Priceline Hotel: very basic newbie question

[OwenMeany]

Sorry to be slow on the uptake here, I'm sure I have missed something obvious but I can't seem to find the answer in the FAQ's or a sticky.

I am trying to follow the very helpful advice for bidding on 4 star hotels in New York using "name your own price" which starts with:

Select 4* MTE and MTW...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...and so forth

This seems pretty straight forward except that when I try to rebid, Priceline won't let me simply increase the dollar amount. They want me to "change something" about my original bid meaning location or star level. What am I missing? I guess I don't fully understand the meaning of "re-bid zone". Thanks in advance for any help.

[SK524]

Since you haven't received an answer from "the experts" yet, here's a very basic explanation... I was confused by this at first too so will explain it in the way that made me understand! A re-bid zone is a part of the city that does not offer hotels in the * level you are seeking. So if you're looking for a 4* you can add Brooklyn, Long Island City, Upper East Side OR Upper West Side as locations you are willing to stay in; however because Priceline does not list these areas as having 4* options, they are your "re-bid zones" -- you won't actually be offered hotels in this area, so in a way you're pretending to be willing to accept additional zones. (You can figure out where the re-bid zones are before your original bid by clicking on the different zones and seeing which * levels show up as being available.)

So when you bid again, you'll keep your original 2 choices, then add one of the above-mentioned locations and increase your dollar amount. Because there are 4 re-bid zones for 4*, you can put in 5 different bids without changing your dates or star level.

Thereuare has a more in-depth and helpful explanation under Bidding Again Before 24 Hours in the General Priceline Tips section. But hope that helps you for now.

(Thanks to thereuare and AaronJB, who helped me figure all this out in the first place! Hope you don't mind me helping) :)

[OwenMeany]

Thank you very much for the help. That clears it up nicely. I appreciate it.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

We recommend not following strategies which were posted for dates other than your own, as it can lead to wasted bids... or at worse, an overbid.

If you're actively bidding i'd suggst posting the details of your stay (dates, maximum budget, minimum star ratings, zones you're willing to accept, etc) and we'll suggest a strategy to follow based upon your own criteria.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

SK524,

We appreciate you helping out and your explanation... we encourage users to help each other. Thanks! :)