Priceline Hotel: 4* London/Westminster 7/14-7/16

[belgo]

I have been trying for 3 days using the SB/V free rebid, starting at $105. Unfortunately, the first time I bid, I used the computer of the friend I'm traveling with. Although he's a separate person with a different name, address, and credit card, I guess Priceline recognized his computer's IP address and rejected his bid as a "duplicate bid." Does anybody know if this means the Priceline will always view the two of us as the same person (even though we're not)? Is there a way of correcting this misinformation? Does Priceline have a street address one can write to? Thanks! :)

[WillTravel]

As far as I can see, Priceline does not keep a permanent association between the two IDs. Just make sure to wait the 72 hours from the time you got the email for the last unsuccessful bid and rebid again. I wouldn't bother writing Priceline about this. Their street address is on their web site.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Going forward you should be treated as separate indviduals.

If you'd like help with a bidding strategy let us know the zone(s) your bidding and we'll try to help.

[belgo]

I forgot to mention that the region was Soho/Mayfield.

[thereuare]

Was that just for informational purposes or are you looking for a bidding strategy?

[belgo]

It was just an FYI. However, I just won the Sheraton Park Lane for another night, and I'm beginning to wonder about what zone I should be picking. It seems to be one of the least desireable 4*'s in the Soho/Mayfield zone...

[belgo]

I started with $85 then added by $5 by adding on the Soho/Mayfield zone (not strictly a free rebid, but boy would I have been happy to get a place there!) and Southbank. (I'm not sure if the dates come through on the title; they're 7/14 for two nights). The Jolly Hotel St. Ermin's is going for $190 on Expedia for those nights.

I'm wondering which Priceline zone to bid now. The main thing I'm concerned about is being near an Underground station (that, and not getting stuck in an over-rated hotel with lousy rooms). I'm not sure I want to go much about the amount I previously bid for the S/M area because I don't want to end up with the Sheraton for $140. I would consider bidding for a 3* if the 3*'s in the appropriate zones were near Underground stations and were reasonably nice.

It seems from the information I can gather than not much has come up as 3* in the Southbank area other than the Novotel? It seems to be within easy walking distance of the Waterloo station? I know this is a rather nebulous question, but any advice? :)

Thanks!

[belgo]

I forgot to add--I did use the savingsbarn link, of course. :)

[WillTravel]

The Novotel is about a 15-minute walk from Waterloo, and 9 minutes from the Lambeth North tube stop. There are also buses practically outside, and you can walk to the Parliament/Big Ben/Westminster Abbey area. So I think it's a reasonably good location. From my examination of the area, I don't think there are any other 3* hotels in that zone - but of course I could be wrong. The Novotel seems like a modern hotel, and I personally consider that a plus in London.

As you can see from a previous post, I bid 3* in Bloomsbury feeling fairly sure I'd get the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury. There are several other possibilities, though. But for me this is an excellent location - right near the tube, a grocery store, the British Museum and other museums, buses, etc. Based on the reviews, I think we'll get through just fine, although we certainly don't expect a luxury experience. This is a more convenient hotel for us than some 4* possibilities in Kensington.

[belgo]

Thanks for the info! :) . I guess that the Novotel is a little further from the Underground than I'd like. Are most of the 3* in the Mayfair/Soho area fairly decent?

[WillTravel]

No one has ever reported a Priceline 3* in the Mayfair-Soho area, so hard to tell.

[belgo]

The friend I'm traveling tried $100, then $105, then $115, and failed for that, too! :) I guess we may go back to trying Mayfair/Soho again, and not get too disappointed if we get the Sheraton again for our pre-cruise stay. It's probably either that or getting something not through Priceline, like the Kensington Country Inn and Suites, which seems to have some reasonable rooms at reasonable prices in a location reasonably near the Underground...