Priceline Hotel: Looking for any hotel in Downtown Los Angeles

[ercchen]

Hello,

Looking for any hotel (doesn't matter what star) in the downtown Los Angeles region. We are looking to stay near the bus station located at 767 Maple Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90014.

We are getting in pretty late (flight arrives at LAX at 12:20am) and we are looking for a bed/shower so we do not need anything fancy since we are looking to get out of the place by 7am-8am. Obviously the lower the price, the better. Any suggestions please?

[Colfax]

Welcome to BetterBidding, ercchen.

How were you planning to get from LAX to downtown that late? Will you have a rental car?

Any interest in staying at LAX that night, at a hotel with free shuttle? You can probably win a 3.5* or 3* at LAX for less than a cheap hotel Downtown would cost. (And if you have a rental car the downtown hotel will probably charge for parking too.)

But if you want to be downtown let us know and someone will look into it.

Please use these HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links for your purchases.

[ercchen]

We're taking the LAX flyaway bus to union station which is relatively close to downtown from what i hear. Definitely looking to stay downtown just for convenience to the bus the next day. Any help is appreciated!

[Colfax]

Hotwire's least expensive option Downtown is a 3* for $91.

Offand I think you might win a 2* Downtown on Priceline for around $40-50.

Unless you have a very early bus to catch though I'd seriously consider staying overnigt at LAX and taking the flyaway bus to Downtown in the morning.

If your plane doesn't land until 12:20 am it could be 2am when you arrive at Union Station and that's not a safe area late at night. You'll definitely want to take a cab to whatever hotel you win, and some of the 2* hotels downtown aren't in great areas either to be arriving in the middle of the night with luggage.

Knowing all that if you still want to stay Downtown I suggest bidding $40 for a 2*. If rejected wait 24 hours and bid $45. Then wait 24 hours and try $50.

I do not recommend bidding for a 1* in downtown LA.

Please start your bids with this PRICELINE link and let us know how it goes. Or if you decide to stay at the airport someone can offer strategy there.

[ercchen]

thank you for that information about downtown LA. if i were to stay by the airport, what would you suggest we bid for the lowest prices?

[scottlevin]

thank you for that information about downtown LA. if i were to stay by the airport, what would you suggest we bid for the lowest prices?

Careful because the lower star bidding in the Downtown area will maybe put you in the Mid-Wilshire area, not as close to the bus station.

[Colfax]

thank you for that information about downtown LA. if i were to stay by the airport, what would you suggest we bid for the lowest prices?

The lowest priced room will probably be at a PRICELINE 2* or 1* in LAX zone. We hardly see any 2* or 1* bidding in LAX zone but my offhand guess is you might win a 2* or 1* in the $28-$38 range.

But the lowest price room isn't necessarily the best deal. Several 2* hotels in LAX zone have no airport shuttle. If you get the cheapest room and have to spend $10 or $15 on a cab to get there you might have been better off at a higher rated hotel with a free airport shuttle, even if the higher rated room costs a few dollars more.

Ordinarily I'd recommend buying a hotel on HOTWIRE that has an Airport Shuttle icon. Then you KNOW you're getting a shuttle. But your late arrival makes Hotwire iffy too because some hotels stop their shuttle at midnight or 1am. The least expensive HOTWIRE hotel displaying a Shuttle icon in LAX zone is a 3.5* for $72, which I'm pretty sure is more than you want to pay...and you won't know in advance if it's a 24-hour shuttle or not.

So what to do? Because of your late arrival and uncertainty over shuttle status there's no perfect solution. Here are three alternatives:

1) Bid for 2* in LAX zone. If you win a 2* with no shuttle take a cab for $10 or so. (Cost guess: $25-40 for room.)

2) Bid for 2.5* in LAX zone. All the known 2.5* and higher have a shuttle, but the shuttle might not run all night. You still might have to take a cab, but at 2.5* level you have a better chance of getting a free and late running shuttle than if you bid 2*. (Cost guess: $40-50 for room.)

3) Bid for 2.5* in Downtown LA zone. The Miyako's the only known 2.5* downtown and it's just a few blocks from Union Station. (You should still take a cab at night though.) (Cost guess: $45-60 for room.)

Does one of these options appeal to you most? Let us know which one and someone can suggest a strategy.