Priceline Hotel: 4* in Boston for 5/18-5/21

[Steve-1980]

Hello,

My first time posting, but have read the threads and used the links in the past. Very helpful forum!

I'm looking for a room in Boston, checking in on 5/18 and checking out on 5/21 (so, Wed thru Fri nights).

Seems as if there is a 'perfect storm' around that time between graduations, sports, and tourism. Room rates are much higher than I have seen before.

I'd like to find a 4* for $200 or under for those three nights in Boston proper, ie Boston Harbor Front -Aquarium, Copely Square - Theater District (this include Back Bay, right?), and Quincy Market - Faneuil Hall - Financial.

Is this going to be impossible? I could try up to $230 or $250, but would be great to find at $200 or under. Another thought I had was to try for one room for the first two nights and another for the third. When I search regular priceline or Hotels.com, it seems that more options are available when I search for just those first two nights than searching for all three.

Yesterday I tried bidding, from $120 up to $170, by adding in areas to the search that do not have 4* listings, but nothing was accepted and not even any counter offers.

Can anyone suggest some strategies?

Thank you very much for any help !!!

PS Edit to add: Won a bid back in February for a room at the Back Bay Hotel for $90. Which explains some of my shock at current room rates.

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

Sharing prior wins would be greatly appreciated, and can help others.

The first night is better, but I think my concern is that (using HOTWIRE as an indicator), there's little availability overall in the area (and what availability there is is extremely expensive), so while you can split your stay, I think the level of prices on the second and third night are high to the point where the overall average will likely still push over $200, and that is dependent on PRICELINE inventory. There is a 4* in Cambridge for $207 for 5/19-21; would Cambridge be an acceptable alternative for the latter dates?

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

[Steve-1980]

Thank you for the insights.

Cambridge might be acceptable. Will need to consider that. Any idea which hotel in Cambridge it might be? Location in terms of daytime/evening activity options may be a concern.

I was looking at Hotwire. I noticed that if I tried for Just the Wednesday and Thursday nights I could find a ~$200/night in Back Bay - Copley and a $266 per night in Boston Common - Theater District.

Using Hotwire to look for all thre nights gives the lowest at ~$360 in the originally listed areas.

So, it may be impossible to find <$250 per night through Priceline bidding when trying for all three nights? I'm wondering if I should go for the first two nights -now-, either through Priceline or Hotwire, and then try for the third night closer to the date and possibly settle for a lower star rating for that night?

[scottlevin]

You could look at lastminutetravel.com too. For this booking, I would assume that any hotels listed there that are "On Request" are unavailable.

[thereuare]

Any idea which hotel in Cambridge it might be?

What are the amenities HOTWIRE associates with this property?

I'm wondering if I should go for the first two nights -now-, either through Priceline or Hotwire, and then try for the third night closer to the date and possibly settle for a lower star rating for that night?

Whether you SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID OR look towards staying outside of the 'city proper' really depends upon your needs and budget for this trip, how much you mind/don't mind mass transit, and/or changing hotels mid-stay.

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