Priceline Hotel: 4* Las Vegas (Strip North) Treasure Island

[wrigleyVACAY]

I'm so thankful I found this site to help take some of the unknowns out of HOTWIRE and PRICELINE bidding. I've read a lot of the already existing posts/guides but still h11ave a few questions.

I've been looking at 5* options both on HOTWIRE (central strip condo or hotel) and PRICELINE (vicinity North). There aren't any wins posted yet for the weekend of 2/11-2/14 so it's tough to guess what might be a good value at this point. I bid on Priceline for 5* North strip yesterday at both $75 and $88 and got $117 offered back to me. I would assume this is Trump since its similar to the $129 Trump rate on Hotwire. The hotels all seem considerably higher for the holiday weekend. I would prefer the hotels but the Trump is fine if that's what comes up.

Is it the experience of this board that the price offered back from Priceline after an unsuccessful bid is usually a pretty good value and about the best you can find?

I've also read suggestions that you should bid PRICELINE at 20% below same area/rating as the lowest HOTWIRE rate. Does that seem accurate based on your experiences?

Also, are there ever extreme shifts in Hotwire/Priceline wins from day to day? Such as one day hotwire lists a 5* for 150, and then the next $80, and then back to 150? Essentially, should I be checking everyday for a surprise deal, or are the changes usually gradual?

Thanks again for all your help, I look forward to following this website for all my future travels as well and will be sure to use your links.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding... we're glad you found us too! :)

The $117 offered by PRICELINE is what we refer to as a counter-offer, and they can usually be undercut as explained in this thread: Priceline Suggests Priceline to Pay

If you're interested in bidding higher than the $88 you have already bid, we can suggest a strategy for you to follow, using re-bid zones (see Priceline Re-Bidding Explained) which will enable you to slowly increase your bid for a 5* hotel in the Strip North zone, all in the same session, essentially making sure that you don't overbid. If you'd like to increase your bid, let us know how high you're willing to bid at this point in time and we'll advise accordingly.

I've seen the 20% figure tossed around quite a bit (as well as other percentage numbers) and i think it's a bit too simple of an approach to take... as it really depends upon the area. As well, since HOTWIRE uses a variable mark-up, there really is no way to come upon the 'right' number.

We have seen what i would call 'strong' price moves, but these usually occur when prices are already quite inflated (perhaps due to an event in town) and then, when the hotel receives all their cancellations or realizes they are 'behind' in their projections for room occupancy, may bring their prices down to more normalized levels. However, when prices are 'average' for what you would expect to see, you don't typically see 50% rate drops, although it can happen. Ultimately it's all based upon supply/demand and days left to fill a room... hotel receives more booking then they expect and/or fewer cancellations... price goes up. Hotel doesn't reserve as many rooms as they expect, or receive more cancellations then expected... price goes up.

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

Thanks for using our PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links for your travel purchases.

[wrigleyVACAY]

we decided that some of the 4* options (Treasure Island & Mirage) for the vicinity North might fit our needs and affordability better than the Trump or Wynn so we went that option. I did use the re-bidding strategy you linked to keep bidding by adding zones without 4* options.

We ended up getting Treasure Island for $93 a night from 2/11-2/14 after unsuccessful bids of $75 and $88.

Unfortunately, we didn't realize that the pool was closes at TI in February. I had previously confirmed with Trump that their pool was open but forgot to check with TI. A little disappointing but the odds are that the weather won't be pool-worthy anyways. I called Priceline and half-heartedly asked them to cancel my reservation as a result of this but they didn't (and I didn't expect them to).

Thanks for all your help. We are looking forward to the trip. How do I add my stay to the calendar of wins?

Does anybody know if you are able to pay a fee to go to a pool at a hotel you aren't staying at? Would it be equivalent to their resort fee?

[AaronJB]

Congratulations on your success!

What I would suggest regarding the pool would be to talk to the hotel concierge and maybe say something along the lines of, "I understand the pool here is closed, but I would greatly appreciate if you could let us know about some alternative options at another hotel nearby." The concierge may have a connection regarding a nearby pool that would be a better deal (and might be free - aside from a small tip to the concierge - if you went through the concierge) than if you went to another hotel and asked directly.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchase.

Enjoy your stay.

[wrigleyVACAY]

I used your link to start my PRICELINE bidding. Do you still get credit as I rebid within the same original window that opened?

Hopefully so, if not, I'll start a new one each time through the website next time around.

Also, the subject of this thread should be changed to reflect a 4*. thanks!

[yellowdog]

wrigleyVACAY

I have edit the star rating.

Thanx for using boards PRICELINE link :) Much appreciated!

Yellowdog.