[Priceline Bidding] New site for Priceline hotel bidding help
Jan 23, 2011, 1:11 pm
#76
Join Date: Jan 2007
Programs: UA 1k
Posts: 507
I've also used the site a number of times for suggested prices only.
Then have also actually bid with it 4 times, but always higher than the low ball and lower than the max price.
Have never gotten a booking with it yet.
Priceline today says congrats they've upgraded me to a 3.5 star hilton instead of nearby 3 star doubletree for the same price.
What they don't say is doubltree is free parking, whereas hilton charges $17/day. Considering cancelling it.
Then have also actually bid with it 4 times, but always higher than the low ball and lower than the max price.
Have never gotten a booking with it yet.
Priceline today says congrats they've upgraded me to a 3.5 star hilton instead of nearby 3 star doubletree for the same price.
What they don't say is doubltree is free parking, whereas hilton charges $17/day. Considering cancelling it.
Jan 24, 2011, 11:02 pm
#77
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Posts: 177
Can anyone explain why BiddingTraveler(BT) web site has "low bid" prices higher than many winning bids on biddingfortravel web site?
I posted a winning bid of $70(tax/fee/bid==$88.40) for Vancouver, CA for downtown 4* on Jan 22, 2011. BiddingTraveler said start low bid was $108. Not even close.
Seems like BT has insufficient data to determine winning bids and you still must use other web sites to find the best bids?
I have posted above on this blog and written to BiddingTraveler but has not responded.
I posted a winning bid of $70(tax/fee/bid==$88.40) for Vancouver, CA for downtown 4* on Jan 22, 2011. BiddingTraveler said start low bid was $108. Not even close.
Seems like BT has insufficient data to determine winning bids and you still must use other web sites to find the best bids?
I have posted above on this blog and written to BiddingTraveler but has not responded.
My approach has always been to check Hotwire, and check how many rebids you have on Priceline, then subtract $5-$10 for each rebid. E.g., if Hotwire is going for $100 and you have 6 rebids, start at $70 and work your way up to $100 in $5 increments. Of course, this will depend on your budget, the number of rebids you have, etc. but this is a general rule... plan to max out on Hotwire's price, start low, and work your way up.
Did you get the new Marriott Pinnacle? I stayed there during the Olympics. Great new hotel. I got this hotel on my first bid for $81, and always wondered... how low could I have gone? LOL.
By the way, I am the creator of (edited by moderator) , a similar site to the ones mentioned above, and I have a bunch of great ideas, some of which I (admittedly) haven't been able to execute yet because I just don't have the traffic quite. I need about 50% more traffic before I can really get some cool Priceline features working. Stay tuned.
Last edited by jabez; Jan 25, 2011 at 11:31 am Reason: Did not follow rules in my sticky about new website intros
Jan 25, 2011, 9:42 am
#78
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 19
By the way, I am the creator of (edited by moderator), a similar site to the ones mentioned above, and I have a bunch of great ideas, some of which I (admittedly) haven't been able to execute yet because I just don't have the traffic quite. I need about 50% more traffic before I can really get some cool Priceline features working. Stay tuned.
Last edited by jabez; Jan 25, 2011 at 11:31 am
Jan 25, 2011, 4:49 pm
#79
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Seattle, WA. USA
Programs: MR, AA, UA, DL, AVIS and growing
Posts: 1,172
I got the newly remodel Vancouver Pinnacle Marriott and I got a free view upgrade since I was a platinum member. A great hotel and staff and I made sure I let them know with "3 thank you cards" for the good experience. lol
Regarding your rate guess on PL. It depends on the seasonal time you bid the rate. I knew the bidding range due a very RUDE web site run by a very RUDE woman who bans people who post winning bids. CalItalian used to work for this RUDE web site but quit for unknown reasons.
$66-$70 bid was achievable in January on Saturdays. Less on weekdays.
Maybe we can exchange ideas on bidding levels?
what price did you pay for Van Pinnacle Marriott during Olympics?
Regarding your rate guess on PL. It depends on the seasonal time you bid the rate. I knew the bidding range due a very RUDE web site run by a very RUDE woman who bans people who post winning bids. CalItalian used to work for this RUDE web site but quit for unknown reasons.
$66-$70 bid was achievable in January on Saturdays. Less on weekdays.
Maybe we can exchange ideas on bidding levels?
what price did you pay for Van Pinnacle Marriott during Olympics?
You hit the nail on the head. Biddingtraveler doesn't have comprehensive data and hotel prices fluctuate wildly. I personally don't think it's possible to predict what the hotel will go for because there are so many factors at play. Weekend, season, occupancy, capacity, vacancy, economy, etc.
My approach has always been to check Hotwire, and check how many rebids you have on Priceline, then subtract $5-$10 for each rebid. E.g., if Hotwire is going for $100 and you have 6 rebids, start at $70 and work your way up to $100 in $5 increments. Of course, this will depend on your budget, the number of rebids you have, etc. but this is a general rule... plan to max out on Hotwire's price, start low, and work your way up.
Did you get the new Marriott Pinnacle? I stayed there during the Olympics. Great new hotel. I got this hotel on my first bid for $81, and always wondered... how low could I have gone? LOL.
By the way, I am the creator of (edited by moderator) , a similar site to the ones mentioned above, and I have a bunch of great ideas, some of which I (admittedly) haven't been able to execute yet because I just don't have the traffic quite. I need about 50% more traffic before I can really get some cool Priceline features working. Stay tuned.
My approach has always been to check Hotwire, and check how many rebids you have on Priceline, then subtract $5-$10 for each rebid. E.g., if Hotwire is going for $100 and you have 6 rebids, start at $70 and work your way up to $100 in $5 increments. Of course, this will depend on your budget, the number of rebids you have, etc. but this is a general rule... plan to max out on Hotwire's price, start low, and work your way up.
Did you get the new Marriott Pinnacle? I stayed there during the Olympics. Great new hotel. I got this hotel on my first bid for $81, and always wondered... how low could I have gone? LOL.
By the way, I am the creator of (edited by moderator) , a similar site to the ones mentioned above, and I have a bunch of great ideas, some of which I (admittedly) haven't been able to execute yet because I just don't have the traffic quite. I need about 50% more traffic before I can really get some cool Priceline features working. Stay tuned.
Jan 26, 2011, 8:19 pm
#80
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Seattle, WA. USA
Programs: MR, AA, UA, DL, AVIS and growing
Posts: 1,172
IS BiddingTravel a company already up and running or is this just prototype software still in research?
hard to keep focused on the product when the OP disappears for a week while the software bugs are being discussed.
hard to keep focused on the product when the OP disappears for a week while the software bugs are being discussed.
Jan 29, 2011, 7:51 am
#81
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: IN
Posts: 6
Newbie here:
I used your site/program today. It was the first time I ever used PL, so I was a little nervous. It was easy with your help and I'm really happy with my hotel deal.
Details: New Orleans, 3 star hotel, Holiday Inn French Quarter Saturday and Sunday night stay in March: $91/night ----normally $142. (please don't tell me I could have done better, I'll worry about it for months!)
I did veer from the suggested bid on the very last one: at $90, I got a counter offer for 104. The suggested bid was 100, but thought that was too close to the counter, so I tried $1 more (91) and won.
one suggestion: When I wanted to print my PL receipt, I couldn't remove the helping header, so I had to open in a new tab to print all on one page. A little X to close at the end would be nice.
I used your site/program today. It was the first time I ever used PL, so I was a little nervous. It was easy with your help and I'm really happy with my hotel deal.
Details: New Orleans, 3 star hotel, Holiday Inn French Quarter Saturday and Sunday night stay in March: $91/night ----normally $142. (please don't tell me I could have done better, I'll worry about it for months!)
I did veer from the suggested bid on the very last one: at $90, I got a counter offer for 104. The suggested bid was 100, but thought that was too close to the counter, so I tried $1 more (91) and won.
one suggestion: When I wanted to print my PL receipt, I couldn't remove the helping header, so I had to open in a new tab to print all on one page. A little X to close at the end would be nice.
