Priceline Hotel: BOSTON Hotel Help

[bobbyblue]

We are not very familiar with Boston but our family of 4 would like to stay in or as close to Boston as possible for 3 nights from Wed 3/30 till Sat 4/2. We would only like to spend $75-100 per night. We do have a car but would prefer to leave it at the hotel (3 star or above) and tour around the city- if possible, . What areas do you recommend that we bid on to possibly get our price and the convenience we like. We can stay further outside the city and take the T if any of those areas are better recommended. Thanks So Much!

[thereuare]

If looking to bid on a hotel note that PRICELINE only guarantees double occupancy, after that it's at the discretion of the hotel, and you could receive a room with only one bed. While you can call the hotel you win and request a room with two beds, the hotel may not be able, or willing, to honor your request. If this is not a risk you're willing to accept, HOTWIRE would still be an option as they allow you to search for up to quad occupancy and ensure sleeping accommodations for everyone you include in your search (although this usually means two beds, the second 'bed' could be a sofabed, rollaway, etc).  As well, some PRICELINE EXPRESS and HOTWIRE offers now also let you choose a room type on the 2nd page of the booking process.

 

Is bidding on PRICELINE and option or do you want to take the safer route of using HOTWIRE for 2adults/2children (or if you can find a HOTWIRE or PRICELINE EXPRESS offer that shows a bed type)

 

Unfortunately, having a quick look at rates, my early indication is that you will need to stay outside of the city, as everything i'm seeing within is well over your budget.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

[bobbyblue]

Thanks so much for the very informative post. We've used priceline bidding before, not for Boston, and always got great rooms (2 double or queen beds) so perhaps we were just lucky. May just use priceline express or hotwire express deals for Boston to be assured of the room type. Any recommendations for particular areas outside of Boston near the T? Thanks again!

[thereuare]

Not sure where you used PRICELINE in the past, but depending upon the area, the double/quad occupancy can be a small problem or a big one.  In family-friendly areas (like Orlando, Disneyland, etc) hotels are accustomed to accommodating families and the hotels are built with this in mind, with a large percentage of rooms having two beds or somehow otherwise accommodating quad occupnacy (ie- a pullout sofabed)... in other areas, such as NYC (and many other large cities), quad occupancy can be a real problem since space is at a premium and hotels are therefore built with smaller rooms, many with only one bed (to accommodate solo business travelers which may account for a high percent of their business), and rooms with two beds often cost extra and are considered an upgrade from standard.

 

The problem with the Boston suburbs is that as you get outside of the city the zones become geographically larger, so there is no way to guarantee that you will be within walking distance of the metro.  Are you willing to drive to the metro?

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

Let us know your thoughts and we'll take it from there.

[bobbyblue]

Thanks again for helpful information. Yes, we are absolutely willing to drive to the Metro.   I heard from co-workers that Brookline, Worcestor and Natick are good choice areas to stay for access to the T. I'll search the express deals for the our room choice and see what I come up with. I'll also be sure to post it on your link if I lock something in- thanks again!

 

[thereuare]

If you see any PRICELINE EXPRESS or HOTWIRE offers that meet your criteria and can accommodate your family, let us know the details and we will have a look and take our best guess as to what it may be.

 

You could also probably try the airport zone as well (if the hotel has a shuttle to the airport you can use that to catch the silver line into the city, not having to use your car at all, although then you're subject to the hotel shuttle's schedule/frequency)

 

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[crito]

7 hours ago, bobbyblue said:

Thanks again for helpful information. Yes, we are absolutely willing to drive to the Metro.   I heard from co-workers that Brookline, Worcestor and Natick are good choice areas to stay for access to the T. I'll search the express deals for the our room choice and see what I come up with. I'll also be sure to post it on your link if I lock something in- thanks again!

 

 

Hi, I'm kind of a local.

Brookline would be a very easy T ride into downtown and you could even walk to some parts if the weather holds up, but I think it's going to be very expensive.

Natick is quite a bit further, and you'd have to take the commuter rail (which is like Chicago's Metra).

I would definitely not recommend staying in Worcester. That would be a much longer trip: about two hours including the commuter train and then a T ride.

If you're willing to stay over an hour away, then I would seriously consider staying in Providence, Rhode Island instead -- that's a bit over an hour by train, and it's a nicer city. (Well, I suppose it's a matter of taste, but I'm pretty sure most people would say so.) You could also try Peabody and Danvers.

 

I think you're running into the figure skating event, by the way, that's why prices are so astronomical.

[thereuare]

crito,

 

Thanks for the 'local info' and the mention of the skating event... i love it when i realize how far our reach has become and we have locals in many areas that offer some 'insider' insight as to events that may be driving up prices and/or what nearby options (which often weren't considered) might be feasible alternatives.

