Priceline Hotel: 3.5* DC (Crystal City) Marriott Crystal City Reagan National Airport

[airsniper]

I am looking for a 3* or 3.5* hotel in Crystal City, Arlington or Dupont Circle-Woodley Park from Jun 17 to Jun 20, but I can't get the price posted here, like $50+ for Hyatt Crystal City, or $80 for Hilton Washington...

Also I found a lot of threads here are actually posted just one or two days before the visit. Am I bidding too early since it's still more than one month away... Or there's other problems I failed to notice. Thank you!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Rates for your dates are not high, but you can't expect to always win at the absolute low end of the generally accepted range. While there are wins at the prices you've quoted above, there are also many more wins at higher prices.

Exactly which zones have you bid at each star level and price?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[airsniper]

I have bid $65 for Arlington and Crystal City, $80 for dupont.

Usually when is the best time to bid? Say two weeks before the visit, or even later? Thank you!

[j38129]

Airsniper:

I've found that waiting for the last minute means you roll the dice on whether there's anything left for you. Inevitably it's a personal risk situation.

I don't know how familiar or comfortable you are with rebids, but with that situation, you have only one four rebid zones available (DC Suburbs, Georgetown N, Mt Vernon, and Silver Springs), so you're limited as to how frequently you can bid if you're sticking with a 3.5*. could do some serious rebidding if you were committed to it (for more info, see this thread).

A quick look at the rates for 3.5* hotels in each zone for those dates:

Arlington: $127 for Hilton Arlington, $119 for Key Bridge Marriott, $186 for Sheraton National

Crystal City: $129 for Doubletree Airport, $144 for Hyatt, $139 for Marriott Crystal City

DuPont: $169 for Churchill, $135 for Hilton Embassy, $119 for Hilton Washington.

Figuring a 30% discount, go with Arlington $83, Crystal City $90, and DuPont $83. Consider increasing your bid by $5/day.

Good luck!

[AaronJB]

There is no way to know whether or not rates will come down closer to the date/s of travel. If traffic comes in higher than expected, rates may raise or stay around the same levels. Rates could come down, although there are certainly realistic floors where hotels are not going to discount below due to profit margins and other factors. My recommendation would be to be persistent and keep an eye on what HOTWIRE prices are. I really don't think a month is too early to bid - 6-9 months is early.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[airsniper]

I will. Thanks for the advice, I really appreicate that.

[airsniper]

3* Hotel in Crystal City - Reagan National Airport DCA area hotel

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Business Center

Jun 17 - Jun 20

Doesn't match any of the existing hotels... Any guess on this? Thank you!

[thereuare]

Please keep all posts for the same stay in the same thread, if you ultimately use HOTWIRE we'll then move this thread to that section of the board.

Please click this HOTWIRE link and reply to this thread, we'll then have a look at the latest offer above.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... and your searches too!

[airsniper]

Sure. I will follow the rule here... Thanks for editing.

[thereuare]

These amenities are common for the area, but the Hilton Crystal City was recently reported to the board with this amenity combination so that would be my best guess for this one, although can't be too certain given the limited number of icons.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[airsniper]

I am thinking I will choose Hotwire instead of Priceline, and could you please move this thread there? Thank you!

Below is another hotel I found in Hotwire, but couldn't identify.

3* Hotel in Crystal City - Reagan National Airport DCA area hotel

Complimentary Breakfast

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Business Center

High-Speed Internet Access

Jun 17 - Jun 20

Doesn't match any of the existing hotels... Any guess on this? Thank you! The complimentary breakfast makes me think it could by Courtyard/Holiday Inn or sth.

[thereuare]

I'm not currently seeing this property offered when searching HOTWIRE for your dates... are you still seeing the above on your own search? If so, are you searching HOTWIRE for more than one room or for more than the default 2adults/0children?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[airsniper]

Sorry, forget to tell you that I am searching with 3 people. Found sometimes it gets better deal this way. The hotel is $80 and recommended in 95 % of Hotwire customer reviews. Thanks!

[thereuare]

Unfortunately the property above has not yet been reported to the board and i don't have any insight as to which one it may be. The Residence Inn, Hampton Inn, Embassy Suites would all be among the possibilities, but there are likely others as well.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[airsniper]

Finally, here is what I got...

June 17 - June 19

Sheraton National, from Hotwire - Arlington

$61

June 19 - June 20

Marriott Crystal City from Priceline - Crystal City

$70

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

We'll use this thread to reflect your PRICELINE purchase of the Marriott Crystal City. Please start a NEW TOPIC for your HOTWIRE purchase of the Sheraton, and please include the amenities that were shown before your purchase... you can still view this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

Thanks for sharing your win(s) with the board.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Enjoy your stay.