Jan 29, 2011, 8:27 am
#82
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SGF
Programs: AS, AA, UA, AGR S (former 75K, GLD, 1K, and S+, now an elite peon)
Posts: 23,192
Welcome to FT, gentryart!
If you bid $90 and were rejected and then $91 and were accepted, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say you didn't spend one dollar more than you needed to.
Nice job!
If you bid $90 and were rejected and then $91 and were accepted, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say you didn't spend one dollar more than you needed to.
Nice job!
Jan 29, 2011, 4:55 pm
#83
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Seattle, WA. USA
Programs: MR, AA, UA, DL, AVIS and growing
Posts: 1,172
gentryart,
Congrats especially for first try. The OP's web site does not have an up to date tracking of PL bids which compromises the efficiency of the OP's web site.
It's been 1.5 weeks and theOP has not responded to feedback on many issues so in the future cross reference lowest bids with other tracking web sites as none seem to be up to date with latest bid data.
Congrats especially for first try. The OP's web site does not have an up to date tracking of PL bids which compromises the efficiency of the OP's web site.
It's been 1.5 weeks and theOP has not responded to feedback on many issues so in the future cross reference lowest bids with other tracking web sites as none seem to be up to date with latest bid data.
Newbie here:
I used your site/program today. It was the first time I ever used PL, so I was a little nervous. It was easy with your help and I'm really happy with my hotel deal.
Details: New Orleans, 3 star hotel, Holiday Inn French Quarter Saturday and Sunday night stay in March: $91/night ----normally $142. (please don't tell me I could have done better, I'll worry about it for months!)
I did veer from the suggested bid on the very last one: at $90, I got a counter offer for 104. The suggested bid was 100, but thought that was too close to the counter, so I tried $1 more (91) and won.
one suggestion: When I wanted to print my PL receipt, I couldn't remove the helping header, so I had to open in a new tab to print all on one page. A little X to close at the end would be nice.
I used your site/program today. It was the first time I ever used PL, so I was a little nervous. It was easy with your help and I'm really happy with my hotel deal.
Details: New Orleans, 3 star hotel, Holiday Inn French Quarter Saturday and Sunday night stay in March: $91/night ----normally $142. (please don't tell me I could have done better, I'll worry about it for months!)
I did veer from the suggested bid on the very last one: at $90, I got a counter offer for 104. The suggested bid was 100, but thought that was too close to the counter, so I tried $1 more (91) and won.
one suggestion: When I wanted to print my PL receipt, I couldn't remove the helping header, so I had to open in a new tab to print all on one page. A little X to close at the end would be nice.
Jan 30, 2011, 12:07 pm
#84
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: IN
Posts: 6
Thanks for the tips!
I used the same/similar strategy for Priceline NYOP for our flight down there, ended up with Ind-MSY for $200 RT. (one stop in Dallas)
I just put in different nearby towns for each new bid, but used the same desired airport. When I couldn't get low enough to justify an additional hotel night for a saturday return, I tried for a friday return and won the $200 ticket.
I'm pretty happy with that, as the lowest I could get before I found FT was $320 RT.
I used the same/similar strategy for Priceline NYOP for our flight down there, ended up with Ind-MSY for $200 RT. (one stop in Dallas)
I just put in different nearby towns for each new bid, but used the same desired airport. When I couldn't get low enough to justify an additional hotel night for a saturday return, I tried for a friday return and won the $200 ticket.
I'm pretty happy with that, as the lowest I could get before I found FT was $320 RT.
Jan 31, 2011, 1:53 am
#85
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 36
In all seriousness, we just finished tweaking the bid range recommendation slightly to weight more heavily towards winning bids. (It does not make sense to tell someone to start his 4* NYC bidding at $30.. that just wastes everyone's time). We've also been somewhat busy as a result of steady site users and some recent great press. Analyzing the site logs and bugs takes up quite a fair bit of time and prevents me from being able to peruse and respond on this thread 24 hours a day.
If I could address the point about choosing bid increments: this is totally available in the manual bidding path. Just override all the edit boxes to contain your own increments. We just don't do this in the automatic bidding path because we don't want the tool to become exploitative (I'd mentioned this earlier in the thread).
