Hotwire Hotel: 4.5* Cancun (North) Aqua Cancun

[travelroberto]

We are visiting Cancun on a one-night layover before heading to Merida for vacation, and we are hoping to find a great deal on a 4*+ hotel. All of the information is below. Can you please help me with a Priceline bidding strategy?

Cancun (Downtown & Beaches zone, prefer beachfront & oceanview)

4*, resort, or 5* property (Gran Melia, ME, Le Meridien, etc.)

2 rooms (1 with two adults, 1 with 1 adult, any number of beds is OK)

One night, 12/29/08

Maximum bid is $225 per room (tax included), but would prefer to pay $100-150 per room

Any advice for a good bidding strategy? I haven't used PRICELINE much and I'm worried that our vacation will begin in the basement of a so-called 4* hotel at the airport! :)

Thanks so much for helping a newbie!

Cheers,

Roberto

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Did you want to try for a 5* first up to your limit, then try for a Resort, then try for a 4*... or is your goal the least expensive 4* or better for this stay?

Also, please let us know your current limit before taxes and fees.

Let us know the above and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[travelroberto]

Thanks so much for your reply. We'd like to get the best deal possible on a 4* hotel or above. Talking this over with my travel partner, I think our max bid (before taxes and fees) will be $160 per room.

[thereuare]

Rates are somewhat high for this date and you only have one re-bid zone available at the 4* level. 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.

I would begin as follows:

Select 4* Cancun...

Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $90.

I don't expect the above to be successful, but with a month to go before your stay i would try lowballing first with the above (so don't get discouraged)

If the above does fail, wait 24 hours and try:

I would begin as follows:

Select 4* Cancun...

Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $110.

If this too fails (quite possible) post back and we'll revise from there. If you recieve a counter-offer on either attempt (ie- 'we can't find a hotel and normally you must change some aspect of your bid to try again, but if you're willing to raise your bid by $xx we'll let you try again immediate) then stop bidding and post back to advise as to how to proceed.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[travelroberto]

Tried option #1 ($70, then $90) and no luck. Will try option #2 tomorrow after the 24-hour wait period.

Just to clarify, from what I can see, my only free rebid zone on this particular request (4* Cancun) is Isla Mujeres. Is this correct? If I restrict my bid to Resort & 5* properties, will there be an additional rebid zone?

Thanks!

[thereuare]

Yes, currently there is only one re-bid zone at the 4* level, Isla Mujeres (always doublecheck before each bidding cycle)

At the 5* level you have three re-bid zones available, at the Resort level just one.

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

Keep us updated.

[travelroberto]

Tried 4* options up to $110 to no avail.

Retried today to see if inventory had changed. Here is the current list of "No's" (trying for Resorts, then 4*'s). Will keep trying and keep you updated!

Resorts only

12/29/2008 12/30/2008 Cancun (Downtown & Beaches): $85

12/29/2008 12/30/2008 Cancun (Downtown & Beaches), Isla Mujeres: $99

Then 4*'s

12/29/2008 12/30/2008 Cancun (Downtown & Beaches): $99

12/29/2008 12/30/2008 Cancun (Downtown & Beaches), Isla Mujeres: $110

Since the original strategy hasn't worked yet, I tried something a bit different this time. In reailty, we would much prefer a Resort category hotel at these prices, so I think I'd like to concentrate my efforts there, and then check to see if we can eek out a 4* at a really reduced rate as Plan B.

Thanks for your continuing advice.

Cheers,

Berto

[thereuare]

How high do you want to bid for a Resort before lowering your star rating and trying for a 4 star?

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

[travelroberto]

We are willing to bid up to $160 for a resort/5* before trying the 4* option.

We would be willing to bid up to $130 for a 4* hotel.

I know this is probably the highest season of the year, so maybe I'm being too optimistic? Regardless, I will definitely use the link from betterbidding from here on out. I hope to try again tomorrow morning, after the 24-hour wait period.

Thanks!

Berto

[thereuare]

We are willing to bid up to $160 for a resort/5* before trying the 4* option

You didn't mention 5* above so this raises another question... are you willing to bid up to $160 for a 5* before trying for a Resort (this is possible since you have additional re-bid zones at the 5* level) OR did you want to bid up to $160 for a Resort class or better before trying for a 4*?

