Relayer4

I just got the Marriott Stellaris for one night, 5/23 for $130, total with tax $159.93 on Priceline.

Glad it worked out for you.

If I want to bid on the area that includes the Marriott Stellaris, do I bid on San Juan, resorts on priceline? Thanks...

yes, but there are several resorts in that zone that could be won using Priceline.

FYI, I was over on http://biddingfortravel.yuku.com/ and saw there were Priceline winning bids for 3.5* Embassy Suites and 3.5* San Juan Water and Beach Club. I was wondering if we would ever see a hotel other than the Sheraton be won at the 3.5* level.

Oh, I'm so sorry. I knew I would forget something...

 

Based on everything I read here, I used 3.5*, 4* & resort.

Keep in mind that Priceline can always upgrade you. That means if you bid for a 3.5* hoping for the Sheraton, you can be upgraded to a 4* or Resort. Provided of course that the zone you're bidding has 4* and/or Resorts, which San Juan does.

Great point sweet. Don't even have to call. When your original bid is accepted, right underneath it says "Extend Your Stay at the Same Nightly Rate".

No problem Sass, I think you'll be fine. The Courtyard looks to be a short ride to the Sheraton. We're staying at Courtyard and like its proximity to the ports and Old San Juan. What's a vacation without a little adventure :)

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/maps/travel/sjumr-courtyard-san-juan-miramar/

Sass4, just curious why you bid for a 3* if you wanted the 3.5* Sheraton.

One more thing TribeFan, Priceline can always upgrade you to a higher rated hotel. Not really an issue in PR, but here's an example. Let's say you bid on a 3.5* hotel, get denied and you add another zone that has no 3.5* hotels, but has a 4* in that zone. Priceline can upgrade you to that 4* hotel. Just something to keep in mind for future bidding. I've seen people bid for specific 3* hotels and get upgraded to a 3.5* and not be happy about it. Good luck.

No one has replied to my question about the Sheraton and other 3.5* hotels on Priceline (about adding other areas). Although looking at suznf's post, I think I have it straight. I originally thought there were 3.5* hotels in other areas, so I was selecting ONLY San Juan and just increasing the price, meaning I was missing out on the rebids and having to wait 24 hours.

 

Looking at betterbidding's hotel list, am I right that there are only 2 hotels listed at 3.5* and they are both in zone 6 (San Juan). SO, if I want to get a rebid, I am safe to add the other areas?

 

I don't want to make a huge mistake and end up on the other side of Puerto Rico when I want an OSJ hotel for the pre-cruise night! :eek:

TribeFan, When you go into the "name your own price" section, you will see 6 zones in Puerto Rico. If you click on each zone individually and there are no 3.5*, 4* or resorts shown, then that is a free rebid zone for 3.5* hotels in San Juan. For example, you can't win a 3.5* hotel in Ponce because Priceline doesn't offer any in that zone. Using permutations, there are many free rebid opportunities in San Juan for 3.5* hotels.

Hotwire lists 5 hotels for San Juan- a 2*, a 2.5*, a 3*, a 3.5*, and 2 4 stars. Does anyone know what the 3* would be? I saw that Doubletree was listed as an example of a 3* hotel but wasn't sure if that was it.

It all depends on what amenities are showing. Like Priceline, one needs to be careful about thinking they will get one hotel, and end up with another. Hotwire uses different hotels for the star levels, but the exact hotel can sometimes be narrowed down based on the amenities shown. For my date, they were showing a 3.5* that matched the Normandie Hotel and a 3* that matched Hotel Miramar. Both get bad reviews on Tripadvisor so I didn't have any interest.

If you check out package deals to Puerto Rico on Hotwire, they will list the hotels, amenities and star levels. This is one way to narrow down specific hotels.

Is it better to do 3 stars or 3.5 stars? I'd really like the Embassy, it's on the beach or the Marriot....any suggestions. I think I'm going to try Priceline. I need a room for 2 nights.

Depends on where do you want to stay. The Sheraton is the only place that comes up for 3.5*, so that's a pretty safe bet. However, several hotels have been won for 3* and Resorts. It's also important to check the hotel rates for your dates. You've seen the primary winning hotels in this thread. I personally can't see paying a fortune for a pre-cruise stay, so I was very happy to get the 3* Courtyard for $50, and the reviews look good on Tripadvisor. Don't get me wrong, I tried the resorts up to $115 and 3.5* up to $95. We are going to rent a car for 24 hours, so we won't be at the hotel much anyway.

