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MrsPooh
07-13-2006, 12:11 PM
I just used Priceline for the first time, and I think we got a good deal, but then I come back here and read other's offers, and I think I did something wrong.

We are going in August, and we got the Doubletree in Orange for $82 a night. Now, in my book, that is a great deal, but it appears others have gotten it for less, $50 to $60. I am sure I did something wrong.

I tried to navigate biddingfortravel.com, and some of it confuses me.

Over the course of two days, I bid from $40 to $65 (over 2 different credit cards! ;) ) and with the $65 bid, they told me if I would up it $17, I could instantly rebid. It looked good to me, and I really can't complain, but $40 to $60 would have been loads better.

Any advice, and in plain English, please! ;)

Wendi
07-13-2006, 12:30 PM
Usually when they come back with an offer, I will wait it out and bid somewhere in the middle still. I usually will get an accepted bid that is lower than the one they offered. But... your deal is good, if it's as much or lower than you wanted to pay, and you are happy with the hotel - it's all good!!!

junglemom
07-13-2006, 12:51 PM
yeah, from what I understand, they(bft) recommend you bid half of the counter offer. It really can vary with them. I have usually gotten a hotel for around $45-55 but once I couldn't even get one at $65. I gave up and stayed at one off of orbitz.

Do you know how to get free rebids? I can try and help explain it for next time if your'd like.

tinker3
07-13-2006, 01:53 PM
Sounds like a good deal, it's cheaper than expedia and traveocity. We are going in August also and I was going to use Hotwire, but I don't know which is better. Hotwire had a 3 star, (no idea which one) for $72. Keep in mind sometimes if someone got a better deal it may have been off season or a different time of year, or they just had more rooms!

MrsPooh
07-13-2006, 02:19 PM
yeah, from what I understand, they(bft) recommend you bid half of the counter offer. It really can vary with them. I have usually gotten a hotel for around $45-55 but once I couldn't even get one at $65. I gave up and stayed at one off of orbitz.

Do you know how to get free rebids? I can try and help explain it for next time if your'd like.

Junglemom, that sounds good! Maybe I could use your help! I know how to change zones, but I didn't want to get too far from DL.

I still owe you a pm, I haven't forgotten! ;)

Wendi, you've stayed at that Doubletree, haven't you? Did you like it?

Thanks for the help, guys!

GrowupDisney
07-13-2006, 02:26 PM
Hotwire had a 3 star, (no idea which one) for $72. I just booked my hotel with Hotwire for 3 nights over Labor Day Weekend. I picked the 3 star, $72/night hotel ... turns out to be the Doubletree Anaheim/Orange. I feel like I got a pretty good deal with that! :D

PennyLane
07-13-2006, 02:31 PM
I hate to tell you this, but I got the same hotel for September for 42 a night. :| I bid 40 and it was rejected, so waited the 24 hours (rather than increase it the amount they suggested) and they accepted my 42 dollar bid.
Expedia had it listed for like 129 a night I think, so you still got a great deal! :)
I was hoping for Hyatt or Crowne Plaza but this seems to be a popular one lately! We stayed for one night in February and I liked it just fine! Plus they give you warm cookies at check in! :D Mmmm

GrowupDisney
07-13-2006, 02:45 PM
I hate to tell you this, but I got the same hotel for September for 42 a night. :| I bid 40 and it was rejected, so waited the 24 hours (rather than increase it the amount they suggested) and they accepted my 42 dollar bid.Well :( . Oh well, at least I'm not paying their regular rate. :)

disneyperson
07-13-2006, 03:04 PM
Doubletree cookies are yummy. I have a friend who works at one here and she steals, er, brings them to me sometimes.

Wendi
07-13-2006, 06:50 PM
Wendi, you've stayed at that Doubletree, haven't you? Did you like it?

I haven't stayed there... I've used Priceline three times and I've gotten Hyatt Regency for each stay. It looks really nice to me though. Are they one of the hotels that shares the shuttle with Hyatt? I can't remember, but there are two or three different hotels with a free shuttle (plus Target is just across the street!)

