Bidding on priceline for whole vacation

[Ton]

Hello everyone,

I am new on this forum and i'm coming from holland. Sorry if i ask this question on the wrong site of this forum, and also sorry for my bad englisch too.

First. I want to go on vacation on 23 June 2009 till 8 July 2009. We want to make a roundtrip on the west coast of america. Becouse i am a student, i want to spend not too much money for the hotels. Our budget is like 900 dollar.

We can spend 60 dollar at night for an hotel room. (We are with 2 persons). I think that the best way is to bid on priceline. Then i always know the price becouse i bid the price.

The problem is that the price is always without taxes. When i bid 50 dollar then it is always more than 50 dollar.

The Questions:

1:How can i calculate a total price? With taxes? (No surprises after all)

2:How do i know which price i have to bid?

3:Can i stay on 3 or 4**** star hotels for this money?

4:Is it possible to sleep 15 nights on hotels for this money?

5:Is there somebody that can give me a good advice or tip?

Thank you for your help!

This is our trip that we want to do:

Day 1: Phoenix. (arrival 15:15)

Day 2: Phoenix - Sedona 115 mijl, circa 2 uur rijden

Day 3: Sedona - Grand Canyon 113 mijl, circa 2 uur en 10 minuten rijden (Is dit bij skywalk?)

Day 4: Grand Canyon - Bryce 284 mijl, 5:30 uur rijden

Day 5: Bryce - Zion 86 mijl, 2:00 uur rijden

Day 6: Zion - Las Vegas 166 mijl, 2:50 uur rijden

Day 7: Las Vegas

Day 8: Las Vegas - Death Valley 166 mijl, 3:35 uur rijden

Day 9: Death Valley - Yosemite 8:00 uur????

Day 10: Yosemite

Day 11: Yosemite - San Francisco 194 mijl, 3:45 uur rijden Tioga Pass open ?

Day 12: San Francisco

Day 13: San Francisco - San Simeon 193 mijl, 3:10 uur rijden

Day 14: San Simeon - Los Angeles 202 mijl, 3:20 uur rijden

Day 15: Los Angeles

Day 16: Los Angeles leaving.

[Colfax]

Welcome to BetterBidding, Ton. It sounds like a fun vacation you've planned with a good mix of big cities and national parks.

I may not answer all your questions but I'll get started on a couple.

1) TAXES. You can see the room's total price, including all taxes and Priceline's service fee, before you purchase. After entering your bid amount the grand total, including taxes and fees, displays on the following page. A $50 bid might come to around $62-68 after tax/fee. Tax rates vary by city so a $50 bid won't have the same grand total in every city.

Note that some hotels charge for parking and/or internet access and those charges are NOT included in Priceline's tax/fee. Generally speaking 4* and 3.5* hotels have more and higher extra charges than lower rated hotels.

2) HOW MUCH TO BID? There's no one answer. It varies by city, zone, season, and date. In some cities you can get a 4* in the $40's. Other places a 4* costs over $100. We'll have to look at each segment of your trip individually. Some nights you'll be able to get something for less than $60; some nights you'll pay more. I think on average you can come in around $60/night for the whole trip, if you have some flexibility about zones and quality levels. Other than Phoenix maybe I don't think you'll get 4* hotels for $60, but 3* and 2.5* hotels are very possible; maybe 3.5*.

Also generally speaking, Priceline works better in large cities than in some of the national parks areas you're visiting, where there are fewer hotels. During summer it can be difficult finding discounted rooms near popular parks, especially on weekends. But with the economy maybe there will be more vacancies and lower prices this summer.

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One key thing needs to be clarified at the start. You wrote:

We can spend 60 dollar at night for an hotel room. (We are with 2 persons).

When you say "we are with 2 persons" does that mean your party is 2 people or 3? Priceline only guarantees double occupancy, which could be a room with one double bed. If you need more than one bed we might have to look at other options besides Priceline.

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We have to look at each of your hotel stays separately, one stay per thread. We might start with Night 1 first, in Phoenix. When you're ready to bid please start a new thread in the Arizona section of the board and we'll give specific advice about that leg of the stay. If you need more than one bed we'll address that in the new thread.

Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links when you bid.

Welcome to the U.S.!

[simonoc]

Hello everyone,

The Questions:

1:How can i calculate a total price? With taxes? (No surprises after all)

Always before final confirmation the overall price w/taxes is shown. Generally I add roughly 15% to my offer.

2:How do i know which price i have to bid?

a) Search this website:)

:) Start early with little amount and then raise it every day by few dollars

3:Can i stay on 3 or 4**** star hotels for this money?

Of course! With little luck you can get 5* for 60 w/taxes

4:Is it possible to sleep 15 nights on hotels for this money?

YES

5:Is there somebody that can give me a good advice or tip?

A few hundred thousands people around the world:)

What do you need exactly?

Where to hide money? A: dirty laundry

Can I drink and drive? A: no!

And do not eat yellow snow!