Priceline Hotel: 3* Seattle (Downtown) Renaissance

[arizonagirl]

I'm trying to find a nice hotel room in downtown Seattle in the $100/night for the weekend of July 29th. Staying downtown Saturday 7/30 is a must. Friday 7/29 I can crash with a friend if necessary. Because the best Hotwire could offer in the Pike's Place area is $147/night, I decided to move to Priceline.

A history of my rejected bids: I started bidding for a 4* in Seattle downtown (for 7/29-7/31) at $60 (yeah, wishful thinking), then added Belleview ($65), Renton ($70), Airport ($75), Bothell ($80) and Lake Union ($85). I still have some rebids left and don't want to waste them.

I also took a shot at bidding in downtown for just Saturday night (7/30). Bid $80 for a 4* and was rejected.

So I guess I have a couple questions:

1) Do I stand a better chance on Priceline if I'm staying over a Friday and Saturday, or if I'm just staying on Saturday night?

2) Do I have a shot at all in getting a 4* in Seattle downtown over that weekend for $100/night, or should I just start bidding on 3*?

Thanks (and I have been using the savingsbarn link)!

[thereuare]

Both the Sheraton and the Westin are sold-out for the nite of the 29th, and that is certainly not helping your bidding.

You can either try to bid for both nites at the 3* level, or you can try bidding for just the 2nd nite of your stay. If you bid for just the second nite of your stay it is not treated as the same bid as you had previously made, so it's as if you're starting 'fresh' and none of your bids will be treated as a duplicate bid from your previous bidding.

If you bid for just the 2nd nite, i would 'start over' with low bids once again, but start more realistically, and if possible increase your maximum bid to $110 ($120 would be even better!)

If you'd like a more precise strategy (either for 3* bidding for one/both nites, or 4* for just the second nite) let us know.

Good Luck and keep up updated.

[arizonagirl]

Thanks for the info. I'm a little wary of bidding at the 3* level because I don't want to chance getting the Holiday Inn, but I guess that's a risk I may have to take. I know that the Crowne Plaza and Renaissance are both classified as 3* under Priceline, and those are both excellent hotels. I'm currently debating whether to just wait to rebid until I get closer to my stay; that has worked for me in the past.

I will keep you posed.

Thanks again.

[arizonagirl]

Wasn't sure if I should start a new thread w/ this info, but I decided to bid on Priceline for just the Saturday night stay (7/30). After my failed attempt to secure a 4* in Seattle DT, I held my breath and bid on a 3*. My bid for $80 was accepted and I got the Renaissance Hotel (which I love, so I'm stoked).

A bid history:

Downtown (only): $65 (rejected)

DT + Bothell: $70 (rejected)

+ Lake Union: $75 (rejected)

+ Lynnwood: $80 (accepted!)

Check-In Date: Saturday, July 30, 2005

Check-Out Date: Sunday, July 31, 2005

Hotel Name: Renaissance Seattle Hotel

515 Madison Street

Seattle, Washington 98104

206-583-0300

Summary of Charges

Billing Date: July 19, 2005

Your Offer Price: $80.00

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 1

Subtotal: $80.00

Taxes and Service Fees: $19.01

Total Charges: $99.01

So I'm staying at a nice place and was able to keep the bill under a hundy. All in all, I'm pretty pleased. Thanks for your advice!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your win!

Thank you for sharing it with the rest of the board. Glad to see it worked out well for your needs and budget.

Enjoy your stay.