Priceline Hotel: Trying to Get the Marriott Wailea

[caitlinc333]

I am hoping to get the Marriott Wailea for 3/4/09 - 3/7/09. It looks like, by bidding on resorts in Wailea, I will probably end up with either the Maui Prince or the Marriott. I would much prefer the Marriott. Any tips for how to get the Marriott and avoid the Maui Prince?

From browsing prior posts, it looks like bidders tend to get the Marriott just a few weeks before travel, and those that get the Maui Prince tend to have bid more than a month in advance. Is that a trend worth paying attention to?

Also, Maui Prince is available on Hotwire, while the Marriott is not. There has been a 4* available (that I believe is the Maui Prince) off and on on Hotwire for those dates. Would bidding on a Wailea Resort on days when the Maui Prince is NOT available on Hotwire increase my chances of getting the Marriott?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[AaronJB]

Welcome to the site :)

As I mentioned in a number of Vegas threads recently, PRICELINE (or HOTWIRE) is a gamble/gambling. There are a lot of people who say they want a specific hotel, but neither service is an optimal way to get a specific hotel; it's only an optimal way to get a good deal on *a* hotel. If you are not willing to accept other possible hotels, PRICELINE is not a good way to go and very well may lead to disappointment.

There is no way to know for sure which of the resort properties you may get. There may be a "trend", but trends unfortunately often do not guarantee results on either service. A hotel showing up on one service also does not mean that a hotel will show up on another - or vice versa.

Sorry to bring bad news, but there's no way to guarantee a specific hotel on PRICELINE. If you still do need help on bidding, please let us know.

[jayer]

If it makes you feel better about possibly getting the Maui Prince (and I have never been inside), it has a fabulous snorkel beach out the back door. The Marriott is quite nice and I would be pleased to stay there again, but its not the hotel experience of your life. Then again, I rate hotels based on the nearest reef.