Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Priceline bidding help - now for a fee!

http://bestbidding.co.cc/

This guy was helping people with PL bids on the FW travel forum - he had a great thread going, and the feedback seemed to be that he knew what he was talking about. The thread got locked by the mods a couple of days ago, and I guess this is why - he's starting to charge for his service.
Now this starts to make sense, although I still want to know how he knows what to bid.

I've seen the opprobrium generated by discussion of BFT, and I've noticed a general decline of people posting. Where else can I get info on completed bids?

Thanks for posting and sharing the info. I had just started to follow his posts on FW. Why did the mods make him stop ? Don't understand ?

I've seen the opprobrium generated by discussion of BFT, and I've noticed a general decline of people posting. Where else can I get info on completed bids?

http://www.betterbidding.com/

Thanks Tom911 - I just registered & posted a bid from today. will I be hassled that I didn't bid through their links? - IOW, do they want my info or the referral credit more?

LKHomemail: FW doesn't allow posting of any links where the poster can profit from them - it can turn into really annoying spam. I guess coolwulf started to put the link to his site into his answers (it won't show now, as I'm sure they deleted all the links)

will I be hassled that I didn't bid through their links?

No idea. I've never posted on that board, though do look at it once in a while.

I stopped posting on BFT because the person who runs the board makes it so unpleasant. Don't need the hassle.

Not a bad price $1.95 per request. I saved much time on bidding by taking his advice. Last few weeks... I have stayed at a 3* Sheraton Providence for $35 a night; regular rate at $119.

I will support his site.

www.betterbidding.com doesn't ban or beat up people for not going through their links. At most, there might be a polite request or a gentle reminder to use them next time.

A post with information gets a Thank You.

Also, the membership (and therefore number of posts) continues to grow.

Romelle

Please excuse my ignorance, but what is FW?

FW = Fatwallet

FW = Fatwallet

Thanks! ;)

Even if you won´t get harassed at betterbidding, it´s nice to show support by going through their link. I always do. A few cents cashback through some other link isn´t worth the hassle.

Dear all,
One of my friends told me this thread so I 'm here :p

I finally decided to open this site after several people on FW forum encouraged me after they used my service. And I believe this is the only way to keep this help service running for more people and run it longer. I would like to help people with no charge however this service is starting to take more and more time from me and more and more resources than I expected...

About the $1.95 price, actually several friends of mine suggested this price, considering papal charging $.30 transaction fee and thanks to a few people behind this service, I think it's a very cheap and reasonable price. But if people still think it's expensive, I 'll try find a way to lower it down if possible.

Just my 2 cents here and wanted to clarify this service. Thank you for your attention.

- coolwulf -

Coolwulf,

I found your service invaluable... and will use it.

Perhaps an option would be to charge a "one time fee" that provides for unlimited requests. I know I would prefer that.

William

Coolwulf,

I found your service invaluable... and will use it.

Perhaps an option would be to charge a "one time fee" that provides for unlimited requests. I know I would prefer that.

William

Currently, I don't have an estimate for the price of "unlimited requests" service since the resources cost will be unknown. And I want to be responsible for each request don't want to be overwhelmed by too much requests...

Right now, we 're giving the first 1000 customers 2 additional free requests upon the paid request hope this will help people to decide which hotel they want to stay. Maybe in the future we'll improve our service to have 2 or more star levels available for every requests but this needs to be carefully considered.

Thanks Tom911 - I just registered & posted a bid from today. will I be hassled that I didn't bid through their links? - IOW, do they want my info or the referral credit more?

did you make a successful priceline bid through the information obtained at BetterBidding? The only fair and equitable thing to do is use the link on the board, this will insure that it will be around the next time you need to research your next bid.

did you make a successful priceline bid through the information obtained at BetterBidding? The only fair and equitable thing to do is use the link on the board, this will insure that it will be around the next time you need to research your next bid.

