Attn: rhkkmk and Priceline Users
Aug 25th, 2003, 02:12 PM
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Attn: rhkkmk and Priceline Users
Hi Guys. I'm also a biddingfortravel fan. I've also searched their "sister" site on ezboard regarding Priceline Asia hotels. Here are my 4 questions and 1 comment.
1) I've tried to go onto Priceline HK to place a hotel bid only to get denied because I have a US address. Yet, I've read on this forum that I can have access to place bids. I also just read that PL USA has added Bali to their inventory. Can someone guide me on access to PL HK and if they recommend I use that or PL USA for Bali bids please?
2) I cannot find a listing of any Priceline specific hotels in Bali. On both Priceline USA and Priceline HK,there is a 5* is Nusa Dua. Can anyone share if they've had any Priceline success in Bali and if so, at what hotel? I'm guessing the 5* is the Bali Hilton?
3)Currently, BFTravel says the min bid for any 5* is $55USD. Can you share if this is the min bid for Priceline HK as well? I found the Bali Hilton's site at $78USD a night, and to start a bid at $55USD thru Priceline is not substantial enough of a savings for me.
4) We will be flying from Singapore into Bali in the end of November, then flying out of Bali to HKG via Cathay Pacific. Does anyone have a rec for an agency that can arrange a one way air and 3 night hotel package from SIN-Bali? I'm trying to determine if that would be more expensive/less than doing separate one way air w/priceline hotel for this Bali leg of our vacation.
5) My Comment: I just got the Shangri-La in BKK for $55. Also did the Marriott Spa in Phuket for $55 through priceline US, thanks to the help of biddingfortravel.com. I will post my reviews when we return at the end of November. I also really REALLY want to thank this community of travelers. It feels great to know, that basically travelers do really love to help one another out. On that note, anyone who wants Paris advice if you're a foodie, let me know!
1) I've tried to go onto Priceline HK to place a hotel bid only to get denied because I have a US address. Yet, I've read on this forum that I can have access to place bids. I also just read that PL USA has added Bali to their inventory. Can someone guide me on access to PL HK and if they recommend I use that or PL USA for Bali bids please?
2) I cannot find a listing of any Priceline specific hotels in Bali. On both Priceline USA and Priceline HK,there is a 5* is Nusa Dua. Can anyone share if they've had any Priceline success in Bali and if so, at what hotel? I'm guessing the 5* is the Bali Hilton?
3)Currently, BFTravel says the min bid for any 5* is $55USD. Can you share if this is the min bid for Priceline HK as well? I found the Bali Hilton's site at $78USD a night, and to start a bid at $55USD thru Priceline is not substantial enough of a savings for me.
4) We will be flying from Singapore into Bali in the end of November, then flying out of Bali to HKG via Cathay Pacific. Does anyone have a rec for an agency that can arrange a one way air and 3 night hotel package from SIN-Bali? I'm trying to determine if that would be more expensive/less than doing separate one way air w/priceline hotel for this Bali leg of our vacation.
5) My Comment: I just got the Shangri-La in BKK for $55. Also did the Marriott Spa in Phuket for $55 through priceline US, thanks to the help of biddingfortravel.com. I will post my reviews when we return at the end of November. I also really REALLY want to thank this community of travelers. It feels great to know, that basically travelers do really love to help one another out. On that note, anyone who wants Paris advice if you're a foodie, let me know!
Aug 25th, 2003, 05:36 PM
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Aug 25th, 2003, 07:03 PM
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i have had correspondence with an american who bid for thailand through p/l h.k. and had no problem???
sheryl has replied to me that bali was added 2 weeks ago to the american board....
have you seen the bali hyatt price of $70 nite....i grabbed it for next june..
sheryl has replied to me that bali was added 2 weeks ago to the american board....
have you seen the bali hyatt price of $70 nite....i grabbed it for next june..
Aug 25th, 2003, 11:45 PM
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If you are unable to bid on PL HK with a US address, can't you make the necessary changes to make it look like a HK one? That is what I do when I bid on PL US as I have a UK address.
As it is quite early days yet for Bali, I expect a few winning bids will start to appear soon, but that may be too late for you in the short term. If anywhere, they will be posted on BFT though!
Good luck!
