graciecatt Posted June 6, 2010 Report Share Posted June 6, 2010 I need a room for 4 nights in San Francisco from 7/30 - 8/3. I only want 1 room for 2 adults. I need a good bidding strategy because there are several zones that I think would OK so not that many left for free rebids.I also need advice on the zones themselves. I have never been to SF and am concerned about which zones are OK (e.g. not sketchy). I want to be sure that I don't pick a zone where the middle of the zone is perfectly fine but the edges of the zone start to get a little dicey. I was burned once in NYC because I didn't pay attention to zone boundaries and got a hotel near a zone edge that was awful.Here are the 'Zones' that I would choose - > - Civic Center (is this zone too big? e.g. are the border areas of this zone a problem?)> - Financial District/Embarcadero> - Fisherman's Wharf> - Marina/Lombard Street (do I really want this zone if they only have 2* and below?)> - SOMA - Moscone Center> - Union Square East> - Union Square WestThere are no 5* hotels in these zones. I would accept a hotel that's 4* - 2.5*. My main goal is to not spend too much money but still be in a good location. This is the end of an 11-day vacation and 4 nights are going to really cut deeply.My maximum bid would be $79 if I can do it.Here are the free rebid zones. 4* Free Rebid - Civic Center - Fisherman's Wharf - Marina-Lombard - SFO North - South SF3.5* Free Rebid - Civic Center - Marina Lombard - SFO North - South SF3* Free Rebid - Marina-Lombard2.5* Free Rebid - Marina LombardI appreciate everyone's help and will navigate to PRICELINE through the link. Link to comment
Gallus50 Posted June 6, 2010 Report Share Posted June 6, 2010 Hey There - I used to live in SF/Oakland and travel there regularly. Civic Center is sketchy. Very. USW can be sketchy around the edges, mostly the Tenderloin. SOMA can be a bit rough, but it depends on where you are. According to Colfax, most hotels are close to Market St and not too bad. I once stayed in the Mosser and thought it was very noisy, and I was pretty far up. That's my two cents... Link to comment
WillTravel Posted June 6, 2010 Report Share Posted June 6, 2010 I know lots of people like the Financial District/Embarcadero zone, but I tend to think that at least some hotels in that zone are in places that are too quiet at night. In general, I agree with Gallus50's assessment. Taking a look at some options for you, the Opal Hotel on Booking.com offers a cancellable booking for $86/night + tax, and includes breakfast. This is probably equivalent to your range of a $79 bid on Priceline, even without considering breakfast, because of extra Priceline fees. I would consider booking a backup like this, and then bidding carefully so you don't end up doing worse. Note this hotel would be in Priceline's Civic Center zone, but I think it's a nicer part (people with a more recent memory might like to comment). Link to comment
Colfax Posted June 7, 2010 Report Share Posted June 7, 2010 Welcome to the board, graciekatt.I want to be sure that I don't pick a zone where the middle of the zone is perfectly fine but the edges of the zone start to get a little dicey.I think the zones that are uniformly "nice" throughout are Fisherman's Wharf and Embarcadero-Financial District. USE too, although it's closer to the Tenderloin than the other two.My maximum bid would be $79 if I can do it.$79 might be enough for a 3.5* or 3* in Fisherman's Wharf. It's probably not enough for a 4* in Emb-FD or USE, but if you prefer staying Downtown over Fisherman's Wharf it's certainly worth trying to $79 Downtown first. If you know which zone(s) you prefer let us know and someone will offer a strategy.Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links for your purchases. Link to comment
austin_res Posted June 7, 2010 Report Share Posted June 7, 2010 Having stayed in the Embarcadero/Financial District before, I agree it is quiet at nights and on weekends. But the advantage of that is less street noise which makes it easier to sleep. I prefer the Embarcadero/Financial District for the following reasons:1) Bidding 4* basically assures a nice hotel, especially if I get the Omni or Le Meridien. All the 4* hotels in this zone have great reviews.2) Less street noise at night as I mentioned above3) Any downtown area can be reached by walking or using the Muni passport4) Furthest away from the Tenderloin which is a sketchy area After Embarcadero/Financial District, my other zone preferences are USE, SOMA, and Fisherman's Wharf. I try to avoid USW because some hotels in that zone are too close to the Tenderloin. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Register now, we have a huge community of travel enthusiasts to answer any questions you might have.
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountAlready have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now