Do not go through other website links to priceline! Those links are affiliated with priceline and raise your winning bid price!

Dear all,
One of my friends told me this thread so I 'm here :p

I finally decided to open this site after several people on FW forum encouraged me after they used my service. And I believe this is the only way to keep this help service running for more people and run it longer. I would like to help people with no charge however this service is starting to take more and more time from me and more and more resources than I expected...

About the $1.95 price, actually several friends of mine suggested this price, considering papal charging $.30 transaction fee and thanks to a few people behind this service, I think it's a very cheap and reasonable price. But if people still think it's expensive, I 'll try find a way to lower it down if possible.

Just my 2 cents here and wanted to clarify this service. Thank you for your attention.

- coolwulf -

Welcome!
While your service is quite useful (especially when rebidding is limited) somehow I feel PL is not gonna let this go for too long especially if your site gains any publicity. I suspect PL shares the profits from overbidding with hotels and "perfect bids" are gonna lead to revenue loss.
Good luck though, I hope you can generate some revenue and help the rest of us along the way.

I am also curious how much affiliated links increase the winning bid price. We speculated about this in the past but with only empirical evidence it was hard to pinpoint. I am still not sure if, for example, FW cashback justifies the winning bid increase.

Do not go through other website links to priceline! Those links are affiliated with priceline and raise your winning bid price!

Just so there's no misunderstanding, are you suggesting your Priceline bid will cost more going through another website's link than if you bid directly from Priceline's site? I'm an experienced Priceline bidder (7 years) and am very skeptical of this claim. Are you able to prove your theory?

Good luck with your ventures and website.

Just so there's no misunderstanding, are you suggesting your Priceline bid will cost more going through another website's link than if you bid directly from Priceline's site? I'm an experienced Priceline bidder (7 years) and am very skeptical of this claim. Are you able to prove your theory?

Good luck with your ventures and website.

I have been checking priceline bids for several years and I did see in some cases the minimum winning bid raise a few bucks if you go thru affliacted website's link to priceline...

Also I want you guys know that the website's service is updated today, now you can specify how many rooms you want to bid instead of only 1 room request.

I have been checking priceline bids for several years and I did see in a lot of cases the minimum winning bid raise a few bucks if you go thru affliacted website's link to priceline...

Also I want you guys know that the website's service is updated today, now you can specify how many rooms you want to bid instead of only 1 room request.

yes, and my fish is fresh....free beer tomorrow, too!

Sir, I believe you are full of horse manure.

Where do you go to check several years of bids? How do you determine the difference between an overbid (the result of increasing a bid in increments of $5, vs. a slower process of $1 increments) and someone that nails the lowest price offered by a hotel? Rates can vary depending on date, also hotels will load multiple "offers" or minimum acceptable prices that will be accepted, so there is no way for you to prove your claim.

I have been bidding for 5 years now and have not experienced any difference in using one link over another, except that the message board that I use, BetterBidding, is still around, is growing and continues to improve, allowing me and other travellers to get great deals on hotel rooms.

you are making a bold statement with nothing to back it up, empty barrels make the most noise, after all!

hammie, I think coolwulf is skeptical to tell you exactly how they know their information for fear of the "secret" being disseminated too far, therefore making his/her money-making service useless.

IMO, the only 100% foolproof way to prove the "affiliate link means higher price" theory is to bid an amount through the affiliate link, which is rejected, and then immediately bid the exact same parameters and price going to PL directly and having it be accepted. This would have to at least involve two different credit cards.

This would have to at least involve two different credit cards.

The two credit card theory would not be necessary if free rebids were available in the area (locale) you're booking. As long as the second bid involves adding a zone that doesn't have the star quality of the zone you're targeting, then theoritically your two bids are still identical without the need of using a second credit card or Priceline account.

hammie, I think coolwulf is skeptical to tell you exactly how they know their information for fear of the "secret" being disseminated too far, therefore making his/her money-making service useless.

