Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - How far in advance does "name your own price" work effectively?

So I am trying for a one night stay next November in the Seattle airport area (***) with rates that I have seen accepted ( $38 range) but I keep getting rejected.

Is there a time frame ( a week, a month, a year) which works best to try before your intended arrival. I guess in hindsight why would they sell a room 8 months in advance for $38 when they might be able to fill it for more.....

Did you check the rates of the likely hotels themselves, and on Hotwire? Perhaps there's a reason your bid hasn't worked.

I won a SEA bid about five months in advance last year, for a going rate, although really there was no need to bid so far ahead.

So I am trying for a one night stay next November in the Seattle airport area (***) with rates that I have seen accepted ( $38 range) but I keep getting rejected.


You are bidding way too far in advance. Hotels are probably not going to release rooms at good Priceline prices that far ahead of time when they might be able to book meetings and/or sell them to other people who pay more. Your best bet is to reserve a room at a decent price you can cancel (so you are sure to have a place to stay) and wait until 30 days before your trip to try Priceline again. Be sure to use free rebid zones to gradually increase your bid. If you don't know what these are, read the instructions in the help sections on betterbidding.com.

Have you checked winning bids on betterbidding.com for 3* hotels at SeaTac? I use priceline frequently for SeaTac hotels and the prices have been creeping up over the past year or so. Although I used to be able to get a 3* hotel (Hilton, Marriott, Doubletree, Holiday Inn) at SeaTac for $35-40/night, now it's more like $45-50.

I think it's a little early. 30 days might be waiting too late though. Try 4 months in advance and then every 2 weeks. I also agree with booking a refundable room. When was the $38 booking? If it was any other time other than November, it's not really valid. And if you're trying over Thanksgiving weekend and it was the first weekend in Nov.... I booked rooms in Hawaii for May back in Jan -- 4 months.

I'd definately try the biddingfortravel.com: http://p070.ezboard.com/bpricelineandexpediabidding It's a little confusing getting started, and a lot to read, but they will definately help you out.

Advance booking is really dependent on the market. It usually varies from extreme short term (The Venetian in vegas used to wait until two weeks before to release inventory), to quite long term (4 stars in Waikiki tend to have inventory for the entire year). Check hotwire periodically and look for three star prices to come down and then jump on it through priceline.

I got my 4* in Brussels for $40 by bidding 4 months in advance. I usually figure it is a good idea to bid way advance, but keep it really low. If not accepeted, wait a couple months, then try again.

goes both ways on this issue. last year i bid in san francisco $38 a night for labor day weekend and got the 3 star doubletree at the airport. a really nice hotel and was treated great despite the regular rate for that weekend being $125. i bid in march and got it on the first try (was shocked)

i have also done well bidding late but my experience has been that timing has little to do with it. if you hit the right number you get the room period. i have 2 stays at the double tree sea tac coming up at the end of may. i bid on both jan 6 2006 and got both on the first try $45 each night. the room currently lists for $145 and up.

if you bid $45 for your november room i can almost guarantee you will get it unless were all missing something here like some major convention or something

I've used priceline for years and it is entirely unpredictable when the best time to bid is. Sometimes it's 11 months in advance; sometimes one day in advance -- and that's all in the same market!

The best strategy is to go to betterbidding.com and biddingfortravel.com and find the best rates for your city. Then look at hotwire hotels (or hotwire packages and priceline packages, subtracting out the airfare or car) and see if it looks like you might get hit (hotwire tends to be between $7 and $20 more than priceline per night). If your plans are firm, go for it when you think the prices are lowest. If not, wait.

We use PL a lot and could not find any pattern of when it is best to bid.

I agree with all the no pattern remarks. This can actually be a good thing. You really have a possibility at getting a good price no matter when you choose to try a bid. Last minute trip? Try it. Planning months in advance and want to nail down a room? Try it. I've done it both ways and had good results.

My most recent last-minute bid resulted I think in a price higher than I would have paid if it could have been done well in advance. (Bidding for Washington DC, in that case, and I bid I think the night before I was staying.) But it was still a good deal because the regular rates around town were all similarly higher than usual.

Possible insight:

The Entertainment book comes with a coupon that add/refunds - who knows, it's something - money to your hotwire price. I tried it, more than the 60 days out that everyone I know recommends, and hotwire rather than even showing me the prices they were giving everyone else, said (paraphrase) "It's too early, try again within 60 days of your travel date, when lower rates will be released."

Similiarly i've had not luck with super-low bids with priceline (ones I know aren't unreasonable, just low) and the wisdom from my bidding buddies is within 60 days.

I am very familiar with this market. Wait until a week or so before unless its Thanksgiving weekend which you need a room for. In that case try attempting your bid 2 months or so before. $38 should do the trick though the doubletree charges $22 for parking. You might be better off bidding on renton. The hilton garden inn is great

I am very familiar with this market. Wait until a week or so before unless its Thanksgiving weekend which you need a room for. In that case try attempting your bid 2 months or so before. $38 should do the trick though the doubletree charges $22 for parking. You might be better off bidding on renton. The hilton garden inn is great

Last time I stayed at the SeaTac DoubleTree (2 months ago) parking was $12, not $22. If the OP is looking for SeaTac hotels because of a flight the next day, I wouldn't recommend Renton.