PRICELINE.COM Questions????

Question

I want to use the name your own price option for booking a hotel and was wondering if their was any special trick to getting the price I want? I need two nights in San Francisco mid August. I plan on only selecting a 3-4 star rating. I also would like two beds but it seems this is not guaranteed? Should I try now or wait until the time is closer? And should I try to bid every day or space it out? Any other tips? Thanks

Answer 1

Honestly, I don't know if "way in advance" or "last minute" is better.  I've succeeded and failed with both.

I would say your best bet is to start early so you have more time for re-bidding.

Since you're getting a good price, you really don't need to squeeze out every last dollar.

In the case of most 3- or 4- star hotels, you get a choice of beds when you check in, it's not a problem.  The only time I experienced anything different was at a Days Inn off the beaten path.  I think it was 2 stars anyway.

I think your best strategy is start with low bids on 4-stars,

then add 3-stars (you can add down, but not up if I remember correctly). Also use "regions" carefully to

maximize your bidding opportunities.

If it doesn't work, come back when the timeout expires

(24 or 48 hours, I think).  You can keep your bids low

until it gets close, then you might think about going a

little higher - until then, not much to lose.