IMO, the only 100% foolproof way to prove the "affiliate link means higher price" theory is to bid an amount through the affiliate link, which is rejected, and then immediately bid the exact same parameters and price going to PL directly and having it be accepted. This would have to at least involve two different credit cards.

As far as I can say, in some cases, this is true! Bids going thru directly got passed can be rejected going thru affiliated links. (in some cases, it's even not one or two dollar difference, could be a few dollars) Check priceline affiliated program list, see the percentage they offered, then you will have an idea why we can see this difference!

And also I do agree, it's not always true, we have seen cases where bids can be the same amount of money, so it depends on when you 're bidding and also which link you 're going thru.

And also I do agree, it's not always true, we have seen cases where bids can be the same amount of money, so it depends on when you 're bidding and also which link you 're going thru.

Can you theorize why bidding sometimes through affiliate links requires a higher bid and sometimes it doesn't? IMO, I think it would be all or nothing vs sometimes yes and sometimes no.

Can you theorize why bidding sometimes through affiliate links requires a higher bid and sometimes it doesn't? IMO, I think it would be all or nothing vs sometimes yes and sometimes no.

Right now. I can't! My result based on the feedback from users of my website and also experiences from my friends. The only thing it's safe to say it did happen some times.

If you want me to theorize this, it needs more detailed research and right now I don't have time for that.

The two credit card theory would not be necessary if free rebids were available in the area (locale) you're booking. As long as the second bid involves adding a zone that doesn't have the star quality of the zone you're targeting, then theoritically your two bids are still identical without the need of using a second credit card or Priceline account.

Good point... don't know why that didn't dawn on me... you could have two browser windows open at the same time, one affiliate and one not, with one having (for example) one zone selected and the other having two selected.

As far as I can say, in some cases, this is true! Bids going thru directly got passed can be rejected going thru affiliated links. (in some cases, it's even not one or two dollar difference, could be a few dollars) Check priceline affiliated program list, see the percentage they offered, then you will have an idea why we can see this difference!

I'm not sure what the "priceline affiliated program list" is, but I know that if person A has a successful bid of $35 through an affiliate link and person B has a successful bid of $35 directly that PL makes slightly less profit on person A's bid (assuming the same city/zones/dates/quality/etc). I assume that's the point of your last sentence of the first paragraph.

And also I do agree, it's not always true, we have seen cases where bids can be the same amount of money, so it depends on when you 're bidding and also which link you 're going thru.

Could you clarify? I'm taking this to mean, for example, that I could bid through BFT's link a certain amount and get rejected but bid the same amount through BB immediately after and get accepted? And if so, inquiring minds want to know how you know this to be the case.

I can't imagine that it would be legal or moral for PL to charge more to customers who arrive there through affiliate links than those who arrive other ways (not that PL has been the epitome of morals, we all know that...). I equate it to a store charging me more for a piece of furniture after they found out I saw their ad in one of ten newspapers they advertised in.

Do you have a money back guarantee if the information you provide doesn't result in a successful bid?

Good point... don't know why that didn't dawn on me... you could have two browser windows open at the same time, one affiliate and one not, with one having (for example) one zone selected and the other having two selected.



I'm not sure what the "priceline affiliated program list" is, but I know that if person A has a successful bid of $35 through an affiliate link and person B has a successful bid of $35 directly that PL makes slightly less profit on person A's bid (assuming the same city/zones/dates/quality/etc). I assume that's the point of your last sentence of the first paragraph.



Could you clarify? I'm taking this to mean, for example, that I could bid through BFT's link a certain amount and get rejected but bid the same amount through BB immediately after and get accepted? And if so, inquiring minds want to know how you know this to be the case.

I can't imagine that it would be legal or moral for PL to charge more to customers who arrive there through affiliate links than those who arrive other ways (not that PL has been the epitome of morals, we all know that...). I equate it to a store charging me more for a piece of furniture after they found out I saw their ad in one of ten newspapers they advertised in.

