Priceline Hotel: 3* Atlantic City - Cape May, NJ - Feb 15-17

[trusk32]

I am looking to get either the Sheraton, Trump Taj, or Showboat (3* +) in the "Atlantic City Area" (not Absecon, Atlantic City West, etc.) for Feb 15th -17th. Priceline shows 'Median retail price for a 3 star hotel in Atlantic City - Cape May, NJ is $299.' If I put a bid in do you think I will get one of these 3 hotels? Or what would the other possibilities be? What do you think I should start my bid at? I'm trying to get about 160-170 before taxes per night. Do you think this is a possibility?

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

You can see the hotels previously reported to the board in the Priceline Hotel List. Nobody can say how likley you are to receive one of the hotels you want above, although i'll point out that only one of the three has been reported to the board, and there are at least three others reported to the board which you did not mention as being ones that you want to receive.

Usually if you're trying to target, or avoid, a specific hotel, HOTWIRE is a better option as you can often identify the hotel you will receive before your purchase. Have you tried searching HOTWIRE for your dates?

Let us know if you'd still like to try bidding for this stay or if you find anything worthwhile via HOTWIRE and we'll take it from there.

[trusk32]

Hotwire quotes a 3.5* at $385 a night (quite a bit higher than I would like to go). Do you think I could get one of the 3* on priceline for ~$160?

[thereuare]

Do you think I could get one of the 3* on priceline for ~$160?

Are you refering to one of the hotels you mentioned in your first post... or any 3* hotel in this zone?

[trusk32]

Are you refering to one of the hotels you mentioned in your first post... or any 3* hotel in this zone?

This the list you have:

Atlantic City - Cape May (Atlantic City Area)

3* Harrahs

3* Holiday Inn

3* Sheraton Convention Center

3* Tropicana

I would prefer Harrahs or Sheraton and really don't want Tropicana (from reading reports of unclean rooms recently).

Do you think I could get one of the above for ~160? In your opinion what are the odds I can avoid the Tropicana?

[thereuare]

Be sure to read the comments at the top of the Priceline Hotel List.

I can't put any odds on whether you'll get the Tropicana or even some other hotel in this zone. The most frequently won hotel is probably the Sheraton, but obviously other hotels have been reported as well so you could just as easily receive something else.

If you're willing to accept any 3* hotel in the zone let us know and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

[trusk32]

If you're willing to accept any 3* hotel in the zone let us know and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

I think it's worth the shot to save the money. What strategy would you recommend?

[thereuare]

At the 3* level you have 3 re-bid zones available. 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 Atlantic City...

Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $100, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select Atlantic City and re-bid zone2...

Bid $110, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $120, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select Atlantic City and re-bid zone3...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $130, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select Atlantic City and re-bid zone1 and re-bid zone3...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $140, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select Atlantic City and re-bid zone2 and re-bid zone3...

Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $150, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select Atlantic City and re-bid zone1 and re-bid zone2 and re-bid zone3...

Bid $155, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $160

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[trusk32]

I got up to $190 on my 3* in Atlantic City for 2/15-2/17 but was rejected for all. They counteroffered $263 per night. I really don't want to go any higher but I don't think I have an option. Any suggestions?

[thereuare]

You wouldn't want to bid that high anyway since you can book the Sheraton for $259/nite, which would end up being cheaper than a priceline bid of $263 (especially when you include their booking fee), as well as ensure that you received one of the hotels you were hoping for (so no 'risk' factor).

On a positive note, priceline will usually accept a bid less than their counter-offer ($263 in this instance)... but in all likelihood your probably looking at the $210-$240 area to be successful, so the question you need to answer is "How much do i need to save in order to make an 'opaque' purchase worthwhile, knowing that i can get one of the hotels i want for $259?"

If you do decide to book direct, please use our Sheraton (or the one in our support page)

If you would like to increase your bid further let us know the maximum bid you decide upon and we'll revise the strategy accordingly.