[Question] Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

[Sleepy505]

My family and I will be going in October on our yearly visit to the Disneyland Resort and I'm
curious to see what have my fellow mice chatters winning bids have been on Priceline or Hotwire
Hotels, from what hotel you stayed or won your bid at, price, location and if it was a 3*** or 3,5***.

[pinkertonfloyd]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

I've found over the past year that Priceline and hotwire rates havent been the best.

Instead I've been using "Last Minute Travel"... one nice thing is they provide photos of the property, which allows you to usually figure it out. (another hint is the map of the location is usually centered right on the properties location). I've been getting the Hilton for $70/night through them (and they pay the "resort fee"), I've also gotten the Holiday Inn (near the Mickey and Friends Parking) for $54/night (they also pay the "resort fee", which priceline and hotwire do not, adding $10 to your "bid" price, I recommend both hotels.

Another bonus is you can call them, and they will help you (and tell you the hotel name), They also allow cancelling (with 3 days notice), which hotwire/priceline do not. I once booked a hotel in vegas with them, and my wife was sick, they were able to fully reimbuse me... and no, I didn't have to pay for insurance.

Run out of Florida, and everytime I call, I get a U.S. based call center with nice agents.

Last Minute Travel - Best Deals: Hotels, Packages, Flights, Activities

[Juni]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

I got the Marriot Anaheim Suites 3.5 stars at the end of july for 48.00 a night with priceline.

With priceline and using the rebid options to stay at a 3.5 star hotel, I almost always end up with one of the hotels across the street from Target at prices between 40 to 60 a night.

[swampymarsh]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

I'm
curious to see what have my fellow mice chatters winning bids have been on Priceline or Hotwire
Hotels, from what hotel you stayed or won your bid at, price, location and if it was a 3*** or 3,5***.

Look at www.betterbidding.com it's a formum where people post information about how they bid and what they got.

[1Disneylandfan]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

Look at www.betterbidding.com it's a formum where people post information about how they bid and what they got.

Was just going to suggest that, but you beat me to it :lol: I've been using Priceline for about 5 years now. I generally get my bids between $40-50 a night and in 3.5 star hotels in the Disney South area. Betterbidding site will help you with a bidding strategy. Quite often Priceline will offer rewards money to use for your bidding.

[Sleepy505]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

Wow! great information from all of you, swampymarsh and 1Disneylandfan I did check out betterbidding.com and I seen some surprising bids. Juni what a great winning bid $48.00 for a 3.5*** I hope we can get that lucky. I will no longer go for 3*** hotels because every time I used priceline most of the hotels I won bids on always had hidden fee but than again I'm sure so does the 3.5*** as well. pinkertonfloyed what a great website it was just like you described it would be, it is funny that they do post photos and all of us hotel lovers can surely guess which hotel it is, I will definitely go there first before I make my bid on priceline and see what hotel show up and I will check to see if they cover those hotel hidden fees, Thank you all.

[Kristine30]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

Instead I've been using "Last Minute Travel"... one nice thing is they provide photos of the property, which allows you to usually figure it out. (another hint is the map of the location is usually centered right on the properties location). I've been getting the Hilton for $70/night through them (and they pay the "resort fee"), I've also gotten the Holiday Inn (near the Mickey and Friends Parking) for $54/night (they also pay the "resort fee", which priceline and hotwire do not, adding $10 to your "bid" price, I recommend both hotels.

Hey - thanks for the tip on this!! We prepaid for a deal on a BW hotel, but I snooped around on the link you provided for our dates at the end of September and the Hilton at the convention centre was priced at $63* a night!!!! I will certainly be saving your link for our next trip

*(and we are paying $78 for the Best Western, which we thought was an alright deal!)

[Sleepy505]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

Hello all, I just got the Crowne Plaza Anaheim for $69.00 a night and I can say I'm a bit happy for the deal but just went on tripadvisor and viewed so many negative reviews I was a bit shocked, by reading it does seem like they do treat I guess you would call it 3rd party customers in a not so grateful way so I guess it's to expected. I did call the front desk to confirm this and from what they told me with Priceline customers you get what ever is available at hte time of your stay can you believe this, but me being always trying to think positive it is how you make your stay, and also there is a $14.00 resort fee so I wish they would say it is an $83.00 stay instead of $69.00 it would just make your spending plans more direct.

