Priceline Hotel: 4* Portland (Downtown) Westin

After easy luck yesterday with Seattle hotel i went on to try for Portland Hotel.

This was for August 12-14.

First bid was $80, denied

Created an account for my husband and bid $85, denied

Waited 24 hours, bid 90 and was denied

Then explored the other "areas" that did not have 4 star hotels and did the rebid thing for $95, denied.

Then switched the other area and rebid at $98, denied, but told if i upped by bid by $22 they could do it for me, so i bid the $120.

Slightly dissapointed in how much i needed to spend but after extensively researching hotels i do know that this is a good deal so...

Thank you for sharing your results with the board.

Still looks like a very nice rate for this property for these dates.

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

Enjoy your stay. :)

Though not cast in stone, you can usually get a bid accepted for half the counter offer or less. With all the rebid zones in Portland you could have just rebid a buck or two at a time after their counter offer. You'll know for next time. Just for reference, Hotwire has a 4* downtown for $129 for your dates. I just mention that because you can sometimes get a feel for what Priceline will accept by knowing what's available elsewhere. Good luck.

Seems that

When you're bidding on Priceline, it's important not to get too carried away this far from your check-in date. Getting a good deal on PL for a 4* in Portland can require a lot of patience (and a good measure of luck). This may be because the hotels have a relatively small number of rooms. For example, the Westin Portland has 205 rooms, while the Westin Seattle has 891.

It's particularly important to maintain a disciplined approach when hotel rates aren't that high. Perhaps rates have dropped since yesterday, but my HOTWIRE search for these dates shows a 4* for $104/night (both the Riverplace Hotel and the Hotel Modera have been reported with the amenities shown). When I changed the search to 2 adults/1 child, the 4* hotel came up (for $109) was a match for the Westin. Also, a number of 4* hotels are offering specials for $130-$140. The Hotel deLuxe, for instance, is offering Queen rooms for $129, including free valet parking and Internet. Granted, many of these special rates are also non-refundable, but you can choose your hotel and don't have to pay a PRICELINE fee.