Paula,
Did you win your bid or was it rejected? Sorry I just got confused when you said your bid was "excepted" - not sure if you meant that it was accepted.
If so, what hotel did you get?

hi willtravel
Im sorry-they said they had a hotel for the price i put in??? I didn't go for it because im uncertain about the hotel they will give me. I want to stay in kensington and after what you said I may chance it. What are the odds of low-bidding for a 4 star?

Paula,

I think you got what is called a counteroffer. Priceline will accept less than that if you know how to go about it, and there are several methods for doing this.

If you post about your bid on betterbidding and the counteroffer message you got, someone (me for one and probably others) can give you a good strategy.

Low-ball bids for 4* used to work in Kensington, but don't seem to be doing so as much now. Bloomsbury has pretty good 4* prices now.

willtravel-Do I go on betterbidding and post what my offer was and then what? Im new to all this so please be patient with me. what do you think I should put in as an offer? 3 star-40?

Paula,
If you post on Betterbidding, just post the following

What dates you bid for
What zone you bid for
What Priceline's message said exactly (just click on the link in the email that Priceline sent you in order to see that screen again)
If you are interested in staying in any other zones, post about those as well.

Don't worry - everyone is a novice at this one time or another!

Once you do this, other posters can suggest a strategy.

My $40 bid was for a London Heathrow hotel - I don't think that price would work for a hotel in central London. I suspect it will take at least $60 and probably more for a 3* hotel in central London, because of the weak US dollar.

Anyway, post there and I'll explain what you can do with a counteroffer (also read the FAQ there).

If you are doing London for 6 or 7 nights. try an apartment. I was in London right after XMAS, (myself, my husband and two teenagers) and was able to rent a two -bedroom two bath apartment for 6 nights at a pro-rated price. We were in the tony Mayfair area. You'll save SO much money by not having to eat out every meal. And we had maid service! I used regency apartment rentals at regencyinapts.com, but there are many others.

I just returned from London, and I stayed at the Kensington Close Hotel - 2 blocks from High Street Kensington Tube station. I don't know the cost now since I had made my reservations months ago, but it was clean, the room was decent size (unlike the closet I stayed in in Paris), and I was happy with it. The bathroom was a tub/shower and was nice. Didnt like the food in the restaurant but I could eat elsewhere. They were polite and I think it is in a decent part of town.