Hotwire Hotel: 4* DC (Dupont Circle-Embassy Row) Hilton Washington and Towers

[falcons1]

hello!

We are doing a road trip chicago-pittsburgh-DC-NY-buffalo-chicago during the july 4th week and stopping in DC on July 3rd.

We have 3 kids 4 adults and will be driving around DC to check out the top attractions - WH;Memorials;Capitol; etc.

What would be the best location or locations to bid for priceline hotel? Would it be diffcult to drive around to locations on 3rd and 4th if we bid on hotels outside of the white house area for affordability? We need 2 rooms at 3* level? If it affects the time, we want to stay closer as we have only 3rd evening and all day 4th to check out.

on a side note, is there a good firworks show in DC for the 4th? is it convenient or a lot of crowd? not sure what else i should put to get some input.

Thanks for the help.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

For starters...

We have 3 kids 4 adults and will be driving around DC to check out the top attractions... We need 2 rooms at 3* level?

Note that PRICELINE only guarantees double occupancy, after that it's at the discretion of the hotel, and you could receive a room with only one bed. While you can call the hotel you win and request a room with two beds, the hotel may not be able, or willing, to honor your request. Is this a risk you're willing to accept?

If not, HOTWIRE may still be an option as they allow you to search for up to quad occupancy and ensure sleeping accommodations for everyone you include in your search (although this usually means two beds, the second 'bed' could be a sofabed, rollaway, etc)

What is your expected budget for this nite?

Based upon the above let us know your thoughts and we'll take it from there.

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

[falcons1]

Good point on the # of beds risk with priceline. We should be ok however it goes.

I am expecting to spend $100 per room per night including priceline taxes/fees. I will also check hotwire but it goes back to my question on location.

What would be ideal priceline or hotwire locations in DC to allow us to minimze time driving around.

[thereuare]

Assuming still within your budget, are you willing to pay more for a 4* hotel vs. a 3.5* hotel vs. a 3* property OR is your goal the least expensive 3* or better for this stay?

The most frequently bid zones on PRICELINE are the 'White House-Downtown' and 'Convention Center-Capitol Hill' zones, but 'Dupont Circle-Woodley Park' is a close third, although this last zone is slightly more to the north but still generally considered convenient and easy to get around for the most part.

Let us know if all thread zones are acceptable, or which zone(s) you'd like to include in your bidding, and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. (and please click this PRICELINE link before replying)

[crito]

Hi falcons, just thought I'd add a little info.

>What would be the best location or locations to bid for priceline hotel?

>Would it be diffcult to drive around to locations on 3rd and 4th if we bid

> on hotels outside of the white house area for affordability?

I urge you *not* to drive around that day. The traffic will be awful, and you won't be able to park on the street.

In the WH or Cap zones you could walk a lot of places -- you will mainly want to be around the Mall, for sure. The memorials -- Lincoln, FDR, Vietnam are my favorites -- are excellent. Especially with the kids, you'll want to duck into one of the museums on the Mall to get out of the DC heat and humidity -- don't miss the Air and Space Museum. (They're all free.)

The Dupont Circle area is also good, and it's a very pleasant and quick trip on the Metro. For that matter, you could stay in Alexandria to save some money and take the Metro in each day.

> on a side note, is there a good firworks show in DC for the 4th?

Yes, spectacular.

> is it convenient or a lot of crowd?

Both :)

There will be maybe a hundred thousand people out to watch the show, but the city does know how to handle it and it's really not a big hassle. (But definitely do not drive to that!)

[falcons1]

Looks you have seen people like me asking the same questions repeatedly!

you are correct. I would prefer 3* which is close and the least expensive. based on the feedback so far, looks it is critical that i stay close to where we plan to tour. Ultimately, price does not matter if it gets us a more memorable experience.

[falcons1]

> on a side note, is there a good firworks show in DC for the 4th?

Yes, spectacular.

