Priceline Hotel: 4* Ft Lauderdale (Beach) W Hotel Ft Lauderdale

[smu zta]

Well, I tried what this person did in this priceline hotel win and got screwed. I was trying to get the exact same Marriott Harbor Beach Resort since there is a conference there I am going to. Instead I got the W Ft. Lauderdale.

I bid $100 per night for the zone 5 in Ft. Lauderdale on PRICELINE.

It didn't accept the bid, so I went up to $125 a night, chose only 4 star and picked a zone where there wasn't a 4 star (zone 3).

And, I got the W Ft. Lauderdale hotel that is 2 miles away from the Marriott. So, I'll be taking a taxi there and back or walking (which I enjoy, so it should turn out to be fine). But, it's just less convenient. Considering the W internet rates are $300 + and the conference rate at the Marriott was $259 a night, I'm still going to end up saving quite a bit. It would have just been better to get the Marriott.

So, beware when trying the trick this person indicated. It may or may not work. It appears that Priceline isn't quite up to date on letting you know if htere is a 4 star in zone 3 - there is.

[thereuare]

Thank you for sharing your results with the board, sorry you didn't receive the hotel you were hoping for, but it was also uneasonable to expect to receive the same hotel as the other user when the dates of their stay are different than your own.

Can you please add a reply to this thread with the date(s) of your stay so we can add this information to the topic title and enable your win to appear in the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins.

So, beware when trying the trick this person indicated. It may or may not work. It appears that Priceline isn't quite up to date on letting you know if htere is a 4 star in zone 3 - there is.

There is currenlty no 4* hotel in Zone3 (Ft Lauderdale North) and the hotel you won is located in the Beach zone, so i'm not really sure what it is that you're refering to.

It would be appreciated if you used the requested PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your future travel purchases.

Thanks. Enjoy your stay.

[smu zta]

So, here's the good on the deal:

4* Hotel - W Ft. Lauderdale

$125 a night

April 18 - 22, 2010

To get this, I used the Hotel Checker link above.

Thanks for your help on this. The W is in Zone 5, but PRICELINE doesn't indicate it's even an option on their map view. there are only three 4 star hotels they indicate are in that zone - Marriott Harbor Beach, Westin and Crowne Plaza. So, I just wasn't expecting the W (and when I got that result, assumed it was in the other zone I had checked to try to rebid).

So, even with having to walk or take a taxi to the Marriott for the conference, I'm still getting a fantastic deal, as the conference rate at the Marriott was $259 a night and the lowest my travel agent could get was $329 a night.

thanks so much for your help!

[thereuare]

The "retail" version and "opaque" version of PRICELINE each use a different universe of hotels. There is a lot of overlap, but you shouldn't expect that the hotels shown in the 'retail' section is the comlete universe of possibilities. For additional info on this subject see the related link on our PRICELINE FAQ.

Also, note that the "retail" and "bidding" versions use different zone names and boundaries, which is another difference between the two services.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.