There was also a comment or two about the site data and experimentation. The site collects data as people use it, so yes, it does get better the more users come and play. We do curate the data as well, both algorithmically and manually. The algorithms which recommend bid ranges and choose what data to display are also sensitive to different factors (like when you're going, weekend/weekday status), so that might explain why certain numbers are the way they are.
Lastly, I wanted to mention that we've been busy and just released a few minor improvements. I'd rather not crosspost here and pollute the thread with more screenshots so I'll just redirect interested readers to the blog.
Jan 31, 2011, 1:34 pm
#87
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: WAW, PL
Posts: 1
ORD - Westin
Hi,
used the tool first time today and got Westin O'Hare @ 59USD ex tax (75USD gross) for one night mon/tue. 192USD is the lowest I found on other sites, so a 117USD discount. I guess OK?? I am happy
Tip for non-US users: I do not have US credit card nor address so need to use priceline.co.uk. I used two IE windows: one with bidder steps on a US PL site and the other with UK PL where I made the real bid. When bidder tells you to restart by clicking "Hotels" you will notice that UK site has a different setup, you just need to go back to UK PL home page and start all over.
M.
used the tool first time today and got Westin O'Hare @ 59USD ex tax (75USD gross) for one night mon/tue. 192USD is the lowest I found on other sites, so a 117USD discount. I guess OK?? I am happy
Tip for non-US users: I do not have US credit card nor address so need to use priceline.co.uk. I used two IE windows: one with bidder steps on a US PL site and the other with UK PL where I made the real bid. When bidder tells you to restart by clicking "Hotels" you will notice that UK site has a different setup, you just need to go back to UK PL home page and start all over.
M.
Jan 31, 2011, 3:43 pm
#88
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Seattle, WA. USA
Programs: MR, AA, UA, DL, AVIS and growing
Posts: 1,172
Did you address the "long delay" of over 5-7 minutes plus to respond when a bid is submitted? No response
Where are you pulling in your new bid data from and how to verify it's accuracy as I doubt priceline is sharing winning bid information with you?
Unfortunately, the OP has elected to release a product that is in beta testing but doesn't respond to emails or takes almost 2 weeks via the blog.
Not the most efficient method to address concerns.
Where are you pulling in your new bid data from and how to verify it's accuracy as I doubt priceline is sharing winning bid information with you?
Unfortunately, the OP has elected to release a product that is in beta testing but doesn't respond to emails or takes almost 2 weeks via the blog.
Not the most efficient method to address concerns.
Hmm, maybe the latter is the result of the former?
In all seriousness, we just finished tweaking the bid range recommendation slightly to weight more heavily towards winning bids. (It does not make sense to tell someone to start his 4* NYC bidding at $30.. that just wastes everyone's time). We've also been somewhat busy as a result of steady site users and some recent great press. Analyzing the site logs and bugs takes up quite a fair bit of time and prevents me from being able to peruse and respond on this thread 24 hours a day.
If I could address the point about choosing bid increments: this is totally available in the manual bidding path. Just override all the edit boxes to contain your own increments. We just don't do this in the automatic bidding path because we don't want the tool to become exploitative (I'd mentioned this earlier in the thread).
There was also a comment or two about the site data and experimentation. The site collects data as people use it, so yes, it does get better the more users come and play. We do curate the data as well, both algorithmically and manually. The algorithms which recommend bid ranges and choose what data to display are also sensitive to different factors (like when you're going, weekend/weekday status), so that might explain why certain numbers are the way they are.
Lastly, I wanted to mention that we've been busy and just released a few minor improvements. I'd rather not crosspost here and pollute the thread with more screenshots so I'll just redirect interested readers to the blog.
In all seriousness, we just finished tweaking the bid range recommendation slightly to weight more heavily towards winning bids. (It does not make sense to tell someone to start his 4* NYC bidding at $30.. that just wastes everyone's time). We've also been somewhat busy as a result of steady site users and some recent great press. Analyzing the site logs and bugs takes up quite a fair bit of time and prevents me from being able to peruse and respond on this thread 24 hours a day.
