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Priceline Hotel: I think I need rebid for dummies-San Juan 3/6


norsie
By norsie,
in

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I have been lurking trying to understand the priceline rebid process but I think I need the remedial rebid for dummies course :)

I am trying to bid on a 3 or 4 star hotel in San Juan for 3/6. I tried to follow exactly what you told a previous poster to do but I just don't get it. I also read the articles about rebidding that you directed them to and I'm afraid I am confused about rebid zones versus regular zones and opaque versus retail. I think I need some hand-holding with my first Priceline experience.

This is the information (See below) I read that you gave the other poster. So far I've tried the first step of bidding 3*, Zone 1 but I was rejected. I tried to add zones (or in my case, unclick the other zones that Priceline was suggesting when I didn't win). I couldn't figure out what you menat by rebid Zone 2 versus Priceline Zone 2 because I don't see Zone #s. I'm sure it's blatantly obvious but I'm apparently a little slow. Any help you can provide would be appreciated! Thanks!

From a previous post...

At the 3* level you have two 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)

Select 3* San Juan...

Bid $50, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $55, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* San Juan and re-bid zone2...

Bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $65

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That's the exact same date I need to find a room for a friend of mine. Taking the Serenade of the Seas out of San Juan on the 7th?

If you can swing 3/5 and 3/6 then I'd consider HOTWIRE. The Sheraton Old San Juan was available at $82, $89, and $119 / night in recent days. At the moment it is not among the hotels listed.

If you were to bid and use the proper rebid zones you'd have 4 bids available in a 24 hour period. You might try 70, 73, 76, and 79. Then try 77, 80, 83, 86. On the third day you can try 82, 85, 88, 91. I'm optimistic that you'd find a room at that rate.

As for rebid zones, I'll let the moderators discuss that with you in general. In this particular case and for this evening Cabo Rojo and Ponce - Guanica are your rebid zones for 3*s in San Juan.

Try San Juan zone

Then try San Juan and Cabo Rojo (Rebid zone 1)

Close Browser and start over

Try San Juan and Ponce-Guanica (Rebid zone 2)

Try San Juan, Cabo Rojo, and Ponce-Guanica (Rebid zones 1 and 2)

Let us know how you make out as I'm targeting the Sheraton Old San Juan in San Juan. Need another room to match the one I currently have at the hotel.

If you target 3.5*s in San Juan you'd have additional rebid zones. Note Dorado and Mayaguez-Isabela do not have 3.5s or better. With more rebid zones you can work more bids with lower increments. The moderators will be happy to give you a bidding strategy if you go that route.

Good Luck.

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Welcome to BetterBidding!

With your stay not until March i would make sure you understand re-bidding before trying again to make sure you don't end up in an area you don't intend...

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)

So start by listing all the zones in the area, and using the technique quoted above, write down the highest star rating avaialble in each zone.

If you're confused at this point just post back and we'll break it down further you... or post your findings and we'll confirm you have it right.

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

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Thanks, Rochester Rich and Thereuare for the information. I'm starting to catch on a little bit. There are a couple things I don't understand. What is the difference between the "retail" site and the "Opaque" site and how do I know which one I'm in? If I just click the link, will I be in the right place? Also, I finally see what you mean by clicking on the different zones to see what star ratings each zone has but I still don't understand how the rebid zones are numbered. For example, when I look at Priceline, Ponce is zone 4 but it looks like it is rebid zone 2. I'm not sure I understand why that is.

Also, you said "With your stay not until March..." Do you think I am bidding too early? Is there a strategy to waiting? Do you find that there are certain days, times, times of the month, etc. that are better than others?

Rochester Rich, I am going to be on the Serenade also! Thanks for elaborating on what rebid zones were called because the numbers are confusing.

I would also like to end up in the Sheraton but I think any of the 3 or 3.5 sound reasonable for one night. Is there a reason to start with the 3.5 stars? If I remember from the hotel list, the Sheraton is now a 3* (I don't want to lose this info by confirming that right now). I like your idea about having more options. We are actually looking for 2 rooms in case that would affect my strategy.

To confirm my understanding...

I'm going to click the San Juan zone (should I start in the 50's or 70's? I've seen both accepted lately)

Then I'm going to click San Juan and Cabo Rojo (Rebid zone 1)-The other night when I tried to click or unclick anything and everything was greyed out. Maybe that was a technical issue?

