vanpoodle

Ah yes, unless you spend hours and up your bids by $1 at a time, you always have that problem of wondering if you overbid!

As to the Doubletree Tower of London that you were about to book, I read this hilarious review of it on one of the London blogs I follow (by way of explanation, the blogger is interested in London history and things going on and is not a travel blogger and in the commentary notes that hotel reviews are not his usual thing): http://www.tiredoflondontiredoflife.com/2012/03/stay-at-doubletree-hilton-tower-of.html?m=1

At that price in the summer I'd be happy with it! It's the fact that it is far from the tube that puts me off, but otherwise I think the hotel itself is reasonable!

I just checked, teh Copthorne Tara is back to 3 stars if anyone is interested. Kensington now resumes to being a lot less terrifying for bidding 4*!

greatdeals, I'm not sure how familiar you are with London but we've had a fantastic time with London Walks for having great wanders in the usual touristy areas as well as some more esoteric walks in areas that I never would have thought to see which turned out to be wonderful surprises. It was good cheap fun. I have a few other ideas as well if you're not already completely booked up for your stay, message me if you'd like.

I'm not familiar with that hotel, but I'm wondering if it's a case in point about how PL might only give something 3* while Hotwire gives it 4*? I took a look at the PL retail site out of curiousity but it does not appear to be a hotel that they use. They give the Doubletree West End 3* -- I have seen that hotel from the outside and it looked REALLY nice (location couldn't be beat) and sometimes its room rate on the Hilton site is more expensive than some of the Hiltons in Central London. (I mention that because greatdeals was hoping for the doubletree). I am very much hoping that we get to go back to London in October so I can do my own bidding instead of just living vicariously through others!

Hey Romelle, that's good to know. I've only seen the Tara from the outside but most of the reviews seem to skewer it. I've stayed at other Copthornes which were only okay. Kensington with that one and the Hilton Olympia now upped to 4* is now a zone to bid on if I can get a lower bid accepted when nothing affordable seems to work in the zones I like.

I really do like Regent's Park so, greatdeals, I'd keep working that one a little!

I'd also toss in some bids in Notting Hill -- that zone has been good to me in the past. I think the worst hotel they use in that zone is the Hilton Kensington which my husband stayed at. He said it was a great hotel, just a bit inconvenient to get to depending on which tube line you're on -- coming in from Heathrow it needed a few too many interchanges. My winning bids in that zone have always been at the Hilton Hyde Park which I love. Yes, perhaps it's showing some wear, but we've had it for less than $85 a night a few times (weekends mind you), and the location is really fantastic. The Sunday artists' market on Bayswater Road is right there in front of the hotel.

Consider starting off low with Regent's Park as well. That zone is fairly central. The worst of the hotels PL uses there appears to be the Holiday Inn Camden Lock there which is middle of the road in terms of the hotel itself (not a TERRIBLE place or anything, just average) but it is in a really neat part of the city and still close in. Or you might get lucky and land one of the better hotels they are known to use for that zone.

Warning about Kensington: It appears that the grim Copthorne Tara has now been upped 4*, along with the Hilton Olympia, so only bid there if you can get something considerably cheaper than in another zone. I think I'd sooner go stay in Docklands for less money (bids sub$85 have been accepted at times when bids in the $140s rejected for the more central zones) than stay at either of those two Keinsington hotels! The two Docklands 4* appear to be a Hilton or a Crowne Plaza and they're both pretty new. And the tube is close.

Another cheap zone is Finsbury/Islington on the east side, they also use a new-ish Hilton or Crowne Plaza, but it's a 10 minute walk to the tube from either.

when the budget gets blown in my preferred zones, I consider those ones. I also consider Chelsea but I have to be getting a very cheap hotel because I'm not crazy about the Copthorne Chelsea Football Club which I'm most likely to get.

oh, I guess it's midweek and it's May so that might be why. I would consider bidding in Notting Hill, I have had great luck there in the past when other zones wouldn't come through for me. Regent's Park could be good, too (most likely hotel is the Holiday Inn Camden Lock, but people have had better hotels than that one come through). Consider starting low bidding with those zones, in the past I have had bids in the $83 range accepted in those zones, but it was not in the spring. If you want to do a search (top right, you can search by user names for postings), I have posted quite a bit about London ideas recently. You will find some debate about Chelsea and Docklands when desperate measures needed because bids not being accepted in the more desired zones)

I have seen the Hempel come up as a 5* in Notting Hill. Take a look at its reviews and maybe start bidding again lower in that zone if you think it would be acceptable. I really like staying in that area.

The Mayfair hotels are fine. That is the most expensive zone. I like Notting Hill (one of the cheapest of the zones I like), Regent's Park, Bloomsbury and Westminster. I'd consider City/London Bridge at a lower bid than those zones. I would only bid on Kensington if I had reached my bid limit in those zones and hadn't scored (because a couple of the hotels PL uses in Kensington aren't as nice as some in the other zones, though they are generally okay enough), then I would start bidding again at a lower price for Kensington and City/LB. I only bid in Chelsea when I'm completely desperate as I'll get something more or less out of the way and to be worth it it has to be sub-$100 when I'm getting rejected up past $150 in the zones I like (for 4* that is). There is a list of hotels on this part of the forum. You can also search "London" in the search box top right, there has been lots of discussion about London in the last little while.

Just a caution -- the hotel that you'll probably win on PL for a 5* in Chelsea is the Wyndham at Chelsea Harbour, which apparently is a nice hotel but has no tube closeby, just a bus stop. Read the reviews for that hotel first and be sure you'd be okay winning it before proceeding to bid 5* in Chelsea. Same caution applies with the 4* hotel that they use most often for Chelsea, too (Copthorne at Chelsea Football Club). I can't tell you what the re-bids are (rules of this forum), but there are certainly lots of re-bidding FAQs which explain it.

I got that hotel about a year and a half ago at that same price. It was reasonable, I think my sister liked it more than I did, but the location couldn't be beat. Not sure if they've changed the pricing for WiFi or not, but there are both a Starbucks and a Pret about 2 minutes away with free Wifi, and an internet cafe across the street from the Starbucks and tube station that was very cheap as well.

The main issue with the Copthorne Chelsea Football Club is its location. It is not in a spot that commands the same rates as the other zones and will always be cheaper than anything you'll land in the other zones and for any hotel that is actually in Chelsea/Knightsbridge. It's a 10 minute walk to the tube but is considered to be in Fulham, quite close to Hammersmith. (the 5* in that Chelsea zone, the Wyndham, is similarly poorly located albeit in a different part of Chelsea). The hotel itself is nothing I'd rave about, let's just leave it at acceptable.

With that knowledge I will bid that zone if nothing is coming through for me in the other central zones and the savings are getting to be hefty enough to make it worth putting up with.

I would consider a 4* in Docklands though before I'd consider going 3*. There have been a few postings lately for a Hilton in that zone at $85 a night. Docklands also isn't exactly central but it is on 2 different tube lines so reasonable for getting to the main places of interest and there is an excellent museum very close to the Hilton Docklands. That hotel is pretty good and I'd be open to saving money by staying there rather than taking my chances at a 3*.

hey thereuare,

I just thought I should opine on your bidding strategy just because Chelsea isn't really a "fair" zone in PL's world since the Copthorne at Chelsea Football Club is likely what they'll give you when you bid in that zone and that hotel is not up to par with other 4*s.

I would only bid separately for Chelsea after reasonable bids in other zones have been rejected (you can use those other more desirable zones as re-bid zones and just work the bids on this zone starting really low) and the cost savings out there make up for the fact that it's not that great a hotel and it's out of the way and its rate is quite a bit cheaper than other comparable hotels and for good reason. (ie I knowingly bid this zone and won this hotel for $120 a night when bids into the $160s were getting rejected for 4* in the Westminster, Mayfair, Notting Hill, Bloomsbury, Regent's park).

If there really was a chance of landing a hotel that truly is in the Chelsea/Knightsbridge area it would be fine, but it is the Football Club that seems to be their go-to which is far away from there (closer to Fulham and Hammersmith) and that zone just needs to be bid with that knowledge. You are highly unlikely to get something in walking distance to Harrod's or anywhere walkable to Sloane Square -- there are a ton of great hotels in this zone but PL doesn't seem to use them for Name Your Own Price. There is no point bidding this zone plus a nicer zone at a fair price for the nicer zone because you'll end up with this hotel and be overpaying for it! (the only caveat is that if Chelsea happens to be playing a home game next door (which isn't very often), then they likely haven't given any rooms over to PL for that one night)

M

I've had success with booking 3 rooms in London for one stay.

