Priceline Hotel: Any history of Moscow bidding?

[thais fernandes]

Hi! I've just bought my flight ticket to Moscow for my July 2011. Wondering whether does someone can tell something about Moscow in PRICELINE.

I know it has only one huge are but maybe the 4* or 5* are just near the city centre.

Can someone tell us his experience?

Thanks a lot!

[thereuare]

With no reported wins in this area, and the zone so geographically large, i wouldn't make the assumption that the 4* and 5* would be centrally located.

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

[Romelle]

I tried to get the retail side of Priceline to map Moscow hotels, but it wasn't working. I did look at Holiday Inn hotels in Moscow, and was successful getting a map from Expedia. You might take a look at those. The 4* hotels were mostly in the central core, but that is pretty large in itself, and there were a few scattered further out.

Public transport in Moscow is very inexpensive, frequent, and has great coverage of city. A bit tricky, until you learn to decipher some of those characters, but manageable. And part of the tourist experience anyway. Lalique lighting fixtures, marble, and some impressive tile.

Romelle

[thereuare]

Once you're able to determine the PRICELINE boundaries, i'd enter "Moscow" into the search box at MAPS and HOTELS.com, adjusting the radius to 25 or 50 miles, then zooming in/out from there to match the PRICELINE boundaries.

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

[thais fernandes]

As I saw no historical of any Moscow bidding, I drove crazy and decided to bid in a 5* hotel. Let me tell you, Priceline bidding is an addiction.

I choosed 5* not only because I prefer 5* (4 * are generally OK for me) but in order to prevent getting a hotel too far from the city center.

So I prayed Priceline had no 5* hotels in the Moscow suburbs I biddef.

I stated with US$ 120 and increased US$10 each time. Now I'm US$150 and still not succeeded.

I guess the only hotel they offer is Marriott Moscow Grand Hotel because what they say that is the medium retail price for a 5*, after my bidding is refused, is exactly the Marriott Grand's price you see in Priceline.com.

I'm using betterbidding PRICELINE link, of course.

[thais fernandes]

Now I`m in my US$180.00 and nothing yet!

[thereuare]

What is the best rate you're able to find at a 5* hotel hotel thru conventional booking channels?

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

[Romelle]

You might take a look at the Holiday Inns in Moscow, checking right on their web site. I stayed at one a year ago and was very happy with it. The rates vary, but several of them are likely within the range of your current bidding (I didn't know your exact dates so couldn't really check).

One is at the main airport and is actually about 1/2 the price of the inner city ones. It perhaps could serve for your first and/or last night, depending upon arrival and departure times.

There is a link to the Holiday Inn website from here, under the Support/Travel Links tab just above.

If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them. It was a wonderful trip.

Romelle

[DallasGooner]

I think part of the reason so few posts about Moscow is the need for a visa and someone needs to invite you to Russia to get one (for most countries). Lots of people just have the hotel do that and not sure you want to pay for hotel then ask if they will sponsor your visa. My assumption would be that those who use Priceline already have visa (via work for example) and they most likely have a specific place they need to stay so they also avoid Priceline. Having been to Moscow I was glad I did not use Priceline. I would pick your hotel via traditional book methods because of the one large zone issue. You really want to pick what part of town your going to stay.

[Romelle]

DallasGooner,

You may well be right about most people already having their visas for a trip to Russia, but I actually didn't. I was just a tourist. I'd had a challenging time getting a Brazil visa (I've a bad case of do-it-myself), so this time chickened out and just paid one of those services to do it.

Romelle

[thais fernandes]

DallasGooner,

You may well be right about most people already having their visas for a trip to Russia, but I actually didn't. I was just a tourist. I'd had a challenging time getting a Brazil visa (I've a bad case of do-it-myself), so this time chickened out and just paid one of those services to do it.

Romelle

I don't need a visa! Russia must be one of the few places in the world Brazilians don't need a visa and people from the 1st world do! But I know this will change soon.

Anyway, you must be right but I was just trying to get a very nice hotel for a good price.

A friend of mine who will travel with me and my husband already paid for Novotel US$150.00 (tax and breakfast included) for 3 in a room. This is an early booking fee.

We will arrive on 1st July 2011.

If I'm not succeed in my priceline adventure I will choose that hotel.

[thais fernandes]

Today was my last try: US$210.00, that means about US$250.00 for a 5* but without breakfast. I failed.

So I decided to pick up Novotel Moscow for less than US$150.00 (early booking), tax, breakfast and internet included.

I would be nice to stay in 5* but the difference would be huge and also would need to get out of the hotel to have breakfast or pay the fortune they use to charge.

That's all folks!

[thereuare]

Glad you found something that works for your needs.

Please note from our support page that we're an affiliate of the Novotel... please check for and use the links there whenever possible.

Thanks.

[thais fernandes]

Glad you found something that works for your needs.

Please note from our support page that we're an affiliate of the Novotel... please check for and use the links there whenever possible.

Thanks.

Sorry! Too late. I will notice it further on.