Something else to keep in mind, Priceline can upgrade you. This means one bids on a 3* and gets upgraded to a higher level hotel. Or you might bid for a 4* and end up winning a resort. However, I don't this happen too often in San Juan.

Has anyone had any luck with

Priceline

for the above dates in San Juan? I book the Embassy Suites on

Tartak

St. a long time ago for over $300/night, thinking the price would go up. Now prices seem to be coming down. I'd like to get the

Mariott

Isla

Verde or the Embassy Suites. Does anyone have any ideas? I have never used

Priceline

before...

 

Thanks,

bubiesmom

Besides the Sheraton, the Embassy Suites is the only other 3.5* hotel on Priceline's retail list. The problem is I can't remember ever seeing a win at Embassy Suites on Priceline. Everyone gets the Sheraton. Is that the Courtyard by Marriott in Isla Verde? If so, that is a 3* hotel we never see being won on Priceline either. Their best AAA rate at Courtyard is $170 a night so that is an option for you. If you're willing to take a chance, I'll be glad to help. If bidding on a 3*, always the chance of winning the "other" Courtyard, Radisson or Holiday Inn.

just bid on priceline and got this for precruise two nights at 45 a night. average price per usual 238.00 yahoo, feel like i just robbed a bank!!!

teegee, just saw your post on BFT, nice win. I wonder how low they will go? Looks like there's a lot of bargains to be had at the Courtyard.

Can you please tell me how you bid this? 3*, 4*, resort?

When you enter a city and date on the Priceline front page, you need to get into the "name your own price" section. The Courtyard is a 3* found in the San Juan area (zone 6), however there is no guarantee this is the hotel you would win, it could be any of the 3* hotels in this area. Instead of walking you through the entire process, I suggest you read the Hotel FAQ from Bidding For Travel. Then I'll be glad to answer any questions you might have. It's important to familiarize yourself with how the process works.

http://biddingfortravel.yuku.com/topic/2560

NCTribeFan, here is the specific link to the Puerto Rico board: http://biddingfortravel.yuku.com/forums/102

Be careful, Zone 5 (Rio Grande-Humacao) is not a free rebid zone because they offer resorts. All others are good to go.

Also be cautious, if the Marriott is really where you want to stay, then Priceline might not be your best option. Always the chance you could win the Hilton Caribe when bidding for a resort in Zone 6.

Since you have so much time and so many free rebid zones, I'll would low-ball around $60-70 and work your way up. I never thought I would win the Courtyard for $50, but bargains like that do happen. Not to mention May is not the busy season.

I'll put a plug in for Bidding For Travel, http://biddingfortravel.yuku.com/ I think they are the best site for Priceline users. One can see the same post on their Puerto Rico forum.

Using Preiceline, I had been trying the past few days, getting shot down on resorts up to $115, and 3.5* hotels up to $95. In researching the available hotels, all the 3* look like good places to stay in the San Juan area. The Hilton Caribe Resort seems to nickel and dime you for everything and for a pre-cruise stay it doesn't seem worth it. Also, I found out our ship leaves from the Pan Am Pier which is across the harbor from the Sheraton and Old San Juan. There would have been no advantage in winning that hotel. It turns out this Courtyard is one of the closest hotels to our pier.

I won this hotel on the first bid of $50 today. Based on what the winning bids have been going for in San Juan, I am very happy with the result. Lowest non-refundable rate on the Marriott site is $195 for this night.

Just Got the Sheradon OSJ for 1/31 on Priceline.

Started out with a bid of $99.00 for 3.5* in zone 6 [san juan] and was declined. Bumped it up to 115 with free rebid added zone 5 [ponce] got a reply if I added $22 they would accept it. So I took it. Rack rate is currently $269 .

Priceline will almost always accept less than the counteroffer price. The counteroffers they present are completely random. If one has available free rebid zones, just close out and start over. I know there are many in San Juan for 3.5* hotels. For example, if I received a counteroffer at $115, I would close out, start over and make my next bid no more than $120. I've seen some folks rebid $1 at a time after a counteroffer. The general rule is cut the counteroffer in half and you should be successful.