Priceline Hotel: 4* Tampa (Airport TPA South-Westshore) InterContinental

[cclaser]

Hello,

I will be traveling with my family to FL on December 17th. I would like a nice hotel by the airport that has a shuttle. I am traveling with a 2 year old & my wife is flying in later that night. A shuttle would be ideal. What is the minimum that I can get a 3.5 - 4 star hotel with on Priceline during this timeframe? I think I stayed at the Intercontinental a couple of years ago and that is pretty nice. Just looking for input on what hotel to try for and cost. Thanks!

[thereuare]

Rates are not high for these dates and you're probably looking at about $45-$60 for a 3.5*-4* hotel.

If you're ready to start bidding, let us know if you're willing to pay more for a 4* hotel vs. a 3.5* hotel OR if your goal is the least expensive 3.5* or better... we'll then suggest a strategy for you to follow.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. (and as per our reply to your other thread, please note our support page has hotel direct links to most major hotel chains and online agencies, please check for the links there for your hotel direct purchases)

Thanks.

[cclaser]

Thanks for the quick response and the help. Are there some hotels in the area that people really like, and I should try for? I am not traveling for a while, so I will probably wait until early Dec. to bid. Plans can change, etc. this far away from a travel date.

[thereuare]

With PRICELINE there is no way to target a specific hotel... if you're looking to take a guess as to the property you may receive HOTWIRE can be a better option as you can often take a guess based upon the amenities shown before your purchase. However, the trade-off is that HOTWIRE usually costs a little more than PRICELINE.

Let us know once you're ready to move forward with a purchase and we'll continue this thread then.

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

[cclaser]

Back to looking again on the same date - Dec. 17th. I am looking to get a 3.5 - 4 star near airport. Hotwire has a $62 option on the westshore for a 4 star, and a $55 option for a 3.5 star. My guess is that the 4 star is the Intercontintental & the 3.5 star is the Doubletree. My hope is to get a shuttle too, because my wife will be on a later flight. Please help with strategy and questions below.

- Do you think the hotels are the Intercon & Doubletree?

- Can I get a better price with Priceline? If so, what amount should I try to get a hotel in this area with a shuttle. Thanks!!

[AaronJB]

Please provide the amenity set and information for each of the HOTWIRE listings in question and we would be happy to try to ID.

If you need to guarantee a particular amenity (such as shuttle), then it's recommended to use HOTWIRE, where you can pick out a listing with a shuttle icon. There is no way to guarantee a particular amenity with PRICELINE.

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

[cclaser]

Thank you for the quick response! Well, I could go pick my wife up at TPA. That is an option if Priceline would be a significant savings. Please give your input if that is the case. The hotel ammenities are listed below -

$62 - 4 star - Shuttle, Non smoking, weights, pool, dining, business center, internet, 95% satisfaction

$55 - 3.5 star - shuttle, weights, pool, dining, business center, internet - 90% satisfaction

Thanks again!

[thereuare]

The 4* property matches the Inter-Continental so that would be my best guess for that one.

The amenities for the 3.5* are quite common for the area and both the Embassy Suites and Doubletree Airport have been reported with this amenity set, so either of these would be a likely outcome... but given how common these amenities are for a 3.5* property there could be others as well.

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

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[cclaser]

Thanks for the quick help on this. I noticed that you have to pay for parking at the Embassy Suites. This is a concern, but you really can't control it. How much less do you think I could get a 4 star & a 3.5 star on priceline. And, to have a chance at the Intercontinental, should I bid using the Westshore zone? Thanks & I will make sure to use your links!

[thereuare]

If you want to use PRICELINE i'd star lower but i'd guess somewhere in the $50-$55 range would be the expected range for a 3.5*-4*. A better question would be how much would you need to save in order to make a PRICELINE (vs. HOTWIRE) purchase worthwhile? Then we can suggest a strategy up to your limit :)

The Inter-Continental is in PRICELINE's Aiprort South-Westshore zone.

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

[cclaser]

I gave a 4 star in the Westshore area a shot for $41 on Priceline. They declined but offed a $56 deal. At $56 with taxes it will end up being within a couple dollars of the hotwire rate. I may try again, but I am leaning toward just going with the hotwire rate. Thanks again for all of your input!

[thereuare]

The $56 is a counter-offer by PRICELINE and you can usually undercut this by using re-bid zones. Based upon the counter offer it could take just an extra $1 or it could take the whole bid up to $56... but usually the 'true' number is someplace in between (making my $50-$55 guess above not too far off the mark).

Would $41 be your top bid of is there some number between $41 and $56 which would make PRICELINE worthwhile vs. the HOTWIRE offer?

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

[cclaser]

I gave it one more chance with PRICELINE. My next bid of $47 was accepted. This ends up being less than the HOTWIRE option of $62 + taxes & fees. Thank you again for all of your help. I have stayed here before and it is a nice option when you need a hotel close to TPA. Plus it has complimentary parking. This board is awesome!

[Romelle]

I gave it one more chance with PRICELINE. My next bid of $47 was accepted. This ends up being less than the HOTWIRE option of $62 + taxes & fees. Thank you again for all of your help. I have stayed here before and it is a nice option when you need a hotel close to TPA. Plus it has complimentary parking. This board is awesome!

What hotel did you get? And at what star level?

I share your opinion of this board. It has helped me a bunch.

Romelle

[cclaser]

Sorry, my mind has been elsewhere this week. The Intercontinental - 4 Star @ 47. This ends up right ar $60 with tax.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Superb deal for this Intercontinental property! Hope you are looking forward to your stay.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[cclaser]

Yes, very excited to stay at the hotel again. It will only be a quick stop over on our way to Boca Grande. Just hoping for some warm weather to enjoy the beach!