Priceline Hotel: Any advice on bidding streategy for a long stay?

[Serpico]

Hello, I could use some help on this one...

I am looking for a hotel room (3* and up) for two and a half weeks in DC (Silver Spring or elsewhere) in September. If it is a suite with a kitchenette, this would definitely be better - but it doesn't seem to me that Hotwire and Priceline offer good deals for these properties.

I know DC and environ is expensive - but would Priceline and Hotwire (using site links, of course!) offer better prices if the date is closer? I do remember I once secured the Hilton Silver Spring for around $ 70 through Hotwire, and should I again find something for $100 a night or below, I would be very glad.

Any specific tips you could offer me on how to bid better for either Silver Spring or DC for such a long period in September, would be greatly appreciated!

And thanks for maintaining this excellent site!

Serpico

[AaronJB]

In terms of a property with suites/kitchenettes, you would have to look for a listing on HOTWIRE with a suite and kitchenette icon. Additionally, with a two week+ stay, if you are willing to split your stay between two properties, you may find better deals and/or different hotel options for part of your stay that may not be available for the whole stay.

Are you seeing any HOTWIRE listings of interest when searching for these dates? Are you primarily interested in a hotel w/a suite/kitchenette or would you be okay with a non-suite/kitchenette hotel?

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

[Serpico]

In practical terms my priority is getting a 3* room or above, preferably in Silver Spring or College Park (but in DC as a whole would work) for up to $80.

My problem is that when I search for Washington DC in Hotwire - the only Silver Spring options I find there are in a 'Bathesda - Silver Spring area' category, with one pricey option (130) at 3* and other options below 3*.

On Priceline my problem is that when I search for DC the Silver Spring area is so huge, that I have no confidence where I might end up.

Am I missing something? Is there a way to look for Maryland suburbs or DC subrubs that would reveal to me new categories in Silver Spring and College Park??

[thereuare]

Unfortunately the zones are fixed and won't change regardless of what city/zone you use as your starting point to search by.

Have you tried breaking this stay into 2-3 different stays and see if that brings up any more affordable options?

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

[Serpico]

Hello,

We're looking to book 16 nights (9.6-9.22) in DC, and I'd like to run my strategy by you, to profit from your experience...

We prefer the Dupont Circle Area or Georgetown, if possible.

It seems Hotwire do not offer anything competitive for this time, but on the BetterBidding Priceline forum I did see some successful offers for $80 something a night, so I guess that's the way to go.

Does beginning my bidding with $ 70 for Dupont Circle 4* and work my way up in 5 $ increments sound reasonable? We have a couple more rebidding options as we are two travelers.

Is it even possible to win a Priceline bid for such a long stretch of time for these areas?

Should we bid on Priceline for only a short period and then if we like it bid the same for the rest of the stay?

I think we'll be happy with any hotel we'll get in these neighborhoods for these prices -- But do you think we should plan to break our stay to two periods (two different bids) to have better chances?

Sorry this came out a bit long, and thanks for your help!

Serpico

[thereuare]

It is possible to win a PRICELINE bid for such an extended stay but it does make things a little more difficult since a hotel has had to offer deeply discounted inventory for every nite of your stay... if the hotel is sold-out, or busy enough that they're not offering any opaque rates, for even just one nite of your date range then that hotel is not an option to accept your bid.

The bigger issue is that rates are date specific, and i'm doubtful that $80 will be enough for a 4* hotel in the Georgetown or Dupont Circle zones for this complete stay... is $80 still your maximum bid for this trip?

If you bid on PRICELINE and are successful for a few nites, there would be no assurance that you'd win the same hotel on your subsequent bid(s). PRICELINE does offer a 'add a nite' feature, but you can only add nites for up to the same number of nites as your original purchase. So if you were to bid for 3 nites and win, you could then only add 1-3 nites at the same hotel. However, also note that just because the option to extend your stay is offered, it doesn't ensure that you'll be successful in your attempt to extend the stay, as PRICELINE could respond that there is no availability for the additional nites OR that there is availability but at a higher rate (you'll then be given the option to either accept or reject the higher rate)

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

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

[Serpico]

Thanks for this advice.

We are ready to go up to a $100 for a 4*, and I think that our next step would be to split the long stay to two shorter periods, and try our luck that way.

And following your tip - if they do accept our bid for the first 8 days, they might offer us to extend the stay for a rate we would still accept.

So now we'll go back to bidding for 8-9 days, (hopefully for around $75-80 for a 3.5*, or $90-95 for a 4*) - using of course the site's links.

Thanks again, we'll report!

[Romelle]

You might check the hotel web site rates before bidding. There is a link to ExtendedStay under the Support/Travel Links tab just above.

Also, other chains that have the word "suite" in their name usually have fridges and sometimes even have microwaves and a few dishes. Summerfield Suites is one. There are links to several of these kinds of hotels under the tab.

Romelle

[Serpico]

Changing strategy a bit - could anyone help us identify a 3.5* on Hotwire, in Georgetown Area, with the amenities: Boutique Hotel, Wireless, Business Center?

This could somehow be the light at the end of the tunnel...

Thanks again for all the help!

[thereuare]

The above matches previous reports for the Latham Hotel so that would be my best guess for this one.

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

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help..

[Serpico]

Been a while and I am sorry for not reporting earlier -- in the end I actually had to use an apartment rental since I could not find an extended-stay place for that long for my price range.

Either way - thank you so much for the help!

Serpico

[thereuare]

Thank you for closing this thread with your decision.

Please remember to follow-up your threads with your wins/decisions as you make them (even if you don't ultimately use PRICELINE / HOTWIRE, cancel the trip, book direct, etc) as this help keep the board better organized and more useful for everyone... as well as being a courtesy to anyone who took the time to help with your travel plans.

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