Bidding on day of stay

[youngster]

Is it possible to bid for a room on the day you want to stay?

[Colfax]

Priceline allows same day bidding, until 11pm Eastern Standard Time.

[thereuare]

Same day bidding is available in most areas... but there are some which don't allow it.

As well, even where the zone allows it, there may be some hotels which don't, so your options may be limited.

Lastly, note as per Colfax's message above, the cut-off time is 11pm Eastern Standard Tim... not local time.

[youngster]

I tried bidding "day of stay" several times on a recent trip with no luck. I used recent accepted bids in each area as a guideline for my bids. Either the price goes up on "day of stay" bids or the hotels were busier than their parking lots suggested.

[dahammer]

in the past 12 months, 40 of my last 41 bids on PRICELINE were same day bids or within 24 hours of my stay. I rarely have bid more than a day in advance in the past 4 years.

What areas are you bidding and can you post bidding history?

[jilly]

in the past 12 months, 40 of my last 41 bids on PRICELINE were same day bids or within 24 hours of my stay. I rarely have bid more than a day in advance in the past 4 years.

What areas are you bidding and can you post bidding history?

This is how I would like to do it when I travel in a few weeks time. Is the disadvantage of trying to bid on the same day that you have to get it right, price wise first up? I imagine you don't want to risk waiting 24 hours to put in another bid if your bid is too low or there are limited free rebid options - mind if I ask what your tips are for same day bidding?

Thanks

Jilly

[dahammer]

I imagine you don't want to risk waiting 24 hours to put in another bid if your bid is too low or there are limited free rebid options - mind if I ask what your tips are for same day bidding?

First, you will need to know the conventional rates for hotels in the zones you are considering; you can get these through PRICELINE's "shop and compare" site. Check HOTWIRE's prices as this could be a fallback position if bidding is unsuccessful. Use the free tools on the board such as Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins and the advanced search function to see winning bids in your target zone. Realize that weekend rates in some areas may be different from weekday rates when checking bid history. Be flexible and consider adajacent zones if your target zone is unavailable. Check your rebid zones for each bidding session so you don't waste any rebid opportunities. I'm typically bidding in the same areas, so I am very familiar with the zones

The risks of same day bidding include the possibility of being shut out, having to settle for lower rated accomodations than planned, settling for another zone, as well as over bidding for a room. Also, if you are travelling in smaller markets, the "spread" between rack rates and accepted bids is not that great, so same day bidding in some areas may not work. Also, you will need to find a wifi hot spot or a public computer at a library and spend time crafting a bid.

Finally, use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board, it costs you nothing and it keeps this place up and running which permits the exchange of information that could save you hundreds on your next trip......then pay it forward by reporting your win.

Good Luck!