Using PRICE LINE . COM to get a hotel

[RESEARCH]

Has anyone ever used PRICELINE to get a good hotel rate.
I was specifically looking for a rate in SAN DIEGO the last 3 weekdays of
April ( 4-27 / 4-30).

My fear is getting stuck someplace that is really not 4 star and having no
choice but to deal with it.

Any tricks or tips appreciated.

 

[HeatherH]

Yes, I used priceline to get a San Diego area hotel a few years ago.

I recommend this site to learn ALL you could possibly want to know about priceline bidding and the hotels in each area:

http://p070.ezboard.com/bpricelineandexpediabidding

I got a great rate on a La Jolla hotel when I used the strategies as explained at this site. Good luck!

 

[RESEARCH]

Thank but the link is down ( server maintenance). It looks like the site ( BIDDING FOR TRAVEL) that I read all day today. It is confusing but I think
I get it.
Do you mind if I ask what hotel your bid was for & what the bid amount was.

My goal was to try for 4 stars in the SAN DIEGO COASTAL area ( only 4 stars
are what my wife would stay at). Also, we have 2 kids traveling with us and the BIDDING website insists PRICELINE is for DOUBLE OCCUPANCY only.

That makes me nervous. I would pay about $125 for a great hotel per night.

 

[HeatherH]

Actually the link I posted IS BiddingForTravel.com; not sure why it's down, I can get in okay with the link.

I wish I COULD remember the bid I made; I know it was less than $100 per night and we ended up with a Hyatt (probably a 3 or 4 star in that area). Again, that was a few years ago, and much depends upon the time of year you are traveling. We were a party of THREE, and had no problems requesting a rollaway directly with the hotel after I got the bid confirmed. I know that priceline DOES make a point of saying the rooms are double occupancy, but almost always you can request a room with two beds (double or queen) with no problem, after you get your confirmation.

Be sure to read the part about how to do re-bids without having to wait 72 hours...basically, you read up on ALL the zones in the area, pick four star and re-bid using zones that you KNOW don't have four star hotels to get a "free" re-bid in the area that you do want. So that way you can start at a certain level and then increase as you go along, and know that you won't get a zone you don't want.

Also, really important, be sure to go directly to the hotel's website too and check availability AND pricing...sometimes there are things going on and the hotel is basically sold out, and your chances of getting what you want in that area or hotel are nil. And, sometimes, there are deals directly with the hotel that are better than what you can get with priceline.

And finally, don't know when you are traveling, but it's also possible that it's too early to get what you're looking for.

If you would be happy with ANY of the 4 stars in the San Diego Coastal area then bid that at the lowest possible, then add in zones without 4 stars for rebids. But again, check out recent successful bids in the area to get a good starting point.

Hope I didn't confuse you even more!

 

[LuvTigger]

I got the Westin Horton Plaza for $90 last September. We did have to pay about $20 or $25 for parking, but this was still a great deal considering all other websites showed $150-$200, not including taxes and parking.

Although the biddingfortravel site may seem confusing, I really found it helpful when I bid because I didn't realize there are ways to get around the waiting period if you have an unsuccessful bid. Also, a lot of people have bid on 4-stars in San Diego, so you can get an idea of what to bid, and what regions to pick. If you haven't checkec it out already, there are links on biddingfortravel where people say what hotels they got in what regions, and for what price. That might give you a better idea of what you can get.

For example, I new I wanted to stay in Downtown. My first bid was for $80 for a 4-star in Downtown only. Bid was rejected. So the next bid I placed was $90 for a 4-star, and I added Coronado in addition to Downtown. I won. (Looking back, I should have went up only to $85, but oh well.) The reason I knew I was likely to win in Downtown is because it would be next to impossible to get a 4-star on Coronado for $90, even on Priceline.

Good luck!

 

[hambirg]

Another good site is http://www.betterbidding.com/ It also tries to identify Hotwire hotels. We will be in San Diego in Oct. and might also try Priceline or Hotwire. The prices I've been finding are pretty high for that time. Good luck.

 

[disneychrista]

Priceline does only gaurantee double occupancy but i have never had trouble getting a room with 2 beds. After you win a hotel, contact the hotel direct and request a room with 2 beds.

 

[RESEARCH]

Thanks. We are planning to travel last week of April. Is it to late for PRICELINE or someone suggestted HOTWIRE.
Thanks for the info. You cleared it up but I guess I am just afraid to try. I will try
this Wed to see if anything is available. Iwould pay $100 to stay in La Jolla area at the 4 stars so I guess I will start with a bid of around $81 and go up. My only fear is one of the FREE RE-BIDS, I will include some area that does have a 4 star and wind up thier by mistake. Also, I read something about AUTOMATICALLY BEING CONVERTED TO A RESORT which tops even the 5 star properties???

PS: What is the A/B LINK everyone refers to on BIDDINGFORTRAVEL?
I GOT BACK IN THE SITE. Thanks.

 

[RESEARCH]

I know nothing about San Diego but the COASTAL AREA ( near La Jolla) looks incredible. Also, the area around CORONADO looks great. We will be traveling the last week of April and only have Wed night, Thursday & Friday night and then have to leave early Sat AM to get back to LAX for a 12 noon flight.
In your experience do you think I could get a 4 star in La Jolla or Coronado for $100
or less?? Thanks for the advice.

 

[smilingmouse]

I just used hotwire to get a hotel for my DL trip 11/5-8 and I got the Crowne Plaza for $59.00/night, plus $7.00 per day resort fee for shuttle, fitness room, etc. It's a bit more than the rate I had for the HoJo, but I'm happy about it!!!

 

[mill4023]

We used Priceline last summer and got the Hyatt Regency La Jolla for about $70/night. Just remember that although La Jolla is considered "coastal area", most of it isn't really near the beach. The Hyatt was nice, but was about a 20 minute drive to the beach.