betsybug Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 I am bidding for a friend's family of 7 who needs two rooms in DC area for three nights the first week of April. No flexibility on that week.My limit is $70. I have bid 3* and 2.5* up to that limit with no success in the 4 DC zones plus Crystal City.The rates are very high, but availability is still good. Most hotels are about $250. The range of rates is $225 - $350. There are only two exceptions to the high rates. The Holiday Inn Central and Radisson Barcelo have prepaid non-cancellable rates of about $130. Only three hotels are sold out - Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Regency Convention Center, and Doubletree near GWU.I have two questions: (1) is my $70 limit too low? and (2) what other zones/star ratings can I bid within my limit but within use of Metro? This family does not require fancy, but cheap and convenient is a must. Link to comment
TravelGuy Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 If you could kick in just $10 more, I'd consider trying 4* @80 for the DC proper zones. $80 is around the minimum for a 4* in DC these days, and sometimes that will work even when their prevailing rates are high (particularly for the Grand Hyatt). I'd also consider 3* and 2.5* in Alexandria/Old Town and Arlington starting at $45 if rates aren't too high in those zonesGood Luck! Link to comment
thereuare Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Please provide the actual dates of the stay and we'll take a look. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
betsybug Posted February 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Dates are April 3-6 - 3 nights. Thanks. Wouldn't the Alexandria and Arlington options be inconvenient for Metro use? What about Maryland suburbs? Are they generally cheaper than VA or DC? I'll check with my friend on the 4* $80 limit. Link to comment
thereuare Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Let us know about the bidding limits and then we'll take a closer look at your options.TravelGuy can comment further about the Alexandria and Arlington zones, but here are some of his other comments i looked up from a previous post:It's hard for me to say which zone would be best, as that's really a subjective decision which may involve age and personality. I like the Dupont/Woodley Park zone at 4*, because of the predictability. There are only two hotels that come up in that zone, they're both quite good and well located, with the Omni coming up the overwhelming majority of the time. They are close to the Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan nightlife. Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan and Georgetown are the most lively areas at night. (I should note however that, like New York's Grenwich Village, Dupont is somewhat "alternative". Also, the Adams Morgan crowd at night is relatively young - generally 20's-early 30's.) The problem with the Georgetown/Foggy Bottom zone is that it's rare that a hotel comes up that's actually in Geogetown. All 4*'s are in Foggy Bottom. Foggy Bottom, to me anyway, gets a little too quiet in the evenings, and it's not as pleasant to walk around the immediate vicinity of the hotel - although it's close to downtown restaurants and Georgetown.The two most frequently bid zones on Priceline are Downtown/White House and Convention Center/Capital Hill (with Dupont/Woodley Park being third), and should also make for a satisfying stay. Although there's some activity in those zones in the evening, they're substantially less lively than Dupont or Georgetown at night. However, there are some very good 4*'s in those two zones, so, depending on the person, it might be worth the trade off.I wouldn't be surprised if you get a 4* for no more than $80 using Priceline. Lately, the 4*'s in Dupont/Woodley Park have been going for somewhat higher, but we know that, in the worst case, you can get something in that zone for no more than $94 using Hotwire.All zones mentioned have easy access to Metro, except that with regard to Georgetown/Foggy Bottom, only Foggy Bottom has a Metro stop. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
TravelGuy Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Ok, after knowing your exact dates and doing some rate checking, I can see that you Link to comment
betsybug Posted February 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Travel Guy, thanks for the help. I went to Virginia and was surprised I could get no 3* or 2.5* for my limits.I started new bids for each VA zone - Arlington, Alexandria-Mt Vernon, Alexandria Pentagon - and new bids for each star level - 3*, 2.5*, and 2*. I used all the DC zones as free re-bids since I new I was underbidding those zones and would take a hotel there anyway. So I had numerous re-bids.I bid up to $70 for 3*. No luckI bid up to $65 for 2.5*. No luckI bid 2* with this strategy and got the Homestead Studio Suites in Alexandria-Pentagon for $40. Arlington $35 + Alexandria-Mt Vernon $40 + Alexandria- Pentagon $40This was a very tough week. If I had not been willing to go to Virginia, as you suggested, and lower my star level a lot, I would not have succeeded. Thanks.I posted the hotel as a winning bid. Link to comment
betsybug Posted February 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 2* Homestead Studio Suites(Arlington-Pentagon)This is a new hotel in a new zone for this board. It is an extended stay limited service hotel with a kitchen in south end of Alexandria just north of I-495. It's a mile from the Eisenhower Metro and 3 miles from Alexandria Old Town. Not a great location for DC trourists. I'm worried that the two studio rooms with 1 bed each won't fit my friend's family of 7. The rate on hotel web site was $123. It's all I could get for under $65 in all star ratings in all zones in DC and Northern Virginia for this peak vacation week. Link to comment
TravelGuy Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Yikes, I wouldn Link to comment
thereuare Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Is this actaully the Alexandria - Pentagon zone?Let us know how their stay ultimately ends up. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
betsybug Posted February 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Yes. It's Alexandria-Pentagon. But it's real far south in Alexandria being only a block inside the Beltway. Thanks for the upgrade tip. Even if it's $20 more he's saved that in the much lower room rate and free parking. There was just nothing else for under $65 in all the closer zones. Link to comment
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