Then I'm going to come back to this site and

Click San Juan and Ponce-Guanica (Rebid zone 2)

Then I'm going to click all three because San Juan, Cabo Rojo, and Ponce-Guanica (Rebid zones 1 and 2) only SJ has 3*+

Did I get all that right?

I would be interested in a strategy for 3.5*. Maybe I should try that also.

Thanks for all the help. I appreciate it!

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If you click this PRICELINE link you'll be taken to the "opaque" (aka- name your own price) version of PRICELINE.

Opaque - you bid and don't learn the name of the hotel until after your bid is accepted

Retail - just like almost every other booking service out there where you see a hotel name and a price and you choose to buy it... PRICELINE has a section of their website where they operate like this, just like Expedia, Orbitz, traevelocity, etc

PRICELINE is not going to number the re-bid zones for your on their website. When we say re-bid zone1 it is your first re-bid zone, when we say re-bid zone2 it is your 2nd re-bid zone, and so-on, and so-on. Don't get confused between what we call re-bid zone1 and the 1st zone in PRICELINEs list, etc, etc..

Re-bid zone1 = the first zone in your list that qualifies as a re-bid zone

Re-bid zone2 = the second zone in your list that qualifies as a re-bid zone

etc, etc

You can use this site to doublecheck your re-bid zones (i wouldn't use it as a primary source since it's listed as 'beta' but you can at least doublecheck to make sure you have it correct): RE-BIDDING.com

Also, you said "With your stay not until March..." Do you think I am bidding too early?
My comments where that if you don't understand re-bidding, you have plenty of time to learn it and shoudln't go bidding haphazardly... better to wait, understand how to figure our your re-bid zones so tht you make sure you end up in an area you want to be (and not make a mistake).

Let us know what you want to try next... for a 3.5* or a 3*, because at the 3.5* level you have additional re-bid zones (4 of them) so the strategy will differ somewhat.

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

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I would also like to end up in the Sheraton but I think any of the 3 or 3.5 sound reasonable for one night. Is there a reason to start with the 3.5 stars? If I remember from the hotel list, the Sheraton is now a 3* (I don't want to lose this info by confirming that right now). I like your idea about having more options. We are actually looking for 2 rooms in case that would affect my strategy.

Hotwire downgraded the Sheraton to 3*s but the most recent Priceline bid has the Sheraton at 3.5*s.

I'd try my bidding at 3.5*s. I like the Sheraton and Embassy Suites hotels although the Embassy Suites is just outside the airport and a cab ride from Old San Juan. I think the likelihood of getting the Sheraton is greater than the Embassy Suites. Bidding in the 3.5 zone will give you a far greater number of rebids. You can get more than 10 bids oer 24 hours --- more than enough.

At 3.5*s, in particular the Sheraton and Embassy Suites, you'll need to start bidding in the 70s and might be successful in the 80s or low 90s. My Hotwire rate at the Sheraton is for $89 but required 2 nights.

With 10 bids I'd go with 70, 75, 79, 83, 85, 87, 89, 91, 93, 95. If I didn't get a win at that point I might stop and reconsider bidding at 3*s. You might ask ThereUAre for a complete bidding strategy about how to work 4 rebid zones into 10 or more rebids.

Just to hedge my bets I reserved an Old San Juan hotel (Howard Johnson) at $150. I figure to cancel without a cancelation fee but wanted to have something just in case. I am optimistic that we'll get a 3.5 hotel or better for under $100. I guess we'll see.

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At the 3.5* you have FOUR 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)

Select 3.5* San Juan...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $80, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3.5* San Juan and re-bid zone4...

Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $93, if rejected add re-bid zone3...

Bid $95

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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The truth is I was waiting to see how you fare. If it were for me I'd already have tried. My problem is that I already have a room at the Sheraton and this new room is for someone else. He's really hopeful that we can be at the same hotel but not willing to shell out $200 to guarantee it. I was hoping that Hotwire would pick it up for 1 night stays but instead I found them dropping it for 2 night stays. The nice thing about HOTWIRE is that with the help of this site we can fairly accurately know which hotel is being offered. So now I'm just waiting to see which hotel you get. Good luck.

Don't forget to start your bidding with the PRICELINE link found on this site.

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Thereuare, thanks for the bidding information. I am going to digest it and try tomorrow when I'm a little more "with it." One more question before I try this...what does closing the browser do? Thanks!

Rochester Rich, I've been away for the weekend so I'm going to give it a try tomorrow. I'll be sure to let you know what I end up with.

Thanks for all the help!