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

[travelroberto]

I believe the only 5* hotel in this area is the Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach, which doesn't interest us enough to bid at that level first. We'd actually prefer many of the "resort" level hotels over this one (knowing full well that checking "resort" could still land us at the Fiesta Americana!).

I plan to rebid today ... any thoughts about the best new strategy?

Thanks,

B

[thereuare]

Still only one re-bid zone at the Resort level, and given your previously rejected bid at the 4* level at $110, i'd try as follows:

Select Resort Cancun...

Bid $115, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120.

I'd increase each bid by $5 every 24 hours up to your $160 limit, then we'll start to include 4* options into the bidding.

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Keep us updated with your progress.

[travelroberto]

12/2/08 Bid for 12/29 Cancun

Resort (Cancun) $120 - no

Resort (Cancun & Isla) $130 - no

Will try again tomorrow, beginning with $130 and increasing by $5.

Thanks,

B

[travelroberto]

An update on rejected bids for 12/29 (C=Cancun, CI=Cancun+Isla zones)

12/2/08, resort C$120 CI$130, 4* C$100 CI$105

12/4/08, resort C$130 CI$135, 4* C$105 CI$110

One question I hadn't thought about asking:

We are bidding on two rooms, since there are three adults and we need at least two beds guaranteed. Is it possible that bidding on two rooms actually makes it more difficult to get an offer accepted? If so, should I try for one room and then immediately bid the same for a second room if accepted?

Hmmm...

[thereuare]

Two rooms is usually a non-event, but if it does have an effect, it's a negative one. It only has an effect if a hotel that would otherwise accept your bid is only offering one room at that price, and therefore your bid woudl be rejected since they can't fufill your request for two rooms. Given this scenario, bidding on one room and then trying for another would not help the situation at all.

If you are willing to share a room if it had two beds, you may also want to try searching HOTWIRE for triple occupancy, as that would guarantee two beds (although the 'second bed' could be a rollaway or pullout sofabed... if this would work for your needs)

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

[travelroberto]

We made it up to our maximum for a resort ($160, Cancun & Isla) to no avail.

We have gone as high as $125 for a 4* with no luck.

Any more advice?

Also, I'd be curious to hear from successful bidders about their experiences with the Cancun Gran Melia:

1. What kind of room did the hotel offer upon arrival? (Was it the "entry level" lagoon view room?)

2. Is it possible to upgrade when you arrive at the hotel (with or without an additional fee)?

Thanks,

Berto

[thereuare]

I can't comment regarding the rooms/upgrades at the Gran Melia, but the reviews seem to be very good.

It appears you're within $5 of your last stated maximum bid for a 4* hotel, so your choices come down to:

-increasing your bid closer to your original maximum $200+

-lower your star rating

-wait it out and continue to try at your current bid amounts

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

[travelroberto]

Since we didn't have much luck with PRICELINE, we decided to move over to HOTWIRE. For $246 per night, we got a room at the Aqua Cancun on 12/29. Here are the details:

4.5-star hotel in North Hotel Zone

Resort

Beachfront

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

Laundry Facilities .

High-speed Internet Access .

Golf Nearby

Tennis Nearby

Spa Services

Children's Activity Program

Cheers,

B

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Thank you for sharing your results with the board and helping us add this property to the Hotwire Hotel List.

While more than you originally set out to spend, it appears you're happy with the results and the hotel you received.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[travelroberto]

Thought I would report on our trip...

We were VERY unhappy with the Aqua, and I advise ALL Hotwire bidders to stay away from this hotel!!! The front desk gave us the option of three HORRIBLE rooms, all with terrible drawbacks (loud fan, no view, etc.) and we were finally placed right near a construction site that included jackhammers at 6 a.m. in the morning! When I complained to the front desk, the agent said that they never use these rooms for "regular" customers, but reserve them for discount customers from HOTWIRE and PRICELINE. I WOULD AVOID THE AQUA CANCUN AT ALL COSTS!!!