Priceline Hotel: 3* Baltimore (Inner Harbor-Downtown) Holiday Inn

[Scott88]

First time poster here...

Last month (June 14th, to be precise) I was staying in Baltimore for a night. I had initially been looking in for a hotel room two weeks prior to my stay (May 30-31ish). At that time, I entered a $50 bid on Priceline for an Inner Harbor hotel. I started with a 4*, then 3.5*, and finally a 3*. None of these bids were accepted.

Now, fast forward to June 13th, the day before I'm driving up to Baltimore. I go through the same bidding process. Low and behold, this time my $50 bid is accepted for a 3* Inner Harbor hotel. I get a room at the Holiday Inn.

My question is simply how does this whole process work and, most importantly, is it always most beneficial to wait until the last minute to book a hotel for a trip? Do the hotels have some sort of previously agreed upon timeline for dropping the rates Priceline will pay for a reservation at their hotel? I'm going to need a hotel in Philadelphia for Oct. 30-31, but based on my previous experience, I'm thinking I should wait to book until Oct. 29. Any input or assistance here would be most appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

[Scott88]

Why was this moved? I'm trying to get my question answered. I don't know that anybody will be looking to assist me in this forum.

[AaronJB]

Congratulations on your success and thank you for posting your win.

There is no firm process for hotels and pricing. It depends upon the hotel, the city (conventions occurring?) and a number of other factors. There have been many instances of people who decided to wait until the last minute and then were quite surprised when the deal on HOTWIRE they were looking at jumped much higher or was gone completely. Some people have successfully "waited out" lower prices, but you are taking a significant gamble by doing so.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start future purchases. If you need help with your stay in Philadelphia, please post a new thread under PA section of the forum.

Enjoy your stay.

[thereuare]

Why was this moved? I'm trying to get my question answered. I don't know that anybody will be looking to assist me in this forum.

Your post was changed to reflect your win, as you should have posted thta information in order to help others on the board before asking your question (see our rules and policies) and i knew that your post would get answered here. If the above does not adequately answer your question, there is a further discussion of this in the related "bid early or late" link in our PRICELINE FAQ. If you need further information after that feel free to continue this thread.

Lastly, please read your messages.