notfes53 Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 I'm planning to bid for three nights (two rooms) on Priceline with a target of $80 to $85/night for the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort.Please could I have a suggested strategy?1) Resort is listed for Ft Lauderdale Beach - is the Marriott the only resort in this zone?2) What price would be realistic for my dates (three nights) 7/22 to 7/25?3) Anyone with comments about this resort and its location - positive or negative?Thanks in advance.notfes53 Link to comment
thereuare Posted May 24, 2004 Report Share Posted May 24, 2004 My guess is that $85 would be a bit shy as the prior bids we've seen accepted here were in the $90-$95 range.You have 7 RE-BIDS available so if you plan on stopping at $85 i would start at $50 and increase by $5 each re-bid.I think a better chance is:Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone and...Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone and...Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone and...Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone and...Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone and...Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone and...Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone and...Bid $110But it's your money so you're free to stop at whatever level you choose.If you really want to stick to your $85 limit and are rejected with the first strategy above, you may want to look into the Hyatt Pier 66 which is also in this zone and typically gets very favorable reviews (often won for $79/nite).We can't say if the Marriott is the only resort in the zone... and we never would as hotels can be added or ugpraded at any time. It is the only Resort level hotel that has been reported in the zone, but many don't bid high enough to land this property nor do many bid Resort in this zone... many try to target the Pier 66 that i mentioned above, even though it is not on the beach.Let us know if you have any questions regarding the above. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
notfes53 Posted May 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2004 thereuare - thanks for bidding advice and price guidance. I can also introduce some flexibility in the dates to make Ft Lauderdale towards the end rather than the beginning of the vacation. Will let you know what happens when I bid. I will also include Hollywood Beach as it would be interesting to see if the Westin resort comes up. Fully understand that another resort hotel could suddenly appear (be upgraded) in Fort Lauderdale Beach or Hollywood Beach (subject to the usual caveats that anything could happen).The Hyatt looks good, however my family are beach lovers and have become used to the beach resort experience from Africa, Middle East and Far East resorts. The USA has so much more to offer than just beaches, but those are the family requirements :) Saw interesting reference to a new resort/spa hotel in Fort Lauderdale - The Atlantic - apparently about to open its doors any day now. I think Expedia was showing two levels of luxury - nothing plain here. The price was (I think) $375/night at the entry level, so I'm not expecting the new Atlantic to be a scoop on Priceline.... at least not just yet!notfes53 Link to comment
notfes53 Posted May 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2004 thereuare - please edit subject line!Well, a successful bid for Fort Lauderdale, following the advice given above.I wanted to get two rooms, for three nights, at the Marriott Harbor Beach for less than $100 each, and have been successful.Here are the details:Check in: July 22 2004 (Thursday)Check out: July 25 (Sunday)Best rate available on Internet was Marriott's own website - Standard room $179. Expedia showed it as fully booked. The rate normally goes up to $199 for Friday Saturday and Sunday - if one of these is your first night, but there's a special rate plan on the Marriott site - if your first night is a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, then you get to keep the 'weekday' rate over the weekend. I assume that this rule works for Priceline too. I checked on Hotwire and a hotel 'looking' very much like the Hyatt Pier 66 was on at $118 ($117.20 at www.hotel411.com) 1st Bid: $85 - resort - Ft Lauderdale Beach: REJECTED2nd Bid: $90 - resort - re-bid adding Coral Springs: REJECTED3rd Bid: $95 - resort - re-bid adding FLL Airport: :) ACCEPTED$95 for two rooms for three nights = $570$80.66 for tax and service fees$650.66 was the total (and I believe that Marriott has now scrapped their separate resort charges).This board is such a good resource! Thanks againSteveAscot (UK) Link to comment
thereuare Posted May 31, 2004 Report Share Posted May 31, 2004 Well that's certainly great news! We're glad to have helped.I'm happy that you were able to get the hotel you wanted and it worked out well for you... even if at a few more dollars than you originally planned.Thanks for the follow-up and enjoy your stay and time at the beach. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Register now, we have a huge community of travel enthusiasts to answer any questions you might have.
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountAlready have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now