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Priceline Hotel: 3.5* Seattle (Downtown-Pike Place) Crowne Plaza


rumpak
By rumpak,
in

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Hello... I'm planning on going to Seattle from 9/30 to 10/3, 2011. Just browsing on Seattle Events Calendar, and noticed that there will be this Decibel Festival happens on the same weekend of my visit.

Would anyone remember how this event effected Seattle Downtown hotel rates last year?

Thanks!

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I'm not familiar with this event so i'm not sure how big it is, but if you know the dates the event was held last year you can then use our Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins to see how rates were during the event in 2010 (and i would compare to the days/weeks before this event in 2010, not just to today's rates)

Let us know if/when you're ready to move forward and we'll try to assist further.

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

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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Thank you for the reply. I totally forgot about the "Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins." In regard to the festival; according to the website, last year the number of participants were 18,000. With new venues around the cities and more artists to be participated, they expected this would be the biggest of the previous 8th. On top of that... Seahawks is having a home game too on Sunday. I have a feeling I'll be having a tough bidding process :) I'll do the homework and keep you posted.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.
All the time.... :)
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Okay; last year Decibel was on 9/22 to 9/26, 2010. I looked at the "Calendar of Wins," and these are what I found focusing on 4* hotels in Pike Place area:

Priceline:

9/10 & 9/11, 2010: 2 winning bids of $95 & $97 at Westin

9/17 & 9/18, 2010: 2 winning bids of $125 at W & $144 at Renaissance

The weekend of the event, 9/24 & 9/25, 2010: 4 winning bids of $85, $95, $100 and $101 all at Renaissance

10/1 & 10/2, 2010: 2 winning bids of $95 at Vintage Park & $109 at Westin

10/8 & 10/9, 2010: 3 winning bids of $92 at Renaissance, $95 at Grand Hyatt & $95 at Westin

Hotwire:

No reservation made 2 weekends before the weekend of the event

9/17 & 9/18, 2010: $98 at Westin

The weekend of the event, 9/24 & 9/25, 2010: $119 at W

10/1 & 10/2, 2010: $156 at Pan Pacific

No reservation made 2 weekends after the weekend of the event

Looks to me the event didn't impact the hotel rate at all. It's kind of steady at the $90s and low $100s with an exception of the 9/17 weekend. Also... looks like the winning bids last year are lower than this year. Or... maybe it's because September and October are considered as low season already? Any recommendations or inputs on nailing 4*hotel in Pike Place area for my Seattle's trip on 9/30 to 10/3, 2010 with a $90s to low $100s budget?

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Generally speaking Priceline rates in most large cities are higher than a year ago, but as always rates are date specific.

Despite the Decibel Festival rates don't look particularly high for 9/30-10/3, so it's possible you can win a 4* for low $100's or less...if not now then closer to your dates. I'm not familiar with Decibel Festival but if a lot of attendees are locals they may not need hotel rooms.

When bidding for a 4* in Seattle you have NINE rebid zones. Those are zones that only have less than 4* quality. If you need help ID'ing your nine rebid zones please ask.

I suggest $80 for a 4* in Pike Place zone. Then raise $3 per rebid zone. You have enough rebids to take you up to $107.

If $107 isn't enough for a 4* I think it's likely enough for a 3.5*.

Please start your bids with this PRICELINE link.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

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Just finish bidding as suggested by Colfax. Unfortunately no luck for me. I noticed that I'm not the only one among other members who have been trying to get a 4* hotel in Seattle's Pike Place area with a "reasonable Priceline's deal rate" but keep on failing. I think it's just crazy paying between $120s to $160s (as reported on the forum and by "Priceline's Winning Bid") while Priceline itself has a 4* hotel in Seattle's Pike Place area (Kimpton Vintage Park) listed at $159 per-night. I'll just wait and see since I still have plenty of time. I'm just curious how Priceline system works because there are still people who could actually got "the deal" such as "rickret" who won Sheraton Hotel and Towers for $83 per-night last week for this weekend stay. Maybe because he did it last minute? Who knows.... :)

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Rates are date specific, and as per your post, there are an 'extra' 18K people coming to town, many who are not local to the area and will need hotel rooms to sleep in. This drives up hotel rates, and even if rates are not too inflated, hotels know there is potential demand from attendees who have not yet booked yet, so they would rather take the chance of holding onto a hotel room in order to sell to that potential guest at full price then to sell it at a deep discount (and lose the opportunity to sell a high margin priced room)

How high did you bid?

