Priceline Hotel: Help

[tiffinutah]

I have spent a few nights researching and now I have a few questions. I need 2 rooms and want the Holiday Inn Select on Naamans Rd, Claymont, DE from July 16-22.

First, I notice in priceline if I start the search for Claymont, DE, it lists a variety of hotels including Wilmington/Newark area. When I click for the options to bid, it lists Claymont, DE with 2.5* or 2* selection but no map of the area. Now, when I begin the search for Wilmington, DE, it lists a variety of hotels but when I click for the options to bid, it lists different towns and maps but NOT Claymont...

I notice on betterbidding hotels are not listed for Claymont, DE but for Wilmington. So my questions:

Why am I able to bid on Claymont, DE if I FIRST search for that area but it's not offered under Wilmington search?

Should I bid under Claymont, 2.5*? I am searching hotwire price, priceline price and website to determine beginning bid.

Thanks,

Tiff

[tiffinutah]

Hotwire the hotel is listed 3*, $129.00

Priceline the hotel is listed 2.5* $127.00

Website the hotel is listed $127.00

Should I bid priceline, searching under Claymont, 2.5* starting at $65.00???

Thanks for your help,

Tiff

[thereuare]

Priceline zone boundaries change all the time, and it appears (to me) that the Holiday Inn in Claymont is no longer in the (Wilmington - Brandywine) zone. It would stand to reason that it is now in the Claymont area as priceline's stance in the past has been "if no map is shown than the hotel would be in the city limits".

A reminder that you're not bidding on a particular hotel... so you should be fine with any 2.5* hotel within the city limits fo Claymont.

Are you sure this is the 3* hotel begin shown on HOTWIRE?

[tiffinutah]

The Holiday Inn is listed as 3* on betterbidding for hotwire. Hotwire offers a 3* in Claymont for $129.00, so I am assuming it would be the same. However, Priceline doesn't offer a 3* to bid in Claymont.

So, is it common that I can bid in Claymont on Priceline but the city isn't offered when bidding in Wilmington area???

I plan to use priceline through savinsbarn.com and will bid tomorrow morning. Is $65.00 a good starting bid???

Thanks,

Tiff

[thereuare]

Do the amenities for the 3* HOTWIRE hotel match what is listed in the Hotwire Hotel List for the Holiday Inn?

You can bid for a hotel in Claymont... it is just no longer part of the Wilmington region (it is now a region itself) (in other words, the Wilminton region used to include the Claymont area, but no longer does, they have made the Wilmington zone smaller and made Claymont its own area)

Does that make sense?

[tiffinutah]

Yes, it's starting to make sense. I haven't used Hotwire before. The ammenties are almost same, high speed internet is included on HOTWIRE. Both hotwire and betterbidding include Resturant, pool, fitness and business.

[thereuare]

If the same hotel it would be uncommon for you to be successful on priceline for less than half of HOTWIRE's rate... but you can certainly try since you have a little bid of time.

[dahammer]

the HOTWIRE rate seems a bit high, this hotel can be booked directly for as little as $128 per night. Not sure why you need this exact hotel, but if you are not successfull bidding in Claymont, there are more hotels in the adjacent Wilmington-Brandywine area, and at the 3* level, there are 3 rebid zones.

Good Luck!