Priceline Hotel: 3* Albany (Airport ALB) Holiday Inn

[wliwlCindy]

Started 3* Albany airport (in the past we've always gotten the Marriott on Wolf Rd) at $50, rejected.

Added SUNY zone and upped bid to $55 rejected.

Added Latham and bid $60 rejected. Darn.

[wliwlCindy]

After trying to get a 3* (previous post) we bid $45 on a 2 1/2*, rejected.

Added SUNY zone and upped bid to $50, rejected.

I'll wait a couple days and try again.

[GM Mike]

Occupancy levels are VERY high right now because the track in Saratoga is open. Have you considered staying downtown? Parking charges can be high but you may actually be able to get the Crowne Plaza around your bid amount (showing $99 for a retail booking).

[wliwlCindy]

Very interesting!!! I couldn't imagine why it was hard to get a hotel room in Albany on a Saturday night! LOL

We will have all my son's belongings in the car (he's moving to college in Worcester, MA) and I am hesitant to leave it in a downtown lot or garage overnight. We are leaving from Rochester very late Saturday due to other commitments and I don't want to drive straight through, but maybe we'll have to.

Thanks!!!

[GM Mike]

The garage at the Crowne Plaza has always struck me as rather safe - it's attached to the hotel, and I don't think any of the other hotels downtown have been classified as 3*. But your hesitation is understandable.

What's your maximum bid on this?

[wliwlCindy]

Hi Mike,

Well to further complicate matters I need two rooms because there will be 4 of us (including 2 adults and 2 BIG semi-adults haha). Last night I tried the following re-bids in Albany area:

$65 3* Alb Airport

$65 2 1/2* Alb Airport

$70 3* Alb Airport + Schenectady (no 3*)

$70 2 1/2* Alb Airport + Schenectady (no 2 1/2*) + Albany DT (no 2 1/2*)

$70 2 1/2* Alb Airport + Schenectady (no 2 1/2*) + Albany DT (no 2 1/2*) + Latham

All rejected. I'm wondering if it doesn't matter at this point how much I bid, perhaps they just aren't doing Priceline for the weekend. Thanks again.

[thereuare]

HOTWIRE has availability for your dates above, so presumably priceline would as well... although prices are higher than you've been bidding.

[GM Mike]

$65 3* Alb Airport

$65 2 1/2* Alb Airport

$70 3* Alb Airport + Schenectady (no 3*)

$70 2 1/2* Alb Airport + Schenectady (no 2 1/2*) + Albany DT (no 2 1/2*)

$70 2 1/2* Alb Airport + Schenectady (no 2 1/2*) + Albany DT (no 2 1/2*) + Latham

All rejected. I'm wondering if it doesn't matter at this point how much I bid, perhaps they just aren't doing Priceline for the weekend. Thanks again.

You may be right. Right now the Red Roof Inn by the airport is selling for about $120. That's how insane it is.

Take note, tho, that you have made a critical error in your re-bid strategy. If "Albany DT" refers to the Downtown zone, you can NOT safely use it as a rebid for 2.5* because you COULD be upgraded to 3* by priceline. To be safely used as a rebid zone, the zone you pick cannot have that star level NOR HIGHER levels. Downtown has 3* so it is not a safe rebid for 2.5*.

Tho this does answer our earlier question, since you have now effectively bid to $70 for 3* in the Downtown zone and have not won.

Another thing to consider. Have you thought about bidding for both Saturday AND Sunday night? Consider this scenario. You bid up to $70 for just Saturday. If you bid $35 for a two night stay, that would be the same overall cost. Nothing says you need to actually stay the second night. I bring this up because one other popular thing for hotels to do is not allow a one night Saturday stay - enforce a two night minimum. Something to consider.

And finally, thereuare is right, consider HOTWIRE. I did a search for ONE room for FOUR adults for Saturday night and got a 3* by the airport (not yet identified here) for $148. Not sure how they would accommodate four people. Two queen beds? Two double beds and a rollaway? Maybe that would work for you...?

[wliwlCindy]

OMG! Good point about the "upgrade" to 3*!" I forgot about that! And it happened to me recently for Worcester and I was not happy.

Thanks everybody for your help. This forum is so great. I'll keep you posted if I decide to bid again.

[wliwlCindy]

Evidently there is still no availability for "normal" Priceline prices outside Albany downtown.

On 8/16/07 I bid for two rooms for Saturday, 8/18:

$55 3* Airport

$60 3* Airport + SUNY

$65 Airport + SUNY + Latham

And then a new bid:

$55 2 1/2* Airport

$60 2 1/2* Airport + SUNY

$65 2 1/2* Airport + SUNY + Latham

I have fall back full-price reservations in Worcester, but would much prefer to find cheap but decent (not the Best Western!) rooms outside Albany downtown.

I'll probably try tomorrow too.

[wliwlCindy]

Finally won a bid:

8/18/07

2 rooms

Bid

$55 3* Airport rejected

$65 3* Airport + SUNY rejected

$70 3* Airport + SUNY + Latham won

Won Holiday Inn Turf on Wolf Rd., Airport zone, 3*.

This was the highest bid I've placed.

$140.00

$28.78 tax

$168.78 total

On line rate $99.95/room

Thanks everybody!

[GM Mike]

Congrats on finally winning!

Lots of free parking and a great location near many restaurants and right off the highway.

Trust it worked well for you?