Priceline Hotel: 4* New Orleans (Downtown) JW Marriott

[boomerboy]

My wife and I are visiting New Orleans from 5/13 - 5/16. I would like a bidding strategy for a nice, safe hotel that is withing reasonable walking distance to the French Quarter and other nearby attractions.

We are looking for something in a nice safe area first. A clean room. A hot tub, maybe even one in room would be nice but not necessary.

I have been using the negotiator on a daily basis recently. I usually book 2 rooms a day in different cities, but I will start using your site and links to do so.

Thanks for providing this useful information.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I would like to stay for 80.00 or less per night, but willing to pay more if need be.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

With PRICELINE there is no way to target where within the zone the hotel you receive will be located. Would a hotel anywhere within the Downtown zone get you close enough to the French Quarter for your needs?

Similarly, you can't target (or avoid) a specific property, so what is the minimum star rating you feel necessary to achieve your goal of a 'safe area and clean room'?

If you feel that PRICELINE is too broad for your needs this trip you may also want to consider HOTWIRE which will cost you a little more than PRICELINE, but gives you the ability to take an educated guess as to the property you may likely receive based upon the amenities shown before your purchase (and this also gives you the ability to take a guess as to the location within the zone)

Let us know your thoughts and/or the info above and we'll take it from there.

Thanks in advance for using the links on the board to begin your future travel purchases (also, note the search box on the top right of the board allows you to use the 'full' html version of the PRICELINE website on your smart phone :) )

[boomerboy]

I have stayed in 3 star rated hotels that I would have rated a 5 star. I think that a 3 and for sure a 4 would do it. I have never used Hotwire, but if paying a little more means a better place, then that is ok.

As long as the target area is a reasonable walk away, then I am ok with that.

I will use the link on my smartphone from now own! I will go ahead and create a Hotwire account.

[AaronJB]

One can use the information that HOTWIRE offers with its listings to try and make an 'educated guess' as to which hotels may be showing. PRICELINE is cheaper, but you have to be willing to accept any hotel within the zone at the star rating you choose (or one level higher, if there is a level above.) If you do see a HOTWIRE listing of interest, please let us know and we would be happy to try and help ID.

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

[thereuare]

Unfortunately rates for your dates are high and the least expensive HOTWIRE offer in either of these zones is $143 for a 4.5* in the Downtown zone (and all lower rated hotels even more expensive then this). With rates this high chances of an $80 PRICELINE bid being accepted doesn't appear very likely.

If you want to give it a try anyway, what do you want to use as your minimum star rating to start? Also, do you find the Downtown area will be 'close enough' to the French Quarter? From Poydras to Canal is only about 10 minutes or so, but from there it depends just how deep into the Quarter you intend to go.

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

Let us know the above and we'll advise accordingly.

[boomerboy]

I think a 3 or 3.5 Minimum. No farther than Bourbon.

[thereuare]

No farther than Bourbon.

Bourbon would be parallel to the direction you'd be walking from Poydras. Please go to MAPSandHOTELS.com and enter '833 Poydras, New Orleans' which is an example of one of the southernmost points of the Downtown zone. Would this be close enough to the French Quarter for your needs?

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

[boomerboy]

That would be about as far as I would like to walk. Is that a safe walk at night, say from there to up around the vodoo musem? Am I being to much of a pain or to paranoid? LOL.

[thereuare]

That would be about as far as I would like to walk.

Well Poydras is the southern edge of the Downtown zone, so it would seem you could walk from any hotel within the shaded boundaries of the Downtown zone.

Is that a safe walk at night, say from there to up around the vodoo musem? Am I being to much of a pain or to paranoid?

You need to be very aware of your surroundings in New Orleans, the same as (if not more so) in other cities which have a 'reputation'. You not only have the local hustlers, but you also have the drunk tourists, both of which can be an unsavory bunch.

I don't think you're being too much of a pain nor paranoid, but based upon current rates i don't know how realistic you're being for this stay... you mention your budget being $80 but at the moment this seems very unlikely, so likely something is going to have to 'give'... either your budget will need to increase or you'll have to be a bit more open to exactly where your hotel will be located (or both)

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[boomerboy]

Well if it has to give it has to give. We are for sure going, so I guess the budget will have to give. Tell me how to proceed, and I might even stay downtown a couple of nights and then move out near the airport on Sunday. Also, I will need to rent a car while there. I see your links for that, so how is best to proceed. Something along the lines of a Corolla or Avalon, not bigger or smaller than those 2.

Thanks for all your help!!

[thereuare]

For which set of dates (including Sunday nite or not) do you want to start with? What do you want to use as your minimum star rating and maximum bid?

Do you intend to make any day trips outside of New Orleans? If not, i would forgo the car as you really don't need it when in New Orleans and hotel parking is expensive.

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

[BEZ]

There's a 3* on Hotwire right now for 68/nt for the 13-16th.

I think the Mississippi flooding news is making people cancel. I've been watching rates closely for weeks because I still need a hotel for 5/21, and availability and rates started getting better a couple of days ago, both on Hotwire and Expedia.

[boomerboy]

We may go out one nite......min bid as low as you think, max out at 150? Is that reasonable? Anyhow, I will need to do this in the next few hours. We will stay in downtown, French Quater at least Fri and Sat nite. I can decide on Sat nite if I am going to stay down here on Sunday or drive around some. Will worry about a car then. Thanks in advance for all your help!!

[thereuare]

So to confirm...

4* in the Downtown or French Quarter for 5/13-5/15 with a maximum bid for $150? HOTWIRE has a 4* Downtown property for $100 at the moment so we'll use that as the maximum bid.

At the 4* level you have FIVE re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 4* French Quarter and Downtown...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $100

Any questions feel free to ask.

If the above is rejected i'd take the 4* HOTWIRE offer in the Downtown zone.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[boomerboy]

Ok listen, I know I asked a lot of questions, but it was well worth it. If no one has told you yet, this might be the best website ever!!!

Accepted 2nd bid of 80.00 per night at the JW Marriot on Canal.

In the words of James Brown, "I feel good!!" Thanks for all your help and you will certainly get my bids coming through this site!!!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you received a great deal at this property and are pleased with the results of this last minute bid... we're happy to have helped (and thanks for your compliments on the site! :) )

Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay.