cheapdigs

Checked BetterBidding for recent successful bids and thought $45 would probably get it - and it did, on the first bid. Bid for 2.5 star and got bumped to 3 star. Used the PRICELINE link on BB.

Lucky dog ! :)

I was shooting for the Hyatt Arlington, mostly because of good reviews and proximity to Metro, reasonable restaurants, and Safeway; but figured any of the “usual” Priceline hotels in Arlington or Crystal City would be good options – reasonably close to Metro stations that put us within about a 10 minute ride to the Mall. This is the first time I have used re-bid zones, for both 4* and 3.5*, to make sure I was only really bidding on hotels in Arlington or Crystal City – where you get a lot more hotel for a lot less of your money, just minutes from the Mall! Here’s how I bid (using the betterbidding PRICELINE link): 4* Arlington $51 – rejected + Mount Vernon (re-bid zone) $55 – rejected +Georgetown North (re-bid zone) $58 – rejected 3.5* + Crystal City $51 – rejected + Silver Spring (re-bid zone) $55 – rejected + DC Northeast (re-bid zone) $59 – ACCEPTED! My bid for $59/night was accepted by the Marriott Key Bridge for 8/4-8-10; total taxes and fees for 6 nights = $60.24. Pretty good deal! It’s a Marriott, so I’m sure it will be plenty nice; and it’s only about a quarter mile from the Metro and right on the Potomac across the bridge from Georgetown – nice! We won’t need our car much, so we’ll park at a local garage within about a half mile of the hotel for $8/day (found it online – with good reviews even!) versus paying $19/day at the Marriott! We are a family of 4, so I called the hotel the next day and requested 2 double beds (and a fridge!) – even though Priceline only guarantees accommodations for 2 adults, I have never had a problem using this “call the hotel” approach (although one time the hotel in question charged an extra $10/night for 2 doubles – it was still a good deal!). And if a hotel can’t accommodate 2 doubles, you can usually at least get a roll-away! Happy trails!!

If it were me and I had time for re-bidding, since I know that at least the Hyatt has availability and they have sold Priceline rooms in the past (with 686 rooms, they have a lot of beds to fill!) - I would start with a low-ball bid for 3.5* in Crystal City, probably $70-80 (if it were me I'd try 70 - I like to get rooms cheap!) and go higher bit by bit, but a more realistic bid might end up being 100-130, if they even bite. Arlington also has some nice hotels that sell Priceline rooms - I haven't checked availability, but it might be worth looking into (it seems like when I've looked into some of those hotels - they are a bit far from the nearest Metro [like up to a mile away], but then, the Hyatt Arlington is right on top of the Rosslyn station, so you might get really lucky!). And, yes, if you have an unsuccessful bid with Dupont Circle, you can add Crystal City, even lower your bid if you want (I would!), and re-bid right away without closing your browser - Priceline will prompt you and ask if you want to change something in your formula - you can re-bid right away if you either add another acceptable zone or add another (lower) star level. If you are unable to change either of those factors, i.e. you are set on a particular zone(s) and star level, then you have to wait 24 hours before re-bidding. Especially in a city like DC that has such a wonderful Metro - it can really pay to be flexible and consider zones that aren't right in the heart of the tourist meccas. A couple of summers ago we were hoping to be right down by the Mall, but ended up getting the Marriott Wardman Park (Dupont Circle - Woodley Park zone; 3.5 or 4*) for $80 or $85 and we were only a couple of blocks from the Zoo and literally right on top of a Metro station which got us down to the Mall in maybe 10 minutes (you can check schedules and figure travel times on the Metro website). You can search for successful bids in a particular zone by using the "Search" field at the bottom of the "Pricline - Washington DC" forum (just put in the zone name) - sometimes that makes the research a little easier. I hope some of this helps - I'm no expert, but I do love to get cheap (but nice!) rooms on Priceline, and I'm getting pretty good at it! Have fun in DC (btw - you should absolutely not miss the Newseum when you're there!!! look it up - it's fantastic!)!

Just a thought - you can be to L'enfant Plaza or Metro Center Metro stops (i.e. pretty much the heart of DC - check Google Maps) in 10-20 minutes from Crystal City Metro station. Crystal City rates for those dates are high as well, but some of the "typical" Priceline 3.5* hotels (check posts for Crystal City to see what they are) still have availability (some of the Hyatt rooms have a rack rate of ~175-225 for those dates). A couple of those hotels are right next to the Metro, but even if you get a hotel that's a little farther than you feel like walking, if you can save maybe $100 nightly on the hotel, you could easily afford cab fare to the Metro station (some of those hotels supposedly even have shuttle service to the station). Good luck!

Thanks so much for passsing on the advice! We'll definitely be on the lookout for that garage. The Cards are at home both nights we'll be there, but it will still be worth checking out.

First bid of $41 for Forest Park-Clayton rejected (was hoping for Sheraton from reading previous posts). Added Downton for $45 - accepted. Two rooms for 2 nights, total with taxes and fees - $217.92; self parking will be another $19 a day. I was bidding 3.5*, but I think the Hyatt is actually 4*. All in all, a pretty sweet deal! Oh, and of course, I used the PRICELINE link on BetterBidding.

From looking at recent posts, I wanted to try for the Sheraton Manhattan (TS-TD) or the New Yorker (MSG-CONV) - hopefully for about $90. Stuck with 3* for all bidding. Day 1: TS-TD $77 (why not try a low-ball?), added MTW $82, added CPS $90 - all rejected, had to wait for 24 hrs. Day 2: TS-TD $92, added MTW $97, added CPS $102 - all rejected, had to wait for 24 hrs. Decided to go for the New Yorker and started with MSG $85, added TS-TD $90, added MTW $95, added CPS $101, added MTE $105 - and finally got it! Ended up at one of our prime picks - the New Yorker - for $105 a night. We can't wait! The hotel looks great and gets great reviews on Tripadvisor. I was hoping to get a hotel for more like $90, but I sure ain't complaining about $105! And, of course, I used the BetterBidding PRICELINE link.

What a fantastic site! I use Priceline almost exclusively for hotels (only way I can afford to travel!) and this site is invaluable!! I tell everyone I come across who's looking to save money on travel about 1) Priceline, and 2) BetterBidding.com. Thanks so much for all you do!