Priceline Hotel: 4* San Francisco (USW) InterContinental Mark Hopkins

[singloud26]

I'm looking for a 4* hotel in the Fisherman's Wharf area for a midweek 3-night stay January 14, 15, and 16. I would like to keep the price to around $100/night, but am willing to go up to $150. 3* hotels and different neighborhoods are ok so long as they are roughly in that area. I haven't used Priceline before, but would love to hear what suggestions you have. Thanks!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

You say that other zones are also acceptable if they're roughly in that neighborhood... if you look at the zone maps for this area are there any other zones for which you could accept a hotel anywhere within that zone?

What is most important... zone, star rating, or price?

[singloud26]

Downtown would also be good. Within those two zones, price would be next important (preferably close to $100/night), with star rating being third. I would not like a hotel with less than a 3* rating however.

[Colfax]

People are reporting 4*' wins in USE for $60-90 lately. Not every night, of course, and I don't know about your nights. But if USE area suits you that could be your best deal, if available. 4* in Fisherman's Wharf usually costs more. You can probably get a 3* in FW for $60-90 too.

[singloud26]

If I were to bid all three nights together, would I be charged the highest "low" rate for all three? For instance, if I could separately bid Tuesday and Wednesday nights for $60 and Monday for $80, would I be charged $80 for each of the three nights if I bid together? And USE would be a perfectly suitable area for me.

[thereuare]

Downtown would also be good

There is no "Downtown" zone in San Francisco... i assume the you're refering to USE-Embarcadero and USW? Are both of these acceptable?

price would be next important... with star rating being third

So to confirm, if there is a 3* for $60 and a 4* for $70 you would prefer the 3* for less?

Please let us know/confirm the above and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

[singloud26]

Haha wow we posted at the same time.

USE and USW would both be suitable, as would Fisherman's Wharf. And if the difference between 3* and 4* is only $10/night, I can upgrade to 4*. If the difference is much larger than $20-30/night however, I would prefer to bid on the 3* hotels.

[thereuare]

OK, we'll start as follows...

At the 4* level you have three re-bid zones. At the 3* level you only have one re-bid zone. 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 4* Fishermans Wharf...

Bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $70, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* USE...

Bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $70, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* USW...

Bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $70, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* Fishermans Wharf and USE...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $85, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* Fishermans Wharf and USW...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $85, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* Fishermans Wharf and USE and USW...

Bid $90, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previoulsy.

Start with the above, if unsucessful we'll advise for a 3* strategy (up to ~$75) at which point we'll then go back to a 4* up to $100. (if you're in agreement with the cut-offs for the price points herein)

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[singloud26]

So, I followed the strategy listed up through the $90 price bid for 4* and was rejected for all. Am I looking too far in advance and the bidding price would change if I wait a week? Also, if I were to attempt a 3* bidding strategy, how much worse would the hotels be from 4*, and what should my starting price point be seeing my past bidding difficulties?

[thereuare]

So, I followed the strategy listed up through the $90 price bid for 4* and was rejected for all. Am I looking too far in advance...

Your original plan, and gameplan, was to go up to $100 for a 4* hotel, or a 3* hotel, and possibly even to $150... after one round of bidding below your 'wishful' maximum bid ($100) it's not time to abandon ship.

...and the bidding price would change if I wait a week?

It could, as (hotel direct) prices could go down... or they could also go up and a $100 bid which may still be successful today could be rejected in a week. See the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ regarding "bidding early or close to arrival".

Also, if I were to attempt a 3* bidding strategy, how much worse would the hotels be from 4*...

See the Priceline Hotel List

...and what should my starting price point be seeing my past bidding difficulties?

First decide what you'd like to do from here... do you want to do as you originally planned and try for a 3* up to $75 or so, and then go back to a 4* if rejected) OR do you want to try up to $100 now OR do you want to do nothing and wait a week?

Don't lose perspective, as bidding $90 and getting rejected for a 4* hotel, where conventionally booked rates are likely at least 2x as much, is hardly considering a bidding 'difficulty'.

[singloud26]

First, I would like to say thanks for all the help you are giving me in this search.

And second, if I were to expand my search to boutique hotels, which on Priceline are listed above 3* but less than 4*, how should I alter my initial price point? I have seen some SF boutiques as cheap as $40-$50, and as expensive as $150+.

[thereuare]

Rates are date specific, so you should base your maximum bid upon the best deal you're able to get thru conventional means for your particular dates, and not necessarily upon the price range of previous wins on the board (as you can see they range in price greatly).

What is the best deal you're able to find for your given dates? (use our BetterChecker to assist in your search.

[singloud26]

To clarify my question about the boutique hotels, I have found by looking on kayak one particular boutique hotel, Hotel des Arts, for $45/night, and other boutique hotels like the Queen Anne for $100/night. Since they are both boutique hotels, how would priceline treat my bid if I were to bid somewhere between the two prices? Would I end up paying a high bid price for a cheaper hotel like des Arts, or a low bid price on a more expensive hotel like the Queen Anne?

[thereuare]

See this thread: Don't Bid Higher For a Specific Hotel

[Colfax]

Although Kayak rates Hotel des Arts a Boutique when it came up on Priceline a few years ago it was rated 2*, and I doubt it's been upgraded by Priceline. There were mostly complaints about the hotel.

If you want a 4* my suggestion is to be patient and try again in a week. You don't need to bid a less desired quality level before early January. If you scan through the SF page you'll see few wins for January dates yet. Some of the 4* don't give Priceline rooms this far ahead. You might just be too early. If you're eager you could try bidding for a 4* again, but this time bid to $100 instead of $90. (You wrote you were willing to spend to $150 for a 4* but have only bid to $90.)

[singloud26]

Hello again!

I tried bidding for a few more days following the strategy given before (only focusing on USE and USW...decided against the Wharf), these times with my max bids up to $100-110. No luck. Today I bid the following:

USE: $80, 90, 100, 110 no luck

USW: $80, 90, 100, 110 no luck

USE/USW: $120 (at this point they offered me the ability to bid again at $22 higher...I instead continued my strategy), 130, 140 (HIT!)

So for my final bid of $140/night from 1/14-17 and $493.91 after fees and tax, I landed the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental on Nob Hill. I'm very happy with the outcome, and at $2 less than their suggested rebid. Thanks again for all the help!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your win!

Thank you for sharing it with the board.

Enjoy your stay.