has anyone used pticeline or a similar site to get hotel rooms ion bangkok? if so , can you tell me the site and how the experience was. any help in determining what to bid for a certain level of hotel would be greatly appreciated. also has anyone use priceline and got a flight on thai airlines.?
thanks
michael

michael---first study the companion site to priceline which is :www.biddingfortravel.com.....you can then bid on www.priceline.com....reade bidding very carefully and make sure you understand the 12-13 questions and they will walk you through your bidding....

I'm also getting ready to use Priceline for the first time and am confused. Is there a way to determine how many 5* hotels are in the Riverside-Silom zone? I want to get the Shangri-La. Can't I bid on just a Riverside hotel, without including Silom?

i must be an idiot. i have read everything on the biddingfor travel site about bidding. does the site help you with some bidding strategy. it asks for answers to the 13 questions but where and to whom do you submit this to. i can't find it anywhere. what am i missing? or do they not provide a strategy and am i on my own after reading everything?
thanks
michael

to laura a
please let me know if you are successful and how you did it. you and i are looking for the same thing.
thansk
michael

bidding...go to the asia hotel site...at the top of the page there is a button marked "new topic"...click that and fill in the blanks and then do the 13 step process....at the moment they are a bit slow answering but they will give you a strategy...make sure you also post back with the results....

star rating is somewhat subjective...but around the river i think 5* would be: shangra-la and baynon tree (recently added i think, but far from the river) oriental and peninsula...i have not seen the latter two on priceline ...close behind is the marriott r&s and sheraton
most people would be very happy with any of these properties...each has its +/-'s..

I've not done any bidding for hotel rooms yet, but have booked on hotels.com with good results.

something seems to be going on at biddingfortravel...they are not answering questions or proposals very quickly...i think there are personnel issues at the moment????

i bid on a hotel in boston today and after one refusal i got what i needed at a fabulous price...i can't wait to bid on bkk next spring...

priceline keeps things a mystery...there is no way to limit a bkk bid to riverside only....

my current way of looking at it is what difference does it make where you are if you have a 5* hotel and you are on vacation...if you have to be "on" the river then you have to go with a regular priced room to be sure....

have you been to the shangra-la??? i find it so huge that it takes so much time to walk from one area to the next...i'm not sure i would like it...also you could have a river view that also looks out over the highway bridge...

Congrats rhkkmk, I'm glad you got a good deal. I finally bid $55 on Riverside-Silom, which was denied, then I added Siam (since it seems to be a free rebid zone, meaning there are no 5* hotels there at least according to PriceLine) and upped the bid to $62, but still no go. I don't want to go much higher just to get the Banyan Tree (previous winning bids have been at least $80). Next time I'll either bid Riverside 4* (for about $45) or Sukhumvit 5* (at about $55). Hopefully I'll get something, as my trip is drawing near.

Actually, a free hotel room for 2 nights comes with our Thai Air package. It's the Regency Park, a 3* hotel worth about $29 a night. We actually saved on the airfare by buying this pacakage, go figure! Anyway, this may be my only trip to Bangkok and I don't mind spending a little extra for a nicer hotel. If anyone wants to use my vouchers I can send them ... they're for the nights of November 27 & 28. I just don't know how strict the hotel would be with the name on the voucher.

may is suggest that you bid $41 for riverside 4* and you will probably get the marriott which you will be very pleased with....it is our all round favorite hotel....not lux, but very nice with everything you need and the best pool outside area of any bkk hotel in our opinion.....
i would be afraid of a $29 hotel in bkk quite frankly....

i think the only reason priceline had the shangra-la for 55 and 60 was that it was summer and not many tourists at that time, so unless you bid the $80, i don't think you would get it at this time of year???? why don't you want the banyon tree?? only want river location??

The Shangri-La was given twice for $65 for my same time frame (late November), but perhaps they got enough regular customers that they're no longer offering this to Priceline customers. I have nothing against the Banyan Tree, I just don't want to spend more.

After spending 7 days relaxing in Hua Hin, I'm thinking that the JW Marriott might be more fun than the Marriott resort. Especially for walking around in the evening, after dinner. I still haven't made up my mind, though ... they both sound great.

priceline have websites in Hong Kong & Singapore. Just add hk or sg after the .com- I don't know if these sights are easier to book via for BKK, however have used both and got good deals i.e. about 20-30% cheaper than could get on any other website. Got Shangri-la in July for USD74 but maybe because business was slow.
There is a hotel called Viengtai near Khao San Road that is great value, very clean, has a nice pool, air con and is around USD30 so bargains can be found if you persist. OK it's not five star but not everyone requires 5 star and sometimes you may meet a whole different group of travellers at budget hotels,not just poor people but some who just can't see the point of living like they do at home,and want to experience local hospitality IMHO.

laura---we have stayed several times at the jw....we do like it and for just the reasons you have mentioned...it is so centrally located and you just walk out and you are in the middle of the action....many of the restaurants we like are in that area as well....our jewerler is just around the corner on soi 4....the jw has great restaurants....we need a good pool each day however and the jw's is a shallow one depth pool...there is a nice whirlpool at the head of the pool and one or two small grass areas around the pool....it is on the 4th floor next to the spa and health clubs, which are quite nice....
the rooms are interesting and many are odd shapped....we had a triangle room once overlooking the pool...it was huge...the baths are very nice with a seperate glass shower room (large)---all marble..there are no views really from the windows except more tall buildings....
the staff is very nice, especially the boys at the front door (oops---there was a girl there the last time too)...this is a large convention type hotel with thai decor and lots of lux....
YOU WOULD NOT BE UNHAPPY THERE....
skytrain about 1/2 block away....mall across the street..
use the laundry at the entrace to the hotel garage and save 50% over room laundry---same operation...
taxis always available...
i usually pay about $90 on a pre-paid basis
after your island time maybe you are ready for a real city hotel---this would be it in my opinion

I finally did it ... bid $55 on a 5* in Sukhumvit zone and got JW Marriott, as I'd hoped. Comes to about $63/night with taxes. Can you share any restaurant suggestions (including breakfast)?

all the restaurants in the hotel are great and there must be 6 of them...for breakfast we buy rolls or sweets in the coffe shop/bakery the nite before and eat in our room..there is a coffee maker...
there is a mcdonalds just across soi 2 in the plenochit plaza....there are also other places in there....there is a great grocery store in the basement too...they have breakfast stuff and anything else you need...

the pool is disappointing but adequate on the 4th floor...

there are a number of restaurants in the immediate area too...an italien place across sukumvit...

depends on what you want....really its all there....here
is my list in that area:

soi 12--crepes and co--3 meals a day
cabages and condoms--moderate thai fare
soi 16 or 18---rembrandt hotel
on top floor the best indian restaurant...great sunday brunch..
on a lower floor an italien restaurant and a great mexican rest--senor pico
off soi 39--gourmet gallery---very very good..continental...great desserts...have the onion soup with the hat....
senses on the 2nd floor of the gaysorn plaza, up plenochit road toward the world trade center...very very good...
biscotti in the regent hotel....near american embassy
this will get you started...

near river....harmonique, soi 34, new road....great thai food...

congrats on the rate...you will love it, especially at that price....you have never stayed at a place of that quality for that price and won't again...

laundry inside the area where you go into the hotel garage is the same as the hotel laundry in your room at 1/2 price....very reliable and good...one day service or two days...to the left of the main entrance where the taxis stop...behind the bell captains desk...