Do you have a money back guarantee if the information you provide doesn't result in a successful bid?

You can find priceline travel affiliate program here:

http://www.priceline.com/affiliates/

I have to admit that my claim on "affiliated link results in higher winning bids" is still skeptical a little bit but I can gaurantee this happened before.

And about whether my provided information is certainly right, I can gaurantee that the time when we provided this information, our provided bid price will definitely result in winning bid. However, since the winning bid price tend to change with the time, we always encourage people to bid ASAP. And our policy is, if your bid doesn't go thru for some reasons, we 'll give you free request again.

And our policy is, if your bid doesn't go thru for some reasons, we 'll give you free request again.

Good to know! ^

Even if you won´t get harassed at betterbidding, it´s nice to show support by going through their link. I always do. A few cents cashback through some other link isn´t worth the hassle.

$248 and counting on Ebates for me - all through Hotwire and Priceline. (I also book rooms for friends who ask for my help.)

, I can gaurantee that the time when we provided this information, our provided bid price will definitely result in winning bid. .
Priceline works with hotels by setting out levels of acceptable bids and allocating set numbers of rooms at pre-set levels. Priceline assesses a fee plus taxes on top of the hotel's set price. This has nothing to do with what link you use. The only guarantee that would be meaningful is that the price you obtain for a client is as low or lower than the price anyone else will get. But that can't be determined, so guaranteeing that the bid will be accepted is not making any admission of overbidding. If I were in business I would guarantee that the price would be better than what Hotwire is offering for the same category by double the fee being charged and leave it at that. But I wouldn't because I would rather help someone do it themselves.

.. The only guarantee that would be meaningful is that the price you obtain for a client is as low or lower than the price anyone else will get. But that can't be determined, so guaranteeing that the bid will be accepted is not making any admission of overbidding. .

Review FW thread - I number of people tried to bid just below suggested value and got rejected. OP can find out the minimum winning bid at a given time using his methods (whatever they are).

Review FW thread - I number of people tried to bid just below suggested value and got rejected. OP can find out the minimum winning bid at a given time using his methods (whatever they are).

???

OP can find out the minimum winning bid at a given time using his methods (whatever they are).

How can one find out the amount a winning bid will require without actually buying the room? I assume the OP is just doing research at this point, while the customer is the one who later does the actual bidding (based on the OP's advice). Or am I missing something here???

How can one find out the amount a winning bid will require without actually buying the room? I assume the OP is just doing research at this point, while the customer is the one who later does the actual bidding (based on the OP's advice). Or am I missing something here???

It was speculated somewhere (perhaps on the FW thread, don't remember) that coolwulf uses a method similar to using dummy credit card numbers to put in lowball bids until getting an acceptance. This works because PL doesn't charge your CC (or attempt to) until you actually get an acceptance.

I can't imagine this is legal, but I know it's against PL's own rules.

It was speculated somewhere (perhaps on the FW thread, don't remember) that coolwulf uses a method similar to using dummy credit card numbers to put in lowball bids until getting an acceptance. This works because PL doesn't charge your CC (or attempt to) until you actually get an acceptance.

I can't imagine this is legal, but I know it's against PL's own rules.

I am aware this method but it's too time-consuming and not really "right" to do that. I can't reveal my source of knowing the minimum winning bid cause it might make it obsolete but you can think of me as a travel agent by knowing this information...

coolwulf

Wonder if you can help?

Looking for 2 rooms 5* hotel London central or London Heathrow, must have pool and include breakfast. 3 adults and 3 children, I don't mind paying your fees if you can tell me the budget for this

coolwulf

Wonder if you can help?

Looking for 2 rooms 5* hotel London central or London Heathrow, must have pool and include breakfast. 3 adults and 3 children, I don't mind paying your fees if you can tell me the budget for this

There is a link to Coolwulf's website on the first post of this thread. You should enter your request using the form on that website.