[1Disneylandfan]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

Hello all, I just got the Crowne Plaza Anaheim for $69.00 a night and I can say I'm a bit happy for the deal but just went on tripadvisor and viewed so many negative reviews I was a bit shocked, by reading it does seem like they do treat I guess you would call it 3rd party customers in a not so grateful way so I guess it's to expected. I did call the front desk to confirm this and from what they told me with Priceline customers you get what ever is available at hte time of your stay can you believe this, but me being always trying to think positive it is how you make your stay, and also there is a $14.00 resort fee so I wish they would say it is an $83.00 stay instead of $69.00 it would just make your spending plans more direct.

It's been a few years since I've gotten a winning bid from the Plaza. It is a nice place. At the time back then the resort fee was $12 a day. I've always called in to request 2 beds after my winning bids. I usually get my requests, but I always try to check in either early or at actual time of check-in. If I know I'm going to be arriving really late in the evening I also let them know that ahead of time as well. Parking can be a bit cramped if they have an event going on. I believe there parking is shared with Anaheim Marriott Suites lot in the back.

Recent win bid I had was just last week for 4 nights at the Hilton Garden Inn $53 a night. One of my favorite places to stay because a microwave and fridge is in every room. Always handy to have that.

[Sleepy505]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

Thanks for your input 1Disneylandfan, WOW I just looked at the Garden Inn on tripadvisor and I must say I wish I could of received a winning bid like that, I tried and tried $45.00 $50.00 up to $65.00 and nothing so I went to priceline 50% off deal and got the Crowne Plaza I did choose area 7 & 8 and I could not believe I was getting turned down on every bid. My biggest fear is a bad stay at the Crowne Plaza when I spoke to them I did request two beds and they told me Priceline customers get what is opened at the time because we were 3rd party customers (negative vibe) but I'm trying to keep up beat, I 've been thinking of trying to get out of this but with Priceline from what I understand your bid is final. I would appreciate feed back on how you won your bid for the Hilton Garden Inn because I would always try a 3*** hotel and this time I tried a 3.5*** hotel and kept getting turned down.

[Tinkbelle]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

It seems like the Anaheim hotels are wanting much higher bids these days. I remember back around the time of Disneyland's 50th we were winning bids for the Hyatt Regency (a 4 star hotel) for about $38 - $40/night! Now I see that people are having to pay $85-$95 on their bids to stay there. A couple years ago we were usually able to win the Doubletree on Chapman/City Drive for $45-$55 a night. I tried bidding around that price range for several weeks and was turned down time and time again. Finally, last week I bid up to $65 and was accepted for the Doubletree. That is more than we wanted to spend but of course it is still a great deal and much better than what the hotels on Harbor are asking (usually they want $120 - $140 a night). And we always love our stays at the Doubletree.

By the way, Sleepy, I have not stayed at the Crowne Plaza but my sister has and she loved it.

I wonder if this is just the way it will be for here on out, or if prices will drop again once the newness and excitement of Carsland has worn off.

[Tea]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

I just got 2 rooms at the Crowne Plaza Oct 11-13th for 78/night on priceline. First bid was accepted so wish I started lower but I'm happy with the price! We've stayed there before using priceline and had no problems at all.

[Sleepy505]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

Tinkbelle I think your right I used Priceline I would say for the last 5 years and this is the first time I ever paid this much, and I also feel you hit the nail right on the spot it has to be because of Cars land, Disneyland raised the price on their park hopper tickets just right before it was completed so I guess the surrounding hotels felt free to do the same.

Tea what can I say, I guess I should of not complained about the winning bid I received at the crowne plaza but one thing I can tell you when you go to priceline (only saying if you didn't know) after you put in your information there is a small tab on the top and it says express deals save up to 50% from there is shows you hotel if it's a 3.5*** 3*** all the way down to 1* the area and your price it will be for the hotel and it's a for sure deal it's just guessing on what hotel you will receive people always try to go for the 60% deal but this gives you a better Idea on a for sure price and it even tells you all your amenities.

[sir clinksalot]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

Unfortunately they recently changed the "Zones" for Priceline around the resort, but if you choose the 3 star or above you will most likely get the Hilton, Mariott, Red Lion, Doubletree Suites, Crown Plaza, Hyatt or Doubletree by the block. All are either within walking distance, have a shuttle or are served by ART.

