ourulz06 Posted January 29, 2010 Report Posted January 29, 2010 I am looking for some bidding strategy for my trip to Chicago. I will be going from 07/23/10-07/26/10 and would like to stay at a 4* downtown hotel. I have had 3 unsucessful bids on Priceline and was wondering if I need to change my bids to fit with the summer months or if I needed to wait until closer to the time of my trip to start bidding. Here are my bids so far:Millenium-Loop: $50 rejectedadd NMA River North: $52 rejectedadd greater Chicago: $55 rejectedThank you so much for your help!
ourulz06 Posted January 29, 2010 Author Report Posted January 29, 2010 Oh sorry, I did do one other bid adding in Lincoln Park with the other 3 zones and bid $56. It was also rejected.
thereuare Posted January 29, 2010 Report Posted January 29, 2010 Welcome to BetterBidding!It is still early, but i do think you need to adjust your bidding to consider the summer season, which typicallly has higher rates than the slow winter months (which is when we sometimes see sub-$60 bids accepted)What is your maximum bid for this stay at this point in time?Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
ourulz06 Posted January 29, 2010 Author Report Posted January 29, 2010 So far my highest bid has been $56. I definitely will/did use the PRICELINE link at the top. This site rocks!
thereuare Posted January 29, 2010 Report Posted January 29, 2010 maximum bid = how high are you willing to bid for a 4* hotel in this zoneIs $56 as high as you're currently willing to pay?Thanks for using our PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links :) Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
AaronJB Posted January 29, 2010 Report Posted January 29, 2010 The problem with this particular set of dates is:The Chicago Market: Living and Giving Merchandise Mart (MMPI) 7/22/2010 7/28/2010 25,000That's a fairly large convention and will likely drive up hotel prices to some degree.
ourulz06 Posted January 29, 2010 Author Report Posted January 29, 2010 Sorry, I misunderstood. The highest I want to bid at the moment is $70. If I have to, I may be able to increase that bid.
thereuare Posted January 29, 2010 Report Posted January 29, 2010 At the 4* level you have FIVE re-bid zones available. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.Select 4* Loop and NMA...Bid $55, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $63, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $68, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $70Any questions feel free to ask.Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.Good luck and let us know how it goes. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
ourulz06 Posted January 30, 2010 Author Report Posted January 30, 2010 I tried the strategy you recommended and all my bids were declined. Should I try again tomorrow with the same bids or would you recommend that I increase my top bid ammount? Do the prices usually change that much this far in advance to my reservation?
thereuare Posted January 30, 2010 Report Posted January 30, 2010 Nobody can say if rates will go down, or up, between now and your check-in date, but given this is a 5 nite stay, and with the conference noted above, i would look to book sooner rather than later. Rates actually seem reasonable give it's summer and there is a 25K person conference in town during your dates, imo.What is the best rate you're able to find thru conventional booking channels?Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
ourulz06 Posted January 31, 2010 Author Report Posted January 31, 2010 The cheapest 4 star I have found for the downtown area is $135 for the Affinia Hotel. It is actually only a 3 night stay: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.
ourulz06 Posted January 31, 2010 Author Report Posted January 31, 2010 Ok, I did my final day of bidding and my bid was just accepted!Tonight I started with $68 dollars on loop: rejectedwent back to main meny and bid $71 on NMA: rejectedadded loop to NMA and bid $75: rejectedadded greater chicago and bid $80: Accepted!The hotel I received is the Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel. This looks like a great hotel and it is much more expensive than I will be paying. Thank you for all your help. I will definitely tell everyone to check out your site. And I used your PRICELINE links as well.
AaronJB Posted January 31, 2010 Report Posted January 31, 2010 I'm impressed - Chicago does not have a ton of hotel capacity, so a 25,000 attendee conference does effect rates. Additionally, this is square in the middle of the Summer, which generally leads to higher rates than this even on non-convention dates. The regular rate I'm seeing on Expedia is $229 for these dates.The Knickerbocker is a very historic property (it was reportedly a hideout for Capone in the '20's and was the Playboy Club in the '70's) and was given a major renovation a couple of years ago.Thank you for posting your win and using the site's PRICELINE link. Enjoy your stay.
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