Priceline Hotel: Not getting this priceline thing

[darkchild]

I decided to try priceline for the first time today. The city I am visiting is seattle and the dates are Fri Sept 11-Sun Sept 13. I have checked successful bids for 4 star hotes and have seen people paying 90-100 dollars even on weekends. My first bid was 4 star encompassing the downtown area at $90--flat out rejection. Next I added the Space Needle area and bumped up my bid by 5 dollars to 95; again, rejection.

Third bid added the northgate area ( I knew there were no 4 star hotels in this area) and increased the bid to 105 dollars--again, nada! For the fourth try I added in South Everett and bumped the bid up to 120--again, nothing! My final bid included North Everett (again knowing there were no 4 star hotels there) and it was for 130....guess what? Nothing!

I don't get the strategy.

Instead of this hassle I just went and booked the Seattle Sheraton (yes, I forked out 220 a night) but at least I know where I am sleeping...i.e. not the dump of a place called the Westin.

not impressed.

[Gallus50]

If you don't have the patience to do the work to get a good deal, you shouldn't try to bid on Priceline. People can get up to 60% off rack rates - sometimes even more. But if you'd rather have the convenience and know exactly where you're getting - and you're willing to spend the money to do so - then skip it. It's that simple.

I don't want to spend more than $200 a night for a hotel ever, so I'm willing to deal with the frustration and occasional rejection. The payoff is well worth it!

[inspiration100]

Interesting. Sounds like you had a bad experience because of dates. Like Gallus said, you gotta be willing to be patient.

Also, you think the Westin Seattle is a dump? My my, isn't that a little rough? On that same note, if the Westin is a dump to you, you should probably either consider hotwire or just booking through direct hotels since the Westin is won frequently.

[AaronJB]

There are definitely a few cheaper (by a considerable degree) 4* options on HOTWIRE for these dates.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE link if you do reconsider.

[pmuppet]

If getting a good deal doesn't give you a lot of utility, then PRICELINE may not be for you. I, for one, love the concept of getting a bargain. Saving $100/night is worth it for me. It probably isn't worth it to someone making $100k/year because they just want to move on.

PRICELINE can be tricky. An example that comes to mind for me was I had family coming to visit and they wanted to stay in downtown Bellevue. They booked a room at the La Quinta @$130/night as their backup. I went to work with hotwire/priceline to see what I could get them. Knowing the only two hotels in Bellevue that are four stars are the Westin and Hyatt, I knew the inventory would be limited.

I bid all the way up to $140/night (I started at $70 and used the rebid zones) only to be rejected. I was disappointed because they were flying in two days, and I really didn't want them to have to stay a week at the La Quinta. The following day I was able to bid again (after 24 hours had past). I started at $110 and the first bid was accepted.

Now you may ask why would they reject $140 and accept $110 only 24 hours later. This is what I think happened. Basically, there are very few, if any, wins at the Bellevue Westin property. So the only hotel offering rooms was the Hyatt. They probably didn't have anything listed on priceline on the previous day.

I probably overbid with $110 because they accepted the first offer I made. My inlaws were estatic still. The end price was about a wash when you consider parking and priceline fees.

But would you prefer to stay at the Hyatt in the heart of downtown Bellevue, or the La Quinta three miles from downtown when the purpose of your trip is to shop and attend conventions? A no brainer. It does show you how fluid the priceline inventory is though. I recommend keeping the Sheraton reservation as your backup and trying priceline the week of your trip. The closer you get to the dates of travel the better the prices seem to be. The hotels seem to liquidate their rooms at the last minute.