 

THANKS AGAIN for the info!

[bobbyblue]

Thanks so much for the relevant and up to date information. I think Providence would be to far for us. I did find a few hotels on the express sites to our liking. Perhaps if anyone may be able to possibly name or locate them, I 'll have a better feel of how long the commute into the city will take us.  They are listed below and any more insights would much appreciated. 

 

HOTWIRE

2.5-star Framingham Metrowest area hotel  100% recommended (12) Top rated! -Free breakfast

3.5 star Waltham - Newton - Wellesley area all-suites hotel 95% recommended -free breakfast

 

PRICELINE EXPRESS: 2½ Star Hotel in Natick - Framingham - Sudbury Area (2 queen beds and free breakfast) Rated 7 out of 10

[thereuare]

Using the EASY VIEW TAB of our BiddingHelper.com please list the full amenity set associated with each property (after clicking the GREEN 'See all amenities' button for each of the listings above)...then use the Priceline Express tab and let us know the complete amenity set for that property as well (assuming there is more than just Free Breakfast listed)

 

Also, please provide the room rate per nite for each of these as it makes it easier for us to find the same hotel(s) among the offers when we replicate your search.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

Thanks.

[bobbyblue]

The following is the hotel information I found. Most seem to be in the Framington area. Any help naming or recommending one over the other would be great - Thanks. 

 

 

PRICELINE EXPRESS: 2½ Star Hotel in Natick - Framingham - Sudbury Area  Rated 7 out of 10

Free Parking-  Business Center- Restaurant -Free Breakfast- Non Smoking  Room Choice: 1 King Bed $69 and 2 Queens $73

 

 

Hotwire Express: 2.5-star Framingham Metrowest area hotel  100% recommended (12) Top rated! 

Free Parking-  Business Center- Fitness Center -Free Breakfast- $68 per night  (54% off)

 

Hotwire Express: 3.5 star Framingham Metrowest 90% rcommended FULL AMENITIES: Pet friendly, Indoor pool(s), Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Wheelchair accessible - $65 per night (48% off)

 

Hotwire Express 3.5 star  Needham - Dedham - Canton area

95% recommended FULL AMENITIES: Free parking, Free Internet, Indoor pool(s), Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Self-service laundry, Internet access, Golf nearby-  $108 per night

[thereuare]

Best guess/comments for each:

 

PRICELINE EXPRESS: 2½ Star Hotel in Natick - Framingham - Sudbury Area  Rated 7 out of 10

--> Magnuson Hotel Framingham

 

HOTWIRE: 2.5-star Framingham Metrowest area hotel  100% recommended

--> no guess

 

HOTWIRE 3.5 star Framingham Metrowest 90% rcommended

--> Sheraton Framingham

 

HOTWIRE 3.5 star  Needham - Dedham - Canton area

--> Four Points by Sheraton Norwood

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

Let us know what you decide and how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[bobbyblue]

Thereuare- Thanks so much for the hotel information. That's extremely helpful as I'm currently checking out all the reviews. 

[thereuare]

Let us know whatever you decide for this trip or how we can be of further help.

 

You can also do a search at MAPS and HOTELS.com, filter by any of the hotel names above, and then see how close/far the nearest train is by zooming in/out on the map.

 

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

 

Good luck!

[bobbyblue]

Thanks again! What a wealth of information for nailing down a very good hotel for the best price!

Great forum............

[LWQuestie]

I'm searching for the same event.  You may want to consider Quincy/Braintree as well.  Braintree is the terminus of the MBTA Red Line and Commuter Rail lines, and it's about 45 mins from TD Garden, compared to probably 1:15 from Framingham.  Once in Boston, it's very easy to use the subway to get around (and even walk, because Boston is pretty small), but Braintree/Quincy both have locations of historical interest (John Adams/John Quincy Adams birthplaces and mansion, etc).  I grew up in the area, taking the T to downtown Boston frequently.

[bobbyblue]

27 minutes ago, LWQuestie said:

I'm searching for the same event.  You may want to consider Quincy/Braintree as well.  Braintree is the terminus of the MBTA Red Line and Commuter Rail lines, and it's about 45 mins from TD Garden, compared to probably 1:15 from Framingham.  Once in Boston, it's very easy to use the subway to get around (and even walk, because Boston is pretty small), but Braintree/Quincy both have locations of historical interest (John Adams/John Quincy Adams birthplaces and mansion, etc).  I grew up in the area, taking the T to downtown Boston frequently.

 

Thanks for that tip, although I've been searching that area and it seems quite pricy. it's most likely due to the Easter vacation and many schools being closed that week. I did make a direct reservation for a hotel in Norwood that I can cancel up to a day before. So I'll keep on the look out till then.

Thanks again.

[thereuare]

You can also use our sister site RefundableRates.com for your back-up reservations.