Priceline Help Please

[PelicanLvr]

I'm new to Priceline, but after reading these boards I can't resist trying to book our 1 one night pre-cruise hotel there. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

We leave from Fort Lauderdale on January 29, 2011. I'd like to try for a 3-4 * hotel. So,.......

 

What area zones are best (close to the pier) to limit your bid to?

 

What % of the hotels website price do you usual offer?

 

Anyone have a strategy they find sucessful?

 

Thanks so much for any insight.

[eandj]

I'm new to Priceline, but after reading these boards I can't resist trying to book our 1 one night pre-cruise hotel there. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

We leave from Fort Lauderdale on January 29, 2011. I'd like to try for a 3-4 * hotel. So,.......

 

What area zones are best (close to the pier) to limit your bid to?Look for downtown ftl hotels Unless you are interested in beach resorts.

 

What % of the hotels website price do you usual offer?You are going in peak season. Start at 55-60% off going rack rate. Cross your fingers as you add $3-$5 per bid. Just depends on what is going on in town too. During peak season, I would be happy with really nice hotels at 50% off.

Anyone have a strategy they find sucessful? If you don't use the help sites listed below you can mess up and have no way to cancel. So if using PL, do your homework.

 

Thanks so much for any insight.

 

As you are new to these kinds of sites, I think you would enjoy using hotwire.com. It's easier , less "scary" and the price is given to you. You will be able to figure out the hotel you are booking by comparing the amenities and location description on the Hotwire hotel lists found on biddingfortravel.com or the new site...hoteldealsrevealed.com

[royalcruz]

All of the 3-4 star hotels in the downtown zone that have been reported as wins are nice, safe, within walking distance to lots of restaurants, and within a reasonable cost taxi ride.

[SANJOSEGAL]

I'm new to Priceline, but after reading these boards I can't resist trying to book our 1 one night pre-cruise hotel there. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

We leave from Fort Lauderdale on January 29, 2011. I'd like to try for a 3-4 * hotel. So,.......

 

What area zones are best (close to the pier) to limit your bid to?

 

What % of the hotels website price do you usual offer?

 

Anyone have a strategy they find sucessful?

 

Thanks so much for any insight.

 

You could try a website betterbidding.com they help. I love to bid on the Fort Lauderdale Beach area. We got a beautiful hotel right across the street from the beach called the W Hotel for $99 a night for our upcoming cruise. Its only about 10 minutes from the Port. If you have at least one day to spend in Fort Lauderdale I would stay by the beach its so much fun. Good luck

[PelicanLvr]

Thanks for such really useful info. It's appreciated!!!!

[elmoe663]

I'm new to Priceline, but after reading these boards I can't resist trying to book our 1 one night pre-cruise hotel there. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

We leave from Fort Lauderdale on January 29, 2011. I'd like to try for a 3-4 * hotel. So,.......

 

What area zones are best (close to the pier) to limit your bid to?

 

What % of the hotels website price do you usual offer?

 

Anyone have a strategy they find sucessful?

 

Thanks so much for any insight.

I booked my hotel on priceline for a 4* Fort Lauderdale Beach area and got the W for $89 plus taxes for 10/16/2010. Here is the link for betterbidding to help you with the amenities. http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?showtopic=78 Good luck and I hope this helps you with your first bidding.:D:D

[SANJOSEGAL]

I booked my hotel on priceline for a 4* Fort Lauderdale Beach area and got the W for $89 plus taxes for 10/16/2010. Here is the link for betterbidding to help you with the amenities. http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?showtopic=78 Good luck and I hope this helps you with your first bidding.:D:D

 

Just curious how much did you originally bid? did you just bid $89 right off the bat?

[elmoe663]

Just curious how much did you originally bid? did you just bid $89 right off the bat?

 

No, I first started at $65 because that's what I got the Renaissance for on 17th st last year and was trying to get that again. But then I gradually went up until I saw someone else got the W for $89 and then put that in and got it.

