siryn

my apologies.. i am running a very old version of firefox so it must be my browser. it looks fine on internet explorer.

thereuare: for some reason, the sub-line was changed when you fixed the star rating. for posterity, i got this hotel for $93/night (2 adults, 2 children) on the dates of 7/25 - 7/29

thanks, thereuare. btw, this is a 3* star hotel, not 3.5* as it states in the subject line. this hotel is listed on priceline as a 2.5* so i might have been able to get a better price on priceline. even so, i don't regret not bidding on 2.5* since i may have gotten another hotel that didn't have free parking and/or breakfast. also, the holiday inn website states that this location has free internet, but it is not listed on their hotwire amenities list. thought i should mention it for those researching this hotel in the future.

amenities: Airport Shuttle, Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Business Center, Laundry Facilities (self-service), High-Speed Internet Access, Accessible for the blind, Accessible for the deaf, Free Parking, Free Breakfast, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Handicapped parking, Roll-in shower i am pleased with this "win". hotels in the area are all at a premium during these dates. there were 3.5* hotels in berkeley and alameda for a little less ($88), but the free parking and free breakfast made me choose this one (i'm renting a car). also, i was pretty sure that it would be the holiday inn express from the BB hotel list and i like this chain based on my experiences in other cities. also fyi, i bid on priceline as well, but didn't find any better deals as far as i could tell. here are my failed bids in oakland (berkely, alameda, oakland airport): 4* - bid up to $120 3.5* - bid up to $100 3* - bid up to $80 i'd like to stay in SF proper one day, but oakland is much more affordable especially during peak times. (and yes, i used the BB link for my purchase and searches)

thanks for the tip, aaron. unfortunately, when i put in for 2 additional kids, many of the options disappeared. also, the $140, 3.5* option disappeared altogether earlier this week. which was just as well because i was not feeling comfortable with the whitcomb. to anyone interested, i had failed bids for these dates on priceline for downtown SF (embarcadero, civic center north and south, fish wharf, marina, soma, union square east & west). i tried multiple times over the course of the past 3 weeks up until today: 4* - bid up to $181 3.5* - bid up to $160 3* - bid up to $100 all bids were rejected. (i wasn't sure where i should post this info.. didn't feel appropriate to start a new topic in priceline thread re failed bids). i had a backup with club quarters for $204/night, but that was way more than i wanted to spend for a 3.5* hotel with notoriously tiny rooms. ultimately, i ended up going with the 3* oakland airport holiday inn express on hotwire for $93/night. i'll post that win on the california-other cities thread, but thought i'd update people who were looking at similar dates. fyi, i called one of the hotels in the area to find out what was going on that week to make the prices so exorbitant and apparently there is a huge sorority convention in town in the middle of the week and then 7/29 is the san francisco marathon. p.s. this website has been very helpful in my research and of course i always used the PRICELINE / HOTWIRE links on top!

Thank you, thereuare. I am still not sure if I should bid on this hotel. Hopefully I disagree with the bad reviews if I do.

I am looking for a hotel on 7/25 - 7/29 (2 adults). Prices are very high during this period and I have been checking Hotwire & Priceline regularly. Suddenly, a 3.5* popped up today for $140 (which is quite low). I was excited, but when I looked up the hotel list and figured out that it is probably the Whitcomb Hotel (and then read very poor reviews), I became disappointed and scared to book the room. I thought it was strange that the reviews were so terrible for a 3.5* hotel and was curious as to what the Priceline star rating is. Priceline says it is a 2.5*! I know that Hotwire is a bit more generous with star ratings, but this seems like a huge difference. I am not too picky about hotels, but I do want it to be clean and have a bare minimum of amenities (e.g., safe, fridge and coffee machine). Yelp and Trip Advisor reviews indicate that this is a dirty, dank hotel with no safe, fridge or coffee machine. What gives?? Why does Hotwire not give this hotel a lower rating? In fact, the BB hotel list indicates that Hotwire upgraded the hotel from 3* to 3.5*! Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you. BTW, the amenities on the hotel that I fear is the Whitcomb are: Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access Accessible for the blind Accessible for the deaf Free Internet Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Wheelchair accessible Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Roll-in shower P.S. I use the BB HOTWIRE & PRICELINE links a LOT (probably 100 times in the last 2 weeks).

i appreciate the detailed response! unfortunately, i just checked and i do not have any bonus money. i made several unsuccessful bids yesterday, but i guess i'm not one of the lucky ppl to get a bonus from that. thanks again for the detailed info =)

how do you get this bonus money? is it earned only after first bidding through the bb link and then using it for the next time..?

what an interesting topic! i know this thread is a bit old, but has anyone tried tipping a front desk clerk in san francisco? it seems that each city has its own culture and i wouldn't want to offend anyone. i haven't booked a hotel yet, but i plan to stay at a 3.5* in a high traffic area. thanks for any advice.

Thanks, Colfax. I've been monitoring HOTWIRE as well, but I thought that PRICELINE and Ho.twire have different hotels..? I guess it's good to see what the market is like, though. Thank you for your advice. I will update the board when I finally book.

I thought I'd let the board know: I've been bidding for these dates for over a month. When I started, my max bid was for a 4-star at $100 (wishful thinking). I increased my bids about $20 a week and began including 3.5-stars when 4-stars were rejected. I have now just bid up to $200 on a 4-star and $160 on a 3.5-star and all have been rejected. I will keep trying up until the day before my trip, hoping for some last-minute cancellations. I have a back-up hotel (Club Quarters) which is $179/night before taxes, but I refuse to pay that much for a tiny 3.5 if I don't have to. My last resort will be to go down to a 3-star, but I hope something shows up in the next few days. BTW, this message board is very informative and I have been using the PRICELINE link in the mods' signatures. Oh, and I've been bidding on all the downtown areas (civic center, financial district, marina, soma, use, usw)

holy crap.. i've been searching for the same dates/areas for the past month! i've only gone up to $110 for a 4-star and $90 for a 3.5-star on priceline, but seeing as you've had no luck with up to $190 for a 4-star, i guess i'd better give up =( i'm figuring there must be a huge convention in town that week because it seems there are plenty of <$100 4-stars the week before and after. my friend guessed it may be the intel conference =/ i was trying to get the hyatt at fisherman's wharf since the bb calendar indicates several people got it for under $90, but they must be sold out by now. does anyone know what my chances are if i wait until the last minute? or should i just book whatever i can find now..?