Flyertalk Evangelist and Moderator: Talkboard Topics, Coupon Connection and Travel Products
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Medway, MA (suburb of Boston)
Programs: American Gold, United 1K, Marriott Platinum Elite, Hilton Gold, Starwood Gold
Posts: 14,166
Personally, I have found no rhyme or reason to when one bids.... and I have over two hundred priceline night stays by now.
I think you need to decide what you consider the price you want... and try that as soon as possible. If you get it, great... if not, you can keep trying. The new service by Coolwuff helps take away the guesswork.
If demand is low, you might find prices coming down.... but not always. You also run the risk of no availability at all.
The SeaTac area is usually not that expensive on Priceline... so hopefully you can get a low rate.
Flyertalk Evangelist and Moderator: Talkboard Topics, Coupon Connection and Travel Products
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Medway, MA (suburb of Boston)
Programs: American Gold, United 1K, Marriott Platinum Elite, Hilton Gold, Starwood Gold
Posts: 14,166
Did you check out what the going rate is with Coolwulf in the other thread?
I wonder if you could have gotten it lower.... or a higher star level for the same price?
I have always gotten the Hilton.... a pretty nice airport... especially when I get it for $25 or so.... which is what I got the last time two years ago.....
I already had a reservation there and I was trying my luck for something a little "better" like the Radisson or Hilton.
But it took $30 bucks off the original AAA rate.
But you've paid in full/nonrefundable and there are two months in between whereas the other rate was fully refundable. In general with Priceline, you should wait until you're close enough to the date to avoid cancellation. The availability and best price are unknowns but the uncertainty is certain.
Programs: Via Preference Premiere, Fairmont Premiere, SPG Gold
Posts: 64
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IMO best to wait till less than a month out min. What if a travelzoo special came out after you bid for a hotel you really wanted?
Later you wait to bid the more opportunity to find rates via other sources you might want.
But you've paid in full/nonrefundable and there are two months in between whereas the other rate was fully refundable. In general with Priceline, you should wait until you're close enough to the date to avoid cancellation. The availability and best price are unknowns but the uncertainty is certain.
Quote:
Originally Posted by will5404
IMO best to wait till less than a month out min. What if a travelzoo special came out after you bid for a hotel you really wanted?
Later you wait to bid the more opportunity to find rates via other sources you might want.
Actually, there are no "generalizations." It really depends on so many factors. When I am bidding in a city where I know the demand will be higher (Anchorage in the summer, a place where there is a large convention in the city, especially if I am attending the convention, etc), I will bid months in advance.
If my plans are firm and I know the going rate for a certain quality level in a certain zone is very attractive through priceline, I will bid earlier than later. If my plans are uncertain or if I just want to monitor prices for a while, I will book a cancellable backup hotel then bid when I feel is the best time.
I have bid 6-7 months in advance and have bid on the same day. I have never seen a conventional rate beat what I paid on priceline. Probably well over 100 nights on PL rates.
I bid in July for a hotel next week in SLC. At the time of booking, I knew that unless I was on my deathbed, I am going. For $34 + tax/fees for the hotel I could have booked on my own for double that rate, I committed to PL.
I have helped a friend book a room for family for his college graduation at Duke last year. We booked through Hotwire actually since it was cheaper than PL. And we booked it in October 2008 for May 2009. But we figured it would only get more expensive due to rooms filling up. I didn't monitor the prices after we booked, but I would have been surprised if anything came close to what we paid.
Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks.
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DELTA - Driving Every Loyal Traveler Away
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Posts: 64
Yes it's true it depends on the area and other factors.
I suppose the other big factor is if your willing to pay a bit more for a hotel of your choice which you could earn stay credit with.
Your more likely to get the absolute lowest rate off Priceline, but it could land you in a property you don't like. Sometimes its worth it, sometimes its not and it's heavily area dependent.
In general, I seldom book more than 3-5 days in advance, especially during the current recession UNLESS there is a reason to expect that occupancy levels will be outrageous. For example, if I am bidding for a hotel in Lincoln, NE, I am going to book way in advance when there is a football game that weekend.
I was in Seattle and Vancouver two weeks ago and I booked one or two nights before the date of arrival. We generally move around a lot on our trips and want to be very flexible in case something sparks our interest.
