branham24 Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 New to this board, however I've been reading through it religiously since I found it and am very excited to use some of the techniques and information found here on my upcoming trip. Wife and I are traveling to Europe for a wedding and have never been, decided to make a bit of a tour out of it based on locations we could fly in and out of cheaply. Already read through the recent posts and used the tools to kind of zone in on locations and prices but would obviously prefer all the help I can get. Here's the detailsTraveling ToLondon Feb 25th-29thParis Mar 5th-8thDublin 8th-11thWould like to stay at a four star hotel anywhere in each of the cities that is easily accessible for under $110 a night. Location to get around and see the tourist sites is our ideal itinerary over guaranteed niceities. So we are happy with a private room, shower, safety, and cleanliness. Everything else would be dictated by having a fun spot, were both in our late 20's, like to party a bit and again have never seen any of the three places we are going. Advice on what locations you think we could get into under $110 a night and below based on our dates. I made my first attempt this morning at London, worked from $90 at Zones 1,5,8,9,11,13 up to $105 but didn't get any bites. I did a really bad job of trying the permutations technique so I am going to read up more and handle it tommorow. Anything think my zones and price are feasible? ThanksJeff
mylastdance Posted February 21, 2012 Report Posted February 21, 2012 I've never been to any of those places (yet)... but I am planning a trip to London and Paris in May. We are mid 20s and after alot of research I think we are staying in the Latin Quarter in Paris. It was a toss up between there and the Marais. Both look promising. I used youtube alot to see what nightlife looked like. This amazing person's youtube channel kind of helped seal the deal for Latin Quarter, the video taken at midnight on a monday looked pretty busy. http://www.youtube.com/user/Mxsmanic?feature=watchAlso, we are considering Mayfair and Bloomsbury in london but have not 100% settled on those areas yet. With the tube system in London everything looks relatively easy to get to...Chrissy
thereuare Posted February 22, 2012 Report Posted February 22, 2012 Welcome to BetterBidding!Here's the detailsTraveling ToLondon Feb 25th-29thParis Mar 5th-8thDublin 8th-11thPlease use separate threads for each leg of your trip. We'll use this topic for your first leg, London 2/25-2/29, please start a NEW TOPIC for each of the other segments.Would like to stay at a four star hotel anywhere in each of the cities that is easily accessible for under $110 a night... Zones 1,5,8,9,11,13The zone numbers will change if/when PRICELINE adds/removes zones OR changes the zone names, for clarity purposes please list the zones, by PRICELINE name, that you're willing to accept (as well, i know immediately what 'Mayfair-Soho' is... i don't instantly know what Zone 5 is ;) ). Generally speaking it will likely take more than $100 to win a 4* hotel in London for these dates, but please clarify the zones and we'll take a closer look at this trip.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
branham24 Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Posted February 22, 2012 Thanks for the help clarifying, zones aremayfair-sohowestminsterThe city and london bridgenotting hill-bayswaterbloomsbury-marble archkensington-earls court
thereuare Posted February 22, 2012 Report Posted February 22, 2012 With $105 already failing, and not much time before your trip, is $110 still your maximum bid? We would of course start low and work our way up, but i'm guessing that a 4* hotel for these dates will likely cost at least $150 (and perhaps more).What is the best rate you're able to find thru conventional booking channels? (use maps.hotel to easily see prices in a given star rating in a specific area as well as how much more/less it would cost to go up/down in star rating or stay closer/further to your ideal location).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
vanpoodle Posted February 22, 2012 Report Posted February 22, 2012 You might also want to add Regent's Park into the mix, it's also a central zone -- there is a Holiday Inn at the Camden Lock that is known to come in at or under your budget from time to time -- and then if you have really good luck, perhaps you might land something in that zone that is better than the Holiday Inn?If nothing at or close to your budget comes in, consider Docklands where bids for the Hilton have been accepted in the $80-$95 range. A bit of a pain in the neck for going sightseeing, though are are some neat things in the Docklands area, too. Just depends on what is more important to you, budget or proximity.For four nights, another trick might be to split into two stays of two nights each if you can deal with moving hotels. I've done this and gotten great rates for the weekend portion (sub-$85) in Notting Hill more than once (and seen others score great deals on other central areas too), it's the weekdays that are usually more expensive in London. Then maybe move out to Docklands or bid on Chelsea within your budget where you're likely get the Copthorne at the Football CLub. Not ideal, on the tube but further out, but it was worth it to us for the money saved for the more expensive weeknights. Again, it's the weighing of budget and location.
