DIFFICULTY GETTING 3 or 4 STAR HOTEL IN FLL THROUGH PRICELINE???

[many cruises]

We are cruising on the Westerdam in November & are trying to book a 3 or 4 star hotel in FLL (downtown or beach area) through Priceline, but aren't having any luck. We have used Priceline many times & have been pleased with the hotels we have booked. My highest bid was $95.00 & that was denied. Is anyone else having the same difficulty trying to get a hotel in Fort Lauderdale? I guess I'll just keep on trying to see if any hotels open up for that time period. ;)

[photomikey]

If you'll post the dates you'd like to try for, what "FLL" stands for, and what areas of town are acceptable to you, I'll do some research. After hundreds of priceline stays, I'm a self-proclaimed expert. :-)

[many cruises]

photomikey: Thanks for your offer! FLL is Fort Lauderdale & I am looking for a 3 or 4 star hotel in either the downtown area or beach area. The date is November 12, 2006...just one night. Thanks. ;)

[M.S JAZO]

We stayed at The Westin Diplomat Resort in Hollywood, right on the beach, it was great. Look up for that.

[photomikey]

Successful 4* bids in the downtown and beach areas have been going for between $110 and $135 over the last several months.

 

It's expensive, but remember, rack rates are $200+ for these rooms, and hotels have very little incentive to turn rooms over to opaque services in beach communities that are popular year-round, especially with travel up 10% for the 2nd year in a row.

 

I suspect if you bid up to $135, you will get a 4*.

 

I suspect a 3* will be 90% of the cost ($120-ish), and the extra few bucks will be well worth it to go for the four. (FYI, a substancial price drop happens at 2.5* hotels... and a rise in amenities as well. Where 3* and 4* properties often don't have continental breakfast, and charge for things like parking and WiFi, 2.5* properties will offer these things for free.) 2* properties are also availible, but suffer the same problems with price differential that 3* and 4* properties do. (Just a few bucks difference, but a large difference in quality.)

 

I suspect you could get a 2.5* at around $70-80.

 

When you're bidding priceline, USE YOUR HEAD. Choose your star level, and a solid price to go in at, and stick with it. Once you bid, it's your last chance for 24 hours. REMEMBER, it's only 24 hours, and you're bidding on a hotel room for November, so don't get all click-happy if you don't win. Wait 24 hours, increase your price by $5, and bid again. If all goes well you'll have your win in a week or so.

 

(For 4*, and sometimes 3* properties, there's a theory out there called "rebidding" (google for "Priceline Rebidding"), which is extremely helpful.)

 

A few last tips... As you get closer to your price, Priceline will pop in, telling you that for another $25 (or something), you can have your hotel room RIGHT NOW! This is a sham, and if you continue using my strategy ($5 every 24 hours), you'll get it for less than Priceline's counter-offer.

 

Outside of priceline, I see that Hotwire is showing a 3-star in the beach area for $96.

 

 

Best of luck, and if you're confused by this, please just let me know.

 

-MW

[obriendan]

Excellent advice, photomikey. I agree with everything you say. In addition, if Priceline gives you a counteroffer, most offten you can get your bid accepted by bidding higher about one half the counter offer.

[many cruises]

Thanks for your advice photomikey. I'll keep trying & hopefully one of my bids will be accepted. ;)

[newmexicoNita]

We haven't tried Priceline but I have checked for hotels in FLL for the end of November (after thanksgiving) this normally is a relatively slow season, still I am having trouble finding much under $125.00 if that. NMnita

[MBeamTX]

Photomikey gave great advice about Priceline, but it really is too early to be bidding this every 24 hours. For now, book a cancellable back-up hotel room and try your bid via Priceline about once a week. Otherwise you're going to be too tempted to go higher than you really want to just to end the suspense.

 

It's quite possible that Priceline has no FLL rooms for November in its inventory yet. Remember what happened last year. We sailed from FLL on November 13 and the week before we were on pins and needles wondering if our hotel would be repaired from hurricane damage and reopened in time. Hotels may not want to commit rooms to Priceline so early this year, when they can't predict what the city's inventory will be after hurricane season. Why sell a room to Priceline for $60 now when they could get $150 for by selling it directly if supply gets constricted again this year?

 

Reserve a hotel room that at a price you can live with for now, and don't panic about Priceline yet.

 

Happy sailing,

Susan

[ocngypz]

Your bid is too low for 4*, it is that simple. FLL hotels are experiencing high occupancy levels.

[patval]

I use tripadvisor.com to see about hotels and go into the discussion boards to see about hotels deals but I found for your dates the Tropi Rock Resort is only 89.00 for the rack rate or 66.00 for AAA or AARP members it is listed as number 5 in the top Fort Lauderdale Hotels out of 135.

 

 

 

Paul

[Roz]

I'm also cruising from Pt. Everglades in November. In order to use Hilton Honors pts., I had to book a hotel in Plantation, FL. The hotels in Ft. Lauderdale were going for 35,000+ pts., whereas the Hampton Inn I booked in Plantation was only 20,000 pts..

 

For a 1-night pre-cruise stay, being on the beach or within walking distance isn't important to me.

 

Roz

[newmexicoNita]

I'm also cruising from Pt. Everglades in November. In order to use Hilton Honors pts., I had to book a hotel in Plantation, FL. The hotels in Ft. Lauderdale were going for 35,000+ pts., whereas the Hampton Inn I booked in Plantation was only 20,000 pts..

 

For a 1-night pre-cruise stay, being on the beach or within walking distance isn't important to me.

 

Roz

Roz, you are thinking about the same as us: we actually are planning on staying at a Hilton and not using points. We may need the stay to keep our Gold status plus we want to build up points as we used over 200,000 last year when we did Europe. I just don't want to be so far from the port and the airport that we spend a fortune in taxi fares to get to the pier. We may do what you are doing plus renting a car for one day. We did that when we sailed out of Houston. It was much cheaper than taxies. NMnita

[Roz]

Nita,

 

The Hampton Inn in Planatation has an airport shuttle and a shuttle to Pt. Everglades. When I found that out, I booked it! I agree, you have to factor in taxi fares when you're looking at hotel rooms.

 

Roz

[newmexicoNita]

Nita,

 

The Hampton Inn in Planatation has an airport shuttle and a shuttle to Pt. Everglades. When I found that out, I booked it! I agree, you have to factor in taxi fares when you're looking at hotel rooms.

 

Roz

Holy Cow, that is great. I think I am going to see about it as well. NMnita

[many cruises]

Thanks for all the information. These boards are great! ;)

[griswalds]

I tried Priceline a few weeks ago for a 4*. Went up to $150 and no luck. It was for New Years Eve. I have used points for now and will try again Priceline again later. There is a website called "Amazing bargains" that actually lists successful and failed bids on priceline.

 

 

Griswalds

[griswalds]

The link is "bidding for travel", all one word dot com. Bonne chance.

 

Griswalds

[AlohaPride]

I've never used priceline. I only really use orbitz and travelocity. I did your search for 2 guests and one room as I don't know how many you are traveling with.

 

These were all from Travelocity:

TownePlace Suites is a 3*for $89

Ramada Inn is a 3* for $99

Holiday Park Hotel 3* for $79

Ramada Holiday Beach Resort 3* $109

Ocean Manor Beach Resort 3* $80

 

These were all from Orbitz:

Las Palmas 3* $98

Sea Club Resort 3* $74

Ocean Manor Beach Resort 3* $79

Holiday Park Hotel and Suites 3* book with Orbitz and get a free coctail per person $78

Ramada Plaza Beach Hotel 3* $99

 

These are just a few, but I guess my point is that priceline isn't the only travel website. ;)

[newmexicoNita]

I've never used priceline. I only really use orbitz and travelocity. I did your search for 2 guests and one room as I don't know how many you are traveling with.

 

These were all from Travelocity:

TownePlace Suites is a 3*for $89

Ramada Inn is a 3* for $99

Holiday Park Hotel 3* for $79

Ramada Holiday Beach Resort 3* $109

Ocean Manor Beach Resort 3* $80

 

These were all from Orbitz:

Las Palmas 3* $98

Sea Club Resort 3* $74

Ocean Manor Beach Resort 3* $79

Holiday Park Hotel and Suites 3* book with Orbitz and get a free coctail per person $78

Ramada Plaza Beach Hotel 3* $99

 

These are just a few, but I guess my point is that priceline isn't the only travel website. ;)

Thanks for checking but what dates? Theses are certainly not the prices we are getting for the last week of November and I am referring to the week after Thanksgiving. NMNita

[AlohaPride]

Thanks for checking but what dates? Theses are certainly not the prices we are getting for the last week of November and I am referring to the week after Thanksgiving. NMNita

 

The date given by the OP (many cruises) was Nov. 12-13. Those are the dates I was working with.

 

What dates are you looking for? I can try another search :)

[newmexicoNita]

Hi and thanks<

 

 

I just checked; some of the prices are pretty good but the hotels don't offer shuttle from the airport or to the pier. This would be ok if they weren't so far from both, but I did find the Ramada Inn, which is one you listed. They offer the shuttle and hot breakfast. Again, thanks for your time. It looks pretty good to us. NMnita

[YYC F/A]

Having worked in the past for a hotel management company, I can tell you that many of our US hotels would not release inventory into Priceline until 8 weeks or less out. The reason, as others as have pointed out, is that the hotels have no incentive to offer rooms at rock bottom prices this early out when they could potentially sell them all at rack or other higher rate.

 

Closer to the time, if availability is tight, then no priceline. If lots of capacity, expect to see PL deals. It's basic yield management.

 

Given this scenario, my advice is to book a non-prepaid rate as a back-up. Then, if you can PL a better place for less, cancel the non-prepaid and you're all set. Same works for points, cancel if you can PL 8 weeks or less out.

[hammybee]

I agree with YYC/FA. When in FLL, we usually book at the Marriott which is on the canal shuttle circuit and convenient to everything and the ship. If however, we are able to snag a better deal via Priceline at the 11th hour we do so and cancel the Marriott resevation by 6, on the date of arrival. Different hotels ahve different policies for cancelation.

[printess]

sorry to intrude on this topic, I know I am a little off-topic, but can anyone here tell me if there are any hotels in fort lauderdale where you can see the ships come in? We love to stay at the intercontinental in miami and see the ships come in in the morning but this time we are leaving from fort lauderdale. I've asked this question before but can't seem to get an answer, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!