Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Have you 'won' a SOLD OUT hotel on Priceline?

I am considering bidding in Hawaii. There are only two hotels (resorts) in the zone. I REALLY want one and I really DON'T WANT the other....

The one I want is showing reasonable availability on all sites.

The one I don't want is showing SOLD OUT on all the 'normal' sites (hotel's site, hotels.com, orbitz, expedia, and travelocity). The only place that claims there is availability is some obscure site I'm not familiar with -- royalhawaii.com (looks like they book hotels and condos).

So...have you ever won a hotel that seemed virtually SOLD OUT? Or should I be safe to bid and not get it?

Thanks for your experience and speculation :)

The only really accurate way to determine whether the hotel is sold out is to visit the hotel's own website. It might show no available for the day you want to check in, however it might happen due to a hotel requiring you to either book a certain number of nights or check in on certain days (i.e. no Saturday check in).

Also, it is not too uncommon to get a hotel on PL that is otherwise soldout. It had happened to me twice already. Hotels might have preblocked a couple rooms to sell on PL or HW.

I would try and check out betterbidding.com or (uggg) biddingfortravel.com and look for recent bid success. This is a much better indicator of what you'll get, I think. You could always try and bid for one night as well, and see what you get.

I have gotten sold out hotels on PL.

Assume it's a matter of the revenue manager failing to zero out PL inventory.

(I've also gotten hotels for a single night when rooms were otherwise only bookable with 3 or 5 night minimum stays.)

This happened to me a couple of months ago, at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City. I had checked the hotel's website just before placing my Priceline bid, and it was showing sold out.

When I got to the hotel it was jammed with members of a motorcycle "club" ;) who were going on a big organized ride the next morning. My guess is that the hotel, anticipating many no-shows, probably oversold on purpose (I ended up getting upgraded to a huge room that was essentially a junior suite).

I got a sold out hotel once. I forget which one, but I knew I would get it because it was coming up in Priceline packages for my dates.

BillJ

The only really accurate way to determine whether the hotel is sold out is to visit the hotel's own website. It might show no available for the day you want to check in, however it might happen due to a hotel requiring you to either book a certain number of nights or check in on certain days (i.e. no Saturday check in).

Also, it is not too uncommon to get a hotel on PL that is otherwise soldout. It had happened to me twice already. Hotels might have preblocked a couple rooms to sell on PL or HW.
Actually, I have checked all five nights separately almost (1-5, 1-4, 1-3, 1-2) and all showed sold out on the hotel's own site (hilton).

I would try and check out betterbidding.com or (uggg) biddingfortravel.com and look for recent bid success. This is a much better indicator of what you'll get, I think. You could always try and bid for one night as well, and see what you get.
I did try to check there and really see no record of wins for this hotel -- which was kinda odd :confused:

I did think about bidding 'one night'....still undecided on that. Thanks.

The only place that claims there is availability is some obscure site I'm not familiar with -- royalhawaii.com (looks like they book hotels and condos).I have emailed them directly and they have said that their cheapest room is sold out, but they COULD offer me a reservation for the next level up :( Darn. I WISH I could just take Hilton.com's word for it and feel secure that they are SOLD OUT :rolleyes:

I have emailed them directly and they have said that their cheapest room is sold out, but they COULD offer me a reservation for the next level up :( Darn. I WISH I could just take Hilton.com's word for it and feel secure that they are SOLD OUT :rolleyes:

I have often showed up at "sold out" hotels and easily gotten rooms at cheap prices (best to do after 600PM but I showed up at a nearby WRONG hotel 4-5 weeks ago and they they honored the other hotels nice low price. They even cancelled by other reservation). Nice!

MisterNice

I too have gotten sold out hotels ... and in my cases, I actually wanted them.

In my situations (several times) Hyatt was the place I most wanted, but the Hyatt in Vancouver showed as sold-out on Hyatt.com and I was told the same over the phone. Each time thereafter I then managed to booked multiple rooms at that very Hyatt via Priceline (and at a very, very good price). :)

This happened to me a couple of months ago, at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City. I had checked the hotel's website just before placing my Priceline bid, and it was showing sold out.

