Priceline Hotel: 3* Portland (Downtown) Hilton Executive Tower

[givingtree]

I am hoping someone can help me out with a Priceline bidding strategy to get a 3* hotel in downtown Portland for 2 nights, 8/29-9/1. The title says 3 nights, but it should read 2 nights.

The last time I went to Portland I ended up with a nice room at the downtown Marriott for 50 bucks. Below is the bidding strategy that was recommended to me last time in Dec of 2007. Has anything changed, or can I still go with this strategy? Also, can anyone give me any feedback as to which 3* I am most likely to get for that weekend? Thanks in advance!

"At the 3* level in Portland you have two 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 3* Dowtnown...

Bid $45, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $50, if reejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* Dowtnown and re-bid zone2...

Bid $55, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $60."

[tilepusher]

That strategy should still work. Priceline rates have gone up a bit in the last several months, and summer rates are generally a bit higher than winter rates, so you may want to try $50-$55-$58-$60 instead. The hotel you'd most likely get is the Hilton, but you might get the Marriott if you have to go to $60.

If you're rejected at $60, let us know and we'll try to help you figure out where to go from there.

[givingtree]

Ok, so just to make sure, there are no 3*'s in the rebidding zones for that strategy? In other words, if I use that strategy I will get a 3* downtown or nothing, correct?

Thanks!

[tilepusher]

You should always check your rebid zones yourself before you bid because they could change at any time, and we can't always keep up. Just select a zone as if you were going to bid for it; Priceline will tell you what star levels are available. As long as the only available hotels in that zone are of lower star level than what you're bidding for, you're fine.

[givingtree]

Btw my title is wrong. I'm only looking for 2 nights, 8/29-8/31.

Well, I just went through a bidding sequence with no luck. Here's what I did:

Zone 4 (Downtown Portland) 3* - bid $50 - rejected

Added Zone 1 (Beaverton) - bid $55 - rejected

Closed browser, then reaccessed Priceline

Zone 4 (Downtown Portland) 3* and added Zone 8 (Northwest Portland) - bid $60 - rejected

Added Zone 1 (Beaverton) again - bid $65 - rejected

From what I could tell the only zones limited to lower than 3* hotels were zone 1 (Beaverton) and zone 8 (Northwest Portland). I'm at a loss of what to do at this point. Any help? Thanks!

[tilepusher]

It's too early to panic. Hotel rates for that weekend are not very high, so I'm pretty sure that more rooms will become available on Priceline in the next several days. If you keep trying, I believe you'll get a hit. If not, you'll have to consider other options. Are you willing to bid higher if necessary? Are you willing to stay in another area? Think about these things, but for now I'd stick to what you're doing.

[tilepusher]

I've been rethinking my original advice. If you prefer something downtown and you're willing to go higher, it would probably be a good idea to do so. I think a $70 bid would have a good chance of succeeding. But don't go overboard; I would not recommend going higher than $75.

[wellsie]

I've been rethinking my original advice. If you prefer something downtown and you're willing to go higher, it would probably be a good idea to do so. I think a $70 bid would have a good chance of succeeding. But don't go overboard; I would not recommend going higher than $75.

I've been having a lot of trouble with a similar bid myself. I need a 3* Downtown for 9/7 to 9/10, and I have been bidding up to $60 for the last month with no luck. I see that people have been getting the Hilton for $60 for many different dates, and they have availability for my dates. I went up to $70 yesterday, but still no luck. Do you think 3 nights might be the problem?

Any suggestions? I am using the free rebid zones, but I don't want to go much higher than $70 for this.

[dahammer]

wellsie, please start a new topic as your dates of travel are different from those of the original topic.

[givingtree]

After trying my original strategy several days in a row, limiting my maximum bid to about 75-80 I was still having no luck. So, finally I decided to bid higher, in $5 increments, and once I reached 90 bucks, I got the Hilton and Executive Tower. $90 isn't great, but it's cheaper than anything else I found, and it was getting close to my time of travel so...

I got a room at Hilton and Executive Tower for 2 nights (8/29-8/31) at 90/night.

I called to request a single king size bed and they said they will put the request in but can't guarantee anything... I can only find out once I check in.

Thanks for the advice.

[wellsie]

wellsie, please start a new topic as your dates of travel are different from those of the original topic.

Would do that, but just checked again and now I see the Hilton is sold out on the 9th, so I have my answer. Thanks for the resource, just the same.

[thereuare]

I got the Hilton and Executive Tower

Thank you for sharing your winning bid with the board.

It would be appreciated if you used these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your future travel purchases.

Enjoy your stay.