Priceline Hotel: 4* Detroit (Southfield) Westin

[TravelAround_2]

First priority is being in or close to (within 10-20 minutes) Farmington Hills or Royal Oak. Second priority is getting a 4-star hotel. Checking in June 27 and out June 29 (2 nights).

What Priceline zone would be the closest? I checked Detroit Suburbs and none of the zones seem to have a 4-star. Are there any Detroit zones that would be close enough to Farmington Hills or Royal Oak or do you suggest going with a 3.5-star in the Detroit Suburbs?

Also, what would be a good bidding strategy to secure a 4-star (or 3.5-star if I have to go with Detroit Suburbs)? It seems that in Detroit, Taylor is the only zone without a 4-star hotel; and in Detroit Suburbs, Bloomfield Hills and Warren do not have 3.5-star hotels. Would those be good zones to add to get a "free" rebid if my original bid is rejected?

Thank you!

[thereuare]

I would put in the exact address of where you need to be at MAPS and HOTELS.com to get an overview of the area and the hotels nearby, then compare where you need to be to the zone(s) at PRICELINE

PRICELINE does have a "Farmington" zone in their Detroit Northwest Region (enter "Farmington" in the search box on the top right corner of the board) where the highest rated hotel goes up to 3 stars.

However, using the Maps and Hotels.com, it appears that Southfield is directly between Farmington Hills and Royal Oak, perhaps this would work well for your needs? (depending upon exactly where you need to be) Southfield is part of the Detroit, MI region and does have 4* hotels.

Take a look at the above and let us know how you'd like to proceed.

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

[TravelAround_2]

Thank you! I will go with the Southfield zone. That will work well. I will bid as soon as the prices on Hotwire go down a bit. They seem to be higher right now than they were last week.

I plan on starting with a 4* bid for Southfield. If that is rejected, I will increase my price and add Taylor as a "free" rebid, as there are no 4* hotels in Taylor. Is that a good strategy?

Thank you.

[thereuare]

I will bid as soon as the prices on Hotwire go down a bit... I plan on starting with a 4* bid for Southfield. If that is rejected, I will increase my price and add Taylor as a "free" rebid, as there are no 4* hotels in Taylor. Is that a good strategy?

First question is what makes you think that prices will go down? What where the rates last week and how much are they now?

Yes, you can bid a 4* for Southfield and then add Taylor as a re-bid zone... but you need to doublecheck this right before you bid to make sure that nothing has changed.

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

[TravelAround_2]

A "hunch", and it paid off. Last week, the one 4* hotel in Southfield (Westin) was in the mid $50s on HOTWIRE. Yesterday afternoon it was $66; by late afternoon it was $70. Today, it was down to $62, which seemed more reasonable.

After a couple of days of bidding, I got the Westin Southfield (as expected, based on what I read on this board) for $55 per night, using the board's PRICELINE link. Based on wins posted for the Westin for the last few years, this seems a little lower than average, plus it's $7 cheaper than what I would have gotten on HOTWIRE if purchased on the same day that I made my PRICELINE bid.

Bidding history and win (do I need to add a different post for this?):

$49, Southfield, 4*: rejected

$52, Southfield, Taylor, 4*: rejected

$50, Southfield, 4*: rejected

$53, Southfield, Taylor, 4*: rejected

$55, Southfield, 4*: ACCEPTED

Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $55.00

Subtotal: $110.00

Taxes & Service Fees: $23.07

Total Charges*: $133.07

6/27/09 to 6/29/09

Thanks for the help!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to hear of your win and that you received a nice deal for a property which is well located for your needs.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and using our PRICLINE link to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay.