Priceline Hotel: 3.5* Los Angeles (Santa Monica-Marina Del Rey) Sheraton Delfina

[logic11]

Please,

I'd like very much to stay at Holiday Inn Santa Monica but as I've verified there are four 3 stars hotel in the Santa Monica/Marina Del Rey region. I'd accept all others I just don't want to stay in Marina del Rey.

Since Holiday Inn Santa Monica is going for $202, Georgian for $ 300, Erwin for $259 and the onde I don't want Courtyard Marriot Marina Del Rey for $209.

How should I bid in order NOT TO GET the Marina Del Rey hotel ?

thanks in advance

[Colfax]

Welcome to BetterBidding, logic11.

Unfortunately there's no strategy that guarantees you won't win a hotel in Marina del Rey.

HOTWIRE combines Santa Monica and Marina Del Rey in one zone as well, but you may be able to identify one of Hotwire's offerings as a likely or known Santa Monica hotel.

What are your travel dates?

Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for your searches and purchases.

[logic11]

We'll be in La from June 7 to 12 and I'd like to stay near Third Street Promenade or The Grove so we can have diner nearby and walk to the hotel.

As far as I've seen there are no hotels near The Grove.

I haven't checked HOTWIRE yet, but I will.

Thanks so far.

Ah! I also have some doubts on Las Vegas, but since I'll be there during the weekend I know it will be harder to find good prices but I'll post my doubts on the Nevada messages.

[logic11]

I've just found out that HOTWIRE doesn't have any hotels in the Santa Monica area.

At least it doesn't show in its map.

Is that correct ?

[Colfax]

It's a HOTWIRE quirk that you have to search on "Santa Monica, CA" to see hotels there. Searching on "Los Angeles" doesn't work.

If you see anything interesting please post the icons and someone will try to ID.

[logic11]

(Priceline) I've bidded $ 130 for Santa Monica 4* June 7 to 12 with no success.

I'm afraid of bidding less and choosing 3* and getting Marina del Rey (too far from where I want to stay)

Any suggestions ?

[thereuare]

Have you tried searching HOTWIRE to see if you're able to reasonably identify one of their offerings as being in the Santa Monica part of the zone?

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

[Colfax]

I've bidded $ 130 for Santa Monica 4* June 7 to 12 with no success.

I think this is going to be a tough PRICELINE bid, logic11.

The only way to avoid Marina del Rey is by bidding 4*, and 4* is a rare win. In the last year only one bidder reported winning a 4* in Santa Monica. They bid $147 and won Loew's on a night when the rack rate was $269. For your dates Loew's is $359, so I expect it will require more than $147 to get it. Even $175 would be less than half price. (And the other bid was for a single night. You're bidding for five nights, always tougher.)

HOTWIRE has a 4* for $179. If you're willing to spend that someone will try to ID.

Your five nights are Monday-Friday. If you're willing to split (stay at two hotels) you could eliminate the Friday night (usually higher demand) and try $130/4* for just Mon-Thurs.

To keep things in perspective look at these Santa Monica 1* and 2* rates for your dates:

Days Inn $131

Comfort Inn $147

Travelodge $120

If you really want to be walking distance of Third Street one of those 1*/2* booked conventionally might be your best bet---unless you want to bid higher for the 4*.

Your thoughts?

[logic11]

Thanks a lot.

That's a good idea. Although I don't like changing hotels I think I'll try Monday > Thursday in Santa Monica e Friday & Saturday in a hotel near the airport or Redondo Beach.

Are these hotels below that you mentioned close (walking distance) to 3rd St Promenade and the beach ?

I was seeing the map and they seemed so far.

Days Inn $131

Comfort Inn $147

Travelodge $120

Everything in HOTWIRE is too expensive.

[Colfax]

I've seen a couple 1*/2* type motels close to Third Street, but I don't remember which specific brands they were. It would take a mapping program for me to find them, which I can't do right now, but I'll get back to you. Or maybe someone else reading this will know which ones are nearest.

Meanwhile you could try bidding for four days of 4* instead of five, if you like.

PRICELINE

[Colfax]

Sea Shore Motel at 2637 Main Street is the place I was thinking of. Good reviews (for a motel) and close to Third Street.

Sea Shore Motel

Rates from $110-150 for two people. Website shows rates, but you can't check availability by date online. It appears you have to contact the hotel direct.

There are some "Which motels are best?" type of threads in the Santa Monica forum on TripAdvisor, and you may find more suggestions there.

Please let us know what you ultimately decide to do---book conventionally, buy on Hotwire, or gamble on Priceline.

[logic11]

Thanks a lot Colfax!

I had already contacted this motel and the rate is: $150.00 plus tax per night. I guess this a bit high for a simple motel.

I'll check the threads in the Santa Monica forum on TripAdvisor and I'll try to find more motels nearby.

Or just forget everything and try next week again !

I'll let you know what will happen and if you have any ideas in the meanwhile I'd appreciate.

I want to stay somewhere where I can rent a bike and ride along the beach in the mornings and where there are restaurants within walking distance for dinner.

