Priceline Hotel: 3* San Antonio (Downtown-Riverwalk) Crowne Plaza

[mjk316]

I have never used priceline before and I need your help.

12/7/07 to 12/9/07 San Antonio Riverwalk North preferred

Looking for a 3* or 4* under $100 a night

The wedding I am attending has a reception next to the Crowne Plaza and that is where most of the wedding party is staying.

I reviewed your lists for 3* and the only hotel that would be a little to far would be the Raddison, the others are fine

What would be the best bid for a 3* and would it be worth it to try and bid on a 4* under $100????

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated!!!! Look forward to using this board to make other travel plans in the future!!!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

A few questions:

What is your objective? Are you trying to improve the quality of your accomodations, find something less expensive than the wedding rate (if so, what is the wedding rate?), or do you just prefer to not stay at the Crowne Plaza?

To bid, it sounds as if you'd prefer to try up to your limit for a 4* property before trying for a 3*... or is price more important. To bid for a 3* are you willing to take the risk of receiving the Radisson (or some other hotel that may be further away than you'd like).

I have a few ideas based upon your answers to the above, so let us know and we'll take it from there.

[mjk316]

I have no objection to staying staying at the Crowne Plaza, the wedding rate is $139 a night. I am just trying to find a good deal. I was hoping that I would get a good shot at either the Crowne, Sheraton or St. Anthony that you have listed with the Raddison being a little farther away than I would like. I guess I am just looking for a good deal at a hotel near or at the Crowne Plaza. I mean is a $80 3* a better value than a $95 4*??? or vice versa??? Thanks again for your advice!!!

[thereuare]

I mean is a $80 3* a better value than a $95 4*??? or vice versa???

I think everyone would answer this question differently (for the record, generally speaking, in most instance i'd prefer the 4*, but understand others who 'just want a bed' and prefer the 3*)

Along these lines, there is also something to be said for staying at the 'host' hotel during a wedding... especially if you know other people attending the wedding (and if not, it's an opportunity to meet some people before the affair, which should add to your enjoyment at the party), there is a rehersal dinner at the hotel (or if transportation will be provided from the hotel), brunch the morning after the party, and/or if you'd like to have a few drinks during the affair (not have to worry about driving home... or take a taxi, which eats into your savings which was the whole point of staying outside of the 'host' hotel.

So it comes down to "how much could you get the Crowne Plaza for" and then how much would you need to save in order to make staying at a different hotel worthwhile.

You can book the Crowne Plaza HERE for $113/nite, with no booking fee, which makes it equivalent to about a $106/nite bid on priceline. So this would be a very good deal at the specific hotel you'd ideally (imo) want to stay in. I would book this OR determine how much you would need to save in order to make staying at a different hotel worthwhile and set your maximum bid accordinlgly.

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

[mjk316]

The wedding, rehersal dinner and reception(at the Bank of America building next to the Crowne) are all NOT at the Crowne, But transportation will be provide by shuttle or me driving. The St. Anthony and Sheraton are only 2 and 3 blocks away so we can walk from the Crowne and back so that is not an issue, the Raddison is about a mile away so we could just either hop the trolley or take a quick cab ride so staying at the Crowne is not of the utmost importance, really it will be a need for a close "just a bed" since I have to get up at 7am Sunday and return to Houston. What I guess it comes down to is getting the best deal for the proximity to the reception location. Again, thanks for your help.

[thereuare]

I'm still not sure where you want to start... do you want to try for a 4* hotel or for a 3* hotel? Maximum bid for each?

With eight 4* hotels and five 3* hotels reported in this zone i would sooner go with a route which ensured me of being close to the Crowne Plaza, but it's you're stay, so tell us how much you'd like to bid at each star level and we'll suggest a strategy to follow.

[mjk316]

I would like to see if I can max at $75-$80 for a 3* or $90 for a 4* if possible. As long as I am within a half mile of the reception next to the Crowne I am happy.

I apologize if I am being difficult, I am open to whatever you think is the best value. Let's start with a 3*. Thanks.

[thereuare]

I have never used priceline before and I need your help.

As long as I am within a half mile of the reception next to the Crowne I am happy.

Since you've never used priceline i'm belaboring this point as i would hope that your first experience is a good one. As the zone is much larger than a half of mile, you can't guarantee that you'll within 1/2 mile of the Crowne Plaza. If you're willing to take this risk...

You have three re-bid zones available when bidding 3* in San Antonio (NOTE: San Antonio West is not one of them). 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-Riverwalk...

Bid $55, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

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

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

Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $80.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[mjk316]

I bid 3* $70 got rejected, bid 3* $75 added SA-East, got rejected, bid $80 added SA-South got rejected....

Is it normal to get rejected at the prices for SA???

Thanks again for your help.

[thereuare]

We see MUCH more 4* bidding in this zone than 3* bidding, but it's not uncommon to see 3* bids requiring a bit more than you have bid above. It doesn't appear that there is much price difference between 3* and 4* accepted bids in this zone.

If you enter 'San Antonio Riverwalk' (without the quotes) into the QUICK SEARCH box in the blue banner at the top of the board, you can quickly see accepted bids and HOTWIRE wins for just this zone.

Did you want to try for a 4* hotel now? (or perhaps the Crowne Plaza for the equivalent of a $106 bid is becoming more appealing)

Let us know and we'll advise accordingly.

[mjk316]

Ok, if I am looking at $85 or more for a 3* what do you think I should bid for a 4*???? Again thanks for your help!

[thereuare]

what do you think I should bid for a 4*????

You'll have to tell us how high you're willing to go for a 4*, since if it were me, as i mentioned above, i wouldn't be bidding anymore. At $85+, i would need to save more than $20/nite to not be at the 'host' hotel... just make things a lot easier and socializing with the other guests, imo. Since this doesn't appear to be important to you, you'll need to let us know how much you would need to save to make an opaque purchase worthwhile, vs the $106 (eqivalent bid) of purchasing the EasyClickTravel hotel directly?

[mjk316]

Well, I went back and rebid today and got the Crowne Plaza for $90 a night so all in all it worked out really well, or do you think I paid too much for the room??? Thanks for your advice!!!!