Priceline Hotel: 4* San Diego (Downtown-Harbor Island) Omni San Diego

[MistyM]

I've never done Priceline before, but my husband and I are trying to plan a 3 night get-a-way before we have our 4th child (in 3 years! We NEED it!). We are on a pretty tight budget. From looking through the posts on this forum, it seems that people have gotten 4* hotels in the areas we are hoping for (downtown, or SD Costal) for $75-$90 on weekend nights. There was a 7/8 - 7/10 for $75 and a 7/8 - 7/11 for $74 as well as a 6/26-6/27 for $75. I've bid for the last 3 nights starting at $60 and going up to $85 in increments of $2-$3 with no luck. Should I keep trying in that price range? Is August (we are going Thur 8/5 - Sun 8/8) that much busier than June / July? We are really hoping to stay under $85. Should I try 3.5*? Is there a big difference between 3.5* and 4*? Thanks in advance for you help. I will be sure to use your links in the future (I didn't realize until I registered that I should be doing that, sorry!)

[Colfax]

Welcome to BetterBidding, MistyM. With four kids in three years you and your husband definitely deserve a getaway.

(we are going Thur 8/5 - Sun 8/8)

I was going to check Hotwire to get some idea what prices are for your dates, and whether a 3.5* for $85 or less seems feasible, but Hotwire's temporarily down for maintainence.

Rates vary from day to day. There's no such thing as a "June rate" or an "August rate". The same hotel could be $109 on Monday and $450 on Tuesday, in June or in August, depending on how busy things are.

Since Hotwire's down now can you check back tomorrow and someone will respond in more detail then.

Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for your purchases.

[MistyM]

Thank you!

[thereuare]

Is this trip with the entire family or just the parents?

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[BeritOlam]

In those regions you mention....YES, there's a difference between 3 1/2 and 4 star hotels. If you really want to stay in a *nice* place for a get-away, 4-star is ideal. There are some nice 3.5 places, but they are more the Marriott Courtyard-type places. That might suit you ok, if you are traveling with 3 kids!

Checking the prices right now, the Westin Downtown (4*) for $135 is the cheapest 4-star. So you figure with that as a kind of starting point, you might be able to get that down a little bit lower via PRICELINE. But all the way to $85? That would be extremely ambitious. That might even prove tough for 3 1/2 stars, depending on the weekend.

August is a *very* busy month for tourism (and conventions). I've heard more than one person say that the Zoo and Sea World get the most tourism in August than all others.

[MistyM]

Is this trip with the entire family or just the parents?

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

Just the parents.

[MistyM]

Thank you for your help. I think I will stick with a 4* then. It will be just my husband and I and we are hoping for something *nice*. Where did you get that $135 price? It that a HOTWIRE price or retail? When you say I should be able to get a bit lower, how much is a bit? $100? Thanks again for all of your help.

[thereuare]

Expedia has a "Buy 2 Nites Get 1 Free" sale at the Hilton Bayfront, which brings the cost for your dates down to $120/nite... not sure if this would be of interest or not, but at least can serve has a basis for a 'known' hotel to ensure that you don't overbid (if you go that route)

One thing to note is that PRICELINE's Downtown San Diego zone also includes Harbor Island, and the Sherton Marina is often won in this area... not necessarily a bad hotel, but not what some are looking for from a "Downtown" hotel (preferring the Gaslamp Quarter area). If this is an issue HOTWIRE was split out the Gaslamp Quarter zone if you'd prefer to try and target this area (vs. the Downtown/Marina areas)

Let us know your thoughts based upon the above and how you'd like to proceed... take the Expedia Buy2Get1 Free deal, search HOTWIRE, or bid on PRICELINE (and if the latter let us know your maximum bid and if you want to bid both the Downtown and Coastal zones)

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or our Expedia link if you go that route.

[BeritOlam]

Thank you for your help. I think I will stick with a 4* then. It will be just my husband and I and we are hoping for something *nice*. Where did you get that $135 price? It that a HOTWIRE price or retail? When you say I should be able to get a bit lower, how much is a bit? $100? Thanks again for all of your help.

That $135 @ the Westin came up through Hotels.com via the Hotwire search this morning. That was the *cheapest* 4-star place listed in San Diego for your dates at Hotwire.

As already noted by others, HOTWIRE and places like Expedia can give you a 'baseline' of what actual hotels are going for over a period of days. Depending on the area, you can usually get that cost down a little bit by bumping over to PRICELINE's blind bidding. But getting $135 down to under $90 may prove wishful thinking. There's always a chance something could change last minute...but I wouldn't count on it.

Frankly, $120 for the Hilton Bayfront sounds like a *great* deal to me. If that doesn't work for you, then you are likely going to have to either come down in expectations for a nice hotel OR come up in what you're willing to spend.

Sorry... :)

[slruud]

Lastminutetravel.com is offering what appears to be the Hilton Bayfront for $114/nite. They have a $25 cancellation fee if you find something else on PRICELINE or HOTWIRE, up to 7 days before your stay.

[MistyM]

Thank you for the helpful information. It it nice to know what "overbidding would be. I think I will try bidding with $100 as a max for both areas and see what happens over the next few days.

[AaronJB]

Thank you for keeping us updated and using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links.

Please do let us know if you have any questions or would like help with a bidding strategy and what you decide to do.

[MistyM]

Thank you for all of your help. I bid $70-$99 for a 4* in San Diego in increments of $3. I got the Omni for $99 8/5 - 8/8.

[slruud]

MistyM,

Go to the Omni website right away and join their Select Guest program, then call the hotel and give them your SG number. Might as well start getting benefits with your first stay.

SteveR

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Excellent deal for this Omni property! Hope you are looking forward to your stay.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

Enjoy your stay.