Priceline Hotel: Tampa Downtown 6/2-6/27

[NurseER]

Hi

I'm brand new to the board. We are attending at 3.5 week workshop in downtown Tampa this coming June. The Marriott Residence Inn is perfect for our situation. Our stay would be for 24 nights from June 2 until June 27th. I called the manager at the hotel to see if she would work with me for a stay that long. She would only bring it down from $119 to $105 and a 2 bedroom suite to $129. That's over $4000 and a LOT of money to us! Can anyone help us on how to bid on the Residence Inn for maximum $83 a night? Less would be even better. We will have 3 people attending.

Thank you!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Few questions and issues to point out...

Are you looking for one room for all three of you or three separate rooms?

The maximum stay on priceline and HOTWIRE is 21 nites, are you willing to SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID and/or change hotels during your stay?

You can't bid on a specific hotel, so you can't only bid on the Residence Inn... you need to be able to accept any hotel at the minimum star rating you select in the shaded area with defines the boundaries of the zone. See the I've Never Used Priceline or Hotwire thread for the similarities, and differences, between each service.

Let us know the answers to the questions above and we'll advise accordingly.

[NurseER]

Thank you for your quick, helpful reply! What a great board! I've been reading on the board for 3 days now and still feel like a novice...which I am! We are looking for 1 room together. It will be a mother and 2 children age 15 and 12...all girls.

I read the links you sent me about Hotwire and splitting bids. When I go to Hotwire, it does not show the Residence Inn. When I chose downtown Tampa, only 2 hotels come up...a 2 star and a 3.5 star. Both of them do not show a full kitchen. We are really wanting a kitchen b/c of the long stay. We can make it for 21 days, and then do another bid for 3 or 4 more days, and take the chance of moving to another hotel.

When I went to Priceline and clicked on the downtown Tampa area, it looks like the Marriott Residence Inn shows up as the only 2.5 star hotel to bid on based on this post:

Tampa (Downtown)

3* Hyatt Regency

3* Marriott Waterside

3* Wyndham Harbor Island

2.5* Residence Inn

If you can help me in anyway possible, it would be so appreciated! My daughter is attending a ballet workshop in the Tampa Performing Arts Center which is down the street from the Residence Inn. If their are condos or something like that, that have a full kitchen then we are open to that as well. Any help is much appreciate to a newbie like our family!

[thereuare]

It looks like the Marriott Residence Inn shows up as the only 2.5 star hotel to bid on based on this post...See the comments at the top of the Priceline Hotel List

I doubt it will be easy to win a 21 nite stay.

[1Venus]

I've been bidding at the $65 level for weeks for a 3-night stay from 6/7-10. The hotel is showing availability, but it's just not coming up on PL. Maybe the hotel is holding a block of rooms for your event? Or maybe they are no longer participating. It's a shame because I was there last month for $65 and enjoyed my stay.

[NurseER]

This is a follow up to the Tampa stay. We had to cancel out on the Tampa Ballet Workshop due to financial issues. It was going to be way too expensive to stay for 21 nights in that area. I know we will be looking at this hotel for next summer for the same workshop. Hopefully, I will get the "hang of this" and can look at ways of affording long term stays. I appreciate all your help.

Elizabeth