I am aware this method but it's too time-consuming and not really "right" to do that. I can't reveal my source of knowing the minimum winning bid cause it might make it obsolete but you can think of me as a travel agent by knowing this information...
Priceline's annual report, June 2009 states that the prices are not disclosed to retail sources, travel agents, consolidators or other retail suppliers and may not be disclosed by the hotel in question but similar rates may be offered to consolidators or other travel providers under other arrangements.
Disclosure for the purpose of revealing the price of the hotel violates the basic assurance that Priceline offers its client hotels. The report notes that they are quite active in taking legal actions and they cite numerous instances.

coolwulf

Wonder if you can help?

Looking for 2 rooms 5* hotel London central or London Heathrow, must have pool and include breakfast. 3 adults and 3 children, I don't mind paying your fees if you can tell me the budget for this

No matter what you bid on Priceline, you can't get this. 5* hotels won't include breakfast. Also, Priceline in London for a 5* is certain to give you a double room only, so you'd need 3 rooms.

No matter what you bid on Priceline, you can't get this. 5* hotels won't include breakfast. Also, Priceline in London for a 5* is certain to give you a double room only, so you'd need 3 rooms.

That's what I thought. Do you know of any other name your price sites that include breakfast and family rooms.
Thanks

That's what I thought. Do you know of any other name your price sites that include breakfast and family rooms.
Thanks

not sure where you want to stay , but, maybe you might like they Hyatt Place hotel brand. the rooms can have two double beds and a pull out sofa that makes into another full size sofa bed. i always get an upgrade there , (even though i use priceline) and the upgraded room is a bit larger . the regular room is large too. they have free continental breakfast. starbucks coffee, fruit - cut for salad and whole fruit, yogurts, oatmeal, bagels, toast and cold cereal.

they are 3 star hotels usually. have a workout room and pool usually. large flat panel tv in room and nice set up for working desk and av controls. free shuttle to area places. they are available on hotwire side, in the forties. priceline in the 30s. imo, these are a good deal.

I do not believe London has Hyatt Place hotels. But could be wrong.

I do not believe London has Hyatt Place hotels. But could be wrong.

According to the Hyatt Place website, there are no HP hotels outside of the continental US.

I wish the $2 fee charging guy good luck and looking forward to confirming the sites accuracy. Oh yes I will gladly pay $5 for a PL suggested is that would prevent my bid being "upgraded" to an old, wornout, hopelessly outdated Holiday Inn.

MisterNice

I wish the $2 fee charging guy good luck and looking forward to confirming the sites accuracy. Oh yes I will gladly pay $5 for a PL suggested is that would prevent my bid being "upgraded" to an old, wornout, hopelessly outdated Holiday Inn.

MisterNice

I don't recall Coolwulf making the claim he/she has the "trick" for Priceline bids to not be upgraded. Or did I miss something along the way here?

I don't recall Coolwulf making the claim he/she has the "trick" for Priceline bids to not be upgraded. Or did I miss something along the way here?

I think MisterNice's post is in jest... he (and lots of other people) would gladly pay extra if there were such a thing as avoiding an undesirable upgrade.

I think MisterNice's post is in jest... he (and lots of other people) would gladly pay extra if there were such a thing as avoiding an undesirable upgrade.

Gotcha! Interesting how two people interpret the same post differently. And if I didn't want an upgrade, I, too, would be happy to pay $5 to ensure it wouldn't happen.

That's what I thought. Do you know of any other name your price sites that include breakfast and family rooms.
Thanks

No, I really don't think there is such a thing.
If the 5* part is negotiable, Express by Holiday Inn (as it is known in London) would do what you want.

I think MisterNice's post is in jest... he (and lots of other people) would gladly pay extra if there were such a thing as avoiding an undesirable upgrade.

You are correct. After 2 "upgrades" to totally unacceptable disgustingly worn Holiday Inns I swore off PL unless there is not a Holiday Inn for 10,000 miles or more.

