Priceline Hotel: 3* Baltimore (Airport BWI) Courtyard BWI

[johnmlynch]

Ill be driving with my wife and 8 year old from Massachusetts to Williamsburg, VA on Saturday June 26th but we can't get on the road from the Springfield, MA area until around 4PM. I figure I could drive until near Baltimore, get a PL hotel in a zone right off of 95, check out early and spend most of the next day in DC before driving the rest of the way to Williamsburg to check into a timeshare exchange property the night of June 27th.

Amenities don't matter much because it will be a check in late, check out early affair, but I'll be in the dog house if we end up in a dump.

Just looking for advice on what zones in MD to bid that have the best chance of keeping me near the highway and of course resulting in a good deal. Was thinking of bidding Baltimore East, Baltimore Stadiums and/or BWI but didn't see much on those first two zones in the PL hotel list post. Also, BWI seems the farthest of those Baltimore zones and am worried it may be pushing it distance and time wise.

Unsure on a starting bid or the order to add these or other zones. Of course I would bid other zones if recommended by anyone who knows the area better.

Thanks in advance!

[thereuare]

Welcome 'officially' to BetterBidding... we've been waiting for your first post :)

To begin, it appears you'll be triple occupancy, but PRICELINE only guarantees double occupancy, which means you could receive a room with only one bed and the hotel could be unable, or unwilling, to provide you with a room with two beds (or there could be an additional fee involved)... is this a risk you're willing to take? If not, HOTWIRE can still be an option as they allow you to search for up to quad occupancy.

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

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

[johnmlynch]

Thanks for the warning, but I will take my chances with PL.

Because of the late check in / early check out, we'll manage for one night, even if it means sharing one bed.

[thereuare]

Was thinking of bidding Baltimore East, Baltimore Stadiums and/or BWI but didn't see much on those first two zones in the PL hotel list post. Also, BWI seems the farthest of those Baltimore zones and am worried it may be pushing it distance and time wise.

At most the BWI zone will only take you about 5 miles out of your way so i'm guessing it shouldn't be too big of a deal, although the other zones tend to 'hug' Rte 95 a bit better. The Airport zones are often some of the least expensive in a given region, so it comes down to cost vs. convenience... although you could consider/bid all three zones and take the zone which accepts your bid at the cheapest price.

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

Let us know which zone(s) you decide and we'll take it from there.

[johnmlynch]

(I used site's PRICELINE link to make my bids)

I wanted 3* and to stay close to I95. From the star levels PL showed available in the different areas it was clear that BWI was going to be the only possible match

Starting bid was $30 BWI

$35 added Baltimore East

$40 added Baltimore Stadiums

$45 added Inner Harbor - Downtown

$46 added Baltimore West

Won:

Hotel Name: Courtyard By Marriott Bwi Airport

1671 W Nursery Rd

Linthicum, Maryland 21090-2213

410-859-8855

Your Offer Price: $46.00

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 1

Subtotal: $46.00

Taxes and Fees: $13.69

Total Charges*: $59.69

[johnmlynch]

Thanks for your help and for recommending BWI pricewise and for being not-too-far-off I95. According to the PL check boxes in the Select Area's section there were not any 3* properties in those other two zones anyway.

I used the sites PRICELINE link for my successful bidding and I posted my win and strategy in a new topic just now, but wasn't exactly sure how to put a link in this post to that one.

This is a great site! I will continue posting some of my past wins (if I can find the old e-mails since my PRICELINE history doens't seem to have them).

Thanks again.

[AaronJB]

Congratulations on your success. :)

Thank you so much for your compliments on Betterbidding. We look forward to helping with future stays. $46 is certainly a terrific deal for this well-reviewed airport Courtyard.

Thank you for sharing your result with the board and using the site's PRICELINE link.

Enjoy your stay.