Priceline Hotel: 3* Boston (Cambridge) Courtyard

[goingtochicago]

Hi, I'm planning a trip to Boston from Oct. 8 to 11 and was wondering if it's better to wait last minute for priceline\hotwire deals or if now is a good time to bid. I've used both priceline and hotwire in the past, but never for Boston, so I'm not sure how regionalities play out...

Looking forward to your advice!

[austin_res]

Hi, I'm planning a trip to Boston from Oct. 8 to 11 and was wondering if it's better to wait last minute for priceline\hotwire deals or if now is a good time to bid. I've used both priceline and hotwire in the past, but never for Boston, so I'm not sure how regionalities play out...

Looking forward to your advice!

October is usually an expensive time for hotels in Boston. You should start bidding as soon as you know your plans are firm. Submit a few bids per week, until you win something. You should also make a reservation you can cancel, so you can have a fallback option should hotels sell out or prices go up even more.

[AaronJB]

The Fall is definitely a more expensive time in Boston, unfortunately, What would be your desired budget per night, star rating and PRICELINE zones of interest? I would definitely start trying to bid now rather than waiting until the last minute.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE lnks to start your purchases and searches.

[goingtochicago]

I'm hoping to stay downtown and pay around $150 (a high star rating is not crucial, so long as we're in a safe and clean place).

The other thing I'm wondering is how access from the airport to downtown is - if it's really easy and rather quick, I would consider staying near Logan Airport since we're flying in.

[musicphan]

To share my experience trying to get either a 3.5* or 4* in Boston:

From 10/21 - 10/26 - I bid as high as $140 (maybe $150) a few weeks back and it was rejected in Quincey Mkt & Copley-Back Bay areas

From 10/14- 10/19 - same areas & star-ratings...my bids up to $130 were rejected.

That said, it's my theory from looking over my past Priceline and Hotwire wins that the great deals I've gotten were generally < 3 weeks out from the date of arrival. I theorize that most people book airfare at least 3 weeks before to capitalize on better prices and book hotels in tandem with the plane tickets. Also part of my theory is that with the hotels knowing generally what their occupancy will be, they release the rooms to PL/HW at better rates so as to fill them up with last minute travelers. The "last minute" traveler is generally someone who is taking a leisure trip and will do so only if they can get a good deal. Hotels know it is smarter to fill those "last minute" rooms at discounted prices vs. not filling them at all.

Examples of wins:

3.5* Manhattan Double Tree (HUGE ROOM) was $126.48/night including taxes (Jan. 21 - 26, 2010) - booked January 8, 13 days prior to arrival

4* Boston - Onyx Hotel, April 6, 2009 - $119.84 including taxes - booked 15 days ahead of arrival

4* Seattle Westin 5/27/10 - 5/30/10 - $89.23/night including tax. Booked on 5/4/10 - so that's 23 days in advance but I figured better early b/c it was a holiday weekend.

Again..this is all my theory. One I am going to be testing out for Boston soon. (see rejected October bids)

I saw advice somewhere that a general rule of PRICELINE bidding is to look on HOTWIRE for the same star rating and areas you want to be in, and bid 80% of that prices as your starting point. I'm cheap and will start lower than that though.

GOOD LUCK.

[musicphan]

The airport...EASY to and from to central Boston. Silver line on the "T" (MBTA - subway/train). Boston is THE easiest city to get around on public transportation in the US. The "T" is color coded, so if you can follow the red line, green line, blue line, yellow line, etc....you can get anywhere.

[goingtochicago]

Thanks for your advice! I will get a cancellable reservation at an affordable hotel and hope I can score a great deal on HOTWIRE or PRICELINE.

[thereuare]

The other thing I'm wondering is how access from the airport to downtown is - if it's really easy and rather quick, I would consider staying near Logan Airport since we're flying in.

While it is easy, it's also something i don't know if i would want to do every day for a 3 nite stay... in all likelihood you'll need to take the hotel shuttle (if offered, i seem to recall at least one hotel in this zone without any shuttle service) to the airport, then take the train to Downtown (and if your destination isn't on the Silver line there is an additional transfer involved). While the transportation time itself may not be too bad, add in the time you have to wait for the hotel shuttle, then the time waiting for the train (twice if needing to transfer), and it can make the trip seem a lot longer. I'd only consider this if it were significantly cheaper then staying Downtown.

Let us know 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.

[goingtochicago]

update: I got the Courtyard Marriott Cambridge for $133 per night through PRICELINE. Quite pleased, as I checked the hotel's regular price for that weekend and the lowest is $229. So thanks everyone for your help! and Hello Boston!

[yellowdog]

goingtochicago

Thank you for sharing your result with the board!

Enjoy your stay.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links to start future purchases.

Yellowdog.