MisterNice

To me, the iffiness of Price Line and their lack of consistency in what they deem at what star level, I would avoid using them at all costs - I am fortunate enough to be able to pay (within reason of course) for the exact place I wish to be. There is a lot to be said for staying exactly where you want to. I do understand other people who are enchanted with the prices they get - but I truly wonder how unique some of these "bargains" are when negotiating with front desk sometimes does the trick.

To me, the iffiness of Price Line and their lack of consistency in what they deem at what star level, I would avoid using them at all costs - I am fortunate enough to be able to pay (within reason of course) for the exact place I wish to be. There is a lot to be said for staying exactly where you want to. I do understand other people who are enchanted with the prices they get - but I truly wonder how unique some of these "bargains" are when negotiating with front desk sometimes does the trick.

If you follow the free advice and information on the various bidding sites on the Internet, you can usually avoid, or figure out a way to work around the "iffiness" of Priceline. I've been using them for 7 years now. I simply do my homework before I decide whether to go the Priceline route or another avenue. For example, I'm currently staying at a Larkspur Landing (Northern California/Washington) chain at a rate of $19 ($69 on Expedia in which I used one of their BRG $50 certificates). In the locale I'm currently staying, Priceline has a LARGE amount of 3 star hotels with varying amenities that I don't wish to deal with. So I went the retail route. But if I were bidding NYC, I've always had great luck at the 4 star level and wouldn't think of paying rack rates. And if there is a zone in any certain city where I don't like the way Priceline works, I'll take a look at Hotwire in order to narrow down a specific hotel I'll be satisfied with.

In seven years, I've just had way too much success with Priceline to fall for your advice to avoid them at all costs. No personal offense, whatsoever. My positive experiences FAR outweigh the bad. It just boils down to whether or not you wish to take the time to do your homework. If you don't, no problem. Pay whatever you have to in order to be satisfied. And, for the record, I'm a pretty picky person when it comes to hotels. I know what I'm looking for, and know when and where to use or not use Priceline. But, again, we're back to doing your homework again!

BEAV, good evening. I hear you. But I also hear you say that you have to do your "homework". I did not know how to, but I have learned a huge amount from you guys and gals about how to do it. However, for example, take the hotel where you are now - there is one in Bellevue at 3 stars. If you bid a 3 star in Bellevue, how can you get to a Larkspur vs. a Holiday, for example? I have a way to go to figure out all of the fine points. Until then, I will try each and every avenue that I can to reduce the price - don't believe I have ever paid rack for any place. How can you avoid the ones you don't want and get a shot at the ones you do, given their really crappy 3 star choice - crappy up to very, very nice, I should say.

does anyone have a link to the closed FW thread?

does anyone have a link to the closed FW thread?

It has been removed from their site, I believe...

ETA: In fact I just checked, and it has been deleted, I assume because the OP was starting to make money for their service.

You are correct. After 2 "upgrades" to totally unacceptable disgustingly worn Holiday Inns I swore off PL unless there is not a Holiday Inn for 10,000 miles or more.

MisterNice

This is why Priceline is generally much more useful for 4* or better - It's rare that a 4* bid or upgrade from a 4* will get you stuck in a dumpy Holiday Inn.

But there is no doubt that most 2-2.5* Marriott Courtyards and Residence Inns and Hilton Garden Inns and Hampton Inns are FAR nicer than virtually every "3*" Holiday Inn.

BTW, if you only bid on 5* properties, you'll never get "upgraded" So do I get $5 for the suggestion?:D

Swearing off of Priceline means you do miss some great Bargains. I'm staying in Sydney in mid-October, at a 4* Marriott for $76 bid a night for 5 nights. I knew in advance that I'd either get nothing, or that specific property. And there was NOTHING I could find using anything other than Priceline, where I could get a comparable hotel for less than $100-110 a night that week. So Priceline clearly saved me $130-150 compared to anything else.

