Priceline Hotel: 3* Cleveland (Downtown) Hilton Garden Inn

[bxneurotic]

I'm trying to book a room in Cleveland, OH for two nights [August 16th & 17th].

I was hoping for a 3-star hotel.

My first bid of $34 was denied. [the red message came up for $33, so I went just above that.]

Today I bid $40 [since most others seem to have won at this price] and I was still denied.

What am I doing wrong?

I only have a little over a week and am getting a bit frustrated here.

[thereuare]

Which zone(s) are you bidding?

What is your maximum bid for this stay?

Do you have a back-up reservation? (if so, where and how much)

[bxneurotic]

I'm just bidding for downtown.

I'm willing to go up to around $65, though obviously I was hoping to keep it around the $40 mark, since every other 3-star for downtown seems to have won at this price.

No back-up reservation.

[thereuare]

Rates are date specific... adn there are plenty of instances where it has take somewhat more than sub-$40 bids to be successful in this zone.

At the 3* level you have three re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 3* Downtown...

Bid $40, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

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

Select 3* Downtown and re-bid zone2...

Bid $50, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $55, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* Downtown and re-bid zone3...

Bid $58, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $60, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* Downtown and re-bid zone2 and re-bid zone3...

Bid $63, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $65, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[bxneurotic]

What are the other "zones" I can safely bid on? I've never done this before, so I'm trying to be very careful not to get a hotel outside of the area I want to be, especially since I've never been to Cleveland and don't know the area at all.

Also, is it bad that I'm waiting until the evening to place my bids? Unfortunately my 24 hours isn't up until 9pm, so I wasn't sure if this was affecting things.

[thereuare]

We don't want you to end up in an area you don't want to be either... that's why we make sure you know how to determine your re-bid zones on your own, as you need to check them before each bidding cycle. We could tell you that ZoneA is 'safe', and later today a hotel could be added or a hotel upgraded which no longer makes that area a re-bid zone. Don't worry though, we'll walk you thru the entire process and it's not really that overwhelming when you break it down step by step.

If you haven't already, list each zone in the Cleveland area on a piece of paper, and then write down the highest star rating available in each zone, using this technique from Priceline Re-Bidding Explained:

The way to check what star levels are available in each zone is to open a Priceline page, check ONLY the zone you are inquiring about, and then proceed to the next page (as if you were going to select a zone)... this will give you the available star ratings in that area. You can then hit BACK on your browser, uncheck the current box, check the next box, and repeat the process. It is important to do this before EACH attempt at adding a zone that you really don't want, as new hotels can be added and the star ratings can change at any time. (NOTE: for most users Priceline has updated their interface making the above process easier... simply check a zone and note the highest star rating available within each zone, UNcheck that zone and checkmark the next zone, repeating the process)

Post the above info as a reply to this thread, of if you stumble somewhere above, just ask questions in this thread and we'll get you back on track.

[bxneurotic]

For a 3* hotel in downtown Cleveland, I bid $34 and was denied. The next day I bid $40 and was denied again.

Today I went through Savings Barn and bid $50 and was accepted on the first try for the Hilton Garden Inn.

I was a little surprised to get this; it wasn't my first choice, but it wasn't my last choice either.

I realize I probably could have saved money if I had bid lower and tested out different zones, but this was my first time using Priceline, and my trip is in a week so I was getting a bit impatient after being denied twice. I still ended up getting 50% off what I would have paid through Orbitz or Travelocity, so I am satisfied, and will definately use this service again :)

Total cost = $50/night x 2 nights + $23 in taxes = $123

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your win!

Half price is alway a great deal in my book! :)

Glad to hear you're happy with the results and looking forward to your stay.

Thank you for sharing your results with the board and for using the PRICELINE links at SavingsBarn.com to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay.