grram1 Posted March 23, 2008 Report Posted March 23, 2008 After an exhaustive multi-week effort we finally landed this resort! During the bidding process I noticed that the taxes and fees would vary wildly. It took a while, but I finally figured out that the fees are MUCH higher when bidding the Fairhope area by itself... when you add your free re-bid zone (Foley) the fees drop by a HUGE amount. This discovery ended up slowing my bid process significantly as I would only be able to make a single bid, on both zones, in order to avoid the higher fee rate... just for kicks I would test the fees using the Fairhope zone only, then adding the Foley zone... on the winning bid this ended up saving me nearly $20!!!! I think this is a glitch, as the Fairhope zone probably SHOULD have higher fees due to the resort... this is the first time I've ever noticed such a discrepancy.Bidding started at $80 and I worked it up $5 at a shot, over many different bidding sessions, until at $140 I was greeted with a "one time offer" to increase my bid by $22 and re-bid immediately. I declined and took several days (raising my bid $1 at a time) until it hit at $148 (so at least I know I got the best deal available at this time :) ). All of the major travel sites sell this resort from $269/night. AAA had a special at $242/night... BUT charged 20% for "taxes"... which would have come to $96.80 in taxes (almost double the taxes and fees I paid through Priceline!).Winning bid was placed through the PRICELINE link on this website.Marriott Grand HotelOne Grand Boulevard Point Clear, Alabama 36564 251-928-9201Check-In Date: Thursday, June 19, 2008 Check-Out Date: Saturday, June 21, 2008 Your Offer Price: $148.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Subtotal: $296.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $49.87******Total Charges*: $345.87 ****** Fees would have been $69.29 if this bid were placed with the Fairhope only zone :) !!!!
thereuare Posted March 24, 2008 Report Posted March 24, 2008 Congratulations on your win!Nicely done... a lot of research and some interesting findings, but you used it well to get a great deal.Glad to see you're happy with the results. Thank you for sharing it with the board and for using our PRICELINE link to begin your bidding.Enjoy your stay. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
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