Priceline Hotel: 3* Boston (Downtown-Charlestown) Boston Park Plaza

[Sun Lover]

I could really use some help. I've never used any type of bidding for a hotel but would like to try it if I can get enough information to feel comfortable with it. I have tickets to an event at TD Banknorth arena in Boston in September and would like to book a hotel as close to there as possible at a reasonable rate. It looks to me like the closest areas would be "Downtown Boston - Charlestown" for Priceline or "Qunicy Market-Financial District" for Hotwire. I don't have a clue what I should bid. I went on Hotwire and found a couple 4-star hotels listed in that district for $103 & $114. Can someone tell me what I should put in as a bid? Any other suggestions you could give me would be greatly appreciated, since this is all new to me. I've booked many trips on the Internet, but I've always been afraid of trying to book anything with Priceline, since it seems very risky as far as the number of beds in the room, smoking or nonsmoking, and location. Thanks so much for your help.

[thereuare]

Please include the date(s) of your stay.

What is your maximum budget? Are the hotels being offered thru HOTWIRE an option for you?

[Sun Lover]

The exact date I need is Saturday, September 16, just for one night. I saw two or three hotels on Hotwire that looked like they were in or close to the area I need. I would like to try to bid for a hotel for around $100 - $120 total, but I don't know if that's too low. When you make a bid, is it supposed to include tax? If not, what would the tax be? Also, I assume the bid would not include parking, which would probably add $30 - $50, depending on the hotel location. I previously checked Expedia, and it looked like any hotel I was interested in in the area I want was a minimum of $240 up to well over $300, which is why I decided to check into Priceline. We're just going there to attend a concert and would only be at the hotel to sleep so I hate to have to spend that much. I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.

[thereuare]

Your bid does NOT include taxes and/or fees (nor does it include parking). You can 'test' to see what the total would be by going to priceline, inputting your zone and date, and a bid amount... on the next screen (don't go further than this since you are not really ready to bid yet) you'll see the total cost for that bid amount.

Since location is important to you why don't you consider the HOTWIRE hotels above since they're in your price range? If you list the amenities shown for any of the hotels you're considering we can try to help you identify them. If they dont' suit your needs or you want to try priceline anyway, we can then suggest a strategy to try on Priceline.

[Sun Lover]

thereuare,

I checked on Hotwire and for the Quincy Market area that I'm interested in, three hotels came up under best value. The first is a 4.5-star hotel listed under Amenities as a "boutique hotel." It has a restaurant, fitness center, tennis nearby, business center, and high-speed Internet. The rate is $236.

The next one is a 3.5-star hotel which is listed as "Customer Favorite." It has a fitness center, restaurant, pool, high-speed Internet and business center. The rate is $253.

The third one is a 3-star hotel listed as "Midscale establishment." It has a fitness center, restaurant, pool and high-speed Internet. The rate is $295. Can you give me any information based on the above descriptions? These rates are higher than I want to spend, and I need to know how low of a bid I should start with based on these prices. I haven't check Priceline yet because I wanted to wait to hear back from you about these hotels. Thanks for your help.

[thereuare]

I went on Hotwire and found a couple 4-star hotels listed in that district for $103 & $114

What happened to the above hotels and prices?

Let us know which zone(s) are you willing to bid and what your maximum bid is... we'll suggest a strategy for your to follow.

[Sun Lover]

The hotels and prices I listed above are ones I got off Hotwire, but they aren't what I want to pay. I want to bid in the Quincy Market-Financial District area on Hotwire, or the Downton Boston-Charleston area on Priceline. I don't know how much to bid. That's what I'm trying to find out. Is $50 ridiculously low? I figured if I bid $50, then when you add tax and parking, it's probably more like $75 - $100. That's the only area I want to bid in. Can you tell me what you think I should do? Should I try Hotwire or Priceline first? Thanks.

[GM Mike]

One thing needs to be clarified: You don't bid on Hotwire. The price listed is the rate, plus taxes and fees.

So either you take what hotwire offers, or you bid on priceline.

It doesn't really matter if $50 is "ridiculously low". You decide what your maximum bid is and we can provide a strategy that gradually increases your bids up to your maximum.

You need to decide what your maximum actually is.

[thereuare]

We need to back-up...

In your first post:

I went on Hotwire and found a couple 4-star hotels listed in that district for $103 & $114

In your more recent post you mention prices in the $200+ range.

Have all of the $100 hotels disappeared and are now more than twice as expensive?

[Sun Lover]

You are absolutely right. I did find prices in the $100s on Hotwire, but I didn't realize it was in a different section of the city than I was interested in. I guess I need to go with Priceline so I can put in a bid for a lower amount. The area I would be interested in is Downtown Boston-Charlestown. Probably the maximum bid I would go with would be $80, so I could allow for taxes and parking fees. I was under the misconception that you bid on Hotwire also. I didn't know that whatever price they list is the only option. So I need to know how to go about bidding on Priceline. Sorry for the confusion.

