superal Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 Started out with 3.5* in Capital Hill/Convention Center area at $120.Rejected. Added Downtown/White House and stayed at $120. Rejected.Changed to 3*, kept the 2 zones, and changed bid to $115. Rejected.will try again later. (too nervouse to add zones w/o 3*) Link to comment
thereuare Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 Welcome to BetterBidding!Rates are high for these dates and ~$120 may be tough for a 3.5* or better... what is the best deal you're able to find at an acceptable hotel thru conventional booking channels?Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
superal Posted March 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 PRICELINE had some 3* hotels starting at about $250. I did notice that the HOTWIRE prices for these dates seemed higher than other dates. I was hoping to find something for $150 max in those areas (3* or better). Link to comment
thereuare Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 But you're not bidding 3* (and apparently apprehensive to do so)... what is the best rate you're able to find for the star rating you've been bidding, 3.5* or higher?Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
superal Posted March 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 No, I am bidding 3*. I started out with 3.5* but then changed it to 3* and lowered my bid to $115. My apprehension is adding zones. Link to comment
thereuare Posted March 29, 2011 Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 Sorry, i misread your first post...Based upon current prices (which are very high) I think you're going to need to bid higher, maybe something at the $150 level might be accepted at the 3*, but would the Dupont Circle-Woodley Park zone be acceptable as well?Also, are you familiar with re-bidding and how to determine your re-bid zones? You do have ONE bonafide re-bid zone when bidding 3* in this area. See Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board.Let us know the above (re: Dupont Circle and/or your re-bid zone and we'll advise accordingly)Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
superal Posted March 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 Been trying all kinds of combinations--and I got brave and did the re-bid by adding Mt Vernon. Wasn't successful with $140 for 3* and latest rejected bid for 3.5* was $175. Something is definitely going on those days for the prices to be so high. I saw another poster got a 4* for $140 one day after I plan to leave. Will go back and try 3* at $150.I need to think about the Dupont Circle area. Do you think that area will still be in the $150 range for a 3*?thanks for the help. And I have definitely been using your PRICELINE link! Link to comment
thereuare Posted March 29, 2011 Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 I need to think about the Dupont Circle area. Do you think that area will still be in the $150 range for a 3*?Yes, but the key word being range... perhaps a little more / perhaps a little less.Let us know once you decide if this zone is also acceptable, and just how high you're willing to bid, and we'll take it from there.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
cheapdigs Posted March 29, 2011 Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 Just a thought - you can be to L'enfant Plaza or Metro Center Metro stops (i.e. pretty much the heart of DC - check Google Maps) in 10-20 minutes from Crystal City Metro station. Crystal City rates for those dates are high as well, but some of the "typical" Priceline 3.5* hotels (check posts for Crystal City to see what they are) still have availability (some of the Hyatt rooms have a rack rate of ~175-225 for those dates). A couple of those hotels are right next to the Metro, but even if you get a hotel that's a little farther than you feel like walking, if you can save maybe $100 nightly on the hotel, you could easily afford cab fare to the Metro station (some of those hotels supposedly even have shuttle service to the station). Good luck! Link to comment
superal Posted March 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 OK Cheapdigs, you got me thinking. I'll try Dupont Circle, 3* for up to $175 and then I'll try Crystal City. Any advice on what to bid for a 3* and a 3.5* in Crystal City? If I am unsuccesssful with Dupont Circle at $175, can I rebid right then for Crystal City? Will I need to close my browser?thanks for all the help and the PRICELINE link! Link to comment
cheapdigs Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 If it were me and I had time for re-bidding, since I know that at least the Hyatt has availability and they have sold Priceline rooms in the past (with 686 rooms, they have a lot of beds to fill!) - I would start with a low-ball bid for 3.5* in Crystal City, probably $70-80 (if it were me I'd try 70 - I like to get rooms cheap!) and go higher bit by bit, but a more realistic bid might end up being 100-130, if they even bite. Arlington also has some nice hotels that sell Priceline rooms - I haven't checked availability, but it might be worth looking into (it seems like when I've looked into some of those hotels - they are a bit far from the nearest Metro [like up to a mile away], but then, the Hyatt Arlington is right on top of the Rosslyn station, so you might get really lucky!).And, yes, if you have an unsuccessful bid with