Thanks Crito for the info. Very valuable for us as we are yet to figure out what we will check out with the limited time. i did check a lot of web sites to understand the most popular spots and what is appropriate for us, but it gets overwhelming after a point.

Is the fireworks show also in the Mall area? what i mean is if we stayed in the WH;CAP;Dupont areas, would it be easy to check out the fireworks?

[crito]

Yes, the fireworks are best viewed from the Mall. It would be very easy to get there from WH or CAP areas -- you could walk. From Dupont Circle (or the Virginia burbs -- Alexandria or Crystal City) you would want to take the Metro, but again this is a very easy, comfortable way to get around.

On the 4th there is a folk festival on the Mall as well. With only one day, you might want to just stay in that area, with all the museums and monuments and memorials. Of course, the National Zoo is also excellent for kids (and also free); that's in the Dupont Circle area, but again very easily accessible by the Metro.

One other thing -- it's going to be expensive to park your car at the hotel; I say this only so you won't get a nasty surprise. I don't think there's any alternative, though.

[thereuare]

I would prefer 3* which is close and the least expensive... Ultimately, price does not matter if it gets us a more memorable experience.

This is a little contradictory since (at least in theory) a higher rated hotel should provide a nicer and more memorable experience.

To give some actual examples, on HOTWIRE there is a 4* hotel (it happens to be the least expensive of any 3* or higher rated hotel offered for your dates) for $88/nite in the White House-Capitol Hill zone with Restaurant, Fitness, Internet, Business Spa icons... you could go for this 4* (which i'm guessing is the Hilton Capital Hill although there are a few inconsistencies which cause me to doubt this guess... but even if not the hotel hotel receives good reviews from previous HOTWIRE guests with 90% recommending and 4.5/5.0 ratings across the board for all the criteria HOTWIRE asks about)... OR you could try bidding on PRICELINE for a lower price... but then you're subject to any hotel in the zone(s) you select. As well, you then also need to decide if you want to bid on PRICELINE at the 4* minimum level OR if you want to bid the 3.5* or 3* levels.

Let us know your thoughts and we'll take it from there.

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

[falcons1]

sounds good. what i meant by memorable was by staying close to the Mall and thus avoiding the back and forth which also implies that i have to pay more.

based on your input and that we will stick to touring only the Mall area tourist spots + the fire works on the night of the 4th, looks like i should stay in WH or CAP areas only? So i would be happy to stay in a 2.5* or 3* hotel in these areas. we are travelling with 3 kids (2 years old to 8 year old).

I will start bidding once i get a final strategy recommendation!

[falcons1]

i will plan on definitely staying in the WH/CAP area to make it easy all the way (3 small kids). Appreciate your valuble input.

I do not find the $88 hotwire hotel in the white house/cap hill zone for 7/3. i only see a price for $128 for a 3.5*!

Did the price go up or did i miss something?

[Doubleplay]

If you get a hotel in the city, consider parking your car at Reagan Airport in the long term lot and taking the subway from there into town. That will save you some money.

There are also some surface lots near the convention center (New York Ave and the 4th, 5th, 6th street areas that are inexpensive). However, not the best neighborhood.

[thereuare]

I do not find the $88 hotwire hotel in the white house/cap hill zone for 7/3. i only see a price for $128 for a 3.5*!

Are you searching for 2rooms/4adults/0children... above you stated you were willing to take the risk of booking for double occupancy and 'should be ok however it goes'.

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

[falcons1]

since it was hotwire, i put 4 adults, 3 kids as that will find the appropriate hotels/rooms. I was ok in taking the risk of receiving 1bed/2beds with priceline.

i will try with 2 adults per room on hotwire. Also, if i say 2 adults per room and than showup with kids, will the hotel not have a problem or charge me more?

[thereuare]

HOTWIRE guarantees sleeping accommodations for everyone you include in your search. If you only search for 2rooms/4adults then all that is guaranteed is double occupancy per room... same risk that you're taking when using PRICELINE. Any occupancy/guests more than that is that the discretion of the hotel and their own policies... as per my original comments in post #2 above.

