Priceline Hotel: St. Thomas: 3/23 to 3/30/10- what to bid?

[lucymoosey]

Would love some advice on what to bid for St. Thomas - we want to travel 3/23/10 to 3/30/10-

I am not sure what to bid- the retail price for the Marriott Frenchmen's Reef (through Priceline's retail side) is $440 per night.

I know that I am not guaranteed to get that hotel, although that is a hotel listed on Better Bidding's list of hotels in St. Thomas.

I guess I'm willing to spend up to $200 per night, but just wasn't sure what bid to start with.

Any advice would be appreciated- thanks!

Regina

Long Island, NY

[AaronJB]

I'd say that it is likely there are more hotels in this area than the 2 that have been reported to the site; there's also a 4* option in terms of bidding on PRICELINE for this area, but no 4*'s have been reported yet.

There is a 4* in St Thomas showing on HOTWIRE for $199 for these dates that has not yet been reported to the board/ID'd (possibly the Wyndham?). I'd say that $150 for a 4* would seem to be a reasonable starting bid for a 4* in this area, given the rates that I'm seeing.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchase.

[thereuare]

I'd agree that the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort and Spa is a 'good guess' for the 4* HOTWIRE property... if this is of interest to you let us know and we'll confirm that we're seeing the same hotel on each of our searches.

If you want to try PRICELINE, are you seeking a 4* hotel?

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

[lucymoosey]

Great advice! I will start at $150 and hope to get a 4*- I'll keep bidding up and up until I reach my maximum of $200 a night.

The Wyndham sounds great- I'll definitely let everyone know what hotel I win, when I win! :0)

[lucymoosey]

I would definitely go for a 4* hotel, I was only focussed on the hotels I saw listed as possibilities for Priceline's BYO for St. Thomas- I hadn't factored in that there could be additional ones in additional higher rated star categories- but it did seem like a very short list! :0) I would be happy with the Marriot Frenchmen's Reef Resort as well, but I don't see any winning bids posted from that hotel for a long time. I guess I am going to be the sacrificial lamb and "see what I get" :0) I'll definitely let everyone know what happens. Do you think I should do Priceline's BYO or start with Hotwire first? Or does it even matter?

Wish me luck!

[AaronJB]

Best of luck with bidding and Happy Holidays! :)

I'd start bidding on PRICELINE with the HOTWIRE price in mind; if you start to get up towards the HOTWIRE price and your bids aren't being accepted, you can take the HOTWIRE listing.

Thanks for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links.

[lucymoosey]

I am not seeing the 4* for $199 on Hotwire now for St. Thomas from 3/23/10 to 3/30/10- is it possible it alredy got removed?

Please advise.....

Regina

[thereuare]

The 4* is now priced at $209 (i'm assuming this is the same hotel as you saw previously) and it's not uncommon to see HOTWIRE's rate fluctuate by a few dollars from one day to the next.

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

[lucymoosey]

I'm not seeing a 4* on Hotwire for those dates at all, not for any price.....

3/23 to 3/30/10-

Am I missing something?

[AaronJB]

When searching for 2 adults for 3/23-30, I'm still seeing a 4* in St Thomas for $209.

The Wyndham Sugar Bay is also showing for $254 on Orbitz, plus that reservation would offer a $100 (for the entire stay, not per night, unfortunately) food/beverage credit. Coupon code WELCOME10 takes another 10% off = $228 and change.

Are you searching for 2 adults on HOTWIRE?

Thank you for using the site's Orbitz, HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links.

[AaronJB]

Additionally, although I would strongly recommend double checking, the Orbitz reservation appears to be refundable.

[lucymoosey]

Ah, I am searching for 2 adults, 1 child (we have a 3 year old son).

Is that why it's not coming up? Strange....

Thanks for the tips on Wyndham on Orbitz!

[AaronJB]

Yep; that would probably be why it is not appearing. The Orbitz deal would be a bit more than the HOTWIRE deal that was showing up, but if it is in fact refundable, that is a pretty good deal, especially including the $100 credit.

[goldendeal]

Have you seen the reviews for Marriott Frenchmans Reef? I have not stayed here personally but the reviews are mixed. Seems to be some issues with mold and mildew at the hotel. I was considering staying here myself but I might pass on it now.

[lucymoosey]

Yes, I have seen the mixed reviews for the Marriott Frenchman's Reef- but was going to give it a go anyway. I usually use www.tripadvisor.com for reviews- I figured if they assign me to a inferior room, I'll just complain and ask to be moved, etc.

I like the idea of the Marriott because it has 8 restaurants- I checked out the Wyndham but it seems limited- only 2 or 3 restaurants- it seems like the Marriott is the mega-resort option there on St. Thomas in terms of facilities- I'll post a review if I bid it, win it and go! :0)

[lucymoosey]

By the way, it looks like Priceline raised the star rating for the Marriott Frenchman's Reef on their retail side to a 4*.

Does that mean it would have the same star rating on Bid Your Own Price?

I just want to make sure before I start bidding- I would love to get the Marriott if at all possible!

[thereuare]

The star ratings should be the same on each side of the service.

If you need help with a bidding strategy please let us know your maximum bid (still $200??) and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[lucymoosey]

Yes, I still want to do maximum bid of $200, and it would be 3/23/10 to 3/30/10-

I am a little intimidated because I feel like I don't know what's out there since there haven't been many wins posted of late-

I basically have no re-bid zones because the area is so limited, right?

So should I just go for the 4* category, and go up $5 to $10 each day until I get an accepted bid?

Please advise-

Thanks!

[Lsimon]

I've gone up to $215 for a 4* for four days a little before you (3/11 to 3/15).

Now if I have the 'guesses' right it looks like the best guess is that the 3* is the Wyndham Sugar bay and the 4* is the Marriott Frenchman's Reef. Is this right?

I think I'd prefer the Marriott but not for a whole lot more money.

On Hotwire the 4* (which I gather is the Wyndham there since they don't list the Frenchman's Reef) is around $190 or so for our 4 nights, it was a little higher at $209 when I searched just for 3 nights. The total with taxes for 4 nights on Hotwire was $929 or something like that. On Wyndam's site they have a pay for 2 get 2 free special there (you have to click the special button to see it) plus a $100 F&B credit. The total cost, with taxes, was $1,050 for our nights, or $950 if you back off the F&B credit (I'm sure we'll spend that much or more). So we've booked that since it is cancellable with a week or so notice and since the price is so close to the Hotwire price.

We're still trying for the 4* on Priceline but won't go too much higher. Will re-bidding the same price ever work over time if their bookings are week, or do you somehow get locked out if you don't increase your price over time?

With the back-up reservation we're all set and relatively happy, but we'll still keep trying for the Marriott.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Larry

BTW - I used the Betterbidding.com links for inital entry into Hotwire and Priceline, and just read the instruction to do so on return visits to their sites - so I'll do that in the future too!

[thereuare]

So should I just go for the 4* category, and go up $5 to $10 each day until I get an accepted bid?

That will work :)

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

Keep us updated at to your progress and let us know if we can be of further help.

Lsimon,

If you'd like help with your own stay please start a NEW TOPIC. Thanks.