Priceline Hotel: 4* San Jose Doubletree

[valley travller]

It seems the hotel charges a $18 / day fee for self-parking. Is there a way to beat the charge? Priceline definitely failed to mention such oddities in their results. It kinda seems that this could be a new way for hotels to win a bid on priceline by pitching the room's cost as low as possible and then charge a high fee for basic necessities such as parking. I also checked the satellite image of the hotel and did not see anything that would enforce a parking fee. Do they just charge the parking fee based on the number of days you stay at the hotel irrespective of whether you travel via car or taxi or whatever? I did not see any street parking in the immediate vicinity of the hotel which is kinda sad.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

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If you have a complaint, problem, or question with a recent or upcoming Priceline/Hotwire stay, we will be happy to do what we can to help, but please be considerate of the board's primary goal of helping others and first post the details of your 'win.'

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Thanks.

[valley travller]

Here are the details of my winning bid: $50 / night from 9/2 to 9/6. Now can someone talk to me about the parking problem??

[hohogap]

I had booked a stay through the Hilton web site (accessed via BB's link) in May 2011 at the Hilton Doubletree San Jose hotel while visiting my kids. They charged $18/night parking in addition to the room rate, even when using my HiltonHonors GOLD VIP card and whining about how the charge was so high for parking. The hotel's web site has the parking charges listed at the bottom of their hotel home page. I was told by the desk clerk that charging for parking helps keep out SJC passengers who try to park for free and take the hotel shuttle to the airport (sure, right!) Anyway, I haven't found a way to beat the parking charges yet, unless you have 2 cars and use the same key to get both into the parking lot (which can be a hassle if you only have 1 card keyed for parking). Wish I had better suggestions for you. When you bid major city hotels on PL, you can expect the high parking charges, but for SJC you hope to get a hotel without such charges. If you find a way to beat the parking charges, please post your suggestions!

[thereuare]

valley travller,

Thanks for the details regarding your win.

It appears that hohogap has recent experience at this property and described the situation well. One alternative, if you don't need your car for the duration of your stay, is to find off-site airport parking, then take the parking lot's shuttle to the airport and the hotel's shuttle from the airport to the hotel... then reverse upon your departure. Certainly not as convenient as parking at the hotel, but if you don't need your car, and depending upon the length of your stay, the savings may be worthwhile.

hohogap,

Thanks for sharing the info and your experience. :)

[hohogap]

My pleasure. Don't want to step on the moderators' experience and knowledge, but I hope it's OK if I try to help if I've got some specific intel that could be beneficial.

[thereuare]

...but I hope it's OK if I try to help...

Of course it is... we encourage all members of the community to contribute and help out when they have knowledge of a specific area.

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

[valley travller]

But I dont see any gates guarding the parking lot. How do they track the vehicles?

[Colfax]

I haven't stayed at the Doubletree but per hohogap's comment about needing a card to get into the lot it sounds like Doubletree does have some kind of gate system, even though you aren't seeing it on satellite images.

Priceline definitely failed to mention such oddities in their results. It kinda seems that this could be a new way for hotels to win a bid on priceline by pitching the room's cost as low as possible and then charge a high fee for basic necessities such as parking.

I don't like pay parking any more than you do, but Priceline does disclose, in the Terms and Conditions you have to initial before you can bid, that parking, if charged, isn't included in your bid. The T&C says:

The reservation holder must present a valid photo ID and credit card at check-in. The credit card is required for any additional hotel specific service fees or incidental charges or fees that may be charged by the hotel to the customer at checkout. These charges may be mandatory (e.g., resort fees) or optional (parking, phone calls or minibar charges) and are not included in your offer price.

All the reported 4* hotels in San Jose charge for parking, so you would have faced this situation whichever 4* hotel came up.

I hope you can figure out a workaround. TripAdvisor reviews are often a good source for tips on parking alternatives.