[SANJOSEGAL]

No, I first started at $65 because that's what I got the Renaissance for on 17th st last year and was trying to get that again. But then I gradually went up until I saw someone else got the W for $89 and then put that in and got it.

 

Darn I bid yesterday on FL beach area 4 Star $75 and I got The Westin Beach Resort. I was hoping for the W since that is where we already have one room booked. Maybe if I had bid $89 I could have gotten the W. Tis the world of bidding :rolleyes:. At least they will be on the beach still.

[sunluva7]

All good advice here. I book just about every stay everywhere through PL or HW. If it's just me and the hubby, I sometimes will book through Priceline, especially when we are not fussy about the hotel we may end up with or the number of beds, as the bidding process is kind of fun and sometimes can land me an awesome deal. If we bring others along who will be in the same room, we most definitely book through HW because they will guaranty the number of beds based on the number of people in your reservation. I also prefer HW, as there is less guess work involved. With a little research, it is very easy to find the name of the hotel you're thinking of booking, based on the amenities in the hotel description. Of course, if you think your plans could change before the dates of stay, better to book through the hotel or another booking method which won't make you prepay.

[eandj]

Darn I bid yesterday on FL beach area 4 Star $75 and I got The Westin Beach Resort. I was hoping for the W since that is where we already have one room booked. Maybe if I had bid $89 I could have gotten the W. Tis the world of bidding :rolleyes:. At least they will be on the beach still.

 

Don't kick yourself.;) Second guessing your win and asking "what if I bid more?" won't help in the future. By bidding higher, you aren't guaranteed a particular hotel. PL has an inventory of rooms and will hand out the ones that are available at will. If you have a particular hotel in mind, use Hotwire or travelzoo which is better for identifying the hotel.

[royalcruz]

Darn I bid yesterday on FL beach area 4 Star $75 and I got The Westin Beach Resort. I was hoping for the W since that is where we already have one room booked. Maybe if I had bid $89 I could have gotten the W. Tis the world of bidding :rolleyes:. At least they will be on the beach still.

 

The Westin and W are only a block away from each other, so it will be fine.

[Lou33]

FLL is the perfect place to utilize priceline. I don't know why everybody doesn't use priceline for a precruise hotel in FLL. But you have to know what you're doing. And cruisecritic is not the best place to learn about priceline.

 

Biddingfortravel.com and betterbidding.com are excellent sites to learn the correct priceline strategies. It is so important to read and *understand* the information on biddingfortravel.com before you bid. However, if a person were to go to these bidding help websites and not understand the information, then in my opinion, priceline is not a good choice for them.

[SANJOSEGAL]

The Westin and W are only a block away from each other, so it will be fine.

 

Thank you for the feedback the reviews on the Westin are not that great on Tripadvisor.

[royalcruz]

Thank you for the feedback the reviews on the Westin are not that great on Tripadvisor.

 

Wow, I just read them, and they are mostly ok, but there are too many complaints (ie-lack of towels) for it to be a coincidence. The Westin is an old hotel that was recently renovated, but from the outside it still looks old (but very clean) and doesn't have balconies. The W is definitely nice, so hopefully all of you can hang out there until bedtime. There are tons of common areas to hang out, and I think they'll allow everybody at the pool as long as they are with hotel guests.

[SANJOSEGAL]

Wow, I just read them, and they are mostly ok, but there are too many complaints (ie-lack of towels) for it to be a coincidence. The Westin is an old hotel that was recently renovated, but from the outside it still looks old (but very clean) and doesn't have balconies. The W is definitely nice, so hopefully all of you can hang out there until bedtime. There are tons of common areas to hang out, and I think they'll allow everybody at the pool as long as they are with hotel guests.

 

Actually this room at the Westin is for 2 twenty year olds so I'm sure they will be fine. My room will be at the W we probably will be out on at the beach, pool, and walking the strip most of the day anyway. Thank you for taking the time to review the complaints. Do you have any information on Miami? we are staying at the Marriott Biscayne Bay and would love to spend all day Saturday at the beach and hopefully see a few shops like Miami Ink & the D.A.S.H store. I was wondering what is the best way to get over the bridge from our hotel?

