Jump to content

Priceline - Marriott Hotels Sydney


Recommended Posts

Today my bid of $150 on priceline was rejected (this was for Jan 15 and 16). Was offered a free re-bid if I increased my bid by $25. Declined. So I think the rooms are going for at least $155-$160 now, maybe more for that weekend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today my bid of $150 on priceline was rejected (this was for Jan 15 and 16). Was offered a free re-bid if I increased my bid by $25. Declined. So I think the rooms are going for at least $155-$160 now, maybe more for that weekend.

 

Did it tell you which hotel? As I think on this...I am thinking you don't know the hotel til you accept the bid? My acceptable bid for this hotel was $157 a night--thought it fine so I don't have to keep trying & then perhaps not get it at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Out of curiosity did you mean 5*? I thought the top level, which is where they assigned me the Marriott, is 5*. I may be wrong though.

 

That is awful. It may be that the two weeks before Christmas are a slow time. Then again I am paying $155. At first I thought they were going for $175 when they asked you to jump $25. However, maybe they are just trying to get people to do it instead of slowly upping their price.

 

Yes, Priceline tells you AFTER they assign the hotel and bill your card. It was a little too nerve wracking for me. I had my eyes shut when the computer was "looking." I had my heart set on the Marriott Sydney Harbour after reading the board.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did it tell you which hotel? As I think on this...I am thinking you don't know the hotel til you accept the bid?
Priceline won't tell you anything about the hotel until it accepts your bid and takes your money.
At first I thought they were going for $175 when they asked you to jump $25. However, maybe they are just trying to get people to do it instead of slowly upping their price.
It's often the case that if you are given a counter-offer, you can secure the hotel at some price between your bid and the counter-offer. So in your case, if you had been able to bid again immediately and had tried something like $165, you might have been successful straight away. (But I'm not sure that Sydney is a place where this can be done - you may have to wait your 24 hours.)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 4* Sydney downtown is generally - or has been recently - the Marriott at Hyde Park. We got it for Feb. 24 - 26, '08 (before we fly home) for $135 per night. I won the Marriott Sydney Harbour for Feb. 17-20. We then fly off to Adelaide for 4 days and I purposely aimed for the other Marriott for the return trip. It's gotten even better reviews on Tripadvisor than has the Marriott Sydney Harbour, and we thought it would be nice to try something else.:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Host Sheila.... it was worth a try, but this is what I've learned. If you contact the hotel directly they email you a very long standardized email telling you where to check on lots of different Marriott sites to get the regular Marriott quote, how to dispute it etc. They will not give you a quote be email (or, it seems, even answer you personally).

 

SO, I called the customer service number. They told me to call the hotel in Australia directly. I'm in Los Angeles, so that's not going to happen anytime soon. Isn't there another way - say through the reservations system? Don't think so, but you can try.

 

SO, I called their reservation line and explained that I wanted to get a group quote - something that might come close to matching the Priceline price. I was told to call group reservations.

 

SO, I called Group reservations - they told me first, that for under 10 rooms they simply couldn't quote me (reservations assured me they could). Then they told me they could only give me the rates that are on their web site (which makes you wonder why they have a group reservations system) AND they certainly couldn't match Priceline's price. Marriott can't be responsible for what Priceline bought and then resold the rooms for.

 

OK then!

 

Worth a try I guess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Out of curiosity did you mean 5*? I thought the top level, which is where they assigned me the Marriott, is 5*.

 

Sorry for the confusion; yes, I did bid on a 5 * not a 4 *. Thanks for catching that mistake.

 

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Host Sheila.... it was worth a try, but this is what I've learned. If you contact the hotel directly they email you a very long standardized email telling you where to check on lots of different Marriott sites to get the regular Marriott quote, how to dispute it etc. They will not give you a quote be email (or, it seems, even answer you personally).

 

 

 

SO, I called the customer service number. They told me to call the hotel in Australia directly. I'm in Los Angeles, so that's not going to happen anytime soon. Isn't there another way - say through the reservations system? Don't think so, but you can try.

 

SO, I called their reservation line and explained that I wanted to get a group quote - something that might come close to matching the Priceline price. I was told to call group reservations.

 

SO, I called Group reservations - they told me first, that for under 10 rooms they simply couldn't quote me (reservations assured me they could). Then they told me they could only give me the rates that are on their web site (which makes you wonder why they have a group reservations system) AND they certainly couldn't match Priceline's price. Marriott can't be responsible for what Priceline bought and then resold the rooms for.

 

OK then!

 

Worth a try I guess.

 

Hello, which Marriott are you looking for group rates in Sydney? I have a Group Specialist that is assisting me for my group. PinkSuit

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has anyone tried to book a group of rooms this way? I need seven rooms. It would make me nervous to have to do one at a time and then not get all seven...... kind of defeat the purpose.

