Priceline Hotel: 4* London (Kensington-Earls Court) NH Kensington

[RZzz]

Hi, I'll be in London for 2 weeks, 08-21 May 2011. I had bid from $85 up to $130 in central zones (Westminster, Mayfair-Soho, Bloomsbury-Marble Arch) with no luck, based on previous winning bids on this forum I split up my stay into two weeks, successfully got 08-15 May for $120 at the Crowne Plaza St James (already posted this priceline winning bid), now I'm having trouble getting a successful bid for 15-21 May (Sunday to Saturday), any additional bidding advice would be welcome. Here's what I've done so far:

4*, Westminster $125 (same as successful 4* bid by another user for this same week for the Crowne Plaza)

4*, added Mayfair/Soho, $130 - rejected

4*, added Hammersmith (free re-bid zone), $135 - rejected

4*, added Wembley (free re-bid zone), $140 - rejected

seeing that another user had a successful 5* bid for the end of this week at the Marriott County Hall (Westminster) for $155, I tried bidding on 5* hotels

5*, Westminster, $155 - rejected

5*, added Hammersmith (free re-bid zone), $160 - rejected

5*, added The City-London Bridge (free re-bid zone), $165 - rejected

5*, added Mayfair-Soho, $170, rejected

5*, added Notting Hill - Bayswater (free re-bid zone), $170 - rejected

5*, added Bloomsbury - Marble Arch, $175 - rejected

5*, added Wembley (free re-bid zone), $180 - rejected

then I thought perhaps the last Friday night was giving my bid grief, so I dropped the last day (bid now from Sun 15 May to Fri 20 May)

5*, $180 - rejected

So, I'm up to $140 for 4* bids, and $180 for 5* bids, still no success, with other users in the same week having successful $125 and $155 bids.

Any advice on how to proceed further? Is my relatively long stay (5 or 6 nights) possibly why I'm getting no successful bids? Should I be using available Hotwire deals as a harbinger for availability and price range with Priceline hotels for that week?

Thanks,

RZzz

[thereuare]

Would the Notting Hill-Bayswater zone work at all for your plans? HOTWIRE has what i'm guessing to be the Shaftsbury Hyde Park available for your nites for ~$125/nite.

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

[RZzz]

Would the Notting Hill-Bayswater zone work at all for your plans? HOTWIRE has what i'm guessing to be the Shaftsbury Hyde Park available for your nites for ~$125/nite.

Would this be the Shaftesbury Hyde Park International? (there's a number of "Shaftesbury Hyde Park" hotels according to booking.com). It is a bit out of the way, I was hoping for a more central location with only one tube transfer to Russell Square for work each day, but I also wanted a locale closer to the tourist sites in the evenings. I'm trying another 5* bidding process including London-Regents Park to get the Landmark, I'll return to a 4* bid when that's exhausted, and maybe re-try 4* bids tomorrow (when 24 hrs are up) up to $160 in the central locales (Westminster, Mayfair, Bloomsbury), before seeking consolation with the Shaftesbury via Hotwire.

Thanks for the suggestion,

RZzz

[thereuare]

Yes, i was referencing the Shaftesbury Hyde Park International.

I hope you're successful but my guess is that a 5* is a bit out of your budget and a 4* is likely going to run you about $165-$185.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[RZzz]

Hotwire search for 4* Kensington - Earl's Court 15-21 May 2011 produced $143 - fitness, restaurant, business centre, internet, with "We are still gathering reviews for this property" So, this could be the Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn Kensington or Hilton Olympia.

I just checked at Hotels.com and Expedia.com, they are both offering the Hilton Olympia for $158 for the 15-21 May time period.

The Crowne Plaza is $146/night for the same period at Expedia.ca, $150/night at Hotels.com.

The Holiday Inn Kensington Forum is being offered for $195/night at Hotels.com, $189/night at Expedia.com.

Any chance the HI might be the Hotwire hotel given it is the only hotel where Hotwire offers a cheaper price versus Hotels.com and Expedia.com? In my (limited) previous experience, Hotwire always offered 25-30+% better prices than Expedia, hotels or booking.

Any idea if this line of logic is reasonable and correct?

[thereuare]

Unfortunately retail price vs. HOTWIRE price is usually not a reliable indicator to gain insight as to which possibility is more likely then another.

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

[RZzz]

5* London unsuccessful bid 15-21 May 2011

Westminster, Mayfair-Soho, Regents Park-North London

Spurred on by another user's $160 win at the 5* Marriott County Hall, I gave my own 5* search another shot.

Bids were unsuccessful:

15 May - 21 May 2011

$160 - Westminster

$170 - added Mayfair-Soho

$180 - added Regents Park-North London

$190 - added Bloomsbury-Marble Arch (free re-bid zone, if no longer has 5* according to hotel list)

$200 - added Hammersmith (free re-bid zone)

$210 - added Kensington-Earl's Court (apparent re-bid zone for 5*, as 5* no longer popping up when this zone alone is picked)

$220 - added The City-London Bridge (free re-bid zone)

- stopped there, I decided on a limit of $220 for 5*, and I don't want the Wyndham Grand Chelsea Harbour or the Marriott West India Quay.

I'm thinking it is the length of the stay that isn't doing me any good, but I don't want to split the week up as possibly changing hotels and checking out mid-week and taking all my stuff with me to my work-related stuff for the day would be a pain.

Good luck to fellow travellers trying to bid for 5* in London!

[thereuare]

Please keep all posts for this stay in this thread.

