[Squall]

All right guys, plain and simple. I'm attending a taping of The Price is Right on 3/31. I do not drive and my currently plans (nothing written in stone) is to take a Greyhound to Hollywood and cab it from there. I am trying to find a hotel in the West Hollywood / Beverly Hills area. I am open to almost anything.........if the price is right (My aim is not more than $85/night)

Any help would be greatly appreciated...... (If its not going to be possible to snag a priceline hotel, i'm open to swapping to hotwire.....but i love priceline's excitement of wondering if you are going to get a hotel or not)

[thereuare]

What is the minimum star rating you're willing to accept?

Are you willing to pay more for a higher rated hotel OR are you looking for the least expensive hotel at the minimum star rating you choose?

Is $85 your maximum bid price or all-in (including fees and taxes)?? If all-in, what is your maximum bid price?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[Colfax]

Where is "The Price is Right" taped?

Maybe someone can suggest a hotel that's close to the studio.

[Squall]

(Guess i should have included my star rating) Honestly; i'm willing to go as low as 2 but prefer 3


Location is:

Television City
7800 Beverly Blvd. Hollywood, CA
Entrance: 1 Block South of Beverly on Fairfax


$85 is the maximum i'm willing to bid since taxes and fees will push it towards/over $100; however, i am willing to spend more IF needed (I have $500 total in my vacation fund)

[Colfax]

7800 Beverly is just a couple blocks outside the Beverly Hills-West Hollywood zone. It's in an unzoned no man's land in between Hollywood and BH-WH zones.

$85 could be enough for a 3.5* in Beverly Hills-West Hollywood.

And $50-70 could be enough for a 3* in Bev Hills-West Hollywood or in Hollywood.

Do you have a bidding preference among those three options? Or you want whichever is least expensive?

[Squall]

Open for practically anything; since to me, the main issue would be transportation costs. (Although its hard to plan transportation because i dont know where i'm staying; but....whatever happens happens, ya know)

[thereuare]

Not sure how low of a star quality you're willing to go, nor do i know anything about this area, but if you enter the address above (7800 Beverly Blvd. Hollywood, CA) into the search box at MAPS and HOTELS it appears that there is a Rodeway Inn right next to this hotel and is available for $80/nite... do you prefer the lower quality but higher convenience of this property OR do you want to try bidding on PRICELINE for a higher rated hotel?

[Squall]

Honestly; its the fun of "can i snag a X star room at Y dollars that to me is the fun part about PRICELINE

[thereuare]

Colfax, on Feb 24 2010, 02:17 PM, said:

$85 could be enough for a 3.5* in Beverly Hills-West Hollywood.
And $50-70 could be enough for a 3* in Bev Hills-West Hollywood or in Hollywood.

Do you have a bidding preference among those three options? Or you want whichever is least expensive?

Squall,
Based upon the above, do you want to try first for a 3.5* in Beverly Hills up to your $85 limit or do you prefer to try for a lower priced 3* in the BH-WH zone?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[Squall]

$48 3 stars on up = miss (uses Beverly Hills/WEst HOllywood)
$50 added Hollywood Zone = Miss

[Colfax]

When your 24-hour lockout is over I'd try $52 and $55. I suspect you'll succeed at $60 or less.

[Squall]

Thats what i was thinking........or just say screw it; pick a nice number like $80......start at the top; and with each "fail" decrease star rating, i'm sure i'll find something within the 3 star range to say the very lease.

[thereuare]

thereuare, on Feb 25 2010, 08:37 PM, said:

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[Squall]

I'm going to try again probably about 6 PM PST since i have a class that gets out at 5:30. So at this rate; if i can't get anything for under 60; i think friday i'll just go for luxary....or just try HOTWIRE

[Colfax]

I just noticed that you didn't use your one rebid zone, Lawndale, to bid higher yesterday.

When your 24 hour lockout is up I'd suggest this, starting with the PRICELINE link:

$52/3* BH/WH
$55 /3* BH/WH + Lawndale

Close browser, reenter Priceline via link.