Rascalsfungirl
07-13-2006, 06:55 PM
I stayed at the Doubletree June 5th thru Priceline. I paid $50.00 and thought it was well worth the money. The beds are the BEST. Even at the price you paid, it is still worth it. Enjoy your trip.

PennyLane
07-14-2006, 06:37 AM
I haven't stayed there... I've used Priceline three times and I've gotten Hyatt Regency for each stay. It looks really nice to me though. Are they one of the hotels that shares the shuttle with Hyatt?


The Doubletree has its own shuttle. The beds are fantastic too!
Oh- and did I mention they served you warm cookies??? :geek: :p

garkat
07-14-2006, 06:58 AM
We have stayed several times at the Hyatt in Garden Grove by using Priceline. I've been able to get the rate of anywhere between $35 to $50 per night depending on the time of year we go. The only thing I don't like is that you have to pay for parking, $14.00 per day last time we were there in June.
Can anyone tell if you have to pay for parking at the Doubletree??

Jwebbal
07-14-2006, 07:29 AM
Yes, you have to pay for parking at the doubletree.

I have a question. Why aren't folks using the free rebid system to up their bids? Do you understand how that works? And yes, giving them the $17 they asked for to rebid was a rip off, but you did still get a good deal. When you get that rebid offer, you are very close to getting it.

This is how free rebid works.
Say I want a hotel in Anaheim, 3 star for specific dates. I bid say $40 (I have gotten a room for this low in that area), and its refused? So I ADD another area that does NOT have a 3 star hotel, and up my bid by $5-$10, if that is refused, then I add another area that does NOT have a 3 star hotel. I can't get a hotel in that area if they don't have a 3 star hotel and I have only 3 star checked. No need to wait 24 hours to rebid again, I can keep doing free rebids until I run out of extra areas to add to my bid that do not have 3 star hotels. In the Anaheim/OC bid areas, they are as follows
Anaheim Hills
Laguna Hills
Seal Beach

BUT be sure to check it every bidding session, because its always possible for an area to add a new hotel that would make that change. So if I started off at $40 and raised by bid by $5 each time, I could end up bidding $55 by the end of that session before I would need to wait 24 hrs, and you can even bid again IF you start all over and use a different credit card (you have to clear cookies and not use a card from the same account I think). I have never paid more than $65 for a hotel room in the Anaheim area.

ferliemom
07-14-2006, 08:02 AM
Hi All,

I'm a TOTAL Priceline newbie-- don't even know how to start.
Would anyone be good enough to explain it to me ("priceline for dingbats") or point me to a great website that explains it really well?

I have friends coming to the west for the first time in a few months, and I'm sure they'll love to get some hotel deals while they're out here!

Thanks! :p

going2disneyAZ
07-14-2006, 08:37 AM
Hi All,

I'm a TOTAL Priceline newbie-- don't even know how to start.
Would anyone be good enough to explain it to me ("priceline for dingbats") or point me to a great website that explains it really well?

I have friends coming to the west for the first time in a few months, and I'm sure they'll love to get some hotel deals while they're out here!

Thanks! :p

I am new to Priceline too so can't help there. I used it the first time to get Doubletree for $55 a nite in October.

If Priceline is intimidateing (it was for me until recently then bit the bullet and tried it) use Hotwire.

You wont get the same good rates as you might with Priceline but there is no bidding. You tell them your dates, quality of hotel and area.

Example: I consistantly get 3 star hotels in the Disneyland south area at Hotwire for $75 a night. I have secured Hyatt and Hilton but I think Crowne Plaza is also one of the 3 stars in Disneyland South. Like Priceline you wont know the hotel name until you agree to take it.

To compare I have seen folks on MP that got those hotels for around $50 to my $75. In the past it has been worth it to me as I did not understand the Priceline bidding process so the extra $25 a nite was ok as these hotels have rack rates as high as $195 a nite. So still a good deal in my book.

