Hotwire Hotel: HELP! for Newbie

[selderelp]

I have never bid on either before--and thanks for this board and all you rknowledge in advance! As part of a larger trip, I am taking my family (2 parents, children aged 12 and 15) to Boston for three days at the end of June. Included in our time will be a trip to Fenway, but I am not worried baout that from a location standpoint.

IMPORTANT to us for location---the North End, QUincy Market, Freedom Trail, access a tleast to those things along with Copley, Boston Common, etc.

MAIN CONCERNS---I know Priceline offers absolutely no guarantee on numbe rof beds..is Hotwqirre easier on this?? It is not worth saving the money if I ge tthere and there is only one bed.

However, I am seeing $157 4* in Copley Square, with Restaurant, Pool , Fitness Center, High speed INternet, Business Center as listed amenities.

Looks great to me as Marriott's anywhere in town have been $299-$319 for that period of time. I do love Marriott's, but not that much. Also looked at Fairmont Copley Plaza, but out of range at $379 per. Does this one ever show up on these services?

Thanks for any help!

[selderelp]

ALSO--the property I mentioned (4* in Copley/ Back Bay) is listed as a customer fave...any educated guesses what hotel this is, and is the "customer favorite" truly a big deal?

[WillTravel]

On Hotwire, you can do a search for 2 adults and 2 children and 1 room. Then you know you'll get capacity for four - at least two double beds (or a double bed plus a sleeper sofa).

What are your dates? Did you do the search with the above parameters?

[selderelp]

I did indeed search with those parameters on Hotwire.

My dates are June 28- July 1st. ( A Tuesday through Friday).

Thanks again for any help...

[selderelp]

If Hotwire has a 4* hotel that is customer favorite for $157 per night, what should I bid for a 4* on Priceline?

Hotwire also has a 3* (looks like Park PLaza to the novice eye) for $72 pe rnight, so what would one bid with PL on a 3*?

My trip is not until June 28th through July 1st, and I will have a family of four.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Best guess is that this is the Sheraton. If go for this, or other Hotwire offer, please use THIS LINK to book it.

Not sure just how much you are willing to spend for a Marriott, but the MARRIOTT COPLEY is availabe thru that link for $219/nite.

You may also want to check for hotels using our EasyClickTravel Search Tool, using the drop down menus on the left and right side of the screen (different hotels in each list). If a pop-up window doesn't appear when you search, hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard before hitting the submit button.

Let us know whatever you decide to do and/or if we can be of additional help.

[thereuare]

Are you no longer concerned about getting to Boston and having one bed for your family of four?

[selderelp]

Thereuare,

Thanks for the response. I am still very much concerned about 2 beds, again with me, wife, 12 and 15 year olds..would booking that Marriott through that link ensure two beds? And even if I book through PL, what are the odds of them NOT honoring my request for two beds?

[selderelp]

thereuare, soory for SO many questions, but how do you KNOW that $219 offer is for Marriott Copley? That is cheaper than the $299 quoted on their website.

Also, a stupid question maybe, but I am a Marriott Rewards member...do you get points for purchase through Hotwire or PL? I am sure you don't, but I am seeing this is MUCh cheaper than accumulating points!

[thereuare]

Thru the previous link (MARRIOTT COPELY) you can select 4 people and the rate remains the same. Since your reservation shows four guests there have to be enough sleeping arrangements for four people (admittedly this could be one bed and a pull-out sofa, but the odds of that ocurring at this Marriott i would think are very slim... but there will be enough space for everyone to sleep).

In putting together the EasyClick Search Tool i did a LOT of research on the hotels and i know that this is the Marriott based upon the description. ECT's current cancellation policy is to allow you to cancel up to 72 hours before check-in date without a penaly, so if for some reason this wasn't (but it is :) ) you should have no problem cancelling.

Whether you get two beds or not thru Priceline is based upon availabily, what time you check-in (are any of those bed types still available?... have they been cleaned from the nite before?), mood of the front desk clerk, how many of that bed configuration are in the hotel, etc, etc. It would be much 'safer' in a city such as Orlando which caters to families and the hotels have a greater percentage of rooms with 2 beds, but i would think the ratio is lower in a city such as Boston which probably caters to more of a business traveler (who is often using a room solo).

You won't receive Marriott points on stays through any of the opaque sites, but as you noticed, the points aren't worth as much as the savings.