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Priceline Hotel: Trip to London in May 2012


JaguarFan
By JaguarFan,
in

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I read in the forum where smilingboy had a great re-bid matrix but I can't find it. Does anybody have a link for it or any other good links for re-bidding on PL for hotel stay?

I am planning a trip to London near the end of May and will need a hotel for 4-5 days. This is my first trip to London so I want toel be near all the sights. I also want easy access to/from airport, access to train system, restaurants, etc... I am obviously looking for a good deal and will probably be happy with anything from a 3* to 5* hotel as long as it is clean and safe. There doesn't appear to be much opportunity for re-bidding because most of the zones have the same star ratings.

Any suggestions on maximizing re-bidding opportunities and suggestions on which zones to shoot for?

Thanks for the help.

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Welcome to BetterBidding!

Let's take it a few steps at a time...

What is your budget (per nite before fees and taxes) for this trip?

Using the search box on the top right of the board, enter "London, England" and your dates... on the subsequent page look at the map and the zones to show how PRICELINE divides up this area... which zones are you willing to accept?

Are you willing to pay more for a 5* hotel vs. a 4* vs. a 3* OR is your goal the least expensive 3* or better for this stay? (also note that the star ratings in Europe are somewhat different than in the US... you should deduct a half to one full star rating from european star ratings to equate to most US rating standards... so a 3* in London may actually be more like a 2.5* or 2* in the United States). Also, rooms in Europe are also generally smaller than their US counterparts.

Given that you're looking for '4-5 days', are your dates firm? If so, what are the actual dates of your stay; if not, when will you be ready to bid for a non-refundable hotel?

Let us know the above and we'll take it from there.

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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For "...all the sights", this might get you started - www.visitlondon.com/attractions/culture/top-ten-attractions. It has a map showing locations. You can compare that map to the Priceline London zone map to help you figure out your possible zones.

You'll note things are scattered about. For most people's choices of sights, it usually is necessary to move about quite a bit. Consequently, several zones serve equally well.

If you zoom in on each of the maps, you will see little symbols marking the Underground or "tube" stations. If you are comfortable with public transportation, London will be very workable for you.

Romelle

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Currently the dates I am looking at are 5/18/12 thru 5/22/12. I would like to keep the cost at $200/night or less with fees and taxes. I am open to any zone that has easy access to public transportation, is safe and has plenty of places to eat and entertainment. I will be ready to bid right away. I would be willing to pay slightly more for a 5* or 4* compared to a 3*. There will 2 people traveling on this trip, including myself.

Hope this helps, any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

On a side note, during my trip I am also thinking about going to Paris for a couple of days and then returning to London for a night to fly home so I will be looking for a hotel in Paris for a couple of nights.

Should I also try to get my airline tickets thru Priceline as well?

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You might want to entertain the thought of flying into London and out of Paris. It would save you a lot of time by not having to train it back to London and getting to your hotel for one night. Time is a precious commodity to me on vacation. Just use your allotted days in Paris on the end and fly home from Paris.

Just a thought.

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As Romelle points out, London is a fairly spread out city and there is no one location that will put you close to everything.

Two of the most frequently bid zones are (Bloomsbury - Marble Arch) and (Mayfair - Soho)... but you should use the resources mentioned above to see if these would work best for your plans and/or if any other zones would appear to be good for your needs.

Let us know regarding these, and any other zones, and we'll take it from there.

Regarding airfare, i wouldn't necessarily use PRICELINE for this trip unless this is a somewhat extended stay (i'm assuming the dates above are only for the London dates of your stay and this is part of a longer trip, with Paris not being included in the current dates?) With PRICELINE airfare you can't choose your arrival/departure times and you have to agree to the possibility of at least one connections... layovers, connections, and a late commencement to your trip along with an early departure on the return could essentially remove two days from your trip. As per Yagermeister's comments, time is a commodity while on vacation (especially when spending a lot to go overseas) that it would need to be some BIG savings to make an opaque purchase worthwhile.

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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So if there are only a few differences between zones in terms of 3*, 4* and 5* hotels what is the best strategy to maximize the number of rebids?

If I'm traveling in May, is now a good time to try and lock up my hotels for my stay?

Does anybody have the link for smileyboy's rebid matrix?

Thanks for all the help.

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So if there are only a few differences between zones...

This isn't the case, some zones are in the 'core' and there may be little difference between these zones, but other zones are on the outskirts and this would be less central than the 'core' zones which would be more central.

...in terms of 3*, 4* and 5* hotels what is the best strategy to maximize the number of rebids?

The more re-bids you have the more you can bid, and the higher the star rating the more re-bids you'll likely have.. but i'm doubtful that your budget will be enough for a 5* hotel in any of the main zones (although you'll need to confirm which zones you're willing to accept, as per above) You should choose a star rating based upon your budget... not by how many re-bid zones you'll get ;)

If I'm traveling in May, is now a good time to try and lock up my hotels for my stay?

See the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

Does anybody have the link for smileyboy's rebid matrix?

HERE

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

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I like to visit London and have had good success with PL. I won't go below 4* as 3* can be scary. I've tried bidding on 5* here and there to see if I could get a good deal but always ended up with 4*. I've managed to get great deals in the Notting Hill zone (i.e. less than $85 a night more than once for a great Hilton), anywhere close to a tube station should be good. Notting Hill seems to have some of the best prices and I really like some of the things going on there, like the Sunday artists' market along Bayswater Road. You can certainly try bids in a few different zones below $90 to see if there are any takers. If it were me, I'd first try out some bids in the more expensive zones (Mayfair, Westminster), then mid (Bloomsbury, Regents Park), then typically Kensington and Notting Hill. I will sometimes try for City and London Bridge if a low bid is not getting accepted in the other zones but a few of the properties there are a bit far from the things I'll be visiting during my trip. Chelsea I'd only bid on out of desperation because (depending if there's a match being played) you're likely to get Chelsea Football Club which is a bit out of the way (in zone 2), though not a terrible property, and walkable to the tube. I've been avoiding Kensington lately because the Hilton Olympia got upgraded to 4* from 3* and it's too far from the tube for my liking and knowing my luck I'd land that one rather than one of the other excellent properties in the area. But, if bids aren't being accepted in my desired zones, I'd try those ones to see if a lower bid would be accepted there because if it was cheap enough I'd put up with one of those hotels.

SmilingBoy's matrix is fantastic to help you focus on 3 zones and using the re-bid zones to slowly bid your way up and fitting in a ton of bids (well, 30 I think -- and then if you swap in another 2 zones you can get even more bids in) at one sitting rather than having to wait 24 hours to try again.

May might be a little expensive, so the sub-$90 rate might not happen, but if you start now and work your bidding up slowly you should be able to find a great deal. Sometimes splitting your visit into two stays is one way to get a lower price if you don't mind moving hotels mid-trip. I kind of like doing that so I have the chance to explore another area, and it's also fun to see what PRICELINE will surprise me with.

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