Hotel Bidding

[Karencruiser43]

Can anybody tell me if you can bid for more than one room in a hotel at a time or do you have to try and book each room separately?

 

Thanks!

[vbacht]

I placed a bid through priceline for two rooms and got the Hyatt Dorado for $75 for each room.

[mwsrccl]

Yes you can and check out http://www.biddingfortravel.com for more info.

[crisp1]

Personally, I like betterbidding better:)

 

http://betterbidding.com/

[AltaJoe]

I'm dissatisfied with both sites, while they are good at giving you strategy to win the bid, there is very, very little post-stay feedback from the posters.

 

When using Priceline I have a huge fear of getting the Sh.. end of the stick when it comes to rooms. Its not so much a problem when staying at a Marriott in the US, but when the hotel has a huge variety of rooms...

 

I booked the Wyndam Condado in San Juan through PL. I bid and paid for a resort, but the hotel has been downgraded since. Not happy!. The reviews on this board and Fodors indicate that some of the rooms are real dogs and their location is in another building, which is less desireable. Are they PL rooms? We've already been told that the Wyndham will not honor its Wyndam by Request for PL guests. That can't bode well for us. I'd hate to start the cruise vacation with a bad taste in my mouth.

 

I'm also researching hotels in Rome for a 4 night stay in June. The 5* Intercontinental is perfectly located and biddingfortravel indicates that it is a steal at about $210/night using PL, but some of their rooms are broom-closets. You'd think that someone would be kind enough to follow up with a review of their stay. But no. Not a single review. Very frustrating.

 

Bottom line is that being happy winning your bid at a $10 saving/night is fine, but if the specific hotel treats you like the red-headed stepchild, its not worth it. Both betterbidding and biddinfortravel could be much better with a little more effort from the posters. :(

[crisp1]

Altajoe, have you read the review section on betterbidding? Personally, I prefer to use Hotwire, you know what hotel you're going to get with the help/amenities listed on betterbidding- and if you can't Thereuare will do his best to help- without the questionare. I'd rather pay a little more and know what hotel I'm getting.

[AltaJoe]

Yes, unfortunately there's nothing on the Intercontinental and only one of the Wyndham.

[crisp1]

Yes, unfortunately there's nothing on the Intercontinental and only one of the Wyndham.

I stayed at the Intercontinental last year. Great hotel, great pools, looked like a nice spa. The beach was ok ( had seaweed that day along the edge). Outdoor restuarant, I think all rooms had balconies- don't get one facing the street- you can hear the planes approaching the airport. rooms are a decent size, nice bathrooms, plenty of closet space. I have some pictures posted on realhotelphotos.com( the link is at the top of betterbidding)

[AltaJoe]

Thanks for the review, but the Intercontinental I'm looking at is in Rome. BTW, the ICON in Rome is going for $210/night (without breakfast) on PL for the high season vs a rack rate of well over $400. It is at the top of the Spanish Steps and couldn't be better located. BUT, it has a few terribly small rooms and my DW would kill me (as would my brother and sister-in-law) if we were to book it and get these rooms. :rolleyes:

[Karencruiser43]

Thanks everybody, I don't know what to do as I am looking for 16 rooms and the cheapest rate I have is $158 inc taxes, and I know some people have been able to get the same hotel for $80 per night on priceline. Any ideas anybody?

 

Thanks!

[sunnydaze]

I have been trying to get a 3* in San Juan for 2 weeks now.

I have bid as high as $100.!! Not sure what to do. I have been using "Priceline" for years, and have done well, but this seems impossible!!

After coming off a cruiseship, I want to stay in a decent place.

Please let me know if you find something.I could do with some help.

[kellyccz]

Sunny - they (Priceline) has been really finnicky (sp?) lately - seems like most people are paying just about what they could pay direct through the hotel. I bid for our post-cruise hotel in December on Priceline - started by marking resort and bidding $90, then when it was refused, I marked 3* too and lowered my bid to $80 - it was accepted. I got the Radisson Ambassador (total was $98.09 with all the taxes, fees, etc.). I would just bid every 72 hours - don't raise your bid too high though - or then you might as well book directly through hotel.

[CindyinSeattle]

Altajoe, have you read the review section on betterbidding? Personally, I prefer to use Hotwire, you know what hotel you're going to get with the help/amenities listed on betterbidding- and if you can't Thereuare will do his best to help- without the questionare. I'd rather pay a little more and know what hotel I'm getting.

 

Crisp1 -

We also prefer using Hotwire. We booked a room through Hotwire for 2 nights pre-cruise stay at $77 per night. Turned out to be the Excelsior Hotel, which I've read conflicting reports about on the message boards. Time will tell, I suppose! We booked rooms in Houston for pre and post cruise through Hotwire, and it ended up being Sheraton North for $43 and Wyndam Hotel for $36! The Wyndam even upgraded us to a jr. suite for no extra cost! I don't think you can really go wrong using Hotwire, as they only deal with well-known hotel chains.

