Priceline Hotel: 4* Vancouver (Downtown - Coal Harbor, Stanley Park, Convention Center) Delta Vancouver Suites Hotel

[overhear]

This is my first time using Priceline:

Bid on 4/2/2010 starting at $65 and increasing by $5 increments to $95 without success.

Bid today (4/3/2010) starting at $75. Increased by $5, then $10 increments to $110 without success.

I already have a reservation at the Blue Horizon hotel for $164CAD (~$160US) per night, so I'm not sure how high I want to bid on an unknown location. I would love advice from those with more experience.

[yellowdog]

overhear

I already have a reservation at the Blue Horizon hotel for $164CAD (~$160US) per night, so I'm not sure how high I want to bid on an unknown location. I would love advice from those with more experience.

You have to ask yourself how much an unknow hotel is worth for you. The board would be happy to help you but it's only you that can answer this question.

Have you looked at HOTWIRE for your dates?

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

Yellowdog.

[overhear]

I have been bidding up to $110 on Vancouver Downtown for the dates of Aug 13-16 unsuccessfully since Apr 2. As a backup, I have reserved at the Blue Horizon Hotel at the rate of $164CAD/night ($188CAD with tax).

I see that there was a successful bid for Vancouver Entertainment District just posted on this board for July at $106. I would love some advice on whether it's realistic to expect a low-ball bid (say, $70-90) to be successful as August draws nearer, or if about $110 is the lowest one ever finds in Vancouver in the summer.

Also, I read lots of reviews of the Blue Horizon on tripadvisor before booking, but if anyone has thoughts on how the quality and location of BH compares with the 4* Vancouver Downtown hotels obtained through Priceline, that would be very helpful.

Thanks much for feedback!

[thereuare]

Summer rates are more likely in the $90-$110+ range than the $70-$90 range... HOTWIRE currently has what i'm guessing to be the Sheraton Wall Centre for $119/nite, so i'm guessing you're not likely too far off if you're trying to get this completed.

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

[overhear]

Thank you, thereuare. That's helpful to know. I'm using the PRICELINE link on this site each time.

Still hoping that someone is familiar with Blue Horizon. If you're out there, please chime in. Thx!

[overhear]

As a newbie, I very much appreciate the generosity of those who share their expertise on this board. I've certainly been learning a lot.

After bidding unsuccessfully up to $116 for Vancouver 4* DT 8/13-16 for a few weeks, I thought I'd check out Hotwire today and found the hotel described below.

Just wondering about the advantages/disadvantages of HOTWIRE vs. PRICELINE. The hotel listed below on HOTWIRE seems to offer a better deal than I've found so far on PRICELINE where nothing has been under $116. But doesn't Hotwire generally cost somewhat more?

Thanks in advance for insights,

Overhear

***********************

4* Vancouver - Downtown (West)

$113 - Aug 13-16, 2010

Amenities:

Fitness center

Pool

Restaurant

Business center

High speed internet

Spa services

Recommended in 80% of customer reviews

4.0 - Condition of hotel

4.0 - Quality of service

4.0 - Room comfort

4.5 - Room cleanliness

4.5 - Location

TripAdvisor rating 4 stars

Thanks for your help!

[yellowdog]

Best guess would be Sheraton Wall Centre.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE link to start your purchase, and let us know how it goes or if you need any additional help with your stay.

Yellowdog.

PS. Please keep all posts in the same thread since posts are for the same dates.

[overhear]

Thank you, Yellowdog.

I had seen the Sheraton Wall Centre on successful PRICELINE bids in the Entertainment District. Does that location qualify as Downtown West on HOTWIRE? It does seem to be right on the border.

[thereuare]

As per the Hotwire Hotel List the Sheraton Wall Centre is located in the Downtown West zone.

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

[overhear]

I'm continuing to bid unsuccessfully in the $75 to $116 range. Still no rush as I'm not traveling until August, but I'm wondering if someone could clarify:

1) What is bonus money?

2) Why does the "median retail price" for my zone, date and hotel class change so radically from day to day? And does that price have implications for the level of bid that might be accepted? (For 4* hotel in downtown Vancouver the median retail price has varied from $191 - $288.

Thanks much!

[thereuare]

Bonus money is randomly sent out to select users. You can see if you have any bonus money offered by going to PRICELINE (please use this link) and clicking the MY PROFILE >> MY REWARDS section. If you have any bonus money a link will be provided there to redeem.

Ignore the median price suggested by PRICELINE as it's not useful in your bidding.

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

[overhear]

Success, finally! Got Delta Vancouver Suites Hotel bidding $112, plus $10 per night bonus bucks. This seems like it will be an excellent spot for the last 3 nights of our family vacation, so I'm very pleased.

Thanks to all for your advice and endless patience! :)

[yellowdog]

overhear

Thank you for sharing your result with the board!

Enjoy your stay.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links to start future purchases.

Yellowdog.