 

Yes, you can do group rates. I have a email address for you if you would like. However, the quote is not the same as Priceline, but they will work with you. PinkSuit

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you're interested in the Marriott Sydney Harbor - I had originally booked using the Marriott.com.au Web site which has better prices than the Marriott.com Web site. My price was $199 per night which is not as good as the Priceline price but much better than other venues.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My guess is that the hotel is filling up for your dates, thus the higher rates. The Sydney Marriott - about a 10-15 min walk from Circular Quay is showing $212 a night as lowest rate. You might need to go with the best price available on Priceline.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I have now worked my way up to $147 and continue to be rejected - I handle rejection very well though! It was interesting that as I progressed from $135, at one point ($143), they offered to accept if I increased by $22 to $165, which I didn't do. Now that I've bid $147 they have actually upped the ante and are telling me they will accept if I increase the bid by $25 to $172, which I didn't do either. What's going on here? Does anyone think that their system actually tracks people like us who are bidding daily and increasing their bids very gradually and has us figured out to the point that they know we will eventually cave in???:confused: I have also tried splitting my stay several different ways, one bid right after another, but still to no avail. When I'm doing that, sometimes the offer of acceptance for extra $$ comes back and sometimes it doesn't. What's that all about?:confused: :confused:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would clean out the history..the cookies (like I did). Then go back in and put in the amount where they said they would like you to offer $25 more. They may make the offer again. Yes, I think they track people that bid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would clean out the history..the cookies (like I did). Then go back in and put in the amount where they said they would like you to offer $25 more. They may make the offer again. Yes, I think they track people that bid.

 

Is there a simple way to explain how to do this?:confused: (Clean out the cookies!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there a simple way to explain how to do this?:confused: (Clean out the cookies!)
If you're using Internet Explorer 6: Go to Tools -> Options. It should open up showing the "General" tab. On this, the middle section is headed "Temporary Internet files". There should be buttons for "Delete Cookies" and "Delete Files" here. The lower section is "History" and should have a button for "Clear History".
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I have now worked my way up to $147 and continue to be rejected - I handle rejection very well though! It was interesting that as I progressed from $135, at one point ($143), they offered to accept if I increased by $22 to $165, which I didn't do. Now that I've bid $147 they have actually upped the ante and are telling me they will accept if I increase the bid by $25 to $172, which I didn't do either. What's going on here? Does anyone think that their system actually tracks people like us who are bidding daily and increasing their bids very gradually and has us figured out to the point that they know we will eventually cave in???:confused: I have also tried splitting my stay several different ways, one bid right after another, but still to no avail. When I'm doing that, sometimes the offer of acceptance for extra $$ comes back and sometimes it doesn't. What's that all about?:confused: :confused:

 

Wait fror a few days...and then restart the process. That is how Priceline works. PinkSuit

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today my bid of $158/night was accepted by PL for the Marriott Sydney Harbor hotel for Feb. 15 and 16. I had begun this process 2 months ago starting my bids at $134. After adding those pesky taxes and PL's fees, the final cost is just over $180/night. I can't imaging any hotel being worth this kind of money; for a place to shower/sleep, but just wanted the convenience of this location.

 

Hope this helps those of you still bidding.

 

john

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...... After adding those pesky taxes and PL's fees, the final cost is just over $180/night. I can't imaging any hotel being worth this kind of money; for a place to shower/sleep, but just wanted the convenience of this location.

john

 

Congratulations John......and do consider yourself lucky! The same hotel for the December 28th thru January 1st period is over $500/night.....and no priceline bidding is accepted for that period.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

John,

When you see the location of the hotel and enjoy the ambiance, I think you'll feel it's well worth it. We got it for $157 and the best we could do before Priceline was $199 (before taxes), so we're thrilled. Just being able to walk to the ship and all of the Circular Quay and city center sights makes it a good deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:( Thanks folks. That's very helpful. I have to agree totally with you John, and when my wife sees what I have paid, my life will be in danger. I can't help having the feeling that I only want to rent the place for a night, not buy the room. The prospect of paying $500 a night is just not in my frame of reference, though I did have to do it at Ayer's Rock, but limited our stay to one night. I'm still trying for my four nights at the Marriott in mid-September, and I'm up to $147 and still no luck. I also agree with Sheila on this and I hope the convenience etc. will justify the cost. With limited time, I really don't want to have to spend a lot of it trying to find our way around on public transportation. I did take the advice of cleaning out cookies etc, so we'll see if that helps. Hope I didn't clean out anything I'll regret!!:eek:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After adding those pesky taxes and PL's fees, the final cost is just over $180/night. I can't imaging any hotel being worth this kind of money; for a place to shower/sleep, but just wanted the convenience of this location.
Trust me, this hotel is well worth that sort of money! A good hotel is much more than a place to shower and sleep. There is a great deal of comfort, when in a strange city, of having a place that psychologically feels like your home away from home. The Sydney Harbour Marriott is a good enough hotel to do that for you.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...