Too lazy to deal with priceline this time - so gave a quick check on hotwire - and saw a $133 a night rate. Seemed fair to me and matched up with betterbidding's description for Cassa Hotel.
Turns out you guys were right. Thanks for having a great cheat sheet!
Rate per night:$133.00
Nights: 6
Rooms: 1
Taxes: $82.62
Occupancy tax: $60.72
Fees: $31.22
Subtotal: $972.56
Trip total: $972.56
$150 is a pretty solid budget.. I'd double check the web to see what rates you are seeing. I just left Milan last week... and instead of Priceline I just checked out some hotels and booked the old fashioned way. I stayed at the Enterpris.e Hotel.... very nice.. great breakfast.. and for my nights as definitely within your budget (I paid $84 euros a night on a 3 or 4 night package I believe.
Breakfast there is worth paying for online... $10 euros a heads... money well spent if you ask me.
There is a trolly right outside the hotel that takes you downtown... it takes 15-20 minutes (that is the worst part of the hotel is a slow, unairconditioned trolly ride). You don't have to book this way.. but I'd be careful to limit your upper end of the bid range so you don't over bid just because Priceline's offerings in Italy aren't great
Thanks Romelle... appreciate the info. It okay with me.. no point in booking on priceline if you aren't willing to take a chance on something different.. but I worry they are going to hurt their reputation if they start putting everybody into VRBOs and 4 stars in the 'center' of the city that are all decent commutes from where people actually want to be. I assume they'll try to fix it.. but for now.. Italy is definitely a place I'd look to book a traditional reservation early... and at least use that to limit your bid prices.
A decent hotel but a bit far from the city center (20 minute walk and no real bus you can take to get into the city).
They do run a shuttle bus to the train station several times a day.... you should call ahead a book... will save you ~10 euros.
Breakfast is just okay.. but included in the hotel stay. Wifi is VERY expensive... they claim they'll have free wifi in a month or two but that because they have to 'register' every guest on the internet per regulations... they have to charge you for it. (This is clearly not true since other hotels in italy provide free access.. they just give you an individual passwork/login).
Cool funky rooms... overall a nice place to stay.
No real savings again vs just booking it the old fashioned way... pretty disappointing priceline 'win' number 2 in Italy. Florence and Rome... both I probably could have booked a hotel at the same price in a location I preferred. Oh well.. live and learn
Ended up bidding up to ~$215 for a night and got nothing... so just booked via hotwire.
Got the Millennium Broadway Hotel for $226 a night.
Dates: July 13-16th
Not sure what the hotel amenities were anymore... don't see them on the confirm.
Cheers.
August 23-26 dates.. sorry about that
Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $150.00 (USD)
Number of Rooms: 1
Number of Nights: 3
Room Subtotal: $450.00 (USD)
Taxes and Fees: $61.62 (USD)
Total Room Cost: $511.62 (USD)
Not a great win... I intentionally overbid for this range since I was trying to avoid some of the less interesting Rome hotel options.... $150 a night ended up being more expensive than what Expedia was quoting ($148 a night)... so they gave me $25 and matched.
My experience in Italy has been that I would have better off just booking with the hotel websites in all cases... (would have got the same price as I bid... and would have been able to control my own choice of hotel). My first time using priceline in Europe.. but unless I'm going to London or maybe Paris.. I starting to think that just booking the old fashioned way is the best solution.
More updates in a sec.
This hotel was fine btw.. but they 'upgraded' us to a bigger room when they saw our luggage... to a room that I would say is a standard size... not sure what the other room would have looked like.....!!
I bid $105 and was given the option to re-bid if I raised to $118 a night... I know I could have probably got somewhere in the middle.. but for the sake of saving time I just took the re-bid option.
I expected the Marriott given the other 2 posts on the hotel over simliar dates. Hopefully its a good place!
Thanks
Details:
Paris Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel And Conference Center
Check-In: Saturday, August 13, 2011-03:00 PM
Check-Out: Wednesday, August 17, 2011-12:00 PM
Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $118.00 (USD)
Number of Nights: 4
Room Subtotal: $472.00 (USD)
Taxes and Fees: $52.00 (USD)
Total Room Cost: $524.00 (USD)
Decided to add a few more days to the NYC trip after the W Hotel bid at $160.
Have now bid up to $180 for a 4* in CPS, MTE, MTW, TS and getting no luck at the moment.
Looks like they are going to make me pay up for a hotel for the last 3 days. Will update tomorrow hopefully with a winning bid at some point.
Any idea if there is some type of event between the 13-16th of July?
(BTW - I got one less rebid because I tried to 'extend my stay' first before starting to rebid elsewhere. I was a bit surprised that this counted as a bid since it is just limited to the W... but figured worth flagging to everybody. Might change bidding strategy a bit.)
My 2-cents... I never want to book via priceline until the last possible minute in almost all cases. Sometimes just to keep it simple I'll bid within 5 days of the stay rather than waiting for the last possible minute. Generally this is the way to get the cheapest price... however the one exception to this rule tends to be NYC .. since sometimes you'll bump into a major conference of some kind that will book out all the hotels and double the rates.
Even when the rates are 'sky high'.. I can generally get something last minute in the city around 200.
What I'd recommend is that you make a cancelable reservation at a hotel that you'd be happy with (a fair amount of options around the $200 level on Expedia at the moment)... and then get more proactive about bidding closer to the deadline that you can cancel your other hotel option.