$52/3* Hollywood
$55/3* Hollywood + Lawndale

Close browser, reenter Priceline via link.

$58/3* BH/WH + Hollywood
$60/3* BH/WH + Hollywood + Lawndale

Don't worry, you won't get a hotel in Lawndale. Lawndale only goes to 2*. But just to be sure nothing's changed you should verify that Lawndale still only goes to 2* immediately before you bid.

Good luck!

[Squall]

$55 = Miss
$58 = Miss
$60 = http://www.youtube.c...h?v=1ytCEuuW2_A

I did everything as suggested and did use the PRICELINE link. So maybe i should just go with Plan C and say put my next bid price at 65-70; start at the top.....and decrease a star zone for each miss; and if i get to 3 stars with BH/WH and miss; add Lawndale and creep the bid $5

[Colfax]

I don't totally understand your Plan C, Squall, but my suggestion is either try $80-85 for 3.5* or $65-70 for 3*.

If those numbers get rejected then you're probably bidding too early. Your trip is still four weeks away and sometimes you have to wait til closer for Priceline inventory.

If that $80 rate at the Rodeway Inn near the studio is a cancellable rate you might book that, so you'll know you have a place in case Priceline doesn't work. Then you'll be in stronger position to wait it out a couple weeks, if you need to.

Thanks for using the links.

p.s. That 5 second YouTube link made me laugh.

[Squall]

Yeah, maybe i should just wait and see....because when i scored $45 at the Hyatt last year in Garden Grove, it was a week away. Although i got $35 at the Holiday Inn in Anaheim was about three weeks away. I'm one of those type of people who like to plan early incase crap hits the fan. But, maybe i should just wait a week and see what happens.

(Plan C involved just staying in the preferred Zone.....and put a bid for $65 or70 at a 4 star; if that gets rejected, drop it to 3.5; if that gets rejected, drop to 3) and then raise the bid a little bit (to say $75) and add a garbage zone (Lawdale)

(I'm glad you like the clip; it to see seemed to explain it better than words (also the fact that my trip is Price related)

I love this site.......otherwise i'd be paying "normal" price

[Squall]

JFYI: about 12 AM PST (10 hours prior to this post) i made an atttempt for $50 4* Burbank/glendale zone, and it was a miss. My logic being that even from there; i can just take th etrain directly to Burbank/Glendale...and public bus it the rest of the way.

[Colfax]

The only reported 4* in Burbank-Universal-Glendale zone is the Hilton Glendale and that hotel is several miles from Metro (the train into LA), so I'm not sure how convenient that would be for you.

Is Downtown LA an option for you? If so you might win a 3.5* Downtown in the $50's and it would be near Metro.

If you don't want Downtown I think I'd wait a week or so, then try up to $60 for a 3* in HW and BH-WH once again.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE link.

[Squall]

I'm looking at the list of stuff available in downtown........and bus routes. Once again; thanks for your help. I might just research more and try to see if i can get what i want.

[Squall]

Edit: After reading a few things; i'm okay with staying in downtown LA. I'll probably place my bid sometime soon.

Once again; thank you all for your help.

[thereuare]

Once you're ready to bid please update us with your current desired star rating, maximum bid, and zone(s) (if any other besides Downtown are acceptable) and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[Squall]

will bid when i wake up in the morning

maximum limit $60
minimum star rating: 3

and it looks like i'll be confining my bid to the downtown area.

[thereuare]

With a little time on your side i would bid as follows:

At the 3* level you have ONE re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 3* Downtown...
Bid $45, if rejected add re-bid zone...
Bid $50.

Any questions feel free to ask. If the above is rejected wait 24 hours and try again, increasing each bid by $5.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. (and if your first round of bidding is rejected, when you bid again the following day, please return here to use our PRICELINE link once again, not any links in an email PRICELINE might send)

Good luck and let us know how it goes.