How to get Best Hotel Deal in Vancouver?

[ell52]

Adding Surrey and Burnaby as rebid zones could end you up with a hotel 20 miles from downtown, the tourist areas, and the cruise terminal. I'll stand by my comment to NOT add those zones.

 

Just bid, if it fails, come back tomorrow and bid $4 more.... Most people are dealing with this at least a month out.

Scott & Putterdude, adding the re-bid zones is a specific bidding tactic that is explained in both the Betterbidding.com and biddingfortravel.com sites. The biddingfortravel site has an excellent explanation, it's just very difficult to wade through.

 

When done properly, you will NOT get those zones. That is why I caution everyone to make sure they understand the concept and read those sites before trying it. The key is that you must bid the 4* zone first, make sure the re-bid zones do NOT have any 4* by checking each and every time before adding them, and do NOT check anything else.

 

It works very well if done properly. I've been getting hotels this way for the last five years or so.

 

P.S. Surrey is currently NOT a re-bid zone for Downtown 4*.

[gardener718]

OK, call me challenged in this area. I went to both of those other sites and could not figure out any strategy. Probably went to the wrong area, I'm sure its me and my computer skills. I really feel like a dunce.

I was also trying to find out how much the winning bids were for downtown. Not that either.

I started at $50 and am now up to $75 and still no luck. I did try downtown and airport and didn't get anything. Downtown is what I want.

I am solo and really trying to keep the price down. I will only have the day the cruise returns to site see, as my plane leaves at 8:30 a.m. the next day.

If what your saying is true, and I bid for a 4 star and put in downtown and the other places that don't have 4 stars, I don't have to wait 24 hours? Or my bid will work. Others have said they just got the Hilton for $50. what am I doing wrong?

Thanks for all your help, and I haven't even started on the tours yet, LOL.

 

Marianne

 

So, explain how I figure out which areas do not have 4 star hotel. Sorry, usually I'm not a ditz. Well, most of the times.

[ell52]

I was also trying to find out how much the winning bids were for downtown. Not that either.

Here is the page of winning bids on Bidding for Travel: http://biddingfortravel.yuku.com/forums/100/t/Canada-British-Columbia-Vancouver-Victoria.html

 

Here is the winning bids page for Better Bidding: http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?showforum=166&

 

I started at $50 and am now up to $75 and still no luck. I did try downtown and airport and didn't get anything. Downtown is what I want.

Please, please Do Not bid Airport if you do not want the airport -- because Priceline DOES have a 4* hotel in that zone and you may end up there.

 

If what your saying is true, and I bid for a 4 star and put in downtown and the other places that don't have 4 stars, I don't have to wait 24 hours? Or my bid will work.

You can re-bid without waiting 24 hours if you know what your safe re-bid zones are. I cannot emphasize this enough. Otherwise, do as Scottbee and Putterdude say and just bid Downtown, one bid per 24 hours.

 

The main advantage of re-bidding is that if you know the maximum you want to bid, you can low-ball earlier bids and gradually work up to your max. only if necessary. I've occasionally had my first or second low bid accepted.

 

Others have said they just got the Hilton for $50.

Priceline does not have a Hilton in the Downtown zone. If they got the Hilton, it would have been the one in Burnaby (Metrotown) or in Airport Zone (Richmond). This is not what you want. Also, these are considered 3.5* in Priceline's ratings (probably because of location).

 

I'll answer your question about finding which hotels are not 4*s on a separate post. :)

[ell52]

So, explain how I figure out which areas do not have 4 star hotel. Sorry, usually I'm not a ditz. Well, most of the times.

 

You're not the only one. It took me a while to figure it out too. This seems to be the hardest concept for people to grasp. I'll try to simplify it the best I can:

 

1. Open the Priceline bidding window (at the top, it should say Name Your Own Price® Hotels in Vancouver, BC and the dates you want)

 

2. Look at the next 2 sections: "Step 1 - Choose where you want to stay" and "Step 2: Choose the star level for your hotel";

 

3. Click (check mark) the first box in Step 1 (City Hall-Downtown Vancouver South);

 

4. Now look at Step 2 and you'll see the available star levels for that zone only. i.e. 3*, 2.5*, 2* and 1*

--> Therefore, Priceline does not offer a 4* hotel in this zone and could be a re-bid zone.