I just booked the W for the next week for $150 a night.. and the last time I stayed in the city I booked the benjamen for $125 a night.. both 4 star hotels.
It all depends how much waiting will stress you out... but either way.. sometimes nyc just cost 200 a night regardless of what you do. I just don't see the point in raising about 170 or 175 when you still have so much time.
Cheers
Excited about this one... couldn't get the 140 bid that was on the board for the last lucky fellow... but still figure this should be a fun stay
Started bidding at 140.. was immediately countered at 175... ignored that and just bid up in $5 increments to 150.
Your Offer Price: $150.00
Number of Rooms: 1
Number of Nights: 7
Subtotal: $1,050.00
Taxes: $186.06
Fees: $45.08
Total Charges*: $1,281.14
So 183.02 a night after taxes/charges.
Follow up on the hotel. My girlfriend enjoyed the stay. While she had to wait to check-in until 4pm (apparently somebody trashed the room the night before), she found the hotel room very clean and comfortable (great bed.. but overall room not very large). She was always addressed by name as she entered/exited the hotel, which she loved. However when she went to the wine tasting and massage in the evening... the masseuse was a bit inappropriate. She said he was basically trying to cope a feel on her the whole massage... then after the masseuse tried to get her to come back to his apartment and watch a DVD and drink some wine with him.
Overall... good hotel with a creepy masseuse. They should address this. That is totally inappropriate. If the guy needs a girlfriend... he should go to a bar.
Got my hotel. $85 a night for July 15th.
Hotel Monaco, A Kimpton Hotel
Bidding Strategy:
Bid 1 73
Targeting: USE, USW
Bid 1 73
Personally I'd just be patient. I just got a hotel for $125, 4* MTE yesterday. My dates are about 2 weeks earlier than you... but I don't see a bit price hike on Expedia for your dates... so I'm inclined to think that if you just be patient... the prices will drop into your $150 range as you get closer to your travel date.
Just an opinion from on uneducated reader... so feel free to ignore me if you like!
Looks like the dates in the subject line are now wrong FYI. I am staying from July 5th to 9th (not the 6th-9th).
Ended up going with Priceline this time...
Got the Benjamin at $125 a night. Staying July5th-9th
That compares to Expedia quoting $269 a night... I'll take it! Who cares about that 3.5* now?? :)
Bid history:
Bid 1: $116
Gotcha...
any idea what hotel that would have been by chance? I don't see it on the hotwire hotel list
I guess trivia at this point...
but dates were July 6-9th
any reason why I have to click your specific HOTWIRE link as opposed to the others on this website (which I do click)?
No need for an urgent reply as that listing is no longer available....
Downtown-Soho-Financial District
3.5*
$133 a night
Boutique Hotel
Restaurant
Still gathering reviews on the property
Any thoughts?
Followed your guidance on the 4* bidding up to $205. Didn't get anything.
Moved onto 3.5*, but only bid in MSG, MTW, TS (didn't want to get the affina dumont since the price difference I"d probably lose in taxi cost)
Bid there up to $205.. no luck.
Looks like I'm sticking with the Sheraton for $229. No value to bid higher for just a 3 day stay. Wouldn't save enough for the risk.
Thanks much for your help. Best of luck to everybody.
I'm off to San Fran tomorrow!
Yup... agree.. $500 a night is just mind-boggling. Thank goodness for a corporate rate saving me some stress at least!
We could start at 4*.. but I don't think I'd get it judging by other posts I've seen.. so just kinda conceeding that battle and going with a 3.5* as the only way to get something cheaper than what I've already got.
Can you recommend a zone/bidding strategy for: 4* in the 'centeral NYC areas' up to $209 (won't blame you if not perfect.. but would appreciate your wisdom on this).
Then a bidding strat for 3.5* up to $195
And a bidding strat for 3.5* up to $205?
Sounds like going to 3* means I could end up lost in a crummy location/hotel.. but if you think there are a few zones worth bidding 3*, I'm happy to consider that as well (location more important than a great hotel.. even the Sheraton doesn't look very good from what I can see..)
Hello... just booked out San Francisco... Las Vegas.. very happy so far.
Finding booking out NYC a bit more difficult and pretty dang expensive.
What I'm looking for:
1) A hotel in the center of things (not from NYC.. so not 100% what zones that means...). This is my girlfriend's first trip to NYC.. and she loves to shop and be in the center of things if that is helpful
2) My budget. I have already booked out the Sheraton New York Hotel and Tower for $229++ a night, so no real point in bidding above there. Would be happy to get something below $200 that is a decent hotel (clean, in the center of the city, would be nice if it had a bathtub/okay bathroom).
Thoughts on a bidding strategy in terms of zones and recommended hotels I should try to target if I use hotwire would be very very much appreciated.
Cheers.
4* San Francisco (Embarcadero Area) Hilton Financial District
in Hotwire Hotels - SAN FRANCISCO
Posted
Hilton San Francisco Financial District
Check-in
Fri, Dec 14, 2012
3:00 PM
Check-out
Sun, Dec 16, 2012
12:00 PM
Amenities See description
Fitness Center
Restaurant(s)
Business Center
High-Speed Internet Access
Spa Services
Accessible for the blind
Accessible for the deaf
Accessible path of travel
In-room accessibility
Wheelchair accessible
Accessible bathroom
Handicapped parking
Roll-in shower