Priceline Hotel: HELP: Heathrow 4/25

[yandro]

I am trying to get a 4* as well in the Heathrow area for one night 4/25. I have tried (and been rejected) for $75, $81, $86, and $91. I have also added the Luton airport area (only one that does not have a 4*)

Any suggestions???

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

What is your maximum bid? Do you have a back-up reservation anywhere? (if so, where and how much)

[yandro]

I don't have any backup reservations. I am willing to continue to up my bid until it gets accepted. The regular prices are outrageous for that night, even with other sites such as Expedia, etc.

Someone else had posted that they were accepted for $69 in that area so I figured this would not be much of a hassle. I checked to see if there were any major events going on and nothing really big, other than the London marathon a few days before.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[thereuare]

Rates are date specific, and you noted, rates are high for this date, so somebody elses win may have very little bearing on your own success.

Also, "i'll keep bidding until successful" is not a good strategy because it can easily lead to an overbid. You need to know your next best alternative in order to make sure you don't bid too much and pay more than you could have thru a direct channel.

I did find the Thistle Heathrow for $113/nite (and given there is no booking fee this is only ~$6 more than the $91 bid you already made)... would that work well for your plans?

EDIT to ADD: the above Thistle link looks like that rate is for a single... not sure if you're traveling with anyone else.

[yandro]

I am traveling with my wife. Basically we want to stay at a 4* hotel but without paying $200-250/night. What I meant by my comment is that I'll keep bidding until I get to about $140/$150 range. I should get accepted by then, don't you think?

[thereuare]

I would hope you'd be successful up to $150, but can't say for certain.

As you point out, rates are very high for these dates, indicating high demand. When demand gets high, there is little reason for hotels to offer deeply discounted rates to the opaque suppliers (or offer supply at all). The best rate i could find on a quick search for a 4* hotel on these dates at was nearly $250... so you're still looking for a $100 savings over a conventional booking during a high demand period... which is not always a 'lay-up'.

[yandro]

Thanks for all the help. We decided to skip London this time and leave it for a later date.