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Well, unfortunately it didn't work. The process was simple the way you outlined it. What would you do at this point? I see that Priceline and Hotwire have 3-3.5* hotels between 113-139 (They've gone up $10 since I've been bidding tonight so that's a little concerning). Should I reserve something on Priceline's retail site and keep trying to bid? It's so hard to pick a hotel because the reviews are so mixed on every hotel. If we didn't have young children, I wouldn't even worry about it but I want to make sure we are in a fairly safe area. I guess it's all dependent on your needs/personality. Should I bid a little more up to about $110? If so, what strategy should I use and how long do I have to wait until I place those bids? 24 or 72 hours? Thanks for all your help!

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I bid from $80 through $116 at 3.5* and reached my maximum rebids for the day. We both might want to consider our options at 3*s. Remember if you go this route your rebid zones are much more limited. You'll get 2 rebid zones allowing for a max of 4 bids in 24 hours. I'll have to review what I think are the probable 3* hotels in the San Juan zone and then decide what premium I'm willing to pay to get one of the 3.5* hotels. Presumably I'd star back at $80 for the 3*s.

Thereuare, I'll start my own post shortly.

I'm out of town and may not post again till next week.

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If we didn't have young children...
To confirm... you're bidding for one room for more than double occpancy? You are aware that PRICELINE only guarnatees double occupancy and you could receive a room with only one bed?

As a back-up (always doublecheck the cancellation policy yourself thru the checkout process) you could book the Doubletree San Juan for $179/nite with a Queen bed and a Double Murphy Bed (for the kids).

This property was recently taken over by the Doubletree and many (most? all?) of the rooms were recently renovated.

As i've often noted before on the board, San Juan hotel reviews are very mixed... even the best have quite a few negative reviews. A lot of this is atrributable to it being an expensive hotel market, and when guests pay a lot, they expect a lot, and the service levels in San Juan often fall short of expectations (relative to the price paid)... it's not that the service is bad per se, but there is a cultural difference, as San Juan is still very much an island and operates on "island time" (which i suspect you're familiar with from cruising)... and this 'no rush' attitude is not what many expect when paying the rates they are.

Does the url=http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-1492259-10592070?url=http://travela.priceline.com/hotel/overview-priceline-592702.html]Doubletree San Juan work for your needs as a back-up? (please use this link if you do reserve this)

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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I think the Doubletree would be an option. I could get the Hotel Miramar for $116 from Priceline's retail site. Or what seems to be the Normandie from Hotwire for $123. Knowing that Rochester Rich wasn't awarded the bid into the teens, I'm thinking I should maybe take the Miramar as a backup. From what I read, it's totally cancelleable until the week of the trip. Then I could bid again on Priceline in a couple days, right? As we've already said, the reviews are so mixed about both of them, it's hard to know what to do. Do you think the Doubletree is worth that much more? We just need some place decent to stay for the night before the cruise. The other option is bid at the 3* level. What would the recommended strategy be for that? RR said start at $80. Seems reasonable based on the other bids we've tried.

Thanks for all your help!

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I wouldn't stay at the Normandie... reviews are just too lopsided to the downside. PRICELINE only rates the Hotel Miramar 2 stars, but if you think that would work fine for your plans, then that should serve as a good back-up (but hopefully you won't need to stay there and something will come thru for you via PRICELINE or HOTWIRE)

If it were me i'd give another week before resorting to a 3* property in San Juan as i'd prefer to keep my options open in case something comes along.

Please use our link to the Hotel Miramar if you go that route.

Keep us updated and/or let us know if anything new appears on HOTWIRE between now and then.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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At the 3* level you have TWO 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)

Select 3* San Juan...

Bid $50, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $55, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* San Juan and re-bid zone2...

Bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $65

Any questionls freel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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Assuming your maximum bid is still $80, i would try as follows 24 hours after your last rejected bid:

Select 3* San Juan...

Bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $70, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* San Juan and re-bid zone2...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $80

Any questions feel free to ask,

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

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I tried another set of bids at 3.5*s without success. I bid through $135 for 1 night arriving 3/6. At $135 and with the taxes I am now at the same rate I have at the Howard Johnson --- $165 ai.

I might consider continuing with bids and ideally I would get the Sheraton Old San Juan. But here's the problem. The Sheraton Old San Juan and the Howard Johnson in Old San Juan are both showing that they are sold out for the night.

Perhaps the best plan for me is to sit and wait till rooms become available. I believe the Sheraton has a 3 day cancellation window. Maybe rooms will open then. The cancellation window at the Howard Johnson is 2 days.

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