heychongo Posted October 28, 2008 Report Posted October 28, 2008 I already have a reservation at the Hyatt on the Hudson arriving Nov 7th and leaving Nov 9th (Fri thru Sun) at $170 a night. I made the reservation directly thru the hotel and I should be able to cancel if needed. I will be spending each day in Manhattan. I would prefer to bid for a lower price and stay in Manhattan rather than travel each day to get to the city. I have no specific plans so anywhere in Manhattan would be fine (as long as it is in a safe location.) There will be two of us and I prefer a king bed (is this possible?)Is it realistic to stay at a 4* hotel with a similar price that I am already paying for the Hyatt? $170/night.Any help will be greatly appreciated. I am new to priceline and hotwire.Help!!!
thereuare Posted October 29, 2008 Report Posted October 29, 2008 Welcome to BetterBidding!You can't guarantee a King bed... all that is guaranteed by PRICELINE is a room which will accomodate double occupancy.Not sure if $170 will be enough for 4* or not... it's certainly not unreasonable, but i think it will be close as to whether that is enough or not.At the 4* level you have FIVE re-bid zones. 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.(NOTE: 're-bid zone1' is not the same as priceline's Zone1, 're-bid zone2' is not the same as priceline's Zone2, etc, etc)Use our link to access PRICELINESelect 4* MTE, MTW, TS, ESB, CPS, Downtown, and UWS...Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone2...Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone3...Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone4...Bid $145, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINESelect 4* MTE, MTW, TS, ESB, CPS, Downtown, and UWS and re-bid zone5...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $155, if rejected add re-bid zone2...Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone3...Bid $165, if rejected add re-bid zone4...Bid $170Any questions feel free to ask.Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
heychongo Posted October 29, 2008 Author Report Posted October 29, 2008 Ok, I think I have this close to figured out...By "zone 1, 2,..." you are referring to MTE, MTW, etc.In your example are you saying I should bid on ALL zones I will consider staying at since they all have 4* hotels?Then if rejected I select only one of the zones and re-bid, then keep adding a zone until accepted (following all the rules about opening and closing browser, etc...thanks
thereuare Posted October 29, 2008 Report Posted October 29, 2008 No, a re-bid zones is a zone which only contains hotels which contain star levels lower than the one you have selected (so by adding this zone you can't actually win a hotel in the added area since there are no hotels in that zone which meet the minimum star rating you have selected)To find out the highest star rating available in each zone, use this technique 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)Since you're new to re-bidding, it's highly recommended that you confirm your re-bid zones with the board before bidding. If you're confused by the above just post back and we'll break it down further for you step-by-step.Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
heychongo Posted October 29, 2008 Author Report Posted October 29, 2008 I thought I understood, so I tried to bid. I am having issues!Here's what I did.I want a 4* in MTE so that's what I bid on first for $125 (like the example you gave me above) and it was rejected.I was then going to bid on MTE and Chelsea together with a 4* (because Chelsea has no 4* listed when I checked.)I was asked to try again, but the MTE and 4* were both greyed out. I was not able to choose MTE again.Does this mean I need to close browser each time between bids?Am I doing this correctly? I want to get this right.I need baby steps!!Thanks again.
heychongo Posted October 29, 2008 Author Report Posted October 29, 2008 Nevermind, I realized the grey out means this area is selected again along with the new ones I select.Thanks
heychongo Posted October 29, 2008 Author Report Posted October 29, 2008 Ok, it's me again...When I am bidding as in the original example you gave me, you told me after making the first set of bids, I need to close browser and then go back into Priceline to try the second set of bids. I then attempted to bid in the exact same way (same 4*s and add a zone each time from a lesser star hotel) as I did in the first set of bids. I was then given message that I had already made that bid (same zones with same *) and I would have to wait 24 hours to try again.Did I do something wrong?Thanks again!
heychongo Posted October 29, 2008 Author Report Posted October 29, 2008 I just realized my mistake. I totally get it now.Sorry about that!Here is my new question...My last bid was not accepted, but this time I got a message to raise by $25.Should I go ahead and raise $25 now? or do I wait and try later?I know this is all part of the game. I am learning how to play.Thanks for teaching me!
heychongo Posted October 29, 2008 Author Report Posted October 29, 2008 Just wanted to let you know I got the Grand Hyatt for $165/night!Thank you for everything!It took me awhile, but I finally figured it out!love, love, love you!
heychongo Posted October 30, 2008 Author Report Posted October 30, 2008 One more mention...To get this at $165 I followed your original instructions (it took me a while to completely get it, but you know that already!)When I got to $160 that is when Priceline prompted me to add $25 to my previous bid, this would have made the bid $185.Instead of adding the $25, I closed and reopened the browser. I then rebid at $165 and added a new zone. This was accepted!Thanks again!
thereuare Posted October 30, 2008 Report Posted October 30, 2008 Congratulations on your success!Glad you got it all figured out and you're happy with the results... looks like a nice deal for these dates. We're happy to have helped and thank you for sharing your win with the board.Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.Enjoy your stay. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
Recommended Posts
Register now, we have a huge community of travel enthusiasts to answer any questions you might have.
Sign In Now