Priceline Hotel: Help newbie with Vancouver July/August 2008

[plinko]

I am looking for a 4* hotel for before and after a cruise for

7/26 - 7/27 and 8/3 - 8/5

I have read others getting the Hyatt and the like for $85, so I bid $85, $95, and $101 for each of my dates and was rejected.

I obviously have time, so I'm looking for bidding strategies and advice, and any other suggestions.

Thank you in advance!

[blindman]

Welcome to Betterbidding.

What is your maximum budget? Previous wins by others can only be a guide as hotel prices vary due to several factors.

What does HOTWIRE have for your dates? This is usually a good indicator of availability and price now.

Do you understand the concept of 'Free Rebids'?

You have at 4* 3 free rebid areas which could give you 8 rebids if you use the permutation method.

[plinko]

Thank you.

Yes, I understand how to rebid -- the explanations on this site were great, which is how I placed my first three bids, but stopped to get some help. My "budget" is whatever it takes to get a good hotel (booking direct is around $350/night), but obviously would prefer to spend less. Hotwire is showing things in the 189-219 range (should post those to see if people can id), but I was hoping for an indication of what good priceline bids would be. If I need to bid near Hotwire, I'd probably rather go with HOTWIRE, since it seems easier to narrow down hotels and areas in Vancouver.

[tilepusher]

You should expect to pay at least $110/night for a 4* in Vancouver during the summer, and don't be surprised if you have to go a lot higher. Since your trip is still several months away, I wouldn't go any higher than $140 for now.

I looked at the HOTWIRE listings for 8/3-8/5, and I believe that I can identify the downtown hotels that you were referring to (I can't guarantee that these guesses are correct, though):

4* Downtown Entertainment District: suite, smoke free rooms, fitmess, pool, restaurant, business, high-speed internet, kitchenette - Westin Grand

4* Downtown West: boutique, shuttle, fitmess, pool, restaurant, laundry, high-speed internet, kitchenette, spa - Pacific Palisades

[ilander]

I have been looking for a 4* in Vancouver for a little while now for 7/27 - 7/ 29. So far, I've bid up to $146 for a 4* Downtown with no luck. I'm not sure if it interests you but you can book the Hyatt for $215 CAD and the Pacific Pallisades for $200 CAD a night at least in my date range at Quickbook.com and it is cancellable up to two days before the reservation. I had rather do that now than lock-in the HOTWIRE offering at about the same price. I have used Quickbook before and have found them to be a reputable firm.

Hope you have a good trip.

[plinko]

I'm not sure if it interests you but you can book the Hyatt for $215 CAD at Quickbook.com and it is cancellable up to two days before the reservation.

Thank you so much for this! I did reserve the Hyatt at $215, which seems much better than saving $20 or $30 and taking a risk at Hotwire or Priceline. We'll see how it works, though with the help of tilepusher's incredible id skills, I might monitor Hotwire and switch to that in a bit.

[krj9999]

I know this is a bit off topic, but another pre-cruise option - particularly as a back-up - is directly booking the Holiday Inn Airport (Cambie Rd.) and selecting their cruise ship package rate, which includes breakfast for 2 and transfer for 2 to the port, I have a reservation there for June at $190.

[thereuare]

A reminder that as per our support page we're an affiliate of the Holiday Inn Vancouver Airport (as well as most other hotel chains)... please use our links for your hotel direct reservations and purchases.

We also run a sister site, Hotels By The Pier.com which has an interactive map of the Vancouver pier(s) and the hotels in the surrounding area.