in PL definitions for 'Resort', or there was last time I looked. Could be they have tightened up the definition. Resort hotels were supposed to be on/accessible to beach in coastal areas. Hyatt is just across the street. Maybe there were complaints about it not being on the beach. Still I would be very happy with it. It's a nice property with a lot to offer.

As to whether you get a better deal by waiting, who knows? As far as I recall, this hotel was to be auctioned off in a bankruptcy bidding, and Hyatt who manages, was hoping to acquire it. Don't know if this has happened. This may have something to do with ratings and availability.

If you are happy with any 4* go ahead and bid. Don't expect to be upgraded to Resort though. It CAN happen, but not as a rule.

Someone else may post more of a strategy, but I would start at 130-135 and go up to my limit in 5.00 increments, adding areas to rebid.

If you need more specific help, I'm sure someone will be glad to respond. Good Luck!

(PS--would not call myself an expert but I have been to Hawaii more than a few times.)

[thereuare]

I thought Hyatt was a resort. I realize that if you bid for 4*, you can get anything above 4*... is that the strategy to apply

Priceline will always first seach for the highest rated hotel to accept your bid, then move down the line. So if the previous users has bid "resort" and not "4 star" their bids would still have been accepted.

I would love to get a resort for around 140ish..

Exactly what amount would you like us to use for your maximum bid?

I also see that the closer you get, the better deal people are getting.. is this normally ture.. or just a coincidence....

I don't believe this to be the case, but a more indepth discussion can be found in the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

[hengeme]

max bid for resort would be 140.. would love to get the hilton hawaiian village or the Hyatt

[thereuare]

I forgot to ask previously...

Are your two sets of dates flexible or are your dates still up in the air?

[hengeme]

I can be in Honalulu 4/3 to 4/7 or 4/7 to 4/11.

based on what I get in honalulu, I'll plan my next set of dates to be in maui.

so if I get a good deal for 4/3 to 4/7 in honalulu, I'll go 4/7 to 4/11 to maui.. or vice versa

[kohalasunset]

I would add this--if you want a resort, bid that first to your max before going to 4*

I'm sure Thereuare will add to this. Good Luck! Hope you get the Hyatt. It may be rated Resort.

[thereuare]

When bidding Resort in Honolulu you have five re-bid zones available. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select Resort Waikiki Beach

Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $140.

I don't see much difference between the two dates... so i'd try the above for one set of dates and then, if rejected, repeat for the second set of dates.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[hikimmo]

I just won the Hyatt myself for $130 (3/14-18). I have stayed there before--very nice hotel and just across the street from the beach.

I saw another win at this price yesterday, but it was also for a March stay. Don't know if this makes any difference.

Kim

[kohalasunset]

Great deal, Kim! Did you bid resort or 4*?

[hikimmo]

I actually bid 4*. When I tried my first rebid, I noticed that the "Resort" star rating had become grayed (indicating that I was now bidding in both 4* and Resort zones. I didn't particularly want a resort, so for all future rebids, I exited out of Priceline and began fresh for each rebid after that, choosing only 4*.

All that to say that I don't really know how I ended up with a resort when it wasn't my intention to bid on one--but in the end, I'm quite happy with the outcome!

And today I got another pretty sweet deal. I was hesitant to use PL for Kauai, so on the advice of a few folks here (maybe you were one of them?) I decided to try using my Entertainment Book. I got the Hilton Kauai Beach Resort for $95/night! No joke!

I'm wondering if it was a mistake--you're supposed to get 50% off the rack rate at the listed hotels--but they gave me 50% off the discounted room rate. But I have a confirmation email from Hilton, so I'm just thrilled!

[kohalasunset]

Fabulous deal on Kauai as well! You can probably thank LoneStar for the tip on Entertainment Book. Hold onto the confirmation email for checkin. Just got back from Kauai last week. We really had great weather, and I was worried about rain. You should have a wonderful trip!

[LoneStar]

I'm wondering if it was a mistake--you're supposed to get 50% off the rack rate at the listed hotels--but they gave me 50% off the discounted room rate. But I have a confirmation email from Hilton, so I'm just thrilled!

It it not a mistake: the "rack" rate at that property is just low these days, so 50% winds up a great deal. You found one of the best hotel deals we've seen in Hawaii this year! Congratulations.

I have confirmed that this rate is available on many other nights as well, so others can also take advantage of it.

It goes to show that when it comes to booking travel, you never know: the technique that is the cheapest 90% of the time still doesn't work all the time.

FWIW, the Hilton seems like a more than decent (albeit not spectacular) property. It has just been "reflagged" a Hilton, after being a Radisson and a bunch of other things, too. A significant amount of money has been spent there lately, and the renovations are apparently complete. I myself am mulling over whether to commit a couple days to the resort on an upcoming Hawaiian vacation.

From what I can tell, there are currently no priceline/hotwire deals in Kauai that can compete with this rate from a value perspective. So I think most folks would be happier booking the Hilton direct.

[thereuare]

And a reminder to anyone else reading this thread now, or in the future, that we are an affiliate of the Hilton Kauai (as well as all other Hilton Brands as per our support page).

[LoneStar]

And a reminder to anyone else reading this thread now, or in the future, that we are an affiliate of the Hilton Kauai (as well as all other Hilton Brands as per our support page).

The only problem with that is, to my knowledge, Entertainment rates cannot be booked on their website. You have to call the 1-800-HILTONS number. It's a strange quirk. The only major hotel chain that allows internet Entertainment books -- at least that I'm aware of -- is Holiday Inn.

[thereuare]

That is true... but still a good reminder as not everyone who books this property will be doing so on an entertainment rate AND sometimes users need a small reminder that the board can use their support.