kimberlyraff Posted June 7, 2009 Report Posted June 7, 2009 Hi BB...Trying VERY unsuccessfully to pull off a $50-60 stay at the Hyatt on Priceline...I have gotten about 4 "helpful hints" emails from Price Line..they must feel sorry for me..lol. Its for 6/12-6/15..I have been at this for hours and its not working!! I know this is a busy weekend for hotels with Blues Fest, fairs, etc..but there seems to be something I don't "get" about this re-bidding strategy...this is definitely not for a novice and I feel pretty stupid right about now! My head is going to explode, so before I go to bed, is there anyone willing to walk me through this?? :) I'm pretty intimidated and also scared to mess with the "zones", as I am convinced this is going to put me at a one star in Skokie instead of the Loop! Ha!
AaronJB Posted June 7, 2009 Report Posted June 7, 2009 Welcome to the site. :)First, what would be your max bid for these dates, and what have you bid for already? Unfortunately, these dates are pretty expensive, with HOTWIRE showing a 4* in the Loop for $174. Unfortunately, with prices so high, $50-60 bids are not going to be realistic.Additionally, this Priceline Re-Bidding Explained on re-bidding should provide some help, but let us know if you still have questions.Please use the site's PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to start your purchase.
kimberlyraff Posted June 7, 2009 Author Report Posted June 7, 2009 Hey, thanks for much for responding. I tried all sorts of dollar increments between $59-79. My budget is for a max of $79. I tried to follow rebidding tips. It now appears as if PRICELINE is not taking any bids from me at all! (*_*)
AaronJB Posted June 7, 2009 Report Posted June 7, 2009 I'm not sure if $79 is going to be enough for these dates, at least for a 4*. Are you willing to drop down to try at a lower star level (3.5*/3*?)
AaronJB Posted June 7, 2009 Report Posted June 7, 2009 Additionally, are you only interested in the Loop? Including the River North-North Michigan Ave. area will certainly increase your chances. While a 4* in the city for $79 on these dates is unlikely, there's a lot more 3.5* and 3*'s in the River North-NMA area.In terms of your $79 max, if 3.5* and 3*'s aren't accepting that bid, what would be your back-up? If you are driving, there are some great suburban areas near public transit.
kimberlyraff Posted June 8, 2009 Author Report Posted June 8, 2009 PRICELINE is still not letting me bid a thing. Is this common? Not driving, so location in important. I may have to change my travel plans, I am not finding a deal anywhere. Loop is great if its an excellent deal to save $$ I can work around it....would really like NMA-Gold Coast. I would go up to $100 or so ideally for that..if I give myself more time, will that make a difference? I may need a walk through.
AaronJB Posted June 8, 2009 Report Posted June 8, 2009 If you've bid all your options, then you cannot bid again for 24 hours. If you have some flexibility on dates of travel, there are certainly other dates in June and July that are less expensive.
SaturnMom Posted June 8, 2009 Report Posted June 8, 2009 PRICELINE is still not letting me bid a thing. Is this common? Not driving, so location in important. I may have to change my travel plans, I am not finding a deal anywhere. Loop is great if its an excellent deal to save $$ I can work around it....would really like NMA-Gold Coast. I would go up to $100 or so ideally for that..if I give myself more time, will that make a difference? I may need a walk through.I had tried to bid 3 rooms for 6/10-6/15. I started bidding about 3-4 weeks ago, using all free rebid zones for NMA and Loop areas (32 combinations) and bid up to $110, all failed. After I realized it is Bluesfes, I decided to stay downtown for 3 nights then move to Chicago Suburb. Priceline accepts my first bid of $58 for 6/10-6/13 at Hyatt Regency, and $45 for 6/13-6/15 at Hilton Oakbrooks. If you are not coming for the Blue Festival and with no car, you better change your plan to other weekend.
kimberlyraff Posted June 9, 2009 Author Report Posted June 9, 2009 Yes, I tried a ton of combos, too, was getting frustrated thinking it was me!! I could not find any good rates on any travel sites, then I found out about Blues Fest! I am moving my trip to the end of the month. I will let you all know what happens.
AaronJB Posted June 9, 2009 Report Posted June 9, 2009 Please post again in this thread when you are ready to book your trip and we would be happy to help w/traveling on the new dates.
kimberlyraff Posted October 24, 2009 Author Report Posted October 24, 2009 Please post again in this thread when you are ready to book your trip and we would be happy to help w/traveling on the new dates.Hi all, sorry for the late update but if it would have turned out, I would have been the first to post! I canceled my trip for that date...a good tip for during the summer months would be to always check a site like choosechicago.com, it lists all the events going on in town. It affected me getting a room on PRICELINE for sure.
Recommended Posts
Register now, we have a huge community of travel enthusiasts to answer any questions you might have.
Sign In Now