[thereuare]

If HOTWIRE prices are $200+ the chances of your success on Priceline is low. We can suggest a strategy in hopes that you can prove us wrong, but do you have a back-up reservation?

If so, where and how much?

If not, what will you do if you're unsuccessful up to $80?

[Sun Lover]

If the strategy you give me is unsuccessful, I'll probably make a reservation in a different section of the city or even just outside the main part of Boston. I was trying to avoid having to drive too far at that hour, as the concert probably won't let out until 10 or 11 p.m., but I'm also not going to pay $250 or $300 for a hotel just to sleep in. I'd like to at least try for something on Priceline. I've seen people posting on the message boards that got hotels in Boston with bids as low as $50 - 70, so if I can't get the section of the city I want, I guess I'd try for a hotel in a different area. I'd like to get going on it, though, as now it's less than a month away. Can you advise me as to what I should do first?

[thereuare]

You have three re-bid zones available when bidding 4* in Boston. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 4* Downtown...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $80.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Sun Lover]

I had no luck at all on Priceline. I did bit up to $90 and also tried Cambridge instead of Downtown Boston, and then tried different combinations of areas. I checked on Hotwire for Cambridge, which would be my second choice location, and they have one 4-star hotel for $106, which I would be willing to pay. Is there any way to tell which hotel it might be? I know you asked me before about what amenities were included. This one lists a fitness center, business center, restaurant and high-speed Internet. Then it says the chains they do business with are Intercontinental, Hyatt & Omni, as well as some others. The reviews of this hotel were all good, so I'm inclined to go with it. Do you know how the quality of hotels on Hotwire compares to Priceline? Would any 4-star hotel on Hotwire be a good choice or could it really be only a 3-star with another booking service? I'll wait to hear back from you, hopefully today sometime, before I go ahead with the reservation. Is this likely to be gone today? Thanks for your help.

[GM Mike]

We have not had that combination of amenities reported. Sometimes hotwire quality ratings are the same as priceline. Generally hotwire rates about 1/2* higher than priceline. Occasionally 1* higher.

If you made me guess, I'd say it could be the Hotel @ MIT. It has those four amenities, is available that night, is generally considered a 4* at other sites, and is "close" to the T (about 4 blocks - tho the neighborhood apparently isn't great).

I have pretty lukewarm confidence in that guess tho. (And it is just a guess.) However, I sense you really want to get this stay figured out and you don't have a lot of other good options right now. If the boundaries of that zone on hotwire's map work for you, why not buy it? Does it really matter exactly which 4* hotel it is? :)

Please use THIS HOTWIRE link to purchase, if you do.

Let us know what you decide!

[thereuare]

This property has not yet been identified, but i'm going to guess the Hotel@MIT or the Hotel Marlowe.

Please use this HOTWIRE link for any purchases you make.

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

[GM Mike]

...but i'm going to guess the Hotel@MIT or the Hotel Marlowe.

:) We finally agree on something! :)

[Sun Lover]

Well, I did book a hotel in Boston through Priceline. I went back on Priceline and searched for 3-star hotels instead of 4-star and when I offered a bid of $80, a message came up saying they would let me $22 more for the same thing, so I did that and ended up with the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, which I'm pleased with because I've stayed there in the past and was very happy with it. It ended up being a good deal because if I had gone with my second choice location, it wasn't near a subway stop so then added cost would have come in for transportation and parking. This way, the subway is right there at the hotel so we can take that to where we're going and then not have to pay for parking when we get there. Do you think it was a smart choice to go ahead and bid the $22 right away or should I have gone back and tried bidding again at $85, 90, etc? The message said it was a one time offer, so I just went for it. I'd just like to know for the future in case I want to use Priceline again if that was the right thing to do. I called the hotel to try to request two double beds and nonsmoking but they told me since it was made on Priceline, they would not guarantee anything, which I knew. Do you know how likely it will be to get what I requested? Thank you SO MUCH for all your help. I felt much more comfortable doing this with the advice you gave me, as I have never used this service before.

[thereuare]

Glad to hear you got it sorted and that we were able to help.

Looks like this property should work well for your plans given the nearby train.

You probably could have saved a few dollars by continuing to re-bid and stepping it up gradually, as per this thread: Priceline Counter-Offers, but given this hotel is over $250+/nite i think you did just fine! :)

Enjoy your stay and the concert.

[GM Mike]

In the category of "things that might make you feel better about your bid price"...

Since your win, I have gotten three notices from hotwire about price drops for your night, and yet still, none of the offer prices comes close to the win you booked.

Congrats!