If I could address the point about choosing bid increments: this is totally available in the manual bidding path. Just override all the edit boxes to contain your own increments. We just don't do this in the automatic bidding path because we don't want the tool to become exploitative (I'd mentioned this earlier in the thread).
There was also a comment or two about the site data and experimentation. The site collects data as people use it, so yes, it does get better the more users come and play. We do curate the data as well, both algorithmically and manually. The algorithms which recommend bid ranges and choose what data to display are also sensitive to different factors (like when you're going, weekend/weekday status), so that might explain why certain numbers are the way they are.
Lastly, I wanted to mention that we've been busy and just released a few minor improvements. I'd rather not crosspost here and pollute the thread with more screenshots so I'll just redirect interested readers to the blog.
Jan 31, 2011, 3:56 pm
#89
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 209
Did you address the "long delay" of over 5-7 minutes plus to respond when a bid is submitted? No response
Where are you pulling in your new bid data from and how to verify it's accuracy as I doubt priceline is sharing winning bid information with you?
Unfortunately, the OP has elected to release a product that is in beta testing but doesn't respond to emails or takes almost 2 weeks via the blog.
Not the most efficient method to address concerns.
Where are you pulling in your new bid data from and how to verify it's accuracy as I doubt priceline is sharing winning bid information with you?
Unfortunately, the OP has elected to release a product that is in beta testing but doesn't respond to emails or takes almost 2 weeks via the blog.
Not the most efficient method to address concerns.
I got a response to a message sent via the contact link through the site within a day addressing an issue I had when Priceline responds with the "We're Still Working On Your Request" page instead of either acceptance or rejection. I did notice in the autobidding session I tried that you can sort of see what Priceline's site is doing in the background behind the autobidding screen. Any delays I've seen, other than the one I reported, are a result of the speed of Priceline's responding to all the data.
I've seen quite a few comments on this thread more related to Priceline bidding than how/if biddingtravel.com works which I'm not sure the OP has any control over.
Jan 31, 2011, 4:45 pm
#90
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Seattle, WA. USA
Programs: MR, AA, UA, DL, AVIS and growing
Posts: 1,172
DAIFlyer,
Although the OP seems to be working bugs he doesn't address specific feedback thus confusing the tool's progress. I again ran the tool and it hung over 10 minutes when you make multiple bids(5).
I also noticed that now the BT web site as some newer data points a accepted bids but starts the lowest bid well above many winning bids which is inconsistent with bidding strategy.
I also checked the BT blog for details for bug fixes but found nothing in detail.
Thus continue to see issues with long delays in processing and bid data.
Although the OP seems to be working bugs he doesn't address specific feedback thus confusing the tool's progress. I again ran the tool and it hung over 10 minutes when you make multiple bids(5).
I also noticed that now the BT web site as some newer data points a accepted bids but starts the lowest bid well above many winning bids which is inconsistent with bidding strategy.
I also checked the BT blog for details for bug fixes but found nothing in detail.
Thus continue to see issues with long delays in processing and bid data.
I am guessing he's getting a lot (all or most?) of the data from people using the site for bidding.
I got a response to a message sent via the contact link through the site within a day addressing an issue I had when Priceline responds with the "We're Still Working On Your Request" page instead of either acceptance or rejection. I did notice in the autobidding session I tried that you can sort of see what Priceline's site is doing in the background behind the autobidding screen. Any delays I've seen, other than the one I reported, are a result of the speed of Priceline's responding to all the data.
I've seen quite a few comments on this thread more related to Priceline bidding than how/if biddingtravel.com works which I'm not sure the OP has any control over.
I got a response to a message sent via the contact link through the site within a day addressing an issue I had when Priceline responds with the "We're Still Working On Your Request" page instead of either acceptance or rejection. I did notice in the autobidding session I tried that you can sort of see what Priceline's site is doing in the background behind the autobidding screen. Any delays I've seen, other than the one I reported, are a result of the speed of Priceline's responding to all the data.
I've seen quite a few comments on this thread more related to Priceline bidding than how/if biddingtravel.com works which I'm not sure the OP has any control over.
