Priceline Hotel: 4* Philadelphia (Cherry Hill-Mt Laurel) Westin Mount Laurel

[mystic_rhythm]

OK, got burned with a new 4* hotel in the Cherry Hill/Mt. Laurel Area. Add this one to the list to avoid my mistake in the future...

Bid for two rooms:

Bid 1: 4*, Downtown Philadelphia, $60 rejected

Bid 2: Added Gloucester - Runnemede - Deptford, $80, rejected

Bid 3: Added Trevose - Bensalem, $101, rejected

Bid 4: Added Cherry Hill, Mt. Laurel Area, $115, accepted (oof)

Too bad this is nowhere near where I need to stay...unfortunately going to eat this one and try a standard booking to get downtown...

(and yes, need to eat it as it's a group of people going with a specific expectation of staying in the city...live and learn...)

[thereuare]

Thanks for the post.

For anyone following along and wondering what went wrong, mystic_rhythm didn't properly check re-bid zones before bidding and ended up in an unintended zone.

It would be appreciated if you used these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases. (and we have hotel direct links in our support page for your direct bookings too!)

[mystic_rhythm]

Actually, I did check the re-bid zones as I always do. The Westin was not listed here as a four star hotel (or otherwise). Was there something else I should have done?

I'm glad to see the Westin since has been added to your list; hopefully it will prevent people from being caught by this in the future.

[dahammer]

at the top of each PRICELINE hotel list is the following:

This list is NOT a complete list of all hotels that Priceline offers in this area, it is ONLY a compilation of hotels that have already been reported on this forum. Hotels are added/removed by Priceline all the time, and star ratings can change at ANY time. As well, the geographic boundaries of an area are subject to change, so it is always a good idea to look at the Priceline map before purchasing. DO NOT USE THIS LIST to determine what areas to add when attempting to bid again. (CLICK HERE for information on how to add cities in order to bid again).o

In light of the above, you MAY get a hotel that is NOT on this list, or get a hotel on this list but at a star level you didn't expect (if the star rating has changed).

Lastly, this board (and its members) are here to assist you, if you have a question or are unsure of something, please ask before purchasing (since Priceline stipulates NO cancellations/refunds)! However, by using this board you agree that you do so at your own risk! (in other words, NO WHINING allowed!!)

you may want to call PRICELINE and ask for a one time exception, they may charge you a $25 fee if you successfully rebid in the Philly zone. Currently, the University zone and City Line zones have no 4* rated properties, but you have to check at the start of each bidding session. Good Luck.

[jen19083]

I got caught with this today, too. Over the past 3 days, I was using the strategy of adding bids in $5-10 increments for a 4* hotel in downtown Philly. The Mt. Laurel Westin must have just been added as a 4*. I live closer to downtown Phila. than the Mt. Laurel Westin, but was looking for a hotel room to stay after a wedding Sat. night.

Anyway, I took the suggestion of contacting Priceline to request a cancellation. After 4 phone calls and about 1.5 hours, I was able to get my cancellation fee (the full cost of the $175 bid, plus tax) applied to my successful bid in downtown Philly, less $25. Because it was critical for me, now, to submit a successful bid (or else I'd lose the $200+ cancellation fee), I bid $190, added Trevose, bid $200, added City Line, bid $210, added Gloucester, bid $220, and then added University City and bid $245. My $245 bid was accepted for the Phila. Hyatt at Penns Landing.

[thereuare]

jen19083,

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Glad to hear you were able to get PRICELINE to accmodate your mistake. As we frequently stress, users need to know how to check their re-bid zones on their own and check them before every bidding cycle.

Can you please post a NEW TOPIC for each of your wins above... one thread for the Westin and one for the Hyatt at Penns Landing... this will allow others to be aware of the wins for this date when scanning the topic titles of the forum and also enable each to appear in our Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins.

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

Thanks... enjoy your stay and have fun at the wedding.