Priceline Hotel: Santa Monica Hotel

[drewb]

Hi,

We are looking at staying three nights in Santa Monica before travelling to Vegas.

As we are from the UK, we have never used priceline before so we would be grateful for any guidance.

We plan to do Hollywood, tour of celeb homes etc so we dont have to stay in Santa Monica. We have budget of around $150 + tax per night per room. The booking will be for two rooms for two couples.

Obviously we would prefer 4* but that might not be possible within budget.

Edit: It should be three nights from 25th August not September

Thanks

Drewb

[Colfax]

Welcome to BetterBidding, drewb.

PRICELINE's Santa Monica-Marina del Rey zone includes hotels in Marina del Rey too, a couple miles from Santa Monica. If you only want a hotel in Santa Monica HOTWIRE might be the better choice as you can usually ID Hotwire hotels in advance and know you're getting a Santa Monica location.

$150 is probably enough for a Priceline 3.5* in Santa Monica-Marina del Rey but it may not be enough for a 4*. It's been a few years since anyone's reported winning a Priceline 4* in Santa Monica.

$150 is likely enough for a 4* in Hollywood or Beverly Hills-West Hollywood zone though.

Check reviews for the 4* Roosevelt and W hotels--both in Hollywood--to help you decide if you want to try Priceline in Hollywood or another zone. W and Roosevelt are sort of "party hotels" and depending on your tastes and interests you might be happier at a more sedate 4* in Beverly Hills-WeHo, or booking the 4* Renaissance in Hollywood conventionally.

[thereuare]

drewb,

Colfax knows this area well... based upon his comments above let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[drewb]

As we are only spending two full days in LA to cover Hollywood etc, we would prefer a bit of comfort and quiet.

On this basis, I am guessing 4* in the Beverly Hills-West Hollywood is the best are to try in our price range?

We will be hiring a car so I gues that will be $20 to $30 a day on top.

Any further advice is appreciated.

[Colfax]

4* in Santa Monica will probably need $200+ but HOTWIRE has a 4* in Century City-Westwood zone for $149:

Fitness, Pool, Restaurant, Business, Highspeed, Golf.

This looks like a match for Intercontinental Century City or Hyatt Century Plaza. Both hotels have been reported with those icons and both have a 4/5 TripAdvisor rating. I can't be sure which of the two it is then, but IC is more likely, imo. Either would be a conservative "safe bet".

You can probably beat that $149 rate bidding for a 4* on PRICELINE, maybe in the $100-130 range, but there's a wider range of possible outcomes. Eleven different 4* hotels have been reported to the board in Bev Hills-WeHo zone ranging from smaller boutique style properties like Le Parc Suites to large business oriented hotels like Intercontinental.

If you want to gamble on PRICELINE let us know your limit (is it $150?) and someone will suggest a bidding strategy.

If you like the HOTWIRE option please use the board's link and let us know what you get.

[drewb]

Yes, I would fix our limit around $150 per room per night (approx

[Colfax]

When bidding for 4* in LA you have THREE rebid zones. Those are zones that ONLY have hotels less than 4*. If you need help determining your three rebid zones please ask before bidding.

I suggest bidding $95 for a 4* in Beverly Hills-West Hollywood.

If rejected add rebid zone #1 and bid $105.

If rejected add rebid zone #2 and bid $115.

If rejected close browser, reaccees PRICELINE, and start a new bid, selecting Beverly Hills-West Hollywood and rebid zone #3, and bid $125.

If rejected add rebid zone #1 and bid $135.

If rejected add rebid zone #2 and bid $145.

If that doesn't work HOTWIRE has the 4* for $149.

Please start your bids with this PRICELINE link. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[drewb]

Hi, as resort fees are not included, what is the average addtional cost of 4* hotels in the Beverly Hills / West Hollywood area?

Thanks

Drewb

[Colfax]

I don't recall anyone saying they paid a resort fee in BH-WH zone, though it's possible. Resort fees aren't the norm in that zone anyhow.

Extra expenses you can anticipate are parking (~$20-40/night) and internet access (~$10-15/day).

[drewb]

Thanks Colfax, I will report back how I get on!

[drewb]

Unsuccessful on this occasion!

We have booked a private rental in West Hollywood instead.

Thank you for your assistance.

[yellowdog]

drewb

Thanks for the follow-up and closing this thread.

Yellowdog.

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