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

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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$107 was my highest bid, and you're absolutely right about the "Supply and Demand" rule. But to me, why would I pay such amount of money (all the way to the high $150s even $160s) for a hotel that might not fit my preferences and at the end got dissapointed while just by paying 10 to 15 percent more (the median market price) I can get more of assurance. Beside, it's Priceline themselves who make a big deal of their advertising; so, customers (like me) expect to get what their advertised.

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Priceline can only sell what the hotels give them, and many hotels choose to withhold inventory until closer to the travel dates. If rates don't go up there's a good chance you'll have success at $107 or less closer to 9/30. Never any guarantees though, so if you choose to wait it out you might book a cancellable reservation someplace to be sure you'll have a place.

Do you have any interest in trying for a 3.5* in Pike Place?

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I'll also add that your current bid of $107 is still ~33% away from the Vintage Park's rate of $159 (i only used this as an example as it's the rate/quote you provided above... are other 4* hotels less than this??)

I'm not necessarily suggesting you bid higher, merely trying to explain the 'other side' (ie- the hotels point of view) of the transaction and why rates for your dates may be substantially different then when others have won for less then you're bidding. Some people will continue bidding to save $1 vs. the best rate they're able to get thru conventional booking channels, others feel they need at least half-off to make an 'opaque' purchase worthwhile. It really depends upon the individual and what they're needs are for the particular stay.

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

Keep us updated on your progress and let us know if we can be of further help along the way.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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Colfax, I was thinking about dropping it down to 3.5*, but just afraid of winning Silver Cloud Stadium (which happens to be one of the most winning 3.5* hotels) after my reading on TripAdvisor. So, I think I'll just wait and stick with bidding just for the 4* hotels.

In the meantime, as your suggestion, I've booked a cancellable reservation at Best Western Plus Pioneer Square Hotel (3.5*) using my AAA discount rate advantage. Decided to pick them after (again) reading its reviews on TripAdvisor. I got $135/night rate. With free internet, free breakfast and a walking distance $20 daily rate public parking location, I think I'll have no regret at all. On top of that, if (somehow) I do win low $100 4* hotel on Priceline, there is no cancellation fee on this reservation. So, it's a win-win situation.

Thanks, Colfax. Great suggestion!

So, I guess I shall end this topic, and would posted a new one just to inform the forum should I win a 4* hotel on Priceline.

Oh... thanks thereuare as well for your replies.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.
All the time, man... all the time :)
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Glad you found a back-up that works for your needs. If you didn't, please note from our support page that we're an affiliate of the Best Western and please check there for your hotel direct purchases.

I will add that with your back-up at a 3* hotel and $135/nite, i do think that you could be successful at a 4* hotel on PRICELINE for less then this amount.

If you are successful with PRICELINE going forward just continue this thread and we'll edit the topic title accordingly.

Enjoy your stay.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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I know I could win a 4 stars hotel with $135/night hotel, but I guess I'm that type of guy who want to max out the worth of my $s (as what you said in one of your posts, "...others feel they need at least half-off to make an 'opaque' purchase worthwhile.")

I did see someone (nenv) actually just one $105/night bid ad Westin; so yeah, I'll keep on trying. Oh... one more thing, I noticed that most of winning bids are for one night stay. Does the odd of one night stay better than 2 or 3 night stays?

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as far as I know..you have to 'win' the bid for every night you stay. The more nights you stay the more nights have to fall into the price you bid for. They don't accept bids based on the average but the highest night of your stay. So Yeah, it gets harder the more nights you add.

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I know I could win a 4 stars hotel with $135/night hotel, but I guess I'm that type of guy who want to max out the worth of my $s
A 4* for the same price as a 3* would seem to be more maximization of your money.
I did see someone (nenv) actually just one $105/night bid ad Westin; so yeah, I'll keep on trying. Oh... one more thing, I noticed that most of winning bids are for one night stay. Does the odd of one night stay better than 2 or 3 night stays?
I don't think the length of your stay is the issue... it's still nearly 2 months before your stay and demand is likely up a little due to the festival, so hotels may not be willing to give up rooms at a deep discount at this point in time, instead hoping they can sell the room at full price.

