Hawaii Nov 2006

LesD

blindman wrote:

The Betterbidding site link has info on how to spot the Hotwire hotels.

Not sure what you mean by extended stay- over 30 days??

You can bid up to 330 days in advance (I think) but of course if the hotel hasn't given PL it's allocation then you have to wait.

All part of the fun of getting a posh hotel cheaply.

Most of the Betterbidding comments on Hawaii hotels suggest they only get good prices for shorter stays (2-5 days).

blindman

That is one of the 'problems' with PL.

Hotels will only give out inventory when they can see from their planning that they are undersold.

When hotels actually do this varies enormously so there's no good time to look for bargains.

Another problem is that a Hotel may be reluctant to 'give away' lots of consecutive days until the very last minute so it's a game of patience!

I usually bid once I've sorted my areas,maximum bids,any free rebids and likely hotels and I've bought the airfare!

If it's a long way away I only bid every week or so.

Best to get a cancellable backup reservation that you'd be happy with and then bid on PL nearer the time keeping an eye on the winnings bids on the two sites.

Hotwire is slightly different in that the hotels that are actually available for your entire stay are offered (at a higher price than PL) and sometimes not at too much of a saving either.

To find out what they might be I'd join Betterbidding and ask there, the admin guy is very good.

I'll be renting a condo on Maui and may even do so for Oahu as I've found one that's $95 /night including taxes etc.

Best price I may get with PL for a 3* would be $75 all in and have less facilities than the condo.

Enjoy.