When I got to the hotel it was jammed with members of a motorcycle "club" ;) who were going on a big organized ride the next morning. My guess is that the hotel, anticipating many no-shows, probably oversold on purpose (I ended up getting upgraded to a huge room that was essentially a junior suite).

Hyatt seems to commonly have these issues (from the East Coast to the West Coast, of the US and Canada). :)

A year and a half ago I actually booked the Hapuna Prince via PL after realizing that the Hilton was sold out. I called the Hilton directly after making sure they were zeroed out. I pleaded to see if there was anyway to Waika-Disney. I was told no way, no how. I then booked the Hapuna via PL for $165.

We are going back this December and our dates are not sold out at the Hilton. Therefore PL is not an option. We did book the Hapuna via Hotwire and I am awaiting my $30 rebate. I actually got $176 rate (before fees and 11.42 taxes) per day via Hotwire and with the $30 back for our three day trip it actually comes out about $6/day cheaper than if it were available via Priceline so the whole thing was easier.

Now if I had just considered the multiple coupon route I may have done that ...

Come to think of it, my experience with this is predominantly Hyatt as well. Weird.

Last year I stayed at the SFO Hyatt five times at $50-$60 rates. All were via PL and every time the hyatt.com siite showed it sold out. In reality I was hoping to get a nice 2.5 star hotel but got the Hyatt instead.

MisterNice

These examples are why I will DEFINITELY be trying Hotwire for the first time. I almost never care which hotel we are awarded. This zone + trip is the one-time exception.

Come to think of it, my experience with this is predominantly Hyatt as well. Weird.

... and more reports of Hyatt. :)

so you're saying if they are sold out you'll get the next best room upgrade free? or will you be SOL

No, they are counting on no-shows probably. So you will either getting the same basic room regardless, or if they are really oversold, get "walked" (ie bumped) to an equivalent property for the night. If you have a prepaid room, you are not 'SOL' ;)

I am considering bidding in Hawaii. There are only two hotels (resorts) in the zone. I REALLY want one and I really DON'T WANT the other....

The one I want is showing reasonable availability on all sites.

The one I don't want is showing SOLD OUT on all the 'normal' sites (hotel's site, hotels.com, orbitz, expedia, and travelocity). The only place that claims there is availability is some obscure site I'm not familiar with -- royalhawaii.com (looks like they book hotels and condos).

So...have you ever won a hotel that seemed virtually SOLD OUT? Or should I be safe to bid and not get it?

Thanks for your experience and speculation :)


If you REALLY want a certain hotel I would not go through either Priceline or Hotwire. There is always a possibility of something coming up that you have not expected.

If you REALLY want a certain hotel I would not go through either Priceline or Hotwire. There is always a possibility of something coming up that you have not expected.
That could be true, but for my particular trip, there are only a couple of hotels in the zone period, so using the vacation package feature on Hotwire made it very clear which one I would be getting.

Once in Nice, France I had bid on priceline and won two nights at a Novotel. Went to check-in late in the evening. Hotel had some trouble with their computers and asked me if I wouldn´t mind moving across the street to the Sofitel. Sofitel was much nicer(same owner, Accor). They were really sorry about what had happened and at Sofitel they offered me free breakfast. I was glad I could help. ;)

I've had some luck with priceline getting sold out stuff, but usually it involved a convention and the last minute opening of some rooms that were apparently canceled (or where people decided to come later).

Happened once with mccormick place hyatt on the eve of a major convention.

I got the Hilton Metropole in London on Priceline last Dec. when the Hilton website and Expedia both said it was sold out for a Sat night. I simply changed the bid to a Friday and Sat night bid and it worked fine.

You apparently 'wanted' the sold out hotel, whereas I was trying to eliminate it as a possibility based on it being sold out. Good to know tho.

I've gotten the Hyatt in New Orleans on a sold out night.

I'd skip PL for sure if you're looking for a guarantee one way or the other. Like many, I've gotten sold out rooms before via PL. Biddingfortravel is a good place to check what's being won via PL. PL may be sitting on inventory it's committed to so the hotel may be sold out - but it doesn't mean PL is. :D

New Years Eve in Chicago often shows little or no inventory, but I get a 4* room every year for $100-$125 at the last minute. This year is no different: I have Starwood awards holding rooms, but will aggressively try to get a cheap Priceline room for the night.