Priceline Hotel: Bidding 2* Woodbridge - Dumfries, Fredericksburg $47 rejected

I tried Priceline for a hotel along I-95 where Mom could stop for a single night somewhere between Wash DC and Richmond VA. I wanted a 2* room for $50 max, or a 1* for $40 max. I didn't find it on Priceline (nor on Hotwire), so read on if you want to see how the bidding went. There is almost no info on this board for these Priceline regions, so maybe this rejected bid info will help someone else form a more successful strategy in the future.

Started at savingsbarn.com of course

In the Woodbridge - Dumfries, VA area:

Bid $37 for 2* in Lorton zone, rejected

Re-bid $42 and added Dumfries (a zone which has nothing higher than 1*), also rejected.

Closed my browser and started again at savingsbarn.com

Bid $47 for 2* in Stafford, rejected

By now my mom had driven too far South to continue searching in the Woodbridge - Dumfries, VA region.

So I closed the browser, didn't use the free rebid.

Started over again at savingsbarn.com

In Fredericksburg region (which has only 1 zone), bid $37 for 2*, rejected.

Added 1* and bid again for $37, also rejected.

In the end she pulled into an EconoLodge that showed a $45 AAA rate on their website so she booked at the front desk.

What is the cut off time to book a hotel on Priceline for the same night? I thought it was 6:00pm. I noticed you didn't post till 9:00pm (your time), so I thought I would just ask.

During the bidding process, there was a notice that they would only accept same-day bookings up to 11 PM. Also they warned that since I was booking for the same day, that my selections would be limited.

The cut-off line is now 11pm EST (note it's EST, not hotel local time)

Also worth nothing, not all areas offer same day bidding.