Dupont Circle, you can add Crystal City, even lower your bid if you want (I would!), and re-bid right away without closing your browser - Priceline will prompt you and ask if you want to change something in your formula - you can re-bid right away if you either add another acceptable zone or add another (lower) star level. If you are unable to change either of those factors, i.e. you are set on a particular zone(s) and star level, then you have to wait 24 hours before re-bidding. Especially in a city like DC that has such a wonderful Metro - it can really pay to be flexible and consider zones that aren't right in the heart of the tourist meccas. A couple of summers ago we were hoping to be right down by the Mall, but ended up getting the Marriott Wardman Park (Dupont Circle - Woodley Park zone; 3.5 or 4*) for $80 or $85 and we were only a couple of blocks from the Zoo and literally right on top of a Metro station which got us down to the Mall in maybe 10 minutes (you can check schedules and figure travel times on the Metro website). You can search for successful bids in a particular zone by using the "Search" field at the bottom of the "Pricline - Washington DC" forum (just put in the zone name) - sometimes that makes the research a little easier.I hope some of this helps - I'm no expert, but I do love to get cheap (but nice!) rooms on Priceline, and I'm getting pretty good at it! Have fun in DC (btw - you should absolutely not miss the Newseum when you're there!!! look it up - it's fantastic!)! Link to comment
thereuare Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 I'm assuming that at the 3* level, besides Dupont Circle, Convention Center-Capitol Hill and Downtown-White House are still acceptable too? If so, using your ONE re-bid zone i would bid as follows:Select 3* Convention Center...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $140, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Downtown-White House...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $140, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Dupont Circle...Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $140, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Convention Center and Downtown...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $155, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Dupont Circle and Downtown...Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $155, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 3* Dupont Circle and Convention Center and White House...Bid $160, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $165Any questions feel free to ask. If rejected we'll revise to try once more in 24 hours up to your $175 limit, before adding other zones.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Good luck and let us know how it goes. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
superal Posted March 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 Thanks again for the advice. I tried Crystal City and did a lot of rebidding by adding zones that I knew would be out of my price range for the bid!Here's what I bid:Crystal City, 3.5*, $75 rejectedAdded Capital Hill/Convention Center, $80 rejectedAdded White House, $90 rejectedAdded Dupont Circle, $100 rejectedAdded Mt. Vernon (no 3.5* stars in this zone), $110 rejectedAdded Georgetown, $120, rejectedStopping here for now. May go up to $150 for 3.5* or might start over with only 3*--gotta look into that difference more.Thanks for the tip about the Newseum--I hadn't even thought of that but just yesterday someone else mentioned it to me as a must see! Link to comment
thereuare Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 At the moment rates are higher then usual for your dates... and it will therefore take a higher then usual bid to win. You can certainly continue to lowball, but keep in mind that rates could move even higher, and a rate accepted today might not be enough in the weeks ahead (of course rates could go lower as well, but you have to respect the fact that they're higher then usual at the moment)Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
superal Posted April 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2011 I didn't think I was low balling it--I had changed to Crystal City and expected the rooms to go for less. I kept adding downtown zones so that I could keep re-bidding in Crystal City. I think I got up to $155 for a 3.5* in Crystal City, that was rejected. Went to 3*, in Crystal City but when it got to $100, decided to go back to the more central zones and ended up at the 3* Holiday Inn Central for $175. Not too excited about it but I'm sure it will suit our needs. Bummer that the prices were so high during these days.thanks for all your help. I love this site and always use the PRICELINE links! Link to comment
thereuare Posted April 1, 2011 Report Share Posted April 1, 2011 Congratulations on your success!While a bit more then you originally set out to spend, as you've found, rates are extremely high for these dates. Since your paying up for this stay, i'm glad to see that you at least got a central location, as it doesn't appear the savings of going to the outskirts of the city would be worth the trade-off in convenience.Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding.Enjoy your stay. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
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