[royalcruz]

Actually this room at the Westin is for 2 twenty year olds so I'm sure they will be fine. My room will be at the W we probably will be out on at the beach, pool, and walking the strip most of the day anyway. Thank you for taking the time to review the complaints. Do you have any information on Miami? we are staying at the Marriott Biscayne Bay and would love to spend all day Saturday at the beach and hopefully see a few shops like Miami Ink & the D.A.S.H store. I was wondering what is the best way to get over the bridge from our hotel?

 

The pool at the W is the coolest scene in town on weekends, and it has an oceanview and the most comfortable futon lounge chairs! Sorry, I never go to Miami.

[eandj]

Actually this room at the Westin is for 2 twenty year olds so I'm sure they will be fine. My room will be at the W we probably will be out on at the beach, pool, and walking the strip most of the day anyway. Thank you for taking the time to review the complaints. Do you have any information on Miami? we are staying at the Marriott Biscayne Bay and would love to spend all day Saturday at the beach and hopefully see a few shops like Miami Ink & the D.A.S.H store. I was wondering what is the best way to get over the bridge from our hotel?

 

Take a cab to S. Beach. You'll find everything you want there! Great day and fun!!

[zoicca]

This is an outstanding resource for Priceline newbies: http://hoteldealsrevealed.com/pricelinestrategies/

 

It covers off: when to avoid priceline (as one poster mentioned, when you need a room to accommodate more than 2 people), and how much to rebid, and how to rebid instantly multiple times. I know this is too late for eandj but hopefully future visitors will find it useful.

[sunluva7]

This is an outstanding resource for Priceline newbies: http://hoteldealsrevealed.com/pricelinestrategies/

 

It covers off: when to avoid priceline (as one poster mentioned, when you need a room to accommodate more than 2 people), and how much to rebid, and how to rebid instantly multiple times. I know this is too late for eandj but hopefully future visitors will find it useful.

Yes, this is a relatively new priceline/hotwire help site and well worth checking out. I was able to find the identity of a new FLL hotwire hotel through them (Summerfield Suites-$55-8/9/10:D), which the other big bidding help site did not yet have information for. They certainly have my support! They are always looking for winning bids to add to their hotel lists, so be sure to post it on their site if you win a hotel through HW or PL.:)

[Host CJSKIDS]

I just did Hotwire and got the W for $114 the weekend of the international boat show. Everywhere else I checked, including their own site had the rooms for $529!

[royalcruz]

I just did Hotwire and got the W for $114 the weekend of the international boat show. Everywhere else I checked, including their own site had the rooms for $529!

 

Do you know which amenities were displayed when you placed this bid? I want to make sure that I'm not seeing on old information on the sites that I rely on.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Do you know which amenities were displayed when you placed this bid? I want to make sure that I'm not seeing on old information on the sites that I rely on.

 

It was a 4* and Fort Lauderdale Beach Area hotel and hotwire showed the price at $114.

 

This was the order.

 

Oceanfront, fitness center, pool, restaurant, business center, laundry facilities, high speed internet access, Spa

 

I called W's reservation department afterwards to add our SPG Gold # and all was in order with the reservation.

[royalcruz]

It was a 4* and Fort Lauderdale Beach Area hotel and hotwire showed the price at $114.

 

This was the order.

 

Oceanfront, fitness center, pool, restaurant, business center, laundry facilities, high speed internet access, Spa

 

I called W's reservation department afterwards to add our SPG Gold # and all was in order with the reservation.

 

Thank you! I want to try to get the W next month!

[SANJOSEGAL]

I just did Hotwire and got the W for $114 the weekend of the international boat show. Everywhere else I checked, including their own site had the rooms for $529!

 

OMG what a great deal you got Congrats