Priceline Hotel: Please Help - need 4 * hotel in Gaslamp 10/10 - 10/12 or 10/3 - 10/5

[dreubay2]

Hi.... I'm new to this board but have used PRICELINE before.

I really would love to win a 4 * room in Downtown area for a maximum bid of $125 per night. I have read that you can split your bid and am totally willing to do that. I have also read about free bids, but have no idea what that is.

Before I start bidding, could you please give me tips or links to tips for the best possible chance?

I am 7 months pregnant and in severe need of a weekend away.... Thank you in advance sincerely!

[slick_gd]

You say you have used PRICELINE before? Did you use the name-your-price method or the conventional method?

This is probably the best thread explaining the procedure of re-bidding with PRICELINE: Bidding again before 24 hours. After reading through it you should have a pretty good idea of how the re-bidding process works, but if you still have any questions just let us know and we'd be happy to help guide you to a winning bid. At 7 months pregnant this might be your last weekend away for a while. :)

I honestly don't think it's necessary to split your bid since you are only staying for 2 days on a weekend, you may save a few dollars but it likely wouldn't be worth the hassle of changing hotels after each night.. Splitting bids becomes more beneficial for longer stays, say 5 or more days.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

[thereuare]

Splitting bids becomes more beneficial for longer stays, say 5 or more days.

Splitting is usually most beneficial when there is a major rate change during the stay... which is more likely to occur during longer stays than shorter stays. With this noted, SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID can be beneficial for shorter stays when there is a major price change... and may not be necessary at all if prices are constant throughout the stay.

In regards to the above, your topic title mentions the Gaslamp District but your post mentions Downtown. PRICELINE's zone is "Downtown-Harbor Island" which not only includes the Gaslamp District, but also Downtown as well as Harbor Island. Take a look at PRICELINE's map for the boundaries of this zone... are you willing to accept a hotel anywhere within the boundaries of this zone?

If you only want the Gaslamp District HOTWIRE divides that area to its own zone and also draws the boundaries of Downtown differently, so if the PRICELINE zone is not acceptable then i would also check out the HOTWIRE zones.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.

[dreubay2]

I would love to stay in the Gaslamp but I understand about the priceline areas and anywhere within priceline's downtown - harbor island area would be fine. I read the post about adding areas with only 3 * or less hotels. Do you know off hand if San Diego has any areas with no 4 * available?

Thank you for your help and of course once ready, I will use the PRICELINE link from your site.

[thereuare]

When bidding 4* in San Diego you have TEN such re-bid zones (zones which only contain 3* and lower). However, this can change at any time so you need to know how to determine them yourself as they should be checked before every bidding cycle.

Use this technique from Priceline Re-Bidding Explained to determine your re-bid zones and confirm them with the board:

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)

If you don't understand the above just post back and we'll break it down further for you and take it step-by-step... otherwise post your re-bid zones and we'll confirm that you have it right.

When will you be ready to bid for this stay?