Priceline Hotel: PL Help Needed 3* Paris Stay

[grenmom2]

We're a family of four - and because of that - we have to bid for 2 separate rooms.

I've been bidding unsuccessfully for over 2 months at 4 stars. Yet, the rates for 4 Stars are far beyond our budget, mainly due to the fact that we have to bid for 2 rooms.

So, now we're forced to bid for 3 stars.

Our dates: June 24th-July 1st. Yes, we know that those are peak summer months, but that cannot be changed.

Our zones are 3, 4, 6, and 7.

St. Germain - Latin Quarter – Montparnasse

Eiffel Tower – Porte de Versailles – Montparnasse

Champs Elysees - Opera Quarter West

Opera Quarter East - Les Halles

* Are 3 Stars in Europe really all that bad :)? I'm a bit concerned by some negative reports. Yet, the 3 stars are chains - Novotel, Thistle, etc. How bad could they really be?

* Our last few bids for a 3 star in almost all zones have been in the mid-high $80 US dollar range. Last time, we bid for a 3-star for $89. How high should we go? I'm getting frustrated after bidding every single day for more than 2 months :) .

Yes, I will use your links from now on :o .

Thank you.

[yellowdog]

Yet, the rates for 4 Stars are far beyond our budget, mainly due to the fact that we have to bid for 2 rooms.

I doubt that rates would get that high because you're bidding for two rooms.

Are 3 Stars in Europe really all that bad

No, but you'll find more independant hotel in Europe with shifting "quality". The 3* in USA is more consistent. So don't take an AC for granted in Europe when bidding 3*.

How high should we go? I'm getting frustrated after bidding every single day for more than 2 months

Yes, PRICELINE can be frustrating. What would your max budget be room/night before tax/fee?

Thanx for using boards PRICELINE link :)

Yellowdog.

[mom2gren]

What would your max budget be room/night before tax/fee?

I honestly don't know. I would have thought that for a 3* should certainly be no higher than $85. But I seem to be proven wrong.

Perhaps I should go with Hotwire. It really is frustrating.

Thank you so much for helping out.

[AaronJB]

I honestly don't know. I would have thought that for a 3* should certainly be no higher than $85. But I seem to be proven wrong.

Perhaps I should go with Hotwire. It really is frustrating.

Thank you so much for helping out.

Good morning :)

Please let us know if you having trouble signing into the other screen name.

In terms of HOTWIRE, you can search for four with HOTWIRE, whereas PRICELINE only guarantees double occupancy. Sorry to hear that the PRICELINE process has been frustrating. :)

Good luck with your next round of bidding, or if you need help with HOTWIRE, please let us know.

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

[yellowdog]

mom2gren

I took a look at your dates and i'm sorry to say that with the current rates will a max budget of $85 not cut it.

To go with HOTWIRE isn't the solution if you want to save money since you have a chance to undercut the HOTWIRE rate on PRICELINE. 3* in your preferred zones is close to double your budget for the moment. This is why you keep getting rejected. And my guess is that you'll keep getting rejected unless you bid higher.

Let us know how you want to procced.

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

Yellowdog.

[mom2gren]

mom2gren

I took a look at your dates and i'm sorry to say that with the current rates will a max budget of $85 not cut it.

To go with HOTWIRE isn't the solution if you want to save money since you have a chance to undercut the HOTWIRE rate on PRICELINE. 3* in your preferred zones is close to double your budget for the moment. This is why you keep getting rejected. And my guess is that you'll keep getting rejected unless you bid higher.

Thank you. That's a lot for a 3* - especially in Europe - where they're not even very good.

My bid today for a 3* in the same zones in Paris for 2 rooms was for $92. Rejected yet again :) .

I guess I'll go up in $3 increments daily, or we may be forced to change our travel plans entirely. How high does a 3* go for? This is a bit ridiculous. I know Paris is a lovely city, but really, THIS much for a 3*??? :)

Thank you so much for your very kind help. I love these boards.

[Romelle]

I mentioned splitting your bid in your London thread. Here there was a bit of a pattern, with sometimes the weekend days being higher and sometimes the weekdays being higher. Maybe caused by tourist vs. business hotels? In any case, bidding that first Fri and Sat separate from the rest of your dates might help.

Romelle

[grenmom2]

I mentioned splitting your bid in your London thread. Here there was a bit of a pattern, with sometimes the weekend days being higher and sometimes the weekdays being higher. Maybe caused by tourist vs. business hotels? In any case, bidding that first Fri and Sat separate from the rest of your dates might help.

Romelle

Thanks so much for this tip also. We may very well try this. It would be a bit of a pain, but I'm wiling to try anything at this point.

[grenmom2]

06/24 - 07/01

2 Rooms

Zone 3

[yellowdog]

Thanx for the post!

Keep us updated and let us know if we can be of further help along the way.

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

Yellowdog.

[Romelle]

I think I'd consider other zones WAY before I'd consider the Paris 2 stars. And even the 3 stars can be iffy. A visit usually involves quite a bit of metro riding anyway. The outer zones only add maybe 10 or 15 minutes to that ride. I bid all the zones last year, and ended up with a La Defense 4*. It worked very nicely. If you want to see bid results for a particular zone, you can enter something like "paris defense" in the Quick Search box above and they will all be in one neat list.

Have you checked the various specific hotel web sites under the Support/Travel Links tab above. When my bidding wasn't working for Nice, France I found a good rate at a Best Western there - free breakfast AND a bag lunch. Scruffy area, but I would guess not as scruffy as you will find for a Paris 2*. The room was fine, and the people very nice and helpful.

The weak US dollar isn't helping you. Like swimming upstream. (Actually it just got better by a penny last night! Might help you.).

And of course it isn't personal, just like buying beer in a ballpark - pure economics.

Romelle