Hotwire Hotel: 3.5* Boston (Boston Common-Theatre District) Radisson

[ftung]

Hi All, I'm new new to online hotel bidding and found this betterbidding by chance. My wife and I are visiting Boston on April 11-14 this year from Melbourne Australia. Really looking forward to this trip to US East Coast.

I've tried bidding on Priceline for a 4* room in Quincy Market-Faneuil Hall starting from $70, $75 and finally $80. But with no success.

Then I tried bidding for 3.5* hotels in both (Quincy Market - Faneuil Hall - Financial) and (Copley Square - Theatre District) with the same prices. Again got no acceptance.

I saw a few people on betterbidding got 4* rooms at Hyatt Regency Boston for less dollars. Am I bidding too far in advance? Or is it something I did incorrectly?

Thanks

ftung

[ftung]

Does anyone know if there is a major conference on between April 11-14? Thanks.

[Romelle]

No, you are not bidding too far in advance, as far as exploring the lower $$ levels goes. But hotels can add rooms to the Priceline inventory at any time, including the very last day. It is always a good idea to book some cancelable back-up reservation, and then you can safely and calmly continue bidding.

I can't answer your question as to a major event, but by my posting here, your thread will get bumped up to the top again and perhaps someone else has some specific knowledge.

When I looked at the Calendar of Wins (above) I didn't see any reporting for your dates. There was a 4/9-4/10 3 1/2* win at $95. As you probably already know, rates are very date-specific, so this information is of doubtful use. You can explore the situation a number of ways. If you put in maybe 2 week ranges, Expedia and the retail side of Priceline will list the individual day rates.

Romelle

[AaronJB]

HOTWIRE is showing high rates ($200+ for a mix of regular rate and discounted rate listings) for 4*'s for these dates when searching on HOTWIRE, but there is a 3.5* for $89 w/Restaurant, Fitneess, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Tennis in Boston Common-Theater District, which would likely be the Radisson.

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

[ftung]

HOTWIRE is showing high rates ($200+ for a mix of regular rate and discounted rate listings) for 4*'s for these dates when searching on HOTWIRE, but there is a 3.5* for $89 w/Restaurant, Fitneess, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Tennis in Boston Common-Theater District, which would likely be the Radisson.

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

I also checked Hotwire and saw the 3.5* for $89. I then used Priceline's mapview for dates April 11-14 and the only 3.5* in the area was the Boston Park Plaza. I'm aware Hotwire and Priceline don't have the same boundaries for the same zone. But are the hotels star ratings the same?

[AaronJB]

The Radisson is a 3.5* on HOTWIRE and on some other major travel sites (Expedia), but was last reported at the 3* level on PRICELINE.

There is also a 3.5* on HOTWIRE in Back Bay-Copley w/Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business for $109, which would be a possible match for the Sheraton or Hilton Back Bay - both were last reported at the 3.5* level in the Copley Square-Theater District zone on PRICELINE. Given that, a bid of $75-85 (possibly a tiny bit higher) may be successful for a 3.5* in this zone. Given that you have time, you could try to lowball a starting bid for a 3.5* in this zone at $65, although the chances of that being accepted are fairly slim.

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

[ftung]

Thanks for the insight AaronJB.

I've done a search on MCCA for big convention dates between now and the time I arrive in April. For instance, the Yankee Dental Congress 2011/Mass Dental Society is on 1/27-1/29 with attendance of 28000. I then did a search on both Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins and found decent 3.5* and 4* rates had been won.

There is a smaller convention (Boston National College Fair, attendance 14000) on 4/12-4/13 which coincide the dates of my visit. Given I still have 3 months to find a good deal plus I have already made a cancelable booking at the Doubletree as backup. I'd like to stick with the plan and find either a 4* for no more than $80 pretax or a 3.5* for under $65. Base on your opinion do you think it's doable? It would be fantastic to get 4* Hyatt Regency for under $65 like a couple of the people did for January.

Cheers

ftung

[AaronJB]

Unfortunately, I think the problem is seasonal. While April in Boston may still be a little on the cool side, it's certainly more appealing than Boston in the middle of January, which is definitely a slow month in terms of tourist demand (although there may be business demand - not sure how well Boston hotels can absorb a 28K convention; in Chicago in the Winter that would probably not have too significant an effect on rates) due to colder weather. April is still not prime season, but it does become more expensive in comparison to the mid-Winter period.

$80 for a 4* and 3.5* for $65 is worth trying (as there's always the chance for a surprise with PRICELINE), but unfortunately, I think the chances are thin and that it will likely end up costing at least moderately more for these dates in the main Boston areas.

How much per night is the Doubletree back-up?

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches. Please use the site's links in the Support/Travel section for regular rate purchases.

[ftung]

I agree the hotel rates are seasonal. Probably unlikely to get a 3.5*-4* room really cheaply in April. I used the Calendar of Wins and did a search of rates from 4/6-4/20 of last year just for comparison. The rates in April were higher than those of Jan this year. 4* rooms were in the region of $90. Perhaps I need to revise my budget for a Boston room.

Actually I wouldn't mind the Radisson in Boston. It's a 3* on Priceline but does includes internet(important) and the reviews on this hotel are good. Do you think the 3.5* hotel on Hotwire for $89 is Radisson? There doesn't seem to be any Radisson Boston wins reported here on betterbidding. I think the chances of it being Doubletree is higher.

The rate I booked for Doubletree is in excess of $200. But I'm confident of finding something cheaper between now and April.

[ftung]

The Doubletree is a 3* on HOTWIRE. So AaronJB, think you might be right the $89 3.5* being Radisson. Strange there have not been any Radisson Boston wins reported here. I might bid for this on PRICELINE when I get home tonight. How do you think I should bid for this on Priceline? $73, $75, $77, $79.