As it is quite early days yet for Bali, I expect a few winning bids will start to appear soon, but that may be too late for you in the short term. If anywhere, they will be posted on BFT though!
Good luck!
Aug 27th, 2003, 12:09 AM
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Hi Sun Smile. I have yet to figure out the airport transfer situation. Please post on separate email to attn JamesA (he lives in Thailand) or title it " Marriott Resort Phuket Help".
Louise UK. How do I make it look like I have a HK address? Please share.
Louise UK. How do I make it look like I have a HK address? Please share.
Aug 27th, 2003, 08:22 AM
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Tulip
Looking at the priceline HK registration details, I would suggest you use your usual address up to the 'country' box and use Hong Kong in that box. Having checked, HK does not use post codes, so you can leave that box, the telephone number needs to have 8 digits, and you can leave the mobile number box.
I just tried that method and it has allowed me to go to the next registration page, so it may be worth a try!
Good luck!
Looking at the priceline HK registration details, I would suggest you use your usual address up to the 'country' box and use Hong Kong in that box. Having checked, HK does not use post codes, so you can leave that box, the telephone number needs to have 8 digits, and you can leave the mobile number box.
I just tried that method and it has allowed me to go to the next registration page, so it may be worth a try!
Good luck!
Sep 4th, 2003, 01:34 PM
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Hi everyone,
In risking sounding like a total idiot, can you guys explain exactly how the bidding process work on PriceLine? I've never tried and did read biddingfortravel.com, but still a little confused. I think I basically understand the process - you place your bid for the star level you want with no guarantee of hotel. If they come back with an offer, do they let you know which hotel at that point? And are you committed to take it at that point? I've just been afraid to try it, I don't want to spend all that money to travel to a destination only to be getting a really bad hotel. Has anyone ever have a bad experience bidding for hotels? And does it matter whether to bid "last minute" before your trip or months before? Thanks for everyone's patience.
In risking sounding like a total idiot, can you guys explain exactly how the bidding process work on PriceLine? I've never tried and did read biddingfortravel.com, but still a little confused. I think I basically understand the process - you place your bid for the star level you want with no guarantee of hotel. If they come back with an offer, do they let you know which hotel at that point? And are you committed to take it at that point? I've just been afraid to try it, I don't want to spend all that money to travel to a destination only to be getting a really bad hotel. Has anyone ever have a bad experience bidding for hotels? And does it matter whether to bid "last minute" before your trip or months before? Thanks for everyone's patience.
Sep 4th, 2003, 06:37 PM
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You place your bid and star level. If accepted, your credit card is charged and you are told the name of the hotel. There is no going back at this point, you are committed.
If you bid for a 4 or 5 star hotel, you should be very pleased. Biddingfortravel will help you figure out what to bid.
If you bid for a 4 or 5 star hotel, you should be very pleased. Biddingfortravel will help you figure out what to bid.
Sep 4th, 2003, 07:32 PM
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Mitmap/Anna. I too was very confused about the proceedure when I had a 'look' at it, you have to give your Credit card details to register, right?
Ok I guess if you ask for a 4/5 star hotel and you bid and get a good hotel that is fine, I do not wish to upset anyone who is a fan of these things but imagain if you got say a 4/5 star hotel which was in a remote location for away from where you wanted to be, or if you got a 4/5 star in a dense/busy area which is where you did not want to be?
Example. If you bid for a 4/5 star resort on Phuket and you 'won' the Marriott, but you wanted to be near shopping/nightlife of Patong/Kata/karon, would you not have been better just paying that same amount for a decent resort in those locations anyway?
I guess if you have a prime aim of getting a Sheraton/Hyatt for a bargain price then maybe, but I would never commit myself to any hotel/resort to save money on the quality/star level as against a hote/resort where I wanted which I had checked out, heard good reports on etc.
Am I missing something?
Ok I guess if you ask for a 4/5 star hotel and you bid and get a good hotel that is fine, I do not wish to upset anyone who is a fan of these things but imagain if you got say a 4/5 star hotel which was in a remote location for away from where you wanted to be, or if you got a 4/5 star in a dense/busy area which is where you did not want to be?