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

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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A 4* for the same price as a 3* would seem to be more maximization of your money.

True if they don't have all those extra fees. Did my homework already on this matter. On average, these 4* hotels charge $40-plus for parking and $10-plus for internet inside your room. Those two add up the pre tax/fees charge to $175-plus already, and no complimentary breakfast. Not to mention the s***ty treatment they tend to give after knowing you booked through Priceline (oh yeah... I got a lot of these from my previous stays). But again, this is a matter of personal preference as you said before.

Okay... I'll keep on trying with my budget, and will definitely post it on the board (should I win). In the meantime, I think I'm happy with my back-up plan. Just finish reading more reviews on TripAdvisor of the property, they're awesome. Thereuare, thanks for u'r info on the odd of single vs multiple night.

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Finally!!! I won a Priceline bid for my 9/30 - 10/3, 2011 Seattle trip. Received a $6 per-day limited time (24 hours) cash reward from Priceline, and used it right away. Used Hotwire pricing (same date on "downton - pike place" area) as my ceiling: 4* ($125), 3 1/2* ($112) and 3* ($84).

Started bidding for a 4* hotel up to $119 ($125 with the cash reward) using 11 different areas, but no luck.

Next, I bid for a 3* hotel up to $77 ($84 with the cash reward) using 3 different areas. Still... no luck.

Last, I bid for a 3 1/2* hotel. Started at $79 ($85 with the cash reward), I won "Crowne Plaza Seattle Downtown" on my 7th and last trial at $94 ($100 with the cash reward). Phew... that was really... really close!

Check the best available rate directly at hotel's website, Kayak and AAA Travel site, it's $170 per-night for my dates. So, it's a 45% savings. I called the hotel about parking and internet; they said it's $32 plus tax which will come up to $39 per-night (vallet parking) and $12.95 (tax included) per-night for in-room internet access. Read reviews on TripAdvisor and Yelp, some mentioned about cheaper parking garage about a block away and free street parking on Saturday from 6 PM and all day on Sunday. So, I have to do another homework on that.

Cancelled my Best Western Pioneer back-up, and weight some pros and cons. To me they all even out. I could probably avoid the high valet parking rate after I do my homework research on parking as I said before. I may loss my free internet and complimentary breakfast at Best Western, but it evens out by better pricing and better downtown location. Beside, according to some of reviews, they have free internet/wifi access in the business center and lobby. So, this should be okay along with 3G should I need internet in the room. Also, some reviews says that sometime they upgraded its "Priority Club" members to receive complimentary breakfast. My wife and I are members; so, I hope we could get this upgrade as well. If this really happen, Best Western would definitely be outdueled. And I'd be very... very happy. But hey! 45% savings at $98 per night makes me happy already :)

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Congratulations on your success!

Glad you were ultimately successful and are pleased with the results.

Please note that you can still use your Bonus Cash along with the board's PRICELINE links as follows...

1) click the PRICELINE link on the board

2) go to the MY PROFILE >> MY REWARDS link at the top right of their home page

3) use the bonus money link in the MY REWARDS section of your profile (not a link from an email) and bid as usual

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

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

Enjoy your stay.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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Congratulations on your success!

Glad you were ultimately successful and are pleased with the results.

Thanks and thanks for creating this forum. It helps a lot.
Please note that you can still use your Bonus Cash along with the board's PRICELINE links as follows...

1) click the PRICELINE link on the board

2) go to the MY PROFILE >> MY REWARDS link at the top right of their home page

3) use the bonus money link in the MY REWARDS section of your profile (not a link from an email) and bid as usual

Yup, that's exactly what I did :)

Oh... by the way, I noticed I made a mistake on my very last part of my previous post. It's actually $94 per-night (a total of $100 with the $6 cash reward), not $98. So, the total charge on my card is 336.90 ($282 plus $54.90 taxes and fees) Sorry.... :)

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