 

Now uncheck the box and try another zone: say, #8 -Vancouver Int'l Airport

You will notice it DOES offer a 4* hotel. --> Therefore, this will NOT be one of your re-bid zones.

 

5. Click and unclick each zone to see which ones have which star levels.

 

Write down all your safe re-bid zones (i.e. those that don't have 4*s)

 

These can change at any time, so you must check before you bid each time. (I'm paranoid and like to keep 2 windows open - one for my active bidding and one to check).

 

When you go to re-bid

ONLY 2 things to do:

1. Check an additional safe re-bid zone

2. Increase amount of your bid

 

DO NOT change anything else. i.e. DO NOT change the star level selection. Leave it at 4* the entire time.

 

That's about it. Like I said, I've been using Priceline (and Hotwire) for years now and have a hard time paying regular hotel rates anymore. :D

[scottbee]

Good thought but as you correctly point out if there is a 4* hotel in the added district then you would be hooped plus I am always suspicious of who makes the 4* rating judgments...in one review you will see a hotel rated as a 3* and in another a 4*. In this case Langley is some 30 to 45 mins east of the city and would be at least a $50 or $60 cab fare from the airport and then again from hotel to pier. So I would be very cautious about giving this kind of advice as people very seldom know the market when bidding for a hotel room ...they are viistors.

 

Exactly, the lists of hotels on BfT and BetterBidding are merely past examples, not necessarily what's available. If you added Burnaby, and they decided that all of a sudden the brand new "Delta Burnaby" is 4 stars , you're now 10 miles from where you want to be.

 

 

Best thing to do is

a) find out what other people paid on priceline

b) start your bidding slightly ($5) lower

c) if (b) is unsuccessful, bid the next day a few dollars higher, repeat as necessary.

 

As most people aren't bidding 2 or 3 days in advance, this system works just fine.

[Putterdude]

There is no mystery involved. It's a matter of doing your homework. Priceline has 8 zones in Vancouver. It offers 4 star hotels in 2 of them (Downtown and Airport). A bidder can add any zone other than the airport on a 4 star downtown hotel bid and know that they are only bidding on the downtown zone.

 

This is a well researched method of bidding designed to help the visitor who is looking for a good price on a hotel room. More information is available at the 2 message boards that deal with Priceline bidding. They provide a wealth of infomation about bidding strategies much like Cruise Critic helps those with cruise information. The same advice applies to Cruise Critic members and Priceline bidders - do your homework and ask questions if you are unsure of anything.

 

Good and when they are they are faced with a $100 or $120 in cab fares I am sure that you will reimburse them...so there is no problem here at all. My advice remains the same and that is to to stay the course and bid in the zone you want to be in, bid over a few days or a week, if necessary and avoid the risk of being stung with a location you don't want.

[SeaDawg]

Good and when they are they are faced with a $100 or $120 in cab fares I am sure that you will reimburse them...so there is no problem here at all. My advice remains the same and that is to to stay the course and bid in the zone you want to be in, bid over a few days or a week, if necessary and avoid the risk of being stung with a location you don't want.

 

There is no need for catty remarks. That is very unprofessional. We are both trying to provide information to those that seek it. I did not contradict any advice that you gave.

 

The cab fare remarks were totally uncalled for because when bidders follow the strategy they will be staying in a 4 star downtown hotel at a fraction of the cost. A fact that has already been documented on this thread.

[Marietta]

This week I got the Pan Pacific at the pier on Aug 7 for $92 after trying several lower bids in the week before. I did the zone bidding and was sweating bullets that I'd end up in the wrong place but it just seamed like the prices were going up for the time I wanted to go. Maybe you'll need to spend more if you want a 4* downtown - I did...

 

Good Luck!