Priceline Hotel: 4* Los Angeles (Airport LAX) Sheraton Gateway

[Sutter]

I used the PRICELINE link above and bid $55 for 4-star LAX hotel for June 15-18 (3 nights). Turned down. In the past I've normally waited 24 hours or more and increased my bid by $5 at a time (depending, of course, on how much time I had). As I have plenty of time left, would there be any point in bidding the same price again, after waiting a few days, to see if circumstances have changed? I've noted several bid at lower prices for 3 1/2 stars, but most seem to have gotten the Crowne Plaza, which I'd like to avoid (based on reviews on Tripadvisor). Interestingly, the Hilton, where we stayed a few years back, is also only 3 1/2 stars. Most bidding successfully for 4 stars recently seem to have gotten the Sheraton Gateway, which we also got through PRICELINE a year ago and enjoyed (I realize there are no guarantees). BTW, although I clearly bid on LAX hotels, the message I got back was "your offer for a hotel in Los Angeles - Central L.a., was unsuccessful." PRICELINE has no designation of "central L.A." Curious. Thanks.

[thereuare]

" Los Angeles - Central L.A." is the region, which currently contains 9 zones, one of these zones being "Los Angeles (LAX)". :)

If there are hotels you're trying to avoid and/or target, have you considered HOTWIRE where you may be able to take an educated guess as to the hotel that is being offered? It may cost you a little more than PRICELINE, but not sure how much you're looking to target/avoid the properties you mentioned above.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board for your travel purchases.

Keep us updated and let us know how we can be of further help with this stay.

[Sutter]

We'd be happy with any of the 4-star hotels on PRICELINE. I only mentioned the Crowne Plaza to show why I didn't add 3 1/2 stars to the bid. I do agree that you can sometimes get a better idea of the hotel you'll get with HOTWIRE (and they have started adding some with the name of the hotel actually given-- through their "partners" Hotels.com-- for slightly more than their own usual prices). I'm taking the "" Los Angeles- central" in PRICELINE's message as just a different, albeit strange, way to describe the general area. I'll probably try to bid again at the same rate and then, assuming it doesn't work, go up $5. Howire definitely a fallback if I don't get a 4-star with a good rate from PRICELINE (their rate is $89, so I have a ways to go).

[thereuare]

Keep us updated and let us know if we can be of any help along the way.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board for your bidding/purchases.

[Sutter]

$59, June 15-18. Amenities: shuttle, fitness room, pool, restaurant, business center, laundry, high speed Internet, spa. Looks like the Radisson? Thank you.

[yellowdog]

Sutter

Please keep all posts in the same thread since posts are for the same dates. We will edit and move your thread in the end

Yes, the Radisson would be my best guess for this property.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE link to start your purchase, and let us know how it goes or if you need any additional help with your stay.

Yellowdog.

[Sutter]

Thanks. When I finally get somethng, I'll post the results on this thread.

[Sutter]

Upped PRICELINE bid to $65, then $68, still no go for 4-star LAX. Rather than waiting 24 more hours to rebid, and not want to accept Priceline's gracious offer to up my bid by $17, I added Brentwood-Westwood and re-bid at $70. I would have been happy to get a 4-star in Brentwood-Westwood at that price but knew I wouldn't. Happily, I did get the Sheraton Gateway at LAX for the $70 bid. Subtotal for 3 nights, $210; total with taxes and fees $249.36.

We stayed at the Sheraton Gateway a year ago, and liked it. I wasn't happy that I coldn't get it for the lower prices reported by others for just slightly earlier dates, but I did look around at hotel Web sites enough to know that we're hitting the area at a busy time.

I did always use the link to PRICELINE from this site.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you were ultimatley successful, and while this may be a little more than others have won for different dates, rates for your nites are higher and this is still a very nice discount vs. a conventional booking.

Nice to see you're familiar with this property and happy with the outcome.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[Sutter]

After an overnight flight from Brazil, I happened to have time to log into the Internet at the Atlanta Airport on our way to LAX, and found that Priceline had sent a message saying that we would no longer be staying at the Sheraton Gateway, since the hotel discovered that it was overbooked (surely it did not get so many full price reservation inquiries that it kicked out Priceline customers, right?). It said the only hotel in the area in which the Sheraton could find space for us was the Radisson (3 1/2 stars). Although I may well could have gotten a 3 1/2 star hotel for less than our $70 bid, there was no reduction in price. Priceline did offer an online coupon good for a reduction of $10 a night for up to 5 nights on a future booking (though only for one booking; not good for, say, 3 nights at one hotel and 2 at another). I did phone Priceline to complain about the downgrading of our hotel after a bid was accepted, but, after lots of waiting on the phone, was told that we could either accept the new booking or get a full refund. As it was literally at the last minute, after an overnight flight, we accepted the Radisson, which turned out to be okay though not as nice as the Sheraton (and for which I believe I could have gotten for less than the $70 plus taxes/fees I paid for a 4-star hotel). I did use the $10 coupon on a subsequent stay, in Portland, for 3 nights (when I tried to use it for another hotel for 2 nights, the message said the coupon had already been used). This was the first time this had ever happened to be with Priceline. I was not upset about having the hotel changed at the last minute, but do feel that after a bid for a 4-star hotel was accepted we should have been given another 4-star hotel OR the coupon should have been good for $50 on this stay OR that amount of credit should have been good on a future stay without requiring a 5-night stay). And I still wonder how the Sheraton suddenly, at the last minute, discovered it was overbooked. And found it curious that once the Sheraton found it was overbooked, it was apparently up to them to determine where else we'd stay.

[Sutter]

Just to clarify: the notice that our bid on a 4-star hotel was accepted by the Sheraton Gateway was sent on May 26. The message saying the Sheraton was overbooked and we'd been switched to the Radisson was sent on June 14 (I saw it on the 15th since it was sent after we'd departed on the night of the 14th).

[thereuare]

Sorry to hear this happened to you... i wonder what would have happened if you didn't see the email at the airport and just showed up at the Sheraton. No telling what the issue is/was, but while the first thought is usually "guess they could get more for my rooms", often it's a structural problem (plumbing, HVAC, etc) where a block of rooms need to be taken out of commission thereby putting them in an oversold condition. (not to say that the previous scenario never happens)

Hope the Radisson met your needs.

[Sutter]

I did send a message to Priceline's Customer Service Department through their Web site, saying just what I said above: the situation could have been handled better, and if they really, really couldn't find another 4-star hotel I should have gotten some reduction for getting 3 1/2-star instead OR the coupon should have been good for any five days. Although the site said I should expect a response within 48 hours, I've received nothing in the week since I sent it. Surprise, surprise.

[Jmkent2]

I just won a priceline bid for $67 and got Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles as a four star property with total of $80 per night for August 12.

[Sutter]

I just won a priceline bid for $67 and got Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles as a four star property with total of $80 per night for August 12.

Hope you do end up staying there! Be sure to monitor your e-mail messages. Hopefully my experience was a one-time fluke.