[AaronJB]

I'd start lower (at $65) and work higher by $3's for a 3* in one of the core/downtown Boston areas. Do note that if you bid for 3*, you could possibly get any of the 3*'s in the zone you bid on.

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

[ftung]

Placed the following bids tonight and still no taker:

3* Copley Square - Theatre District $70

3* Copley Square - Theatre District + rebid zone1 $72

3* Copley Square - Theatre District + rebid zone2 $74

3* Copley Square - Theatre District + rebid zone6 $76

3* Copley Square - Theatre District + rebid zone8 $78

3* Copley Square - Theatre District + rebid zone9 $80

About 2 weeks ago placed an $80 bid first bid for a 4* in Philadelphia and landed Sofitel on 4/17. Boston has turn out to be more difficult.

[yellowdog]

ftung

About 2 weeks ago placed an $80 bid first bid for a 4* in Philadelphia and landed Sofitel on 4/17

Can you please post this in a separate thread so this win can appear in boards Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins.

TIA.

Yellowdog.

PS. Just post if you need help with your Boston stay.

[Romelle]

You've still got lots of time. There is a Hotwire 3 1/2* for $89 for your dates. Since Hotwire tends to be a little more generous in its ratings, that offering is probably roughly the equivalent of a Priceline 3*. Hotwire also tends to be a little more expensive than Priceline. This suggests you are bidding at a reasonable level but there just isn't reasonable PL inventory right now.

Maybe you could just bid about once a week for now, to minimize dealing with all that rejection. Not rush into your absolute max budget. Hotels can be added to PL inventory at any time.

Then, if you still aren't successful, toward the end you can always bid up higher.

And I hope you will consider making a cancelable back-up reservation.

I did check a bit, and don't see an indication this is a "split your bid" situation.

Romelle

[AaronJB]

While Doubletree Cookies are awfully good :), I definitely think that you can find something cheaper (and possibly quite a bit cheaper) for these dates.

If you are interested in continuing to bid for 3* (are you interested in trying for 3.5*?), I wouldn't bid higher right away and would try again next week.

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

[ftung]

How does "split your bid" work?

I'm anxious in securing a room early and at the same time not by paying too much. I'm just worried rates might go higher closer to April. My budget is $80 per night pretax for a 3*, 3,5* or 4*. Preferably a place that includes complimentary wifi. Initially I started bidding for 3.5 and 4* but because of all the failed bids I moved to 3*. Plus it seems more 3* offer complimentary wifi.

Thanks.

[Romelle]

How does "split your bid" work?

I'm anxious in securing a room early and at the same time not by paying too much. I'm just worried rates might go higher closer to April. My budget is $80 per night pretax for a 3*, 3,5* or 4*. Preferably a place that includes complimentary wifi. Initially I started bidding for 3.5 and 4* but because of all the failed bids I moved to 3*. Plus it seems more 3* offer complimentary wifi.

Thanks.

All "split your bid" means is to divide your days in some fashion and then bid the separate groups individually. It can be useful when prices are very different for the different days. In your case, the daily rates were all pretty much the same, so it is unlikely it would help. And you aren't bidding a longer span like 10 days.

In the old days, when bidding several days, one's bid had to be high enough to match or pass the highest daily rate of the several days. Splitting bids was more necessary then.

Now, Priceline apparently does some averaging of their rates so it is not as much of an issue. It still can be needed when there are some days in the range for which there is NO availability. Then one can bid the days before the problem dates in one group, and the days after the problem dates in another group. Of course there is still the issue of the problem dates, but that can be solved various ways like bidding another area or just booking conventionally (or even finding a friend to provide a bed).

The only catch is that one has to pay the Priceline base fee for each separate group of bids.

Another thing you could do is look at some of the other Boston areas. A better price will offset some transportation costs. Cabs of course, but also Boston has a pretty fair public transportation system so something else might also work. If you search on "boston public transportation" you will find a lot of information. It will take some mapping, and of course depends on what you are doing in the area, but worth a look. When you are in Priceline trying to bid on Boston, under the PL maps there is also listed some nearby areas that really aren't that far away. If you are arriving via air very late and/or leaving very early you might consider an airport hotel for a night or two. They tend to be more reasonable. I personally don't know the area well, but my granddaughter goes to school in Cambridge (#4) and I know the Metro has stops right through the campus. You could look at the hotels others have gotten in the various areas (first post in this Massachusetts thread) and get an idea of the possibilities.

Romelle

[AaronJB]

Additionally, there is some effort involved in splitting your stay between two properties - unless you get lucky and get two hotels next to one another, but even then there's still check-in/check-out time differences/etc - and splitting your stay is not really worthwhile (time that can be spent enjoying your trip) unless there is a significant variation in rates between two halves of your trip and trying to split the stay would result in a larger overall price advantage. At this point (at least) that does not seem to be the case.

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

[ftung]

DC and Philly done, only Boston to go.

Is it likely for hotels to release rooms out to Hotwire and not Priceline?

I bid up to $83 on Priceline for 3* room and still not accepted. But there is a 3.5* available on Hotwire in the same area.

[yellowdog]

ftung

Is it likely for hotels to release rooms out to Hotwire and not Priceline?

There's no easy answer to this question. Some hotels only do PRICELINE when others only do HOTWIRE. But big chain hotels "usually" have inventory on both depending on the city, but not always. So in your case could it be that we're talking about two diffrent hotels.

Let us know how we can help you further.

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

Yellowdog.

[ftung]

Amenities on Hotwire matched betterbidding. $91/night.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Very, very nice deal for this Radisson property, which is showing on Expedia for $255 a night for these dates.

Thank you for sharing your win and using the site's HOTWIRE link.

Enjoy your stay.