Priceline Hotel: 4* San Francisco (USE & USW)

[lookup]

Starting at $70, using rebid zones and inching my bid up to $90 and still rejected for this one night , I am wondering, is the night before New Years Eve a busy time for hotels? Might it be impossible to get a 4* San Francisco in the USE, USW zones for this date under $100?

[blindman]

What does HOTWIRE have?

[lookup]

What does HOTWIRE have?

meh! I am not a HOTWIRE guy! You ever got 4* Hotels in San Fran under $80 on HOTWIRE? I just thought HOTWIRE was like Expedia - same high no bargain prices! Am I wrong?

[blindman]

Whoa... :)

HOTWIRE availability and prices can sometimes give an indicator for likely wins and (usually lower) bids on Priceline.

Also it's worth looking at the Hotel web-sites to see what their direct price is.

Good luck.

[lookup]

THANKS Blindman! Will consider all the above! I am aiming for a sweet USW property in the $95 range no matter! Got royally spoiled in recent visits with the Westin St. Francis, Nikko and some others all won under $90.

[headtrip]

Dec 30 in San Francisco isn't particularly crowded except for folks doing a long weekend there. I think you might be able to get a Boutique Hotel under $100, and maybe the 4* hotels are just above $100. You still have time, so just keep bidding up 2 or 3 dollars at a time.

[thereuare]

I just thought HOTWIRE was like Expedia - same high no bargain prices! Am I wrong?

Yes, you are wrong (imo).

While priceline is usually a little cheaper than HOTWIRE, prices on HOTWIRE are usually far below 'retail' rates. As 'proof', hotwire has a Double the Difference Guarantee... so if you find a rate cheaper they will refund you twice the difference. Yes, there are anomalies, so you need to do your research first and know what a 'good price' is... just like when bidding on priceline.

[lookup]

Sorry to belabour this point (especially if i am wrong!!) , but I went on the HOTWIRE message board and the wins all seemed way higher then the PRICELINE wins, what am I missing? Has anyone ever won a hotel cheaper on HOTWIRE then the best wins in PRICELINE? I just don't see any evidence of this from my skiming of both boards.

[blindman]

Going back to my original reply.

One way to research what to bid for a priceline stay is to :

1) Look at the 'regular' rates from the hotel web-site: A rough rule of thumb is that the priceline rate is about 60% of the hotel rate.

2) Look at HOTWIRE to see what it has available (usually the same Hotels that priceline have) and at what rate.

The HOTWIRE rate is invaribally higher than priceline so if you want to bid with PL then aim about 10% lower (again a rough guide)

I have got HOTWIRE rates cheaper than PL on only two occasions.

HOTWIRE is 99% always cheaper than Expdia et all (though sometimes by only a few $'s

On those ocassions it is not then use double the difference.

[slruud]

I'll always take the Omni on HOTWIRE when I see it around $89/nite, rather than bidding on Priceline. Nothing against the Hyatts or the Hilton FD, but the service at the Omni is second to none. I've done this when others are bidding near $100 for other USE/USW. For this stay, HOTWIRE has a 4* USE for $109, and a 4* in USW for $113. It sure looks like you should be able to hit a bid under $100. Good luck.

[thereuare]

zigzagidiot,

Priceline is usually cheaper than HOTWIRE, but both are usually much less than retail (ie- Expedia, et al) rates.

You stated that HOTWIRE is usually the same price as the retail outlets (Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc) which is simply not the case. You are correct that priceline is usually (but not always) cheaper than HOTWIRE, but with that said, each service has their use. When price is most important priceline is often a better choice... when there is a hotel in the zone you're trying to target, or one you're trying to avoid, HOTWIRE can be a better choice.

[Colfax]

I'm in SF tonite staying at the Opal via Hotwire. And Hotwire DID beat Priceline on this one. Here's my post with the details:

Hotwire beats Priceline in SF