Priceline Hotel: 4* Seattle (Downtown) Westin

I am so happy to have found this site and hope you can help me figure out which hotels are being offered by Hotwire. There are four hotels in my price range (some price range..I'm in sticker shock!):

1) 2-star hotel in Downtown Seattle Center - Space Needle at $129

Amenities: Complimentary Breakfast

2) 2.5-star hotel in Downtown Seattle Center - Space Needle at $189

Amenities:

Laundry Facilities-<amenity names only please... not descriptions>

Complimentary Breakfast-<amenity names only please... not descriptions>

Fitness Center-Guests have access to exercise equipment; an additional charge may apply.

Pool(s)-Property offers at least one pool area

3) 3-star hotel in Downtown Seattle Center - Space Needle at $189

Amenities:

Fitness Center-Guests have access to exercise equipment; an additional charge may apply.

Restaurant(s)-Property offers at least one restaurant on the premises

High-speed Internet Access-Guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access; extra charge may apply.

4) 3.5-star hotel in Downtown - Pike Place at $183

Amenities:

Smoke Free Rooms

Restaurant(s)-Property offers at least one restaurant on the premises

Fitness Center-Guests have access to exercise equipment; an additional charge may apply

High-speed Internet Access-Guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access; extra charge may apply

We will not have a car so, while it would be most convenient to stay downtown, there does seem to be good public transportation (some hotels offer shuttles) between the Space Needle area and town so either section should work for us. I have seen lower hotel rates at the airport but am I correct in assumng that it is just to far of a commute between Sea-Tac and the tourist sites in town? We are active seniors and on a budget so any assistance you can provide will be appreciated. Thank you.

Welcome to BetterBidding!

What are the date(s) of your stay?

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

Oops...sorry about that. 7/19 to 7/22/08.

Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option?

If you search HOTWIRE for 7/20-7/22 there is a 4* hotel in the Downtown-Pike Place zone for $165/nite (best guess is the Westin, but if you're interested in this we'll take a closer look)... from there we can seek out a hotel for the first nite of 7/19, either by bidding on PRICELINE, HOTWIRE, or a quick look at Quickbook shows the Paramamount for $209 (doesn't get great reviews but if it came to this it might do just for a nite)... but if the above would work for your needs the average price would be $180/nite, give you at least 2 nites at a 4* hotel with a better location than a lower rated Space Needle location.

Another option would be the HOTWIRE hotel above for $165/nite, and then booking the Sheraton direct for $229/nite... essentially $187/nite, all three nites at 4* hotels, and better location and star rating than the above hotels.

PRICELINE (or our Quickbook and Sheraton links if you that route instead)

Thoughts?

Harrumph...thanks so much for your efforts but we really don't want to move so I don't think splitting is an option. Is it really that bad staying near the Space Needle? Can you figure out the names of the Space Needle area hotels? Also, I received a hotwire alert today saying that one of the Seattle hotels price dropped from the original price of $109 to $99, but which hotel might that be? None of the Seattle hotels had an original price that low. Also, if the Space Needle area is not the greatest maybe we should just stay at an airport hotel..would certainlly be more suited to our budget!

My best guesses are:

1. Eighth Avenue Inn

2. Holiday Inn Express Seattle City Center

3. Holiday Inn Seattle

(#4 didn't come up when I searched)

thereuare suggested splitting your bids because none of these hotels are a good deal at the rates Hotwire is charging, and they're farther away from the main tourist destinations than hotels like the Sheraton and Westin. Also, much of downtown Seattle outside of the main financial district is rather run-down and seedy. I don't believe that any of the above hotels are in particularly bad areas, but you do have to be careful (for example, read about Colfax's horrific stay at the Travelodge by the Space Needle: http://www.betterbidding.com/show.php/showtopic/47799 ).

If you decide to stay elsewhere, I think Bellevue would be a better option than the airport. It's closer to downtown Seattle, and the area is a lot nicer. The Bellevue Hilton is $129/night for the dates of your stay, which is fairly low for this time of year. So you might be able to get a 3* hotel through Priceline for a reasonable rate; I'd start at $50 and go from there.

I don't consider it that bad to stay near the Space Needle, at least not so far, although I've always been at least a few blocks away. I haven't had a car on my visits, and have managed fine. But I would likely feel differently if I had an experience like Colfax (I've never stayed in that specific area).

I agree with tilepusher's #2 and #3, but I think #1 might be the Travelodge by the Space Needle.

I agree with tilepusher's #2 and #3, but I think #1 might be the Travelodge by the Space Needle.

WillTravel could be right about #1, but someone previously asked about a 2* in the Space Needle zone with a 2.5 TA rating and the following amenities: Smoke Free, Complimentary breakfast, Pool, which I guessed to the Travelodge by the Space Needle; I believe I made this guess based on a search of Hotwire's Vacation Packages. It's possible that the Travelodge is now showing a different set of amenities, but I went with the Eighth Avenue Inn because of the TA rating and the fact that it has no other amenities. At any rate, I would avoid any hotel with a TA rating below 3 unless you know what it is and have evidence that the hotel has made improvements.

Thank you for responding. I do understanding what 'thereuare' meant but we're only in Seattle for a few days and I hate to move after the first day. Some of the hotels I asked about are out of the question as they have no pool...something I hadn't given thought to when I first looked into Hotwire. Now, today I checked and saw a 4 star Downtown for $159 for my dates (7/19 - 7/22). Ammenities include: Fitness Center,Pool,Restaurant,Business Center and High-speed Internet Access. Can you guess which hotel is being offered?

Stop searching folks! After responding to tilepusher's comments I decided to bite the bullet and try Priceline. I got the Downtown Westin for $120. Thanks 'thereuare' and 'tile pusher' for all your help...you too, 'willtravel'. Betterbidding is invaluable and I can't thank you enough! Now I'm off to post my good news on the Priceline Forum...enjoy the rest of the weekend, everybody.

I am so excited as this is the first time I've used Priceline.

I used the PRICELINE link from this site and followed all of the great Betterbidding tips. Started bidding at $100, then 105, 110,115,118...all rejected. I then entered $120 which was accepted.

YAY!

Congratulations on your success!!!

Glad to see your first PRICELINE experience go well... we're happy to see you're pleased with the results and equally to have helped. :)

Try to request a room with a high floor at this property as you get some great views of the city. As well, since the pool is important to you, the one here was recently redone!

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and for using our PRICELINE link to begin your bidding.

Have a great stay.

Thanks, thereuare...a couple of quick questions:

1) Since I got the hotel through Priceline may I call the hotel direct to ask for a higher floor? Check in day will be my husband's b'day so it would be a nice treat for him to have a great few though I imagine that they place Priceline folks in their worst rooms.

2) Are Priceline guests treated differentlly than the hotel's full paying customers?

You can call the hotel and request a high floor, but i would preface with "I have a reservation coming up for on 7/19 for 3 nites and it's my husband's b-day so i was hoping you might be able to put a request in the reservation for a room on a high floor or anything else you might suggest which might help make this birthday trip special for him".

Odd favor that the may (or may not) note this on the reservation but will tell you to request it at check-in and will be assigned based upon availability. I stayed here a few years back and didn't experience any PRICELINE discrimination... and they even held our luggage while we went to dinner and we waited for a room on a higher floor to be cleaned :)

You can see my experience, and that of some other users, in the thread of the Seattle Westin Hotel Reviews.

Thanks...I'll give it a shot but to be truthful, as long as hubby gets good tickets at the ballpark he'll be happy with this b'day trip!