Priceline Hotel: 3* Charleston (Ashley River) Riverview Hotel

[Stan]

Started bid at $50 for 3* in Isle of Palms. Rejected. Rebid Folly Beach at $55. Rejected. Rebid Downtown Charleston at $56. rejected. Rebid Mt Pleasant at $56. Rejected. Rebid Ashley River Area at $60. Accepted.

Congratulations, you got your price of $60 for a 3-star hotel room.

Charleston Riverview Hotel

Your Offer Price: $60.00

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 3

Subtotal: $180.00

Taxes & Service Fees:

$31.11

Total Charges: $211.11

I checked the hotel web site, the rate for the three nights averaged $82. PL showed suggested retail price of $189 which is misleading since the hotel website showed average of $82 for the same dates. Does anyone know anything about the hotel or the Ashley River area? Any comment on the bidding would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Stan

[thereuare]

Thanks for sharing your winning bid and helping our list grow.

Am i correct that this is in the Ashley River zone?

Comments on Bidding:

You added zones that were not re-bid zones as they had 3* hotels in them, and at the same time, raised your bid... this isn't recommended. You did have 3 re-bid zones availble at the 3* level so you could have makde the all of above bids without risking a 3* in a zone other than the Isle of Palms.

If the other zones were acceptable to you none-the-less, you could have tried them each indvidually at lower bid amounts, then if rejected, started to combine zones (and use re-bid zones) and gradually raise your price.

If you don't understand what i mean by the above feel free to ask for clarification. Still a good deal as i'm sure it's considerably cheaper than anything you could have gotten thru conventional means. :)

[Stan]

Thanks Thereuare for your comments.

The hotel address is in Charleston and the hotel web site indicates that it is located less than 2 miles from downtown Charleston. In addition, before my bid was accepted, I added Ashley River area.

When I made my bid on the 18th, I did not think I would end up winning the bid. I thought my biddings were too low (compared to PL retail price). I did not feel good when PL accepted my bid at $60. Furthermore, after I checked out the hotel reviews, it made me even felt worse. About half of the reviews are good and the half are full of complaints. I wrote the hotel manager a letter the next day to confirm my reservation and to request for a 2 beds room with a nice view and others. A few days later, a hotel employee called to confirm most of my requests.

I tried to read your posted strategy, and I don't have the full understanding on the bidding process yet. The four areas That I selected (one at a time) were Isle of Palms (3*, 2*, 1*), Folly Beach (2*, 1*), Downtown Charleston (4*, 3*, 2*, 1*) and Ashley River (3*, 2 1/2*, 2*, 1*).

I started the bid at $50 in Isle of Palms by selecting 3*. The bid was rejected and the 3* was greyed out ( Does this mean I was locked at the 3* level?). So I thought by selecting Folly Beach area which has 2* and 1*, I would be still bidding in the Isle of Palms area at the 3* level. So I raised the bid to $55 (after adding Folly Beach). It was rejected. Next I selected Downtown Charleston area and bidded at $56. Here I thought I was bidding 3* in Isle of Palms and Downtown Charleston. It was rejected. Next I selected Ashley River area and raised my bid to $60. At this point I thought I was bidding 3* in Isle of Palms, Downtown Charleston and Ashley River. PL accepted the bid @ $60.

Please let me know what I should have done. In retrospect, I should have stop the bidding @$56 and tried again another day. I guess it was late and I was tired and I was not thinking rationally.

Stan

[thereuare]

Re-formatted to make it easier to see:

The four areas That I selected (one at a time) were Isle of Palms (3*, 2*, 1*), Folly Beach (2*, 1*), Downtown Charleston (4*, 3*, 2*, 1*) and Ashley River (3*, 2 1/2*, 2*, 1*).

3* Isle of Palms @$50 rejected

added Folly Beach @$55 rejected

added Downtown @$56 rejected

added Ashley River @$60 accepted

Adding Folly Beach was a good re-bid since its highest star rating is 2*. However, given your scenario, what if the Ashley River zone's 3* would have accepted at $50 (or lower)... the way you bid would result in a $10 over-bid.

A better approach (using the figures you bid):

3* Isle of Palms @ $50, if rejected add

Folly Beach @ $55 (which based upon your hisotry would have been rejected)

Close that browser and star over again:

3* Downtown @$50 (which based upon your hisotry would have been rejected)

add Isle of Palms @$55 (which based upon your hisotry would have been rejected)

add Folly Beach @ $56 (which based upon your hisotry would have been rejected)

Close that browser and star over again:

3* Ashley River @ $50 (accepted? we don't know) but if rejected...

add Isle of Palms @ $55 (accepted? we don't know) but if rejected...

add Folly Beach @ $56 (accepted? we don't know) but if rejected...

add Downtown @ $60 <would result in acceptance if other bids didn't>

Although the above is more time consuming, it's a more sound approach since it give you the opportunity to get accepted in Ashley River at lower price points.

Hopefully this makes it clearer but if questions still remain please ask... we're here to help. :)

To answer your other question, Priceline 'greyed out' the star level you bid and any higher. This is because your 3* bid was for 3* and higher (as in 3* is the minimum you are willing to accept). The star level you bid (and any higher) are greyed out since if you could select them they would be considered a duplicate bid.

[Stan]

Thereuare,

Thanks again for your help in clarifying the bidding strategy. Yes, the bid price is still cheaper than booking directly at the hotel web site. My main concern is the condition of the hotel room (some of the hotel reviews were not encouraging). I will find out during my stay there next month.

Stan