USE and USW are in the middle of a busy area in San Francisco, so street noise may be a concern. Some hotels in USW are close to the Tenderloin, which I've heard isn't a nice area. Also, priceline's USW zone includes Nob Hill which could require walking uphill to get to your hotel. Some people include SOMA zone but some of the hotels are a bit south of the main attractions of San Francisco. The 4* hotels in FD consistently receive good reviews, and since it is quiet at night street noise isn't much of a concern. FD is my first choice when bidding in San Francisco, followed by USE, then FW.
An easy way to tell if a PRICELINE win is a good deal is to look at the rates in the hotel's website. If your bid is significantly lower than the lowest regular rate then it is definitely a good deal. I consider any price less than $100 for a 4* hotel in downtown San Francisco to be a good deal.
I used the HOTWIRE link to book. I initially booked 6/18 only, and got the Omni which is exactly what I was hoping for. I then used Hotwire's add-a-nite feature to add 6/17 to my stay, for a total of 2 nights. I've attended conferences and wedding receptions at this hotel, and it looks very nice.
Amenities: Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access
Yesterday, I started bidding for a 3* at $50, and worked up to $75 without success. Tonight, I started again at $50, and received a counter offer of $65. Rebid at $53 and got the Hilton Hill Country Resort and Spa. I'm attending a conference at Courtyard SeaWorld-Westover Hills and the Hilton is about a 5 minute drive to the Courtyard. The Courtyard's conference rate is $109 and I saved more than $120 for the entire stay.
I used the PRICELINE link to bid.
I used the PRICELINE link to bid.
In PRICELINE, you are not bidding on a particular hotel, but a group of hotels in a zone. Any 4* hotels in the Embarcadero zone may accept your bid. If you're only willing to stay at the Hyatt, hotwire would be a better option as you can take an educated guess as to what the hotel is. Or check lastminutetravel.com and use this method to identify the hotel.
If you do want to take a chance with PRICELINE bidding, the Le Meridien has frequently been won in the Embarcadero zone lately and is a short walk to the Hyatt.
Most commonly bid zones for tourists are Capital Hill/Convention Center and White House/Downtown. Most hotels in these zones are within walking distance to a subway station and are convenient to the museums and monuments. Dupont Circle is also a good third choice, especially since you plan to visit the zoo.
1. Hoping to drop rental car off when we get back to SF & use "public" trans to get around city...seems crazy to pay huge $$ to park a rental car at hotel, when I can only assume there is plenty of ways to explore the city via cable cars etc?????
Yes, you can get around SF without a rental car. There are lots of public transportation options (cable cars, buses, trolleys) and SF is a very walkable city although going uphill is a challenge.
2. Have no clue about SF at all....can anyone recommend an area to focus our sights on to stay which would allow us to explore city & be in a great section of town to base out of???
Union Square (East and West), Embarcadero/Financial District, and Fisherman's Wharf are the most commonly bid zones for tourists. South of Market is also an option for visitors though some hotels in that zone are quite a bit south of the typical tourist sites. As to which zone is best, it depends on what you want to do. For me, I prefer the Embarcadero zone for its access to public transportation, proximity to most sites, and quality of the 4* hotels in that zone. Union Square East would be my second choice. Others also bid in Union Square West but some hotels there are close to the Tenderloin which I've heard is a not-so-nice area.
3. What would b our best option to get back to airport when we need to fly home, as we wont have the car anymore...flying a red-eye on a friday night out of SF at approx 9:00 PM
Take the BART subway. Or if you have lots of luggage, you may want to take a cab.
I have not been to Napa but others may be able to offer advice on that. Enjoy your trip :)
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $92.00
Subtotal: $184.00
Taxes & Fees: $37.74
Total Charges: $221.74
I used the PRICELINE link to bid. My first bid was $85, and priceline made a counter offer of $110. I added $1 for each rebid and got the Le Meridien at $92. I have stayed at Le Meridien before and enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to another stay.
For Memorial day weekend, Hotels.com has the Monaco for $109, and the Hilton for $95. You may be able to undercut these rates on priceline. I would try bidding again.
Got it on my first bid. I used the PRICELINE link to bid.
Best price on marriott.com is $179.95, so a very nice deal.
With priceline bidding, you cannot target a particular hotel. Any hotel in Fisherman's Wharf that priceline rates 2.5* or higher could accept your bid. If you only want the HI Express, Hotwire would be a better option. Or check lastminutetravel.com and use this method to identify the hotel.
