interesting kluge on priceline

[RedmondFrank]

I was preparing to bid $72 for a 3 star in Rye, NY... 10-4 to 10-6

and after telling me the median retail was $174 ... on the next screen it said...

We Want You To Get Your Hotel Room

Based on past priceline customer requests for hotels in this area, your offer price of $72 has only a small chance of being accepted.

You should, as a general guideline, expect to pay an average price of $58 per night for a 3-star hotel in the Westchester County, NY area if you called the hotel directly.

Remember - we will only accept one request for the same star level, city area and dates in a 24 hour period. So if you need a specific zone or star level - be sure your first offer price is your best price!

Median retail price for a 3 star hotel in the area selected: $58

....

so something was dividing the old retail by the number of stars... :)

[mbstone]

I was preparing to bid $72 for a 3 star in Rye, NY... 10-4 to 10-6

and after telling me the median retail was $174 ... on the next screen it said...

We Want You To Get Your Hotel Room

Based on past priceline customer requests for hotels in this area, your offer price of $72 has only a small chance of being accepted.

You should, as a general guideline, expect to pay an average price of $58 per night for a 3-star hotel in the Westchester County, NY area if you called the hotel directly.

Remember - we will only accept one request for the same star level, city area and dates in a 24 hour period. So if you need a specific zone or star level - be sure your first offer price is your best price!

Median retail price for a 3 star hotel in the area selected: $58

....

so something was dividing the old retail by the number of stars... :)

So what happened? I assume you then bid $49??