Priceline Hotel: London hotel bidding question

[newbie123]

Hey all experts,

I am going on my honeymoon with my wife in London from 23 Dec - 5 Jan. Since it is my honeymoon, I'm looking to get the best hotel I can get for my money.

I know I overlap the Christmas period. May I know what is the approximate range (in US dollars) I can expect to spend for a 5* (preferable) or 4* hotel over this period? Is it too early to start biding now? My air tickets are all booked and I am past the point of no return.

I hope to get to stay in a nice place for my honeymoon without having to shell out retail prices. Any tips appreciated.

Thanks!

Paul

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Please start by reading your messages... then let us know which zones of London you're looking to stay and we'll be in a better position to answer your question regarding budget.

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

[newbie123]

Thanks for your reply.

I will be staying in London only for a few days, before moving northwards to Scotland. Therefore, I would like to stay in a more central location in London so that I can maximize my time checking out the sights. I think the more expensive central regions are:

Mayfair/Soho

Westminister

Kensinngton/Chelsea

Right?

I checked out Hotwire using the HOTWIRE link. For Christmas period, it seems like you can get a Hotwire 4* hotel for between $110 - $125. Should I expect Priceline to be significantly lower than this price, or is Hotwire and Priceline comparable?

Thanks!

[thereuare]

PRICELINE is usually a little lower then HOTWIRE, but i wouldn't say significantly cheaper... although i guess it also depends upon your definition of significant. Sometimes users see the HOTWIRE rate and then expect 50% off and that's generally not a realistic expectation. Once you decide upon the zones we can suggest a strategy which starts low and then gradually increases, making sure that you don't overbid or pay more than you should have.

While HOTWIRE usually costs a little more, it offers the ability to make an educated guess as to the hotel you may received and/or know which amenities the hotel offers. So for example if a Pool or Complimentary Breakfast was important for a given stay you could choose a HOTWIRE offering which shows these icons... where as with PRICELINE it would be a little cheaper but you wouldn't know if the hotel offered either of these services until after your purchase.

You mentioned the dates of 23 Dec - 5 Jan, but this appears to be the dates of your entire honeymoon... what are the dates you'll be in London?

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

[newbie123]

Thanks for your detailed reply!

Hmm.. Now that I think about it, I think free in-room WiFi is actually quite important. We are going to be travelling most of the day, so having the internet really helps us plan out how to get from Point A to Point B the night before. PRICELINE hotels may be cheaper to bid for, but they can easily cost me an extra 10-20 pounds a night if I want the internet.

Do any of you know if any HOTWIRE hotels have free in room WiFi?

Also, which areas are best for a tourist to stay? Mainly, proximity to public transportation, safety, and also proximity to main city attractions.

Any advice appreciated! Thanks!

[thereuare]

Even if you knew the names of all the hotels in London which included free internet (which i don't this is as common of an amenity as it is here in the US) there would be no way to 'make' that particular property appear on your HOTWIRE search... a better approach would be to do a HOTWIRE search for your dates, then see if you could reasonably ID anything which was offered within your desired star rating, zone and budget, then take the next step to see the cost, if any, for internet access at that property. In Europe internet is something that i would expect to pay for more often then not... especially at higher rated property.

If you enter "London" in the QUICK SEARCH box in the blue banner at the top of the board you can scan the listings and get a quick idea of which zones are bid/won most often.

You mentioned the dates of 23 Dec - 5 Jan, but this appears to be the dates of your entire honeymoon... what are the dates you'll be in London?

???

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

[Romelle]

One of the more commonly received hotels when bidding the Kensington area is the Copthorne. Within a few blocks of it is a library offering free internet usage. Also, internet cafes are usually fairly easy to locate, and fees are usually modest. Hotel internet can be pretty expensive.

Romelle

[Taiko]

One of the more commonly received hotels when bidding the Kensington area is the Copthorne. Within a few blocks of it is a library offering free internet usage. Also, internet cafes are usually fairly easy to locate, and fees are usually modest. Hotel internet can be pretty expensive.

Romelle

When in the UK, I use an 02 modem device with my laptop and buy the 2 pounds per day access.

O2 allows you to connect to a multitude of UK providers including BT Openzone.

Never pay crazy Hotel Wifi charges.

Buy yourself an O2 dongle and plug into your USB port on any laptop.

http://shop.o2.co.uk/promo/o2mobilebroadband/tab/Pay_and_Go

(I bought mine for 10 pounds on sale - they have gone up)

Important: Advance purchase the number of days of online time you need while at the O2 store,

(You will need a UK based debit/credit card to top up online after the fact) O2 stores abound in central London.

Other resources: Pret a Manger and Nero's coffee shops offer free wifi. (Pret has the best quality food of all the fastish outlets)

Starbucks also offer free Wifi if you have their gold loyalty card (free) Just has to be registered at the SB's US website.