Priceline Hotel: 2* Miami (Airport MIA) La Quinta North

[Mitch77]

Hello,

Thanks for your help.

My wife and oldest daughter have to go to west Miami area (April 19-22);

specifically 11200 SW 8th St Miami FL. (http://no_screenshots_please.com/2tl8yr)

She is competeing in a National Judo Event

The host hotel is about 6 miles to the south of the arena. (9090 Dadeland Blvd - Marriott)

$130 for each of 3 nights is too much for us!

My questions:

Which of the 2 services would you suggest (Priceline or Hotwire)?

How do I make certain I stay close to the arena?

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks VERY much!

Mitch

PS - For the inquisitive:

Judo has nothing to do with Karate.

2nd biggest sport in the world only after soccer.

Think Ultimate fighting w/o the hitting.

Part of all special forces training.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

What is your maximum budget?

With this information we'll then be able to see your available options and can advise which service may be the best option for your needs.

[Mitch77]

$100 per night MAX.

Would like to do it for $65 PN if possible.

Normally we pay $45 to $80 (rarely)

but we normally don't go to Miami either.

In case this has a bearing on anything:

Also there is a possiblility that the kids coach MAY want to stay at the cheaper hotel too.

So that would be a 2nd room for 3 days.

Thanks again,

[thereuare]

Are you trying to stay near the host hotel (Marriott) which appears to be in priceline Dadeland zone (can you confirm) OR trying to be closest to the venue? (exactly where is the competition being held)

[Mitch77]

The cheapest thing close to the venue.

Say 10 miles max.

Between venue and Marriot would be great.

Getting into the Marriot much cheaper would be OK but I'd be surprised.

BTW - I subscribed to this thread (instant email) but I am getting no emails.

Think I may have fixed - neglected to check box.

[thereuare]

So looking at Priceline's zones/boundaries... would anywhere in the Airport zone suffice (even if it were the northern section of the shaded boundary?) What about the Coral Gables zone? (even if it were the eastern most boundary?) Is Dadeland too far south?

Let us know which zones are acceptable to you and we'll then suggest a strategy for you to follow. We'll also need to know the minimum star rating your willing to accept.

[Mitch77]

Sorry but I can't find where one looks at zones and boundaries.

I can select a landmark and I used Florida International University of course.

The closer the better.

2 stars is fine.

Let me know how to find the zones search and I'll get you better info.

[thereuare]

When you go to Priceline enter "miami, fl" in the search box and on the next page you'll see the zones within miami. You can slick the shaded areas on the map to get a close-up of that area.

You can also do the same for HOTWIRE (except with hotwire you click "continue" next to a hotel offering and scroll down to see a close-up of the map).

Let us know if you have any trouble seeing the zones and their boundaries.

[Mitch77]

I was being too literal I guess.

Never did find anything that used the terms "Zones or Boundaries".

I clicked on landmarks and selected Florida International U.

which is the venue and idea.

I just started over and noticed the little pink drop down box and found the

neighborhoods and maps.

All 3 of the ares you mentioned would be OK.

Would rather not go too far east in any of them if possible.

I suppose they'll give distances of possibles?

(only the north edge of the Southwest Miami zone would work)

2 stars is fine...being able to afford it is the main concern.

I found a La Quinta in a really good location:

8730 NW 27th St. Miami

I don't suppose there is a way to bid to them?

[thereuare]

Would rather not go too far east in any of them if possible.

Unfortunately that is not possible... you're hotel can be anywhere within the shaded boundary of the zone(s) that you select.

I suppose they'll give distances of possibles?

To make sure you understand how the process works:

Priceline: you select a zone and a minimum star rating and a bid amount... priceline looks for a hotel that meets your requirements. If they find a hotel, you now own it, they charge your credit card, and then you find out the name of the property. Once you click "buy my hotel room" there will be no other 'offers' or information... just whether they were able to find a hotel to accept your bid, and if they do, you're committed.

I found a La Quinta in a really good location:

8730 NW 27th St. Miami

I don't suppose there is a way to bid to them?

Correct, there is no way to bid for a specific property.

If the above is 'understood' and you're ready we'll roll up our sleeves and suggest a strategy to follow. Last question in order to do so, do you want the least expensive 2* or better hotel or would you want to pay a little more for a better quality hotel?

Let us know if you have any questions or if you're all set and ready to bid.

[Mitch77]

THe least expensive is the way we want to go.

I understand all the other points.

IS there any upside to bidding on 2 rooms at once?

thanks

[thereuare]

IS there any upside to bidding on 2 rooms at once?

A possible disadvantage... if the hotel only has one 'opaque' room available, and you're bidding for two rooms, then they wont' accept your bid (this is not very common, but possible). The upside, if it's important to you, is that you're sure both rooms will be at the same hotel.

So to confirm you're willing to accept a 2* or better hotel in the Airport, Dadeland, or Coral Gables zones.

Select 2* Airport...

Bid $28, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2* Coral Gables...

Bid $28, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2* Dadeland...

Bid $28, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2* Airport and Dadeland...

Bid $32, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2* Airport and Coral Gables...

Bid $32, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2* Airport and Coral Gables and Dadeland...

Bid $35.

I'd start with the above. Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[Mitch77]

Hi,

Sorry i was out of touch , Charter Cable went down.

When I started the actions you laid out I got this message:

"We Want You To Get Your Hotel Room

Based on past priceline customer requests for hotels in this area,

your offer price of $32 has only a small chance of being accepted.

You should, as a general guideline, expect to pay an average price of $153

per night for a 2-star hotel in theMiami, FL area if you called the hotel directly.

Remember - we will only accept one request for the same star level,

city area and dates in a 24 hour period. So if you need a specific zone or star level -

be sure your first offer price is your best price! "

Should I continue as you wrote?

thnx

[thereuare]

Ignore that 'warning' message from Priceline.

[Mitch77]

Hi,

I did as you aid except I messed up the numbers.

Instead of 28 32 34 I did 32 34 38.

Hope this does not mess things up too much.

I have a cold and i'm more out if it than usual.

All rejected.

So do I repeat the cycle with higher numbers?

Speak and I shall obey!

thanks again,

mitch

[thereuare]

Next round (24 hours after your last attempt) i would bid as follows:

Select 2* Airport...

Bid $40, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2* Coral Gables...

Bid $40, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2* Dadeland...

Bid $40, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2* Airport and Dadeland...

Bid $45, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2* Airport and Coral Gables...

Bid $45, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2* Airport and Coral Gables and Dadeland...

Bid $50.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[Mitch77]

Hurrah!

Well it was a tedious business but it save us $200

over the host hotels price and at least $150 over

the best deal we found with other "deal sites".

On the 2nd round we got rejected the first 5 of the 6 total tries.

The sixth one was accepted for $50.

And it was the hotel we were leaning toward before we discovered you!

(Maimi La Quinta North)

Thanks very much!

Hope all the clicks through savingsbarn were good too.

thanks again from ALL OF US,

Mitch & Kim Graves

[thereuare]

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Glad to hear it worked out well for you and we were able to help make this trip more affordable. It's great when a plan goes as expected, and although it took some time, it looks like the savings were well worth it!

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

Enjoy your stay and good luck at the tournament and with the training.