branham24 Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Posted February 22, 2012 Thanks for all of the help for our trip, I am so happy to have found this forum. I think the max we could afford without going to opposite route and just slumming in the hostels is about $150 a night. Conventional channels are squarely in the $185-220 range for 4*. Going in for round #2 this afternoon, found one re-bidding zone for london, hammersmith, has no 4*s. Looking for advice on strategy to book as this one has a lot of zones and dont want to waste my opportunities, we leave in two days!- 4*- Zones: mayfair-soho westminster The city and london bridge notting hill-bayswater bloomsbury-marble arch kensington-earls court- 1 re-bid area, hammersmith- last attempt i went up to 105 for all six areas- willing to max at $150
branham24 Posted February 23, 2012 Author Report Posted February 23, 2012 Update: another win for the local hotels, no bites but finally getting some offers back so I must be getting closerareas by the #'s to make the update easier8 = mayfair/soho13 = westminster9 = notting hill/bayswater1 = bloomsbury/marble arch11 = city and london bridge5 = kensington/earl's court4 = hammersmith (re-bid zone)1) 8/9 at $110/1152) 9/13 at $120/1253) 9/8/13 at $125/135 (received counter at $176)4) 1/11 at $110/1155) 11/5 at $110/115 (received counter at $156)6) 11/1/5 at $120/130Looks like I will either need to stay further from the city, i.e. advice on regents park, chelsea etc.. or up my max. Any other thoughts or suggestions? Anyone stayed in a 3* that doesn't absolutely non-recommend? seems as though everything i've read says def not to do this. Thanks
thereuare Posted February 23, 2012 Report Posted February 23, 2012 Given the $156 counter-offer (when you bid $115 in The City/London Bridge and Kensington/Earl's Court zones) i think you have a pretty good shot at landing something at $150 or under. Whether you want to bid higher for the zones above OR consider other zones is a personal choice depending upon your plans and how centrally located you want to try to be for this stay, but as far as lowering to a 3* hotel, in Europe i wouldn't necessarily recommend it, as it may be more like what you would expect from a 2* here in the States.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. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
branham24 Posted February 23, 2012 Author Report Posted February 23, 2012 I think I will press with trying to land under 150 in the three zones notated. If they countered at 170 range for Mayfair soho Westminster areas do you think it's worth trying 150 ? Only reason I ask is I'm having trouble with the complexity of planning the permutation for so many zones, would love help planning how to approach six zones with one re bid zone, taking bids up from 135 to 150. I have read the chart but get lost in the bidding numbers etc. That way maybe I get lucky! Again thanks for all the help this will be the first thingbj recommend to my traveling friends as soon as I find a hotel to stay in as we fly out on Friday!
thereuare Posted February 23, 2012 Report Posted February 23, 2012 Assuming all these zones are still acceptable:8 = mayfair/soho13 = westminster9 = notting hill/bayswater1 = bloomsbury/marble arch11 = city and london bridge5 = kensington/earl's court4 = hammersmith (re-bid zone)Try to follow this:Select 4* Westminster, Notting Hill, Bloomsbury...Bid $135, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* City, Kensington, Hammersmith...Bid $135, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* City, Notting Hill, Bloomsbury...Bid $138, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* Westminster, Kensington, Hammersmith...Bid $138, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* Westminster, Kensington, Bloomsbury...Bid $140, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* City, Notting Hill, Hammersmith...Bid $140, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* Westminster, Notting Hill, Hammersmith...Bid $143, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* City, Kensington, Bloomsbury...Bid $143, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* Westminster, Notting Hill, Bloomsbury, City...Bid $145, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* Westminster, Notting Hill, Bloomsbury, Kensington...Bid $145, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* Westminster, Notting Hill, Bloomsbury, Hammersmith...Bid $145, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* Westminster, Notting Hill, Bloomsbury, City, Kensington...Bid $148, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* Westminster, Notting Hill, Bloomsbury, City, Hammersmith...Bid $148, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE...Select 4* Westminster, Notting Hill, Bloomsbury, City, Kensington, Hammersmith...Bid $150Any questions feel free to ask.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Good luck and let us know how it goes. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases
vanpoodle Posted February 23, 2012 Report Posted February 23, 2012 If you look, you should see a second free re-bid zone. (sorry, rule of his forum is that I'm not allowed to tell you which one it is!)Also, if you look through recent discussions about London, links have been posted to SmilingBoy's permutation table. If there are 5 acceptable zones, it can get you 30 bids at one session (though you do have to close the browser and start fresh quite often). You have 6 acceptable zones plus 2 free re-bid zones so you should be able (if you have the time and patience and a notepad next to you), to up your bid $1 at a time until you get something accepted. Those counteroffers are a bit of a ruse, you will get a bid accepted below those numbers and sometimes it's only a matter of going $1 to $5 higher than where you are bidding.The best trick to get SmilingBoy's permutation table to work is to label your zones as A-F, plus rebid zones of G&H and just follow his step by step method, knowing you've got more bids than what he set out in his table. It's as complex as bidding on PL can get, but you'll know you've squeezed out the lowest price to the dollar if you're able to follow it. It took me quite a few trip bookings on PL before I got my brain wrapped around it!I would not go to a 3*, hotels in Europe are just not that nice at that level. I would start a fresh set of bidding at $80 in my less desired zones (Chelsea, Finsbury, Docklands) and try to land something quite a bit cheaper before I would do that. To me, those zones will give me decent hotels, just maybe a bit further out than I would like and I'd rather save money that way. If you bid on Chelsea you're likely to get the Copthorne Football Club which is entirely decent, less than 10 minutes' walk to the tube, but a slightly longer tube ride in. Or maybe you'll have really good luck and not get this property but instead get something nicer and more in the middle of things(it's just the least desired one in the zone and chances are it's the one you'd land).The 2 known 4* in Finsbury are both very nice hotels, they're just more than 10 minutes' walk to the tube. The east end is really getting revitalized and there is certainly night life there and it is hopping. It wouldn't be a hardship to take the tube to get to a more central zone from there to see the sights.As I mentioned, Docklands often comes in at less than $90 and the bids I have seen have been for the Hilton. You'll just need to take the tube everywhere and there's not much going on there at night, but for a low enough price I would be open to that.Also, are you open to splitting your stay into 2x2? You WILL get a better deal for the weekend nights, possibly sub-$100 in zones like Notting Hill (I once got $88 in Bloomsbury, too, as well as $83 last Nov in Notting Hill), then you'd be bidding a bit higher for the weeknights. Switching hotels is a pain, but I like the chance to see a new area.
branham24 Posted February 24, 2012 Author Report Posted February 24, 2012 Finally! got one today on my last try and we are leaving tomorrow! I have to run so no time to run through all the details, the short of it, I did the entire permutation from above, and received multiple counters from $169-175. Last offer with all six zones at $150 I won a hotel in kensingto/earl's. Holiday Inn Kensington ForumNot sure if this is a great place or location for $150 a night, but it was the only one I could get at this price after a million tries! all the reviews sound good and the fact that it is right next to the tube is most excellent!! so I am very happy, would love to have scored the $100 deals others have seemed to get, but as i've learned having two weekend days and two week days can be expensive and $150 was the top end of our budget so we made it! Thanks again for all the help from those that responded on the forum, especially vanpoodle and thereuare!! happy to pay for a few beers if your in london the days were in town! Cheers,Jeff
branham24 Posted February 24, 2012 Author Report Posted February 24, 2012 cheapest I found at this hotel for our dates on hotwire, Expedia, and Holiday inn's site was $213, thought i'd throw that out there, adding taxes and four days...$300+ saved!
Romelle Posted February 24, 2012 Report Posted February 24, 2012 For London, that "Oyster Card" seems to be the best way to buy metro transportation. A link to get you started:http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14482.aspx#Romelle
thereuare Posted February 24, 2012 Report Posted February 24, 2012 Congratulations on your success! Glad to see you were successful before your departure and that you received a nice deal for this leg of your trip.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
branham24 Posted March 12, 2012 Author Report Posted March 12, 2012 Thanks for the oyster card tip. Picked one up when we got to the metro station. Loved london, so easy to get around and neverending sights to see. The holiday inn in kensington was great. The gloucester tube stop is literally a 30 seconds walk right out the door and a ten-15 minute direct train ride into downtown london. There is also a ton of good sightseeing, shopping, restaurants within walking distant, to include a few awesome museums, shopping centers etc.. we really were happy with the location and the accessibility of the tube station to get into and home from downtown.The hotel itself is quite large, had a nice pub with decent priced drinks, gym was alright for a hotel gym, the rooms were pretty small and the bathrooms like all other european bathrooms, small, but it worked for two of us and two big bags. After bidding on all the zones and then seeing them in person I realized you really can't go wrong in any of these zones so I wouldn't fret too much about trying to get a particular one, only real factor would be the distance to the tube from the hotels folks are winning lately at your price range so read through the advice on that. Otherwise all of these zones are in great areas! some are a bit more central i.e. you can walk right out the door to some sights, but eventually you willl have to get on the tube to get around the city so paying a bunch extra to avoid one 10 minute tube right into and out of the city at the beginning and the end of the day I think would be a bit silly. We also did the jack the ripper tour the last night which was pretty fun.8 = mayfair/soho13 = westminster9 = notting hill/bayswater1 = bloomsbury/marble arch11 = city and london bridge5 = kensington/earl's court4 = hammersmith (re-bid zone
Recommended Posts
Register now, we have a huge community of travel enthusiasts to answer any questions you might have.
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountAlready have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now