If you are bidding for 4* and bid in Chelsea, just be forewarned that you are likely to get the Copthorne Chelsea Football Club by the Fulham Broadway tube station. In my experience it comes in signifantly cheaper than the other more desirable zones so if you're okay with that hotel be sure to start your bids very low for Chelsea and read the reviews first to make sure you're okay with it. I have yet to see anyone have better luck in Chelsea/Knightsbridge for a 4*, you'd almost think that's the only hotel they use there. The only reason I was happy with that hotel was because everything else that trip was much more expensive and I got a good deal. But it's my "desperation" play when I can't get any cheaper bids accepted in the zones I like (Mayfair, Bloomsbury, Regent's Park, Westminster, Notting Hill).

I would take that 4* in Chelsea over a 3* in London any day though, I will not go for 3* there.

I've posted quite a bit about that hotel lately when people are seeking bidding assistance -- that is the hotel you're most likely to get if you bid in that zone since it's likely one of the cheaper ones. So bidding on Chelsea comes with a hint of danger (the 5* hotel they are known to use, the Wyndham, has similar location challenges)

i have stayed there and it was fine. Not my first choice of hotel, but I got a good price when I stayed there compared to what the going rates were in the other zones at the time, so I was perfectly happy with it considering the circumstances.

Yes, it is in zone 2, but it is a 10 minute walk to the tube and it has fairly frequent service. It also has a good bus that stops right out from to take you to I think it was Sloane Square tube, which isn't all that far away. One street over is The King's Road known for good shopping. So it's not perfect, it's always best to bid on Chelsea only after realizing that this is what you're likely to get.

If ther were a game on, that hotel would be in huge demand and you would probably not get it at that price!

Alas, there is no way to get out of the bidding, it is one of the challenges with PL. You pay the money before you know which hotel you get.

I guess the good news is that it is cheaper than your last Mayfair bid, but alas, the Holiday Inn and not the Le Meridien. Hopefully you're at the Holiday Inn first then staying at Le Meridien later because it sure would be hard to go from le Meridien to the Holiday Inn!

I've found I like splitting my stays into two when I'm in London. I've had trips where I've tried bidding all 8 nights or whatever in one go and had no luck getting a good deal, but done better by splitting it off and gotten the weekend nights for less than $85 (for 4* mind you -- things might be different for 5*). It also means that I might get to check out different hotels and different zones as I really like exploring when I'm in London. Perhaps that might minimize the risk of being in a hotel you dislike for the whole trip?

I had looked it up last week and the Grange St Paul's is what I came up with based on PL's retail site. I've stayed at Grange hotels before and they vary considerably. The Grange Holborn was rated 5* in a few places, that was a bit generous but it was a nice hotel (it had an incredibly beautiful pool in the basement). Having been happy there I booked the Grange Strathmore on hotels.com (this was back in the days when PL was not available to Canadians) and it was awful. It was only rated 4* to begin with but we ended up in the basement in a murphy bed with a mattress than was only about 2" thick. Fortunately they took note of our demands for a better room and moved us to the Grange Fitzrovia which was fine. Sorry about this digression, I guess the point is that Grange hotels seem to vary widely and it's hard to tell if the PL 5* rating is fair or not!

If you look, you should see a second free re-bid zone. (sorry, rule of his forum is that I'm not allowed to tell you which one it is!)

Also, if you look through recent discussions about London, links have been posted to SmilingBoy's permutation table. If there are 5 acceptable zones, it can get you 30 bids at one session (though you do have to close the browser and start fresh quite often). You have 6 acceptable zones plus 2 free re-bid zones so you should be able (if you have the time and patience and a notepad next to you), to up your bid $1 at a time until you get something accepted. Those counteroffers are a bit of a ruse, you will get a bid accepted below those numbers and sometimes it's only a matter of going $1 to $5 higher than where you are bidding.

The best trick to get SmilingBoy's permutation table to work is to label your zones as A-F, plus rebid zones of G&H and just follow his step by step method, knowing you've got more bids than what he set out in his table. It's as complex as bidding on PL can get, but you'll know you've squeezed out the lowest price to the dollar if you're able to follow it. It took me quite a few trip bookings on PL before I got my brain wrapped around it!

I would not go to a 3*, hotels in Europe are just not that nice at that level. I would start a fresh set of bidding at $80 in my less desired zones (Chelsea, Finsbury, Docklands) and try to land something quite a bit cheaper before I would do that. To me, those zones will give me decent hotels, just maybe a bit further out than I would like and I'd rather save money that way.