[Karencruiser43]

Seem to be conflicting reports about hotwire and better bidding? I need to book 16 rooms, anybody know if it is possible to do this?

[kellyccz]

KarenCruiser: On both Priceline and Hotwire, the max you can book at a time is 4 rooms. I got my post-cruise hotel on Priceline, as I stated earlier in this thread, but just recently got my pre-cruise hotel stay at the Sheraton Old San Juan for $80 on Hotwire, with the help of betterbidding. I would recommend if you want 16 rooms, you use Hotwire. That way, you purchase 4 rooms then immediately go back and purchase 4 more - choosing the same selection of star level and amenities, as it will be the same hotel, and just do it two more times and you will have your 16 rooms. On Priceline you can bid for the 4 rooms, but then each time you go back and re-bid, you don't know which hotel you will end up with. You could forseeably end up with all rooms at the same hotel, but the odds are pretty high that you could end up with your rooms at various hotels. With Hotwire, you know you are selecting the same one. Hope this helps

[flyfan]

If you are booking 16 rooms, call (or email) the hotels directly, speak with the group sales department and ask for a better rate. Tell them, 'I can get your room for $______ on hotwire, but thought I would call you first and see what you had to offer." Wouldn't work on a single room, but with 16 the group sales manager has a lot of 'wiggle room'.

 

Good luck!

~fly

[toolongnocruise]

I got the Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel and Casino last night for $83. for 12/9/05 and today I did it again for other travelers and got a room for $84.

Using Hotwire, if you click that you are interested in hotels in the Old San Juan section, you get three choices. The Sheraton Old San Juan is the middle one. Can't guarantee that they won't change the order, but that is how it is right now. Good luck!

[Kaye from Chicagoland]

Great deal 'toolongnocruise'!

 

I keep checking for 1-13-06 and want to get Sheraton - OSJ. Right now it shows $223 - OUCH! Anyone know when the rates might get competitive to what you guys got? There's only a month difference.

 

Thanks,

Kaye

[Karencruiser43]

Thanks everyone for all your help. I have spoken to the manager at the hotel and they quoted me $158 per room including all taxes etc and that seems expensive to me for 50 people considering 1 rooms on Hotwire or Priceline are going for about $80-$90. Maybe I should call back. Any other suggestions anybody? Thanks!

[tedjazz]

I have a question about Priceline rates and the taxes/fees. I secured a room through Priceline for 1/14/06 to 1/16/06 for $117 a night and $23 a night for taxes and fees. I understand that Puerto Rico charges a resort fee. Is that fee a part of the $23 they are already charged or can I look forward to paying that on top of the taxes and fees I'm being charged now. Does anyone know how much the resort fee is? I have read $10 and I have read 10%. Anyone got the info on this? Thanks.

[tirakotchi]

Great deal 'toolongnocruise'!

 

I keep checking for 1-13-06 and want to get Sheraton - OSJ. Right now it shows $223 - OUCH! Anyone know when the rates might get competitive to what you guys got? There's only a month difference.

 

Thanks,

Kaye

 

Hi Kaye,

 

Try the link under the 'bon voyage' image. They could maygbe help. You could even request biddings there via email.

 

Good luck

[Kaye from Chicagoland]

Thanks tirakotchi,

 

Good site! I hadn't heard of it before!

 

We had already gone ahead a booked a small hotel in the center of OSJ since this was the area we wanted to stay. It's called Hotel Milano and gets great reviews on tripadvisor.com. I called the Sheraton OSJ to verify what its website and my TA said - It was indeed sold out for 1-13-06.

 

I appreciate your response and the website.

Kaye

[Karencruiser43]

Hi TEDDJAZZ:

 

From what I understand, and I have been researching hotels for a year now as I am going on a cruise with 45 people next April and we are staying pre-cruise in San Juan and I found that not all hotels charge a resort fee, but the hotels that did have a resort fee, the fee ranged anywhere from 10% to 17%, so that is an extra fee unfortunately. Good luck.

[tedjazz]

Karen,

Thanks for the info. I'm pretty sure that the Marriott has the resort tax, since it is a resort and I think I read something about that tax applying to the hotel. I have accepted that we will have to pay it, I just wonder if we will pay the resort tax on the amount of the bid accepted by Priceline or the regular rack rate for the room on the nights we stay there. Priceline has already charged us some taxes and fees, but has a disclaimer that says we are responsible for the resort taxes. I just wonder how much. I tried to call priceline, but they won't even answer questions until 30 days before we have our reservations. I just don't want to end up paying more in taxes than I did for the room.

[CruiseFever]

Great info, thanks