If you start going down to 2 1/2 or 2 stars you may get something as far away as near Garden Grove Hospital (happened to us not long ago).

As far as the rates, they've been pretty consistent between $50-$60 unless you are trying to go on a busy weekend.

As for the "Express Deals" we used them on our recent trip to the East Coast to stay in Allentown, PA and Doswell, VA. I was quite pleased with both since we wanted a hotel in a specific area.

It was actually pretty easy to narrow it down to 1 or 2 specific hotels based on the star level, hotel description, etc. If you do your research you can probably narrow it down pretty well.

[1Disneylandfan]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

Betterbidding.com has a wealth of info and you can gauge pricing off of previous winning bids. They even have a calendar of wins, which is pretty helpful. If you want help with a bidding strategy they're more than happy to help.

Few things to keep in mind about Priceline. 1st, all winning bids are FINAL. Make sure you have in stone, dates, LOWEST star rating willing to accept, and zones you are WILLING to stay in, and HIGHEST price you want to pay.

2nd, their is always the chance that you will get upgraded into a higher star level. Remember the star level you choose is the LOWEST star rating you will accept. I've been upgrading before.

3rd always check the available star ratings at the time of bid within the zone you are bidding. Star ratings do change daily, depending upon what inventory is available from the hotels. NEVER assume that a particular star rating isn't or is always available within a particular zone.

4th their isn't a way to target a "specific" hotel with Priceline. If that's what you want, you'll need to use Hotwire.

5th it takes PATIENCE & TIME to get a particular price you want with Priceline. Research your zones and what people have previously won. Keep in mind Priceline inventory changes depending on dates and star rating level, and events that might be going on.

6th just because a particular hotel hasn't been reported to the board, that doesn't mean it isn't a possibility that you will receive that as a winning bid. It has happened to some that they are surprised to get a hotel that wasn't on the list. Correct, all they have is a list of hotels that people have reported winning, but it doesn't mean other hotels aren't possible.

On the betterbidding site it gives you the entire run down on how Priceline works with bidding and "free re-bid zones". Also keep in mind that Priceline only has to provide bedding for 2 people whether that is 1 bed or 2 and it may only be a king, queen, or double. Requests that are made are totally up to the hotel, they won't guarantee you anything. If you need more than that, Hotwire will best suit your needs. Although the Disneyland area is more willing to cater to families.

One other thing to keep in mind is that the travel industry has made a rebound in the last year or so. In 2008/2009 my winning bids hovered in the low 40's. Now I get anywhere between the mid 40's to low 50's.

[smartlabelprint]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

I've got to say that the Priceline prices aren't as low as they used to be. I gave up and booked at a nearby hotel.

[1Disneylandfan]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

I've seen where people have had to bid for 2 weeks to be able to get the price they want or close to it. If a convention is going on, then you won't see as many rooms being sold to Priceline or Hotwire and probably not at steep discounts either.

I'll agree that Priceline has changed over the last year, especially with changing and adding of zones in the Anaheim area. When I started I believe their was only 8 zones, and now it has 18 or 19. But I still like to use it, you can still get great deals from Priceline, or at least I do.

[1Disneylandfan]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

Just a bit of info. I read an article in the Orange County Register about hotel rates in the Anaheim area being up 7.5% over last year and in July they were over 90% filled. All due in part to the new CarsLand.

[Sleepy505]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

Yea I had a feeling it was because of CarsLand it don't surprise me at all, I new once the new addition to CA they would raise prices on everything.

[swampymarsh]

Re: Priceline or Hotwire what has been your latest winning bids.

Just a bit of info. I read an article in the Orange County Register about hotel rates in the Anaheim area being up 7.5% over last year and in July they were over 90% filled. All due in part to the new CarsLand.

The Disney Hotels have been rented out over 90% this of course isn't uncommon for them. Because the Disney Hotels are so large themselves, they make a decent portion of all the hotel rooms in the Platinum Triangle. As a group Disney Hotels are rented at the industry max 85%. Non Disney hotels in the area average 65%. To get these numbers many are at or near 100% on weekends, during holiday periods and in the Summer. Then lower during the other weekday periods. To get the best hotels rates and best choice when availability is high go during the offseasons on weekdays. Avoid conventions if staying south of Harbor, this is espeically important for large conventions and particularily for national conventions. When the ACC is hosting LA area tournaments the hotel don't fill up.