Example. If you bid for a 4/5 star resort on Phuket and you 'won' the Marriott, but you wanted to be near shopping/nightlife of Patong/Kata/karon, would you not have been better just paying that same amount for a decent resort in those locations anyway?
I guess if you have a prime aim of getting a Sheraton/Hyatt for a bargain price then maybe, but I would never commit myself to any hotel/resort to save money on the quality/star level as against a hote/resort where I wanted which I had checked out, heard good reports on etc.
Am I missing something?
Sep 4th, 2003, 07:37 PM
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mitmap---start with biddingfortravel.com and read it completely...look at the results and when ready ask sheryl for a strategy for you...then go to priceline and keep your fingers crossed until the results....i just di some europe stuff and was very pleased...at least a 50% savings on all hotels i booked: london, berlin, prague and frankfurt
tulip--i sent an e-mail to priceline hk last week about bidding on their site and they replied that there was no problem with doing so...
sheryl has said to me that in a few weeks there should be some results with the bali site...its only a few weeks old and not many people are going there just now, but that will pick up soon..
tulip--i sent an e-mail to priceline hk last week about bidding on their site and they replied that there was no problem with doing so...
sheryl has said to me that in a few weeks there should be some results with the bali site...its only a few weeks old and not many people are going there just now, but that will pick up soon..
Sep 4th, 2003, 10:33 PM
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Mitmap
I tend to bid when I have decided where I want to go, and I have always achieved very good prices with PL. I know biddingfortravel not bidding too far out, but my bids are generally 6 months or so out, so I do not agree with that theory. The only difference I can see is with Las Vegas, when bidding for the Venetian is best 10-14 days out.
JamesA - most areas are in zones, so you will have some idea of area, however, if a particular area is important and is not zoned, then PL may not be the solution. However, I have to say that having booked through PL for stays in the US, Bkk and Milan, I would find it very difficult to pay even discounted price for a hotel room now. Before bidding, I research the hotels already listed as having received winning bids in the areas I am interested in, and ask myself if I would mind staying in any of them. If I was in doubt, I would not bid, however that has not happened yet.
Bob - I have read some of your exchanges with Sheryl which I found quite amusing. Unfortunately, she chose to remove one of my posts, as I thought I was being helpful and posting about a new hotel in South Beach Miami that came up, but I had bid through PL UK and any mention of anything other than PL US meets with total disapproval. I made her aware of my thoughts in no uncertain terms. Betterbidding.com is also a good site. Not officious like biddingfortravel and people get a civil answer to their questions.
I tend to bid when I have decided where I want to go, and I have always achieved very good prices with PL. I know biddingfortravel not bidding too far out, but my bids are generally 6 months or so out, so I do not agree with that theory. The only difference I can see is with Las Vegas, when bidding for the Venetian is best 10-14 days out.
JamesA - most areas are in zones, so you will have some idea of area, however, if a particular area is important and is not zoned, then PL may not be the solution. However, I have to say that having booked through PL for stays in the US, Bkk and Milan, I would find it very difficult to pay even discounted price for a hotel room now. Before bidding, I research the hotels already listed as having received winning bids in the areas I am interested in, and ask myself if I would mind staying in any of them. If I was in doubt, I would not bid, however that has not happened yet.
Bob - I have read some of your exchanges with Sheryl which I found quite amusing. Unfortunately, she chose to remove one of my posts, as I thought I was being helpful and posting about a new hotel in South Beach Miami that came up, but I had bid through PL UK and any mention of anything other than PL US meets with total disapproval. I made her aware of my thoughts in no uncertain terms. Betterbidding.com is also a good site. Not officious like biddingfortravel and people get a civil answer to their questions.
Sep 5th, 2003, 06:11 AM
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louiseuk---she did really give it to me--sheryl...she claimed to be "helping" or "teaching" me but i think she was "yelling" at me...it was late for me and i was nervous and frustrated..
it must be frustrating, however, with so many ding-bats on the line 18 hours per day..
