Priceline Hotel: Priceline won't accept my bids

[gcap05]

I've tried bidding for a room at various cities but have not been able to get any counter offers from Priceline.

My latest bid was for a 3* Upscale hotel in Towson, MD for 12/4 (checkin) and 12/5 (checkout). I offered $60 in my first bid and there was no counter offer. The response was:

"We're sorry, but we couldn't find a hotel willing to accept your offer of $60 for a hotel room in the Baltimore, MD area. Your credit card has not been charged for Request Number......."

There's a Marriott in Towson that's giving away rooms for $99 (Expedia). Priceline doesn't make sense on how close one should get to the "retail value".

May be there just isn't anyone picking up the line at the other end. Or may be there aren't any rooms available during that stay but could that be the case for every city I chose???

This is really annoying.

[WillTravel]

That's a Saturday night, and those are often more difficult to get from Priceline.

What other cities have you tried and failed with?

Many cities just do not have great Priceline deals.

Have you tried Hotwire?

[gcap05]

Besides Towson, MD I've tried London, Birmingham (England) and Reading (England).

I haven't tried Hotwire yet.

I have noticed people who have received a room for the same request though.

Does it improve the chances if I ask for a Saturday and Sunday night stay??

[WillTravel]

Probably not Saturday and Sunday. Friday and Saturday might, but then they might cancel your reservation without recourse if you don't show up for Friday.

Most European cities aren't good candidates for Priceline.

Not sure why London is so difficult, but I think the pre-Christmas season can be busy there.

If you saw a successful earlier bid, the hotel might only allot a very few rooms to Priceline, and when they're gone you're out of luck. Several people have reported similar things when they subsequently try to bid for another room on the same date they previously bid successfully.

[gcap05]

Thanks. It does look like getting a hotel room is not guaranteed abroad. I'll keep fishing.