Priceline Hotel: 07/27/2011 - 07/31/2011 3* Portland (Downtown) $113

[NotInTheBagYet]

07/27/2011 - 07/31/2011 3* Portland (Downtown) $113

I've been progressively increasing my bids, but have had no luck.

I am specifically looking for the dates 07/27/2011 to 07/31/2011.

I need to find parking (so that should be factored into the price.)

I want to stay near a MAX line to train into downtown portland or stay in downtown portland itself, but I am not clever enough to use hotwire to find a hotel that is on the MAX line.

I've booked Best Western Inn At The Meadows, which has pretty great reviews & near MAX at $80/night. It has a good cancellation policy to boot.

Sadly when I stayed last year, we were at the La Quinta convention center, which was perfect for our budget and proximity to downtown. Free transit didn't hurt either.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Exactly which zone(s) have you already bid up to $113? What is the best rate you've been able to find at an acceptable hotel thru conventional booking channels?

Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option?

[NotInTheBagYet]

Thanks for pointing out SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID, I had no idea that they worked that way. ($50/night on day 1, $100/night on day 2, $75/night bid for day 1+2 being rejected.) That explains a lot. Wednesday/Thursday should be relatively cheap, Friday/Saturday quite expensive.

Not sure how I feel about staying in different hotels.

I've only bid using priceline in the downtown area, as I want to be able to catch the MAX line. I do not know how to successfully bid outside of downtown and ensure close proximity to a MAX line. Driving to the MAX line and parking isn't an option.

[Colfax]

The Portland Brewer's Festival is 7/28-7/31 and I wouldn't expect to win anything downtown during those dates. Are you attending the festival? If you're not is adjusting your travel dates possible, as availability will be much better before or after the festival.

I'm not familiar with the Best Western you booked but I'll mention a couple other options, some cheaper, some more expensive, all with free parking.

1) The Rodeway Inn at 9723 NE Sandy Blvd is $50.15 for your dates, and about two blocks from a MAX stop.

2) For about the same price as Rodeway you can probably win a nicer hotel--3.5* or 3*- in one of Priceline's two airport zones. All the higher rated airport hotels have free parking and free shuttle to the Airport MAX stop. The downside is you're tied to the hotel's shuttle schedule.

3) Stay in Northwest Portland, at either Silver Cloud Inn or Holiday Inn Expresss on Vaughn. The bus to downtown (not lightrail) stops in front of those hotels. About a 15 minute busride. Parking and breakfast included at both and a much nicer neighborhood than the airport area. You might win the Silver Cloud by bidding for a 3* in Priceline's Northwest zone---if it isn't sold out. (I haven't checked.)

[NotInTheBagYet]

Is Silver Cloud inn in NW Portland for name-your-own-bid? I thought it was considered downtown. It was considering booking it directly, but it seemed a bit steep.

Thanks for replying!

[thereuare]

You can see all hotels reported to the board in the Priceline Hotel List (NOTE: see the comments at the top of the hotel lists, there could always be other hotels in the zone not yet reported to the board)

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

Keep us updated on your progress.

[Colfax]

The Silver Cloud Inn is $139 for your dates, parking and breakfast included.

HOTWIRE has a 3* in Northwest Portland-Nob Hill for $124 that looks like Silver Cloud or the Holiday Inn Express. HIE and SC are across the street from each other and have similar amenities.

Continental Breakfast, Fitness, Business, Laundry, Highspeed

You've bid up to $113 for 3* Downtown. $124 for Silver Cloud or HIE would be comparable or less, since you would have paid extra for parking and breakfast downtown and those are included at SC and HIE.

PRICELINE usually beats HOTWIRE on price if you want to try and win Silver Cloud for less than $124 on PL. (Priceline rates HIE as 2.5*, so that won't come up if you bid 3*. To my knowledge Silver Cloud is the only potential 3* in Priceline's Northwest Portland zone, although there's never 100% guarantee something new won't come up.)