If you bid on Chelsea you're likely to get the Copthorne Football Club which is entirely decent, less than 10 minutes' walk to the tube, but a slightly longer tube ride in. Or maybe you'll have really good luck and not get this property but instead get something nicer and more in the middle of things(it's just the least desired one in the zone and chances are it's the one you'd land).

The 2 known 4* in Finsbury are both very nice hotels, they're just more than 10 minutes' walk to the tube. The east end is really getting revitalized and there is certainly night life there and it is hopping. It wouldn't be a hardship to take the tube to get to a more central zone from there to see the sights.

As I mentioned, Docklands often comes in at less than $90 and the bids I have seen have been for the Hilton. You'll just need to take the tube everywhere and there's not much going on there at night, but for a low enough price I would be open to that.

Also, are you open to splitting your stay into 2x2? You WILL get a better deal for the weekend nights, possibly sub-$100 in zones like Notting Hill (I once got $88 in Bloomsbury, too, as well as $83 last Nov in Notting Hill), then you'd be bidding a bit higher for the weeknights. Switching hotels is a pain, but I like the chance to see a new area.

Westminster is more the business centre so, while it may have a few pubs, don't expect nightlife. Regent's Park is in the area where people live, so it will be much more lively at night, especialy if you end up iin Camden. I would expect Kensington to be more lively than Westminster! Bloomsbury definitely has nightlife because it's close to the university quarter, Mayfair borders Soho where the nightlife is too crazy for my comfort. But if you equip yourself with an Oyster card, very easy to get around the city. All of these zones are central and good bases for sightseeing.

I've stayed in Regent's Park, depending on what quadrant of that zone you land in, you might be near the pubs and restaurants and probably even bars. But if you end up in a quieter area, you won't be far from a happening place, my recollection of walking back to our hotel in Regents Park a few nights was walking past quite a few places with people spilling out onto the sidewalk!

You might also want to add Regent's Park into the mix, it's also a central zone -- there is a Holiday Inn at the Camden Lock that is known to come in at or under your budget from time to time -- and then if you have really good luck, perhaps you might land something in that zone that is better than the Holiday Inn?

If nothing at or close to your budget comes in, consider Docklands where bids for the Hilton have been accepted in the $80-$95 range. A bit of a pain in the neck for going sightseeing, though are are some neat things in the Docklands area, too. Just depends on what is more important to you, budget or proximity.

For four nights, another trick might be to split into two stays of two nights each if you can deal with moving hotels. I've done this and gotten great rates for the weekend portion (sub-$85) in Notting Hill more than once (and seen others score great deals on other central areas too), it's the weekdays that are usually more expensive in London. Then maybe move out to Docklands or bid on Chelsea within your budget where you're likely get the Copthorne at the Football CLub. Not ideal, on the tube but further out, but it was worth it to us for the money saved for the more expensive weeknights. Again, it's the weighing of budget and location.

I'd just add a caution about bidding 5* in Chelsea -- there are lovely hotels in that zone, but it includes the Wyndham which is also rated 5*. The Wyndham looks like a nice hotel but it is not near the tube, only a bus stop, so I'd avoid that area for that reason, unless nothing was working in the other zones and you feel it's worth trying an outrageously low bid to see if you score a deal there.

Theoretically, Mayfair is the most expensive zone, and perhaps lower bids in Notting Hill or Regent's Park are worth trying. I consider both of those zones as being worthy central bases for a visit to London. I think Westminster (also very central) is likely to have similar pricing to Mayfair. Docklands would be less expensive but it is not central (though has good tube access), like Chelsea, worth bidding on if nothing within budget working in the more desirable zones and the hassle of getting in and out of there is worth it considering the savings.

Just so you know, weekends tend to have the really good deals in London, your dates are during the week and a really low bid might not get accepted. I have experienced this and bid on Chelsea and got the Copthorne at Chelsea Football Club for $120. At that point nothing below $140 was being accepted in the zones I like and I knew I was either going to have to pay more or be in a less desired place (though it was still a short ride on the tube to Central London so it wasn't really that far out). Other people choose to bid on Docklands in that situation as well since it is still on the tube line and a few wins came in recently at $85. I've had good luck in Notting Hill as well, mind you those were weekend dates when I had a bid of $83 accepted, and then had to move out to the Chelsea Football Club for the rest of my stay.

Wow, that's really good for that zone! Especially since there are weeknights involved and that zone can be really expensive, the cheaper rates are generally found for weekend stays. I'll keep that in mind, I'm hoping to get to London either before or after the Olympics, but definitely not during!