Priceline Hotel: Help with Hotel downtown San Fran

[shadowdriver]

I am not having any luck on priceline. I am trying to get a 4* downtown on

July 16- July 18

I see on the forum some sucessful bid for a few days after that of $80 and $85 but when i bid up to $90 starting at $75 I did not have any success.

This priceline thing is getting frustrating.

Thanks for any help that you can give.

[Colfax]

Did you bid USE, USW, or both?

[shadowdriver]

I bid for both.

[Colfax]

Someone won the 4* Renaissance Court on 7/16-7/20 for $80 but that bid was placed 11 days ago and Priceline availability changes daily.

4* rates for your dates are unusually high now. Palace $359, Hilton $338, Westin $349, Omni $349.

With rates that high I think you'll need to bid higher for a 4* in USW or USE. $120 might be a more realistic limit.

If you don't want to bid higher than $90 you may need to consider a 3* or Boutique in USE/USW, or bidding in an adjacent zone like Cathedral Hill, Civic Center, or Fisherman's Wharf.

[shadowdriver]

Thanks. I think that i will change my travel plans away from those dates.

[yellowdog]

shadowdriver,

rates are date sensitive. You can't look at an old reported win and expext to get the same rate 3 months after. There is a big difference on weekdays, holidays, weekends, number of nights, winter and summer etc.

A good thing to do is to look at the boards reported hotels. Check the rack rates for your stay and get a "feeling" what you should bid. If you see a rate at a hotels $275/night for one of your hotels. You now know that the old reported win at $60 is nothing to go on.

also looking at the HOTWIRE rates for the city you bid at. HOTWIRE rates also give you a clue on what level you should bid at.

Getting rejected all the time is frustrating. But knowing the "level" on what to bid helps. also when you become a frequent bidder and find your way to "collect" information is the bidding part more easy.

Good luck!

Henrik.