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

[falcons1]

Understood. Were you going to suggest a recommendation for priceline bidding?

[falcons1]

I found the $88.00 HOTWIRE hotel with 2 adults per room. Now, with HOTWIRE available at $88, should i be able to get something cheaper on PRICELINE? How much can i improve on the curret $88 if i bid via PRICELINE?

Also, when i book 2 rooms, i can use my name for both. correct?

Would the hotel charge more at time of check-in if we booked for 2 per room and show up as more members per room?

[thereuare]

with HOTWIRE available at $88, should i be able to get something cheaper on PRICELINE? How much can i improve on the curret $88 if i bid via PRICELINE?

Possibly... if this is the Capital Hilton this property is currently only 3* rated by PRICELINE, so wouldn't be in the potential universe of hotels if you were bidding 4* (or 3.5* for that matter). You could try these levels first if you choose to do so, but if/when you lower your star rating and get to the 3* level, keep in mind that you may win a different hotel... one which may have better, or worse, reviews then the Hilton.

Also, when i book 2 rooms, i can use my name for both. correct?

Yes.

Would the hotel charge more at time of check-in if we booked for 2 per room and show up as more members per room?

They could depending upon hotel policy, and although very rare, in an extreme situation could even deny you a room (or force you to buy additional rooms)

Let us know how you'd like to proceed.

[falcons1]

Please recommend a strategy for PRICELINE bidding in the WH;CAP zone. Will go with it until i win as i would like to stay within the area if possible.

[thereuare]

What star rating and maximum bid?

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

[falcons1]

What star rating and maximum bid?

Anything 3* or higher is good and can go upto $100/room/night with priceline charges.

[thereuare]

When bidding 3* in Washington DC you have ONE 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 3* White House...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $70, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* Convention Center...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $70, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* White House and Convention Center...

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

Bid $80

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[falcons1]

started at $65 and went all the way to $85 without any luck.

Before i went any further, i checked HOTWIRE again.

with 4 adults: i see a 4* in White House area for $88.00

With 3 adults/3 kids: i see a 4* in dupont area for $87.00 and in the white house area for $106

Any idea on the above hotels?

Most important question now is - as we are driving into DC, we plan to check out on the 4th morning but still plan to in the Mall area all the way up to the fireworks show. Hearing that parking is difficult in the WH area, would parking be easier in the Dupont area? would parking be available outside the hotel after we check out (paid parking etc) in either of the areas? Would it be easy to get out of the area right after the fireworks?

if i wanted to avoid the traffic right after the fireworks, should i stay completely out of the WH/Dupont area? if i do is it easy to get a cab to go back to where we parked outside the area? Sorry for the questions, but with kids i am looking for what will work best with logistics.

Thank you

[crito]

I am answering with some hesitance, since I don't feel I'm quite expert enough to give you a really good answer. Maybe a local will chime in. (I have relatives who live in DC and I've been a few times for the 4th.)

I'll let someone else try to id your HOTWIRE hotels, but you should list the Amenities shown on HOTWIRE, to give the experts a better shot.

Parking will probably be somewhat easier in the Dupont area than in the Mall area on the 4th of July. Driving out of the Mall area after the fireworks is going to be a real drag. Driving out of the Dupont area would not be as bad.

If it were me, I would take the Metro out of the Mall area after the fireworks, not a cab. Even with kids. But I suppose that's partly a matter of taste.

I would also consider staying in Crystal City. You avoid the traffic completely, you're still an easy Metro ride away from the Mall etc., and the hotels will be cheaper.

[thereuare]

A taxi won't solve your traffic issues since you'll still be sitting in the same traffic as if you were driving yourself... but you'll have the added (dis)pleasure of watching the meter climb as you move nowhere. Take the metro as it will likely be the easiest and traffic will be a little lighter as you get away from the 'center'.

If you'd like help with the HOTWIRE hotels let us know the amenities associated with each.

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