Priceline Hotel: Tokyo hotel in November -- need help

[purplelotus]

My husband and I are flying to Tokyo arriving 11/5. We want to stay there for 6-7 days and then head off to Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Hiroshima. (Plan to buy a rail pass before we leave.) Will also need a hotel for last two days of our stay, 11/16-17 (Leaving 11/18). There is very little information on the site about bids in Tokyo. We are willing to stay in any district in the city as long as we are relatively near a subway/train. Want to stay at a decent hotel (3 star minimum) but as cheaply as possible. Also don't want to get stuck with one double bed in room (want at least a queen or two twins) which I think could happen at 3 star hotels. I've perused Hotels.com and several discount Asian sites (xcessasia.com, ctrip.com, asiahotels.com).

I do a lot of bidding on Priceline and have been very successful at securing cheap accommodations in US and Europe. Also use Hotwire for these areas with success. However, when I've bid in China and Australia in previous years, I've found that I find better deals on other sites -- such as the ones above. I wonder if Priceline doesn't have much inventory in that part of the world so the deals aren't vey good. Hotwire doesn't offer any inventory in Tokyo. Priceline has nothing in Osaka on their name your price option.

Any suggestions would be helpful for Tokyo and/or Osaka. I've never stayed at a hotel in Tokyo. I haven't bid yet on Priceline.

[thereuare]

There are fewer offerings in these areas for, i suspect a variety of reasons. The most obvious on the surface is when they began they targeted the major markets in North America and the UK and expanded from there... and it takes time to continue to (sensibly) grow into new markets. On a deeper level, the concept of "bidding" for a hotel is not necessarily a concept that easily translates to other cultures, so it may be more difficult to expand and get new hotels onboard.

I don't know much about this market, so i can't offer assistance in regards to if all hotels in the zone are near a subway or train, as well, i would think you do risk a single double bed in this market... PRICELINE may not be the best option based upon your criteria for this stay.

Let us know whatever you decide or if we can be of further help.

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