There are no rebid zones for 3* in Portland so you can only make one bid every 24 hours. If you want to try PRICELINE my suggestion is $75 for 3* to start. Then if rejected wait 24 hours and try $85. If rejected again you can decide if you want to bid higher or stick with your $84 Best Western, which gets decent reviews but it's farther from your Downtown activities than a Northwest Portland hotel would be.

Also, did you only bid to $113 for 3* in Downtown zone or did you bid in Convention Center-Lloyd Center zone too? Any hotel you win in CC-LC will be walking distance to MAX.

Your thoughts?

[NotInTheBagYet]

Wonderful advice. Thanks so much.

Below bids include $30 bonus cash from priceline and are for 3*+ hotels for July 27-31. (4 nights)

Used the PRICELINE link to make the following bids:

I tried $82.5/night in NW Portland - Rejected.

I tried $87.5/night in NW Portland & Downtown - Rejected.

I tried $92.5/night in NW Portland, Downtown & Convention Center - Rejected.

[thereuare]

To confirm, all three of the zones above are acceptable? Unfortunately no re-bid zones available at the 3* level, but if you let us know your maximum bid we'll outline a strategy for you to follow which will maximize your bidding.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[Colfax]

You can also feel comfortable about bidding for a 2.5* in Priceline's Northwest Portland zone. The 2.5* Holiday Inn Express is $162 for your dates...more than the 3* Silver Cloud.

If HIE interests you my suggestion is bid $80 or $85 for 2.5*, which is about half price.

There's also an unreported La Quinta in Northwest zone, and that LQ's location wouldn't be very convenient. But Priceline rates that LQ 2* so it won't come up on a 2.5* bid.

[NotInTheBagYet]

From what I could figure out, there are two 3* hotels available in the zones I've selected above, the rest are booked solid. Downtown has Residence Inn Portland Downtown/River Place at $199 (with $24/night parking, ugh - so I really don't want this one.) and NW has Silver Cloud at $139/night. Anything above 3* in the zones above is downtown in a great location. There is no 3*+ in the convention center on these dates.

I hope that makes sense, and explains my bids.

[thereuare]

From what I could figure out, there are two 3* hotels available in the zones I've selected above, the rest are booked solid.

While much more the exception then the rule, we have seen accepted bids at hotels which have otherwise shown sold-out on their own websites. Some have added zones where they're "sure" they haven't bid enough to win a hotel in the zone, only to be surprised that there was a hotel there which accepted their bid. I typically advocate not adding any 'live zones' (ones which contain the star level you're bidding or higher) unless you're willing to stay there, unless you're desperate and don't have any time left to bid another time... which isn't the case with your stay not taking place for another 3 weeks.

Taking the above into consideration, are you fine with all three zones you have bid? If so, what is your maximum bid for these three zones?

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

[NotInTheBagYet]

Thanks for letting me know thereuare. Downtown was a bust at $113/night. Yes, the three zones should work... $500 taxes in is about my max.

Thinking of trying $97.5 in NW and $102.5 in NW/downtown. What do you think?

[Colfax]

Are you interested in trying for the 2.5* Holiday Inn Express in Northwest zone? It's about the same thing as Silver Cloud.

If so I suggest $80 for 2.5*. Add Convention Center-Lloyd Center at $85, then add Downtown at $90.

If you only want the 3* Silver Cloud, and not 2.5* HIE, then I'd bid the same 80/85/90 routine for a few more days, but at 3* level.

I seriously doubt you'll win anything in CC-LC or DT, so I'm using them like free rebid zones, even though they're really not.

You'll pay to park at any hotel in the Downtown zone, not just the Residence Inn. Most of the Convention Center hotels charge to park now too, but less than Downtown.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE link.

[slruud]

If you're going to have to take MAX, why not look into the North Harbour area, where there is a 3* Courtyard, and I think a Residence Inn. Both have free parking, internet, I think, and very near a MAX station.

[Colfax]

Did you see this Portland Priceline thread? Another bidder won your dates at the 3* Residence Inn Downtown for $126. That bidder didn't say what his highest rejected bid was but it looks like you were close at $113.