Priceline Hotel: 4* in Orange County (unsuccessful)

[discdude]

Just tried unsuccessfully to bid a 4* in South Orange County, but must admit some confusion on the re-bid process. Noting that someone earlier had received a 4* at $75 in Costa Mesa, I did the following:

Dates: 8/30-8/31

4*, $60, Irvine/Costa Mesa, rejected (way optimistic, but I'm just figuring this out)

Added Dana Point/San Clemente, $70, rejected

Added Laguna Beach, $75, rejected

Added Laguna Hills, $80, rejected

Added Huntington Beach/Newport, $85, rejected

Quite frankly, those are all nice areas with fancy 4* hotels and I didn't necessarily expect to win...but I'm still confused on the re-bid process. I never saw how I can find out *what* star ratings each area has. After my first bid, the Irvine box was grayed out, as was the 4-star box. I selected Dana Point and went to the next page, but never saw a list of star options. Does this mean there are definitely 4-star hotels in the area? Had I selected something like Fullerton/4-star, would it have definitely let me know on the next page that there are no 4-star hotels in Fullerton? I certainly don't want to end up in Fullerton (nothing against Fullerton, just don't want to drive up there). The directions in the post below just didn't seem to be accurate for what I was seeing on my screen:

Priceline Re-Bidding Explained

I could go through the whole re-bid with 3* again, but I need to understand better how it works so I end up in the correct area.

Thanks.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

You can't check your re-bid zones from a rejected bid page... you have to go thru the process before you begin your bidding or from a 'fresh' bidding screen.

From Priceline Re-Bidding Explained:

The way to check what star levels are available in each zone is to open a Priceline page, check ONLY the zone you are inquiring about, and then proceed to the next page (as if you were going to select a zone)... this will give you the available star ratings in that area. You can then hit BACK on your browser, uncheck the current box, check the next box, and repeat the process. It is important to do this before EACH attempt at adding a zone that you really don't want, as new hotels can be added and the star ratings can change at any time. (NOTE: for most users Priceline has updated their interface making the above process easier... simply check a zone and note the highest star rating available within each zone, UNcheck that zone and checkmark the next zone, repeating the process)

Based upon the above see if you can now figure out your re-bid zones and confirm them with the board (NOTE: you have 6 re-bid zones available at the 4* level and 3 re-bid zones available at the 3* level) OR feel free to ask any questions that you have. If the above still doesn't make any sense and you're really confused and not sure where to start just let us know and we'll break it down for you further step-by-step.

Once you understand your re-bid zones let us know if you want to try for a 4* or a 3* and your maximum bid and desired zones and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[discdude]

Ah, I get it! Apparently, I need to learn how to read!

As it turns out, I may not be able to make this trip, however I will use this strategy in the future. And I used your PRICELINE link. Thanks for what is looking like a great resource.

[thereuare]

Glad you figured it out :)

We'll be here when you're ready to try for your next stay.