[Colfax]

I had already contacted this motel and the rate is: $150.00 plus tax per night. I guess this a bit high for a simple motel.

Welcome to Santa Monica in summer.

If you become willing to stay in MDR you'll be able to use Priceline and probably get something much nicer than a motel for less than $100. But first let's see what your research at TripAdvisor turns up.

I want to stay somewhere where I can rent a bike and ride along the beach in the mornings and where there are restaurants within walking distance for dinner.

If Santa Monica is too rich on these dates Redondo-Manhattan zone might be a Plan B. You can ride bikes and eat well there too.

Keep us posted!

[Colfax]

Any progress finding a good motel, logic11?

I'll toss out another suggestion, if you're willing to split.

You've been rejected to $130/4* for five nights, or $650 total.

The Holiday Inn you want most is ~$200/night.

For $650 you could also book Holiday Inn conventionally for two nights ($400), and bid up to $83 for 3* on PRICELINE the other nights ($249). You might win something in MDR the other three nights but you'll be in your ideal location at least part of your trip, and not at a motel. If you're lucky you'll win the Holiday Inn for the second leg.

Or for a little more, say $700 total, you could book three nights at Holiday Inn ($600) and two nights at a $50 PRICELINE hotel. That could be a 2.5* in SM-MDR or Manhattan-Redondo, or maybe a 3* at LAX or Culver City.

[logic11]

Hello Colfax

Thanks a lot for your interest.

To tell you the truth all this hotel bidding has taken so much of my time and now I'm a bit delayed at work.

I hadn't had time to check the motels in Trip Advisor.

I was wondering if it wouldn't be better to bid closer to arrival time.

What do you think ?

An in the last resource I'd bid for 3 or 3.5 * and get the MDR hotels (besides boats, what else is there to do there? It's been some time that I've been to LA).

I even checked a hotel in Hollywood (Hollywood Heights Hotel) and the fare sounded interesting ($ 119), but I really wanted to stay by the beach and I'd stay in Hollywood it it were "W" hotel, but I think this one must have a very high rate.

Right now I'm trying to find a hotel for my last night in Vegas (06/05) and I think I chose the worst weekend to be there.

Trying to work and find the hotels at the same time!!

I have this page open and I check it all the time.

best regards

[Colfax]

Not trying to rush you, logic11.

Your trip is still 2+ weeks away, so there's time to put this aside and attack again next week or when you're ready. Maybe the HOTWIRE offerings will be different by Monday too.

Since these are busy dates my suggestion is to reserve the Holiday Inn (or something) now; all five nights. They've got a $209.95 rate, cancellable without penalty until 6pm on day of arrival. I know that's over your budget but later when you get things sorted out you can cancel any or all of the dates you don't want.

Better to reserve now and cancel than decide next week you want the HI and discover it's gone...or the price has shot up.

It's really not far from MDR to Santa Monica, so I don't think staying in MDR should keep you from spending most of your time in SM if you like.

If you reserve the Holiday Inn we'd appreciate if you used the Holiday Inn link under the "Support/Travel Links" tab.

Have a good weekend and get back to us when you're ready.

[logic11]

Please, help me identify this 3.5-star hotel in Santa Monica - Venice - Marina Del Rey

June 7 to 12 - $ 118 per night

3.5-star hotel in Santa Monica - Venice - Marina Del Rey

This hotel features the following amenities:

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

Laundry Facilities

Thanks in advance!

[thereuare]

The Doubletree Guest Suites has previously been seen with this amenity combination, but at the 3* level... i'm going to speculate that it has been upgraded to the 3.5* level and that would be my best guess for this property.

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

[logic11]

Thanks Thereuare!

I've just read some reviews about the Doubletree Guest Suites and people complaint about the freeway entrance they have to cross (walking) in order to leave the hotel as well as the high parking rates.

I've just bid $95 in PRICELINE for Santa Monica *3 and it rejected and suggested a raise of $23 (making up $ 118).

When can I bid again ? Tomorrow ? How much should bid ?

thanks!

[Colfax]

Hey, logic11.

I take it you've decided a hotel in Marina Del Rey will be allright now, since you're trying PRICELINE.

PRICELINE usually accepts less than their counteroffer so you can probably get this for less than $118.

You have one free rebid zone for 3* in LA, which is Lawndale. Lawndale only has hotels up to 2* so you can add Lawndale to 3* bids in other zones without risk of winning a room in Lawndale. (Ratings can change any time, so before every bidding session you should verify on your own that Lawndale still only goes to 2*.)

My suggestion:

Select SM-MDR and Lawndale zones and bid $105 for a 3*.

Good luck! Please use the PRICELINE link and let us know how it goes.

[logic11]

I'd like to thank you all, specially Colfax.

I've just bid $100 for Santa Monica 3* and got Sheraton Delfina, which is a 3*, from Jun7 to 12.

I'm really happy with the hotel I got!

Thanks once again!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you landed a hotel in the area you wanted and that you're happy with the results.

Also, i believe your 3* bid was upgraded to the 3.5* level as that is the current PRICELINE star rating for this property.

Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay.

PS- nice job, Colfax :)