problems with priceline: when i bid on prague last week, i met with a small potenital problem...i have a marriott award for their prague marriott which i had booked for 2 days of my 3 day stay....i needed an additional room for 3 days for my daughter and i needed one additional day for me....i wanted either the marriott or the renaissance across the street....i bid on the zone, denied, re-bid adding a zone and increasing the price, denied; and bid slightly differently and was awarded a 5* hotel on the opposite side of town..that was for one room for 3 days for my daughter....i now had to start another bid for me...what to do...?? skip the marriott and bid for 3 days hoping to get same hotel or bid for one day and waste time travelling back and forth to meet my kid....so i decided i wasn't losing anything to bid for full 3 days and hope for same hotel...SUCCESS CAME IN A FEW MINUTES WHEN I GOT THE SAME HOTEL...really lucky, cause it could just as well have been the marriott....so i will use award for later travel elsewhere....this hotel was never offered recently on priceline and is a very fine hotel...regular price 320E, which i got for $110. plus service fee...i'm delighted, but i did have some nervous minutes while deciding and waiting for results...
jamesA--we figure that if you choose a 4 or 5 star hotel who cares where you are in a city...unless you have a reason to be on a certain street...then you should not use priceline....
for instance on my next thailand experience: if i bid for bkk riverside and get either the sheraton, the marriott or the shangra-la---who cares they are all good, except as you know i want the marriott...so you have to gamble a bit or take defensive measures and bid for a part time stay and make a regular reservation for the remaining time where you want to be...but the marriott at $41 vs. $105 regular is a big savings and worth the gamble or the shangra-la at $80 or $55 on priceline--pretty good
it must be frustrating, however, with so many ding-bats on the line 18 hours per day..
problems with priceline: when i bid on prague last week, i met with a small potenital problem...i have a marriott award for their prague marriott which i had booked for 2 days of my 3 day stay....i needed an additional room for 3 days for my daughter and i needed one additional day for me....i wanted either the marriott or the renaissance across the street....i bid on the zone, denied, re-bid adding a zone and increasing the price, denied; and bid slightly differently and was awarded a 5* hotel on the opposite side of town..that was for one room for 3 days for my daughter....i now had to start another bid for me...what to do...?? skip the marriott and bid for 3 days hoping to get same hotel or bid for one day and waste time travelling back and forth to meet my kid....so i decided i wasn't losing anything to bid for full 3 days and hope for same hotel...SUCCESS CAME IN A FEW MINUTES WHEN I GOT THE SAME HOTEL...really lucky, cause it could just as well have been the marriott....so i will use award for later travel elsewhere....this hotel was never offered recently on priceline and is a very fine hotel...regular price 320E, which i got for $110. plus service fee...i'm delighted, but i did have some nervous minutes while deciding and waiting for results...
jamesA--we figure that if you choose a 4 or 5 star hotel who cares where you are in a city...unless you have a reason to be on a certain street...then you should not use priceline....
for instance on my next thailand experience: if i bid for bkk riverside and get either the sheraton, the marriott or the shangra-la---who cares they are all good, except as you know i want the marriott...so you have to gamble a bit or take defensive measures and bid for a part time stay and make a regular reservation for the remaining time where you want to be...but the marriott at $41 vs. $105 regular is a big savings and worth the gamble or the shangra-la at $80 or $55 on priceline--pretty good
Sep 5th, 2003, 07:05 AM
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A great many people have found that Priceline is much less of a good deal than it might first appear for hotels.
With Priceline, you do almost always pay less, and often considerably less, for a room than if you purchased the room through other online booking sites. However, Priceline also involves a great deal of risk. As mentioned here, you might wind up in a particular hotel or in a location where you'd rather not be. Moreover, if your travel dates change or if you cancel your trip, you cannot cancel your Priceline reservation. And if you're staying for more than 1 night and don't like the hotel, you are stuck: your entire stay is pre-paid and non-refundable.
As for Sheryl and her BFT business, many people (including some who have posted in this string) feel that they are treated less like customers and more like schoolchildren.
With Priceline, you do almost always pay less, and often considerably less, for a room than if you purchased the room through other online booking sites. However, Priceline also involves a great deal of risk. As mentioned here, you might wind up in a particular hotel or in a location where you'd rather not be. Moreover, if your travel dates change or if you cancel your trip, you cannot cancel your Priceline reservation. And if you're staying for more than 1 night and don't like the hotel, you are stuck: your entire stay is pre-paid and non-refundable.
As for Sheryl and her BFT business, many people (including some who have posted in this string) feel that they are treated less like customers and more like schoolchildren.
