If your bid is rejected you can't keep bumping up your bid until it is accepted. You have to change something (star level of hotel or location) or wait 24 hrs. Understandable as they don't want you to bump up until hitting lowest accepted price.
On my last rip to Baltimore, I got a $300 room on priceline for $125. Start low, and if they reject your request, go a little higher until they accept it.
If your bid is rejected you can't keep bumping up your bid until it is accepted. You have to change something (star level of hotel or location) or wait 24 hrs. Understandable as they don't want you to bump up until hitting lowest accepted price.
The best way to use priceline is to go to Hotwire.com to set the high price for the location you're looking for. Then go to biddingfortravel.com, find the city and area you want to go to and see the hotels you are likely to get.
There's also a strategy that if you want to stay at a 4-star hotel, find all the nearby areas in the city that don't have 4-star hotels and include them in your rebids. Say you want to stay in a 4-star in Dupont Circle and your first bid is rejected, you can rebid immediately if you include Crystal City (no 4-stars) in a $10 higher 2nd bid on a 4-star. Otherwise, you have to wait a full day to try again.
Priceline is the way to go. First do a search on their site for what is available on the day in question and what the current rate is. Then do "name your price". Make sure you pick a 3.5 star hotel or better. Typically I go in at 60% of the rack rate and it is accepted. If the bid is not accepted, you have to change something besides price. I start at the highest star rating available. If I already bid at 3.5 stars, I wait 24 hours to bid again.
Things to consider. You cannot get a refund if you cancel. Even if you accept the cancellation insurance, you need to mail a doctor's note to a third party to get reimbursed. THEN they decide if it was a legitimate excuse. But if you plans are firm (no pun intended), its the way to go.
Obviously you said it better than I did. Which is why with new clients our associates are advised not to use Priceline only with established individuals because if they cancel you basically eat it.
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