While there is still plenty of time between now and May, do you have a back-up plan?

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

[RZzz]

While there is still plenty of time between now and May, do you have a back-up plan?

I split up my 2nd week in London, sought a hotel just for the Sunday night, and I got a 4* for May 15 2011 (this bid history posted on forum elsewhere).

4* London (Westminster) - Hesperia London Victoria

bid history:

$100 - Westminster

$110 - Hammersmith (free re-bid zone)

$120 - Wembley (free re-bid zone)

$130 - Mayfair-Soho - accepted at Hesperia London Victoria

I have attempted shorter 5* bids (Mon 16 May to Fri 20 May 2011) for central zones, unsuccessful so far:

$140 - Westminster

$150 - added Mayfair/Soho

$160 - added Wembley (free rebid zone)

$170 - added Regents Park - North London

I tried 4* bids for 16-21 May in Mayfair-Soho.

$100 - Mayfair-Soho

$110 - Hammersmith (free rebid zone)

$120 - Wembley (free rebid zone)

$120 - reduced time period to 16-20 May.

Unsuccessful.

I'm now leery of bidding higher for Mayfair-Soho or Westminster, as I don't want to get the Hesperia London Victoria again - is it in Westminster or in Mayfair-Soho? The Priceline map has it in Westminster, but other bids posted in the forum and the Priceline hotel list have it as Mayfair-Soho.

I'm holding off on trying 4* bids for a shorter 16-20 May time period for the Westminster and Mayfair-Soho areas, if anyone can clarify if the Hesperia London Victoria is Priceline's Mayfair-Soho area or Westminster area, I'd appreciate it.

RZzz

[Romelle]

if anyone can clarify if the is Priceline's Mayfair-Soho area or Westminster area, I'd appreciate it.

RZzz

If you can use the street address to pinpoint the hotel on a map, then you can zoom in on the Priceline individual zone maps and usually tell a hotel's zone. Not a wasted time exercise, as it could help you with your orientation when you arrive. And one usually spots some additional interesting details like the nearest Underground station.

I do see the two earlier winning posts - each using a different PL zone. If one can trust post detail, the one poster was only using Westminster and Wembley when he/she won. That implies Westminster, but doesn't guarantee it. And the zone lines do change from time to time.

Romelle

[thereuare]

If you enter "Hesperia London" into the QUICK SEARCH box in the blue banner at the top of the board, you'll see that this property was reported as being in the Mayfair-Soho zone ni April of last year... since then the zone boundaries have changed and the two reported wins (one of which is your own) have been in the Westminster zone.

If you want to confirm, take a look at your winning PRICELINE bid confirmation page (accessible by going to PRICELINE and clicking the MY PROFILE >> MY TRIPS link at the top right of their home page)... what does it say below the hotel name but above the hotel address?

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

[RZzz]

Hi, yup, the Hesperia London Victoria is in Westminster.

I'm taking a break for a few days before I return to trying to bid for 4* hotels in Westminster and Mayfair-Soho.

RZzz

[thereuare]

...I don't want to get the Hesperia London Victoria again...

...return to trying to bid for 4* hotels in Westminster and Mayfair-Soho.

If you're bidding both zones how will you avoid the Hesperia London Victoria??

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[RZzz]

If you're bidding both zones how will you avoid the Hesperia London Victoria??

Based on other bids posted:

- cheapest winning bid for Hesperia is $120. I've already bid at $120 for Westminster and not received the Hesperia.

- other winning bids for 4* Westminster have ranged from $98 to $120 for the PP Riverbank, PP Victoria, PP County Hall, Crowne Plaza St James

So for now I'll start low ($90) to aim for The Grand at Trafalgar Square in Mayfair-Soho (given past successful bids at this price range), and then include Westminster in bids from $100 to $120 (adding the two free re-bid zones for my $110 and $120 bids).

RZzz

[RZzz]

bidding history:

$120 - Kensington-Earls Court - rejected

$130 - added Hammersmith (free re-bid zone) - rejected - closed browser

$140 - Kensington-Earls Court & Wembley (not a 4* zone) - rejected

$150 - added Hammersmith (free re-bid zone) - accepted

[this bidding strategy for 4* is laid out in another thread, came in very handy as I could get in 3 re-bids at 4* instead of 2 re-bids]

$150 for 5 nights = $750 USD

Taxes and Fees: $165.40 USD

Total: $915.40 USD

A bit farther west in Kensington than I was hoping, but its near the Tube line I need and the TA rating is 81% so it should be good, and the neighbourhood is very lovely to walk around in the evening.

(I'm also copying this post to my other thread about 4*/5* bidding advice)

RZzz

[RZzz]

Hi,

I expanded my search to include Kensington area bids, for which I was successful for the 16-21 May period of my London stay.

bidding history:

$120 - Kensington-Earls Court - rejected

$130 - added Hammersmith (free re-bid zone) - rejected - closed browser

$140 - Kensington-Earls Court & Wembley (not a 4* zone) - rejected

$150 - added Hammersmith (free re-bid zone) - accepted

[this bidding strategy for 4* is laid out in another thread, came in very handy as I could get in 3 re-bids at 4* instead of 2 re-bids]

$150 for 5 nights = $750 USD

Taxes and Fees: $165.40 USD

Total: $915.40 USD

A bit farther west in Kensington than I was hoping, but its near the Tube line I need and the TA rating is 81% so it should be good, and the neighbourhood is very lovely to walk around in the evening.

RZzz

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Very nice deal for this property, and glad to hear that it will work out okay for your travel plans.

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.