Priceline Hotel: Resort San Juan InterContinental Hotel

[caribecruiser]

I'd like to bid on the Hilton Caribe in San Juan.

Are there specific categories I can mark to increase my odds of getting this hotel?

I've noted there are several resorts and that the Caribe is beachfront with no casino.

Any help will be greatly appreciated as I am new to Better Bidding.

Thank you.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

With PRICELINE you can't bid on a specific hotel, you need to be willing to accept any hotel in the zone that you select at the minimum star level you choose (or higher).

If you're trying to target a specific property HOTWIRE can often be a better option since you can often identfy the property beforehand based upon the amenities shown to be associated with the offering.

What are the date(s) of your stay? What is your maximum budget (per nite before fees and taxes) for this stay?

Let us know your thougths and how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[caribecruiser]

Thank you for responding so quickly. We will be staying one night, October 17, 2009. We would like either two, possibly three rooms (or a 2 room Villa), and we'd like to pay approximately $115 per room (or $250 for the Villa).

[thereuare]

PRICELINE and HOTWIRE reservation are for standard rooms... let us know once your plans are firm (in terms of how many rooms you need) and we'll take it from there.

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

[Romelle]

The Hilton Carib is a "Resort" category hotel. If you haven't seen it yet, note the list of hotels in the top post in this Puerto Rico and Other area. There are three other Resort category hotels other members have also reported as getting from bidding via PRICELINE. If you bid via PL, any of these four (and sometimes even other) hotels are possible.

Romelle

[caribecruiser]

We'll be booking three rooms on October 17, 2009.

[thereuare]

So did you want to bid for 3 rooms in the San Juan zone at the Resort level with a maximum bid for $115? (realizing that you could receive a Resort class hotel (as detemined by PRICELINE) anywhere in the shaded boundaries of the zone)

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

[caribecruiser]

I think we'll just change directions and not bid through PRICELINE. I can get another resort hotel by using a Senior Discount for $149 a night. It seems safer.

Thank you for all of the information.

[thereuare]

You have to remember that the opaque suppliers (PRICELINE and HOTWIRE) are for those who are flexible in their plans, willing to exchange the knowing the exact hotel you'll be staying in for a deep discount... if you need a specific property for a given stay, then then the opaque providers may not be your best option.

Enjoy your upcoming trip.

[caribecruiser]

You are spot on. Thanks again. I'll be back again when my plans can be more flexible.

[caribecruiser]

Won Intercontinental in San Juan. 2 rooms total $243.24

($105 each room plus $32.24 taxes and fees).

Dates: 10/17-10/18/09

Bid: $75 rejected, $80 rejected, $85 rejected, $105 accepted.

[thereuare]

Congratualtions on your success and thank you for sharing your results with the board.

I know you were hoping for the Hilton, but hopefully this will work just as well for your needs.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[caribecruiser]

We actually won the Marriott Stellaris several months ago on PRICELINE (before we found this site). I was hoping to add two rooms to the Marriott (we added two people to our trip), but we won two rooms at the Intercontinental instead. I'm actually okay with that, because I like to try new places, and the two hotels are only about 10 minutes apart. We'll have a rental car, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for the well-wishes!!

Karen in Kentucky