daph

Just saw the hotel I want on BFT. They got it for $60 for this weekend. I want it for July 9-12. There are 4 hotels in this catagory. Do I have more of a chance getting it if it just came up today than if I wait a few days?

catwings01

You don't mention what city this is for - but pretty much you can't compare a winning bid from this weekend to the probability of getting that same hotel for different dates - especially a Monday - Wed stay. The property might not even have inventory loaded for your dates, or if they do it could be at completely different rates. For example, NYC this coming weekend is pretty dead and there are really great deals out there - but the week of the 9th is very busy already and rates are higher.

spleenstomper

One time, I did priceline for a suburb of New Orleans and I got an incredible price for a great hotel... so 5 minutes later I decided to do it again for the next night... and I got a different (though equally nice) hotel.

Needless to say, it was a total PITA to have to pack up and move to a different hotel the next day.

It is irrelevant that someone on BFT got a cheap price on your hotel... that's how you have to think of it.

Or ask yourself... if you *don't* get that hotel, how upset, devestated, aggravated, etc you'd be and use that as a judge for a "risk vs. benefit" measure.

lewisc

Look at the best available rates at the hotel's website. If the best rates for your dates are higher then the best rates for the winning bid dates your chance of "winning" the hotel at that price is somewhat low.

Otherwise you can't tell anything. You don't have anyway of knowing if your hotel has inventory loaded for your dates nor do you have anyway of knowing if the other 3 hotels have inventory loaded for your dates, nor if they had inventory loaded for the dates of the winning bidder.

Matt-KC

Not sure what city this is for, but many cities have much lower rates (and occupancy) on weekends compared to during the week depending if the city is a tourist destination or serves primarily business travel. The days you mention are Mon-Thu and that can make a big difference in whether you would get the same property as those who were able to get it for this weekend. You should expect to get any of the four properties listed in that zone and plan accordingly.

rmiller774

If spleenstomper had tried Priceline's "add -a-night" feature and had been sucessful would she have been assured of receiving the same hotel and thus avoided moving?

rc408

Yes. The add-a-night is always for the same hotel.

spleenstomper

It was a couple of years ago, so either add a night wasn't offered, or I was new to Priceline and didn't know about it.

That wasn't the point, though. I actually didn't mind staying at both hotels... thus able to compare them; at the time I was going to New Orleans often so aside from the pain of repacking and moving, it wasn't that big of a deal.

The point was about how OP likely can't tell whether he/she could get the hotel he/she wanted based on what someone else got.

BTW, spleenstomper is a female.

dhammer53

It's all about playing the percentages.

About 5 years ago, when everyone was getting the DoubleTree at SEA, I somehow managed to get a Days Inn.

Earlier in the month, everyone was getting the Hilton for 3* in Portland OR for $55. Did I say that it is centrally located? Instead, I got the Marriott, which is slightly off, but not so bad, the beaten trail.

I will say that many times, if you see people reporting a hotel, you'll probably get the same one.

Overall, I'm batting 90% with priceline. ^

Non-NonRev

Using the PDX example posted above by dhammer I wonder if the following caused his scenario:

1) The room manager at the Hilton loaded a low PL rate of $55

2) The room manager at the Marriott loads a low rate of $60

3) Everyone bid $55, meaning that they automatically got the Hilton

4) The room manager at the Marriott, realizing that he/she was not getting any PL bookings, lowered the lowest PL rate to match the Hilton

5) The next bid (dhammer's) was assigned to the Marriott.

craz

Or maybe the allotment of rooms that the Hilton was willing to let go @ $55 was now filled up and although a winning bid that got the Marriott would also pay $55 but Marriott paid PL a little less $$ then Hilton did so,they got rid of the Hilton rooms 1st, with the HH rooms filled up and no longer available The Marriott starts getting the res.

There could be any # of explainations, I usually go with if I definitely want a certain Hotel and theres more then 1 Hotel in that Cat in that area, then either book the Hotel I want via the that Hotels website or Roll the Dice and Pray alot.

dhammer53

Sorry. I neglected to say that since everyone was getting the Hilton at $55, I decided to bid $53, since I had plenty of time on my hands.

Who knows what hotel I would have won for $55.

Karen2

Where is Daph with more info? It is a lot better to know the city, etc.

I had two interesting experiences with Priceline. In New Orleans, everyone was getting the Hyatt and I got (I think) a Ramada. When I read trip advisor I was stunned that the two hotels were even in the same category: reports of cockroaches, etc. I actually got Priceline to get me my money back after I sent them the advisor reports. New Orleans evidently has no health dept or county/city agency to look into hotel conditions because I tried to find someone to report the hotel to. I am shocked that Days Inn and Doubletree would be in the same category but it happens and is the risk you take. My experience in New Orleans was the only time I really could not live with the Priceline hotel.

On the other hand, in Bangkok I really really wanted the Marriott and not the Holiday Inn so I bid higher than the minimum. Likely, by dumb luck maybe, I did get the Marriott.

I have gotten the Hilton New York by Central Park, Hyatt in Honolulu, etc. on Priceline and many many others that were really great deals. So you get a nasty once in a while. You save so much on average you can afford a bad one once in a while.

spleenstomper

Pre or Post Katrina? (just curious)

So you wanted to report to the Health Department the conditions of a hotel you didn't see or stay in?

I'm sure the Convention Bureau or the Tourism Department or the Downtown Development District would be interested in FIRST HAND reports of unslightly/unhealthy hotel conditions. Louisiana has parishes and not counties.

If this was post-katrina, I'm sure the Health Department is still busy condeming blighted property and contacting deliquent home owners to be interested in hearsay about hotels people didn't stay in.

spleenstomper

I believe I found the hotel.... the Warwickk Hotel New Orleans, formerly a Ramada Inn. Those reviews gave me the heebie-jeebies just reading them, and so I sent the link to trip advisor to the three entites I mentioned above. ^