Priceline Hotel: Looking HARD for a Hotel 5/14 to 5/16

[Chuck W.]

I have been using Better Bidding for the past two months in an attempt to buy a room for Saturday, May 14 to Monday, May 16. My wife and daughter are going there for their yearly Bay to Breakers run. I have never had trouble booking a 4* through Priceline for under $100. I just finished my bidding. I went up to four zones and from 4* down to 3*. I maxed out at $200 on a 4*. Nothing. My usual hotels are booked up. I have check Hotwire and both weekends before and after May 14 shows some great deals. My weekend doesn't. Any idea what is up? TIA

[AaronJB]

Sorry to hear that your bids haven't been accepted. :)

I don't know the details of the run, but if a lot of people are coming in for it that could be part of the high rates (marathons generally create higher rates) or there may be a convention in addition. Which zones would be acceptable?

What would be your desired max budget per night?

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

[thereuare]

This is a big run and draw for the area, as evidenced by your "usual hotels are booked up".

What is the best rate you're able to find thru conventional booking channels?

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

[Gallus50]

LastMinuteTravel.com has quite a few listings, but many of them are "On Request". Some of the hotels that are listed are the Warwick, Clift, Courtyard by Marriott SOMA, and so on. Very identifiable through Beav's post under RunOfHouse.

Prices are almost all under $200, so I would investigate this. Best to get on it and make the requests, because from what I understand, they will often take a full 24 hours to get back to you.

Let us know what turns up.

[Chuck W.]

Thanks for the replies. I am spoiled as far as price and hotels. The last three years I have gotten them a four star for under $100. Using the PRICELINE link on this board I am now up to $200 on a four star, $136 for a three and a half star and $105 for a 3 star in four areas. The best three star on Hotwire (through the link on this forum) is almost $200.

I tried last minute travel and put a request in on a hotel. After 2 days I called them and they said there were no rooms left. They never emailed me back. Between them, Hotwire and Priceline and this great forum, I will find a room for them.

[thereuare]

Keep us udpated 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.

Good luck!

[Gallus50]

I looked at LMT again. If you book something that is AVAILABLE - not just ON REQUEST - I think your reservation goes through immediately.

If things are that tight - and they do appear to be so - there is one listing that might work. There is a 3.5* Union Square/Downtown listing which I have ID'ed as the Warwick. Regular rooms are not available, but they do have suites for $193.64. The Warwick is centrally located and seems to get good reviews.

This may be one of the few times that you don't get an amazing deal. It's happened to me in SF before, but only once. So it all balances out. Things are so tight, you might want to book something soon or risk getting shut out. Good luck.

[Chuck W.]

What do you think? The Warwick for $194 or the Holiday Inn for $105? They are in the same area and offered on LMT. Or, the Monaco on HOTWIRE for $285. Not a great savings off of their normal rate. Although they do show as being sold out that weekend. The hunt.......

[Gallus50]

If the Holiday Inn is the Golden Gateway, it is a reasonably nice hotel, but depending on where the race ends, it might be a good bit farther away. It's at the corner of California and Van Ness.

Ordinarily, one could take the cable car straight up California, but I heard they were working on it and it isn't running. Maybe Colfax or someone else will know.

GG has some nice views, a decent pool and it's right across the street from Whole Foods. Warwick is more central and maybe a bit more posh. I'd read some reviews and then decide. It's good to have some options though, isn't it?

Don't you love being able to ID hotels on a supposedly opaque service?

[Derek S]

I say keep trying PRICELINE. As we get closer to the marathon hotels might start opening up empty rooms. If you don't feel like chancing it, I recommend the Larkspur Union Square. We've stayed a few times and although the rooms are a little small the hotel really is amazing. I would choose this over a regular 4* any day. I just looked and they have rooms available under 140.00. Hope it helps, and good luck!!

[Chuck W.]

Thanks Derek. I wish you had posted this a tad earlier. I booked a suite through LMT at the Warwick for $194 last night. I wasn't willing to push it. I checked several hotels for that weekend and they are sold out. Hotwire shows good deals on the weekends before and after that weekend. In the end, we did OK. And, I booked the last room at the Warwick that LMT had available.

Thanks for all the pointers and postings. Is this a great place or what?

[AaronJB]

Thank you for closing the thread. :)

Enjoy your stay.

[Gallus50]

Hey Chuck - Being as OCD as I am (not really), I checked the LUS on your weekend. The lowest rate I could find was $234 for a traditional room; $211 with AAA discount.

I think maybe there is some confusion in that your post heading says 4/14, but your actual post says May 14th. (That would be 5/14.) Perhaps Derek S. checked for April. At any rate, given the high demand of that weekend, you did well and the suites at the Warwick look very nice.

Sometimes if you wait, you get lucky. But every so often, you get shut out. It's happened to me in SF, so I believe you made a good choice.

Hope your girls appreciate all the work you've done for them!

[Chuck W.]

Gallus50..... You are correct. My bad. May 14 to May 16. I agree with you. I rather pay a tad more now than have my wife and daughter looking at me in May asking where they are going to stay. The Warwick is located exactly where they want to be too. In the end, it is all good. Thanks for all the advice.

[thereuare]

Is this a great place or what?

:)

PS- i've edited the topic title to avoid any confusion for future users

[Derek S]

Ah, you're right. Good catch, I had searched April not May. Best of luck to your wife and daughter!

[jellybeans]

Hi Gallus50, I have a question on Last Minute Travels. When it says "Downtown/Union Square/Nob Hill", Does that cover the same areas as #11 and 12 in PRICELINE? Or would that include Fisherman's Wharf, Financial District, and all other areas close by as well?

Thanks!

[thereuare]

Each company uses their own determination for zone boundaries. Under each offering at LMT is a link 'Map and Directions' which if you click it will show you the boundaries used to define the zone.

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

[Gallus50]

Jellybeans - Because it is so easy to ID on LMT, the exact boundaries of the zone become almost irrelevant. Once you ID the hotel, you can see EXACTLY where it is. If the location doesn't appeal to you, keep looking.

That being said, their Downtown/Union Square/Nob Hill zone does seem to be big and ill defined. That is why I would look at each interesting listing individually.

[jellybeans]

Gallus50, by ID, you mean identify right? How can you identify the hotel in LMT?

Thanks!

[thereuare]

For identifying hotels on LMT see this thread.

For help with that tool please post in the thread above, but if you go that route, don't forget to come back here and conclude this thread.

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

Thanks.