Has anyone had any success with Priceline in obtaining a room for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend? I have tried a number of different scenarios with no luck. On previous Thanksgiving weekends I have been successful but things seem much more expensive this year. Thoughts or strategies I should pursue?Thanks!
Have you tried bidding in the Millenium-Loop-Grant Park zone? Another user got the Hyatt on your dates for $62. The Hyatt is located along the Chicago River a couple blocks from Michigan Avenue. It is a great location.
Any experiences with the InterContinental?
I stayed at the InterContinental before. I agree with AaronJB. The hotel is one of the best in Chicago. It is right in the middle of things on Michigan Avenue. Enjoy your stay.
I went ahead and booked the Hotwire hotel, and much to my delight it is the Parc 55. Amenities and price are the same as my original post. This hotel was recommended by 90% of hotwire reviews, and after doing a search, I discovered recent users who won the Parc 55 via hotwire reported 90% recommendation. Based on that, and given the Grand Hyatt is sold out, I figured the Parc 55 was the more likely of the 2 and for the price offered I decided it was worth the risk. That said, the Grand Hyatt is reasonably close to the Moscone Center and would also have been OK for me.
I checked LMT, and the Parc 55 is available there for $148.
I used the HOTWIRE link to book.
Looking for a hotel in San Francisco for 10/27, 1 night. I saw this listing on hotwire:
4*, Union Square East, $115
Amenities:
Fitness Center
Restaurant(s)
Business Center
High-speed Internet Access
Tripadvisor rating: 4.0
Based on the above info, this could be the Parc 55, Grand Hyatt, or maybe the Westin Market Street. I'm attending a conference at Moscone Conference center and want to be as close to there as possible. I'm staying the nights of 10/25-10/26 at the Parc 55 on a conference rate and would like to stay there for 10/27 as well. Grand Hyatt appears to be sold out, and Parc 55 has the lowest published rate of the possible hotels so could this make Parc 55 more likely?
I have not noticed a correlation between star rating and charging for Internet. Some hotels that charge for Internet in rooms have it for free in the lobby. Also, with Kimpton hotels, Internet is free for members of its loyalty program - all you need to do is sign up.
Another factor seems to be the size of the hotel. The bigger hotels with lots of rooms and floors tend to charge for Internet, probably because more bandwidth and hardware is required. Whereas smaller hotels usually provide free Internet. Based on my past stays at hotels.
Another user won on priceline the Hyatt in Capital Hill on the for $132 (dates same as yours), which isn't too far off from your budget. Capital Hill zone is also a good zone for seeing DC, assuming you do the typical tourist things (Smithsonian, monuments, etc). Hotels in Capital Hill are walking distance, or short metro ride, to the sites.
I would look into the White House-Downtown, Dupont, and Capitol Hill zones. These are the most popular zones for visitors to DC and hotels generally are close to metro stations.
For the other portion of my stay, I won on priceline the Omni Shoreham.
I started by bidding 4* in the White House and Capital Hill zones, with bids of $100, $105, $110, $115, and at $117 priceline made a counter offer of $137. I then wanted to see if I can get a cheaper price in Dupont before continuing bidding in those zones.
I then checked hotwire and saw a hotel that matched the Omni Shoreham going for $122. I started a new bid on priceline with the Dupont Zone. My first bid was $92, and priceline made a counter offer of $107. I increased my bid by $1 for each rebid and got the Omni at $99. This will be my first stay at an Omni hotel - I'm looking forward to it.
This is the first half of my Washington DC trip. I'm staying at The George for the second half.
I used the PRICELINE link for my bidding.
What I did in the end is I booked a 4* hotel I liked for $269.00, by calling directly the front desk (they gave me a 20% discount off their lowes raate).
If your reservation can be canceled without penalty, you may continue bidding on priceline up to the cancel deadline, to see if you could get a cheaper rate.
If you're doing the typical tourist things (Smithsonian, monuments, Capital, etc) I would start with the White House - Downtown and Capital Hill zones. Dupont would be a good third option although it is a bit further from the major tourist sites. DC hotels tend to be on the high side in October, so I would start bidding earlier, rather than wait until the last minute.
Chicago (NMA-River North) Marriott Magnificent Mile
in Priceline Hotels - Illinois
Posted
I used the PRICELINE link to bid.
I got it on the first bid. Maybe could have gotten it for less, but still a nice deal compared to the regular rate of $184. And it is in a perfect location on North Michigan Avenue, a few blocks from the Chicago River. Hotwire's cheapest 4* in the Magnificent Mile zone is $132.