Priceline/hotwire Hotels

[nukeantz]

Anyone know what the 3 star hotels are on these sites. It used to be you could do 4 star and get Dolphin, Gaylord and something else? Ideas on bid price for after xmas before new years? Any help or suggestions appreciated.

 

[robinb]

For Priceline, the best place is www.biddingfortravel.com . Someone will even help you bid, but you must read all the FAQs and fill out a complete Bidding Request Form or suffer the wrath of Sheryl. I was a moderator there for a couple of years and the information is very valuable .

For HotWire, I would recommend www.betterbidding.com. They decipher the Hotwire amenities and match them with the hotels.

 

[DianeV]

Robin
Just curious..does Sheryl know you talked about her "wrath"? I only ask because it seems if she sees anyone post anything remotely negative about her she bans them from the site...have YOU been banned LOL!!

 

[madelyn]

Not really on topic but I was banned for some reason from Biddingfortravel and I don't really know why. I didn't go through the Amazing Bargains link to place my bid so do you think that is why? Sheryl also posted that I change my preferences to accept messages, or something like that and I didn't know how to do that or didn't have the time to figure out how to do it and the next time I tried to go to the board, I got the "You have been banned message" and it says to contact the administrator about that but I have no idea how to do that. Can anyone help? I think my user ID on that board is MADNLOCK.

 

[robinb]

No, I'm not banned . What a silly question!

 

[DianeV]

Robin
Its not silly when you see posts on boards from many many many former BFT users who WERE banned for speaking out against how they felt they were treated on there..I guess since you used to be a moderator you have special treatment )

There is great info to be had there however its not so great to be treated bad

And thats all I will say as I dont want to start something and who knows what will happen then...

 

[CarolA]

If you have been banned consider yourself one of the many. So far I have avoided being banned, but... I feel certain Sherly will ban me some day. (I don't use the links and I don't accept PMs) I do post my winning bids, but that is pretty much all I do there. (And I am with Diane, I am surprised you dare post anything even slightly negative!)

The board owner has the right to act the way she wants and we can either play by her rules or go home. The part that I find interesting is that I think that Sherly is making money off her board and if that is how she treats customers.... (Of course just like on the DIS there are ways around the ban, just rejoin using a different user name and email account. Trust me there are people on both of these boards that have been banned bunches of time and keep reapparing!)

 

[madelyn]

Well, I guess I don't feel so bad being banned then. Although I wish I knew what I did wrong. It would be nice to at least have a warning or explanation but I suppose she is the board owner. I pretty much just posted my winning bids so I guess I won't be able to do that anymore unless I re-join.

 

[DisFan2]

(Of course just like on the DIS there are ways around the ban, just rejoin using a different user name and email account. Trust me there are people on both of these boards that have been banned bunches of time and keep reapparing!)

Apparently you can't beat the ban!!! From the "administrator" at biddingfortravel (bold script added by yours truly):

"Unfortunately, there are some people who are intentionally registering under multiple screen names to mask their identity; i.e., so that the Administrators, Moderators and/or other members do not recognize them as someone who may have abused their posting privileges or embarrassed themselves in previous posts.

What has actually caused me to put up this post is one particular member who has registered under at least 11 screen names and has posted under at least 7 of them. Because I read every single post on this board, it is not difficult for me to recognize writing styles. Sometimes I'm on to this person after only a few posts and other times it may take a few weeks for me to catch him doing it again."

Holy cats!!!

 

[robinb]

{{shrug}}

Sheryl runs a tight ship. That makes her website so useful and easy to use since it has "Just the Facts". No nattering, no community, no fluff. That is a good thing and I admire Sheryl for keeping the site "pure information".

When I was a moderator with her there were many posters who enjoyed breaking her rules, arguing with her and getting banned again and again. It was a game with them and it disrupted the website. BTW, she does read every post! I used to wonder how she did it since I spent hours and hours reading every week myself and never got to all the posts.

It is the best place for information on bidding for Priceline and Sheryl and the moderators will bend over backwards to help you as long as you follow the rules. The rules are not that difficult: (1) Read the FAQs before asking a question, (2) Fill out the Bidding Request Form completely, (3) Try to use the Amazing Bargains link so she can get paid, (4) Post your winning bid and any follow-up in the same thread as your request.

If you don't like the rules, then don't use the website.

FWIW, there are many people on this very own website that get banned and reappear just be banned again. Sheryl and BFT do not hold the patent on recognizing people's ISPs and writing style to keep them banned.

 

[DisFan2]

I agree, robinb, it is the best reference site for PL bidding, and I didn't mean to sound glib or disrepectful. Having said that, I have avoided posting my own winning bids - I just felt like I didn't need the criticism, which, in most cases was the next post. It's a struggle to make any message board "idiot" proof, but alienating posters isn't the solution. And I will sympathize; the tenor of email/board postings are often very misleading. A simple one or two sentence reply can often be misinterpreted as terse or abrupt - what people, posters, and administrators actually mean can be very difficult to convey and often, unfortunately, misconstrued. Emoticons can only say so much.

 

[robinb]

DisFan2:

No worries, I didn't think you were glib or disrepectful . It's too bad that some people feel uncomfortable posting over at BFT, many of them for the same reasons you mention. Posting the winning bids is what drives the whole board.

 

[CarolA]

Just don't take it personally. If she says negative things about my posts I figure that she has the problem, not me. (I have never responded to anything she has posted.)

 

[rlduvall]

I have read Sheryl's site from top to bottom for certain areas of travel I was interested in and gained alot of knowledge. I am not shy, nor intimidated easily, BUT, honestly, Sheryl terrifies me.

 

[madelyn]

OK, guess I did break her rule #3 since I didn't always remember to use the Amazing Bargains link to access the Priceline website. Gee, I didn't know that was a "rule" and if not followed, causes you to be banned. Oh well. Guess I'll just have to just look at winning bids on the site and won't be able to post my winning bids. Most of the people who I refer to the site don't ever post to the site so I wonder how many people out there read but don't post.

 

[eelvira]

Ok. I've used bft too and got great insights there. BUT getting to the business at hand. Does anyone have an answer for the original question about the 3 star and 4 star hotels or we have no choice but going to another site to find out?

Eric

 

[robinb]

Ok. I've used bft too and got great insights there. BUT getting to the business at hand. Does anyone have an answer for the original question about the 3 star and 4 star hotels or we have no choice but going to another site to find out?

Eric

Well, Eric ... that's what I would have to do to get the answer to post here. Why should you expect people to do the OP's leg work? Both sites I mentioned on the first page have very easy to read and understand lists of hotels in specific areas with quality (or "star") ratings.

 

[robinb]

Yikes Eric!!!!

I just noticed that you're arriving at WDW the day after I do! Why aren't you packing? Heck, why am I not packing?!!?

 

[spiceycat]

I don't how much help this is - but the Gaylord is over on
www.hotelkingdom.com
for $149.00 for several night in Dec - I was asking 23 to 26.

the dolphin is sold out

the swan is $156.94

 

[eelvira]

I'm still at work (things are really slow here today)...then tonight...they have a Xmas reception at work...and I haven't even started packing. At least the suitcase is out. I may open it tonight or leave it for tomorrow evening to do the mad packing to start driving Saturday morning.

Sleigh ride reserved for 7:30 PM at WL so MUST be at WDW in the early afternoon to have time to get our act together. Go and buy Pal Mickey, hit either the food court at POR or head to WL and hit the one there...Electric Light Parade at WL at 9:35....Boat to MK at 9:45...View of the fireworks from the boat....

DD is already beside herself!

WDW here we come!!!!!

Eric