BEAV, good evening. I hear you. But I also hear you say that you have to do your "homework". I did not know how to, but I have learned a huge amount from you guys and gals about how to do it. However, for example, take the hotel where you are now - there is one in Bellevue at 3 stars. If you bid a 3 star in Bellevue, how can you get to a Larkspur vs. a Holiday, for example? I have a way to go to figure out all of the fine points. Until then, I will try each and every avenue that I can to reduce the price - don't believe I have ever paid rack for any place. How can you avoid the ones you don't want and get a shot at the ones you do, given their really crappy 3 star choice - crappy up to very, very nice, I should say.

Like most people, I usually bid in the same few zones where my travels generally take me. So over time, reading/studying the bidding websites has allowed me to learn which zones to avoid at the confusing 3 star level. One such example is the zone I stayed in last night. Priceline has way too many differing types of properties all classified as 3 stars to suit my preferences. So I always keep a few $50 Expedia certificates in my account to use in those situations. As one of the previous posters said, the 3 star category seems to be Priceline's "wild card" category, and I agree.

But there is no doubt that most 2-2.5* Marriott Courtyards and Residence Inns and Hilton Garden Inns and Hampton Inns are FAR nicer than virtually every "3*" Holiday Inn.



The waters have been further muddied here as most Courtyards and Residence Inns (and possibly Hilton Garden Inns) are now rated 3 stars along with those nasty Holiday Inns. In many zones, you'll see a Courtyard, a Residence Inn as well as a full-service Marriott all categorized as 3 stars. This is a major pet peeve with me!

Priceline does not reject bids because you've gone through an affiliate link.

If someone has access to PL opaque rates in Worldspan they could know the minimum bid necessary for a given zone and quality level on a given night.

Or if someone had access to a chain's reservation system they could know the PL rates offered by a given chain's hotels (but not across all chains).

Otherwise lowest rates can certainly be 'tested' using the credit card method described above.

Priceline does not reject bids because you've gone through an affiliate link.



I agree, and never bought into that claim.

The gotcha with the Priceline star levels is that they aren't really about quality; they're just about the hotel's amenities. If you click on the star level name on the bidding screen, you'll get a popup of what those are.

The only difference between a 2.5* and 3* is an on-site restaurant, which is why a Holiday Inn with a coffee shop outranks a Residence Inn without one.

The gotcha with the Priceline star levels is that they aren't really about quality; they're just about the hotel's amenities. If you click on the star level name on the bidding screen, you'll get a popup of what those are.

The only difference between a 2.5* and 3* is an on-site restaurant, which is why a Holiday Inn with a coffee shop outranks a Residence Inn without one.

That's the way it used to be, but no longer.

In my local zone, we have the following brands, all now rated 3 stars by Priceline.

Hilton (full service)
Marriott (full service)
Crowne Plaza (full service)
Marriott Courtyard
Marriott Residence Inn
Summerfield Suites by Hyatt

Before last Fall when Priceline added the 3.5 level, the requirements of 3 star were on site dining and room service. It has since been changed to on site dining, however not necessarily serving all 3 meals. And no more room service requirement, either. That is how breakfast-only brands like Residence Inn and Summerfield Suites are now rated 3 stars.

Website is updated with the latest Weekend deals section added.

Hasn't Priceline changed the way they let people bid, to where you can no longer manipulate the system by adding areas that don't have a certain star rating in it?

Hasn't Priceline changed the way they let people bid, to where you can no longer manipulate the system by adding areas that don't have a certain star rating in it?

No, nothing has changed in the bidding process. That "system" is still alive and well.

Website is updated with the latest Weekend deals section added.

So is the weekend deals section sort of like the "free bids giveaway"?

So is the weekend deals section sort of like the "free bids giveaway"?


Yes. It's kind of like that but will be only for upcoming weekend and big cities tho...

This is supposed to be a convinient function for people who like to find upcoming weekend hotel deals.