Opus1guy
07-14-2006, 10:24 AM
Newbies should spend some real time at:

www.biddingfortravel.com

The site not only educates you on how to use Priceline to your best advantage, but also lists folk's winning bids in city zones by dates, so that you have a rough idea of the going rates of accepted bids. You can also find lists of the hotel names that are known to participate within a city and category, so you have an idea of where you might end up. There is also a hotel review section where folks post about the hotel and how they were treated on their Priceline stay.

The site may seem a bit daunting at first...there's so much to it. At some point you'll just have to jump in and make your bid. If you don't do as good as you later found out you could of...don't sweat it. This is more of an art than it is a science. With practice and more future bids, you'll really get the hang of it. It's certainly worth it for the tons of money it can often save you.

If you do use www.biddingfortravel.com ...please be sure to "give back" to future visitors by posting your own bidding experience and winning bid. Folks posting their bid history is the only thing that keeps the site a valuable tool.

:)

rosie
07-14-2006, 10:41 AM
Hi FerlieMom

I use Priceline but am by no means an expert. It works two ways: One way is exactly like Hotwire. You choose the exact hotel you want. The second way is to bid for an unknown hotel within given perameters. That's the area called "Name your own price". You pick the area, and the star level. Most of the hotels you bid on are the same ones you see when just picking a hotel. So, three star hotels could be the Marriot, Holiday Inn, Embassy etc...You won't know which one until your bid is accepted. Thats the tricky part. If you know you MUst be able to walk to Disney, or the hotel MUST have a shuttle or any such MUST-you're better off just picking a hotel outright. You can however research the available hotels to see their amenities. For instance, I want a hotel with room service. All of the three star hotels offer this so it doesn't matter which one I get. The second thing to be aware of is that you are locked in once your offer is accepted. I never use it for flights anymore because we once got a NY flight cheap, but it had a layover of 3 hours at 2 am. (YUK-we didn't use the ticket and just ate the loss). Back to hotels:
You NEVER bid the rack rate. A three star hotel can usually be gotten for around $55 depending on the season. If your offer is rejected-and that depends on many factors, they sometimes come back with a counter bid--You've offered $45, they say how about $65-usually if you split the difference and bid $55-it is accepted. Otherwise, you are required to wait for a period (24 hours I think) before rebidding. And your original offer might be accepted the next day (it depends on what rooms the hotel give them). You can also rebid by changing where or what star level you want.
Lastly, the room you get is unknown too. It could be in the wing, in the tower, a king bed or two queens. You can call the hotel after reservations to request a specific type room..such as non smoking or king bed and it is usually honored. Last year at DW we bid and got The Grosvner Hotel, I called and requested a room overlooking Epcot and they gave me one. Hope this helps. I really love using it for hotels. I could never spend $120 a night for a room. I'd much rather spend it on FOOD.........

Rosie

ferliemom
07-14-2006, 01:16 PM
GREAT information-- thanks Rosie!!!
Can't wait to try it!
:) :) :)

jeffat2
07-14-2006, 04:47 PM
With the prices everyone is writing about is that with the taxes or before taxes ?
Thanks Jeff

rosie
07-14-2006, 06:29 PM
I believe it excluded tax and resort fees if applicable.

kiwifuz
07-14-2006, 07:58 PM
As far as I know it includes all charges that are part of the room like taxes, if your final price that you actually pay to Priceline. But, it doesn't include parking or resort fees. So you'll have the actual room prepaid, but if you're parking or planning on using room service, or have a resort fee you'll be responsible for that at check-in.

I just think a big part of Priceline is the research. biddingfortravel.com is a great option. It also really helps if you know the areas around the one you want to stay in that don't have the same hotel levels that you're looking for.

rosie
07-14-2006, 09:03 PM
I checked on the Priceline site. In the information section, it states that the price you bid is per night before taxes and site usage fee.

rosie
07-14-2006, 09:04 PM
I checked on the Priceline site. In the information section, it states that the price you bid is per night before taxes and site usage fee. Still not a bad deal to pay $55 or so for a 3 star hotel.

mraw
07-15-2006, 10:55 AM
I'm looking at priceline now, and it seems as if they want my credit card info before I know where I am going to stay. Is this routine? Is it really a "blind buy"?