Priceline Hotel: 4* Rome (Vatican City) Atlante Garden Hotel

[blowfish]

I'm trying to get two rooms in Rome for May 18-21. Started the bidding low...

In central, at 4*, bidding $85, was offered a room at $166 (no counteroffer when I bid $80 yesterday).

In central, 5*, bidding $119, offered a room for $259 (no counteroffer when I bid $115).

In the Vatican City zone, 4*, bidding $80, offered a room for $104!!!

Hotwire has a 4* in Vatican City for $119. (breakfast, restaurant, business center, net; apparently the same one as in the April 18th thread).

Of the two 4* Vatican city area hotels reported here, the Quality Nova Domus has a transparent rate of just under 130 EUR/night. The Atlante Garden is offering a non-refundable rate of about 130 EUR/night, so just slightly higher. The Nova Domus has not been reported here lately, but its TripAdvisor reviews suggest that it's still being won on one of the opaque booking sites.

I'd really prefer to be in the central zone, but with the price differential, if I knew I'd get the Atlante Garden for these prices, I'd go for it. I'm a little timid about getting the Nova Domus, though.

Anyone out there with recent Rome experience who hasn't posted yet? Any wisdom to offer?

[Romelle]

Regarding your Priceline bidding, you were very wise to not jump on the counter-offers. All they mean is there really is something out there, available somewhere between your bid and their counter number. (However, when you are bidding and not getting counter offers, the fact that you were allowed to bid in the zone already means there is something there. You just don't have an added bit of mostly worthless information.)

So - another $1 or $2 sometimes can turn the trick after you've started getting counters. You have enough time left to work your way up if you want to go the PL route. You are odds on to win about 1/2 way up. Not necessarily, but probably.

No free rebids at the 4* level in Rome, but 4 of them at 5* level, in case your budget will let you explore that a little more.

I'd guess with this whole swine flu thing on top of a weak economy there will be some real bargains out there.

I'll leave your Hotwire questions for somebody else.

Romelle

Accepting counter-offers can make sense if you are totally out of time/bids/patience/??.

Do remember that the Europe hotels are expressed in Euros, so currency shifts can affect US$ bids. If you see the dollar get less expensive, the same bid that lost before might win now (and vice versa of course).

And do check your PL rewards before bidding. People are seeing bonus money lately. Some expired 3/30/09, but you just never know. A good habit.

[Giltis]

I am interested in securing a 5 Star in Central Rome for 2 nights (May 17 and 18). I bid $150 and $160, but both were rejected (one of them had a $250+ counter offer). Are you suggesting that I should keep bidding these amounts with everything going on? I did not want to go any higher since I have another hotel reserved in that area for a similar price (not as nice), but maybe I should continue putting $160 bids out there? Increase by $1 at a time? Thanks.

[Romelle]

I am interested in securing a 5 Star in Central Rome for 2 nights (May 17 and 18). I bid $150 and $160, but both were rejected (one of them had a $250+ counter offer). Are you suggesting that I should keep bidding these amounts with everything going on? I did not want to go any higher since I have another hotel reserved in that area for a similar price (not as nice), but maybe I should continue putting $160 bids out there? Increase by $1 at a time? Thanks.

What you want to do first is start a thread of your very own, with your dates and other information. That way, people looking at bids later won't miss yours tucked away at the bottom of this thread.

The real point is that with the other hotel safely reserved, what do you have to lose other than a little time? If your budget will allow it, you could inch up to your max. If not, you could keep bidding the $150-$160 range just to see if you get lucky and improve your quarters.

If I were doing the bidding, and my budget top was $160, I think I'd do something like bid every other night so I wouldn't have to remember the exact time of the 24 limit (and you have a couple weeks to fool around with it). My pattern might be to start with the Central 5* at $150, and then add the four other zones one at a time while bidding $153, $156, $158, and $160. The other Rome zones don't have 5*s in them so you can freely use them. This pattern sort of sweeps regularly, so if something new is added, you still catch it at a lower number. It wouldn't hurt before your bidding to each time again make sure a 5* didn't crop up in another zone.

Lots of variations on this approach, but that would be the general idea.

Wins for Rome 5*s are normally rare, and normally a lot higher. This would be the time to try for one.

I hope you post again and let us know how you are doing.

Romelle

[XT600]

@blowfish: did you check the free market sites like otel.com? or hrs.de, hotel.de, booking.com (you can switch all sites to english, pay-at-hotel full flexible and no surprises)

e.g. at hrs.de 4* BW Triangoli starts for your dates with 98 EUR (135 USD) incl. tax and breakfast, #70 in TA "top value" but far outside

or

"Prime Relais Principe Torlonia" is 111 EUR (150 USD) incl. tax and breakfast if you prefer to live in a castle? 4km from centre!!

or prepaid above otel.com the Milton Roma for 128 EUR (160 USD) incl. tax and bf. #85 in TA

Good luck!

[blowfish]

Thanks to all for the help. Your help, combined with seeing someone win the Atlante Garden in June for $81, inspired me to keep trying, and slowly. And I had looked at transparent booking sites: as a backup, I had been holding a single quad room (rather than two priceline rooms) for 120EUR (~US$162).

In the Vatican City zone, 4*, bidding $80, offered a room for $104!!!

... The Atlante Garden is offering a non-refundable rate of about 130 EUR/night, so just slightly higher.

I got the Atlante Garden today for $95, having not gotten it for $92.

At $80/82/84/87, I got counteroffers at $104. At both $90 and $92, I was offered a chance to rebid for +$22.

[yellowdog]

Thank you for sharing your win with the board!

Great to see that everything worked out well for you.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links to start future purchases.

Have a great stay.

Yellowdog.

[blowfish]

I tried to extend the stay using transparent rates for one night and found the property completely booked up -- it looks like they're being aggressive with inventory management.

The hotel was decent, but nothing to write home about. I'd be happy to win it again at this price.