contactme Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 Hi,I am very new to this form and the first time bidder on priceline. After going through various topics on this site (which are really good), I started the bidding process and using some of the strategies described here, like:- I started with 1 zone(Arlington) and with 3*+hotels with $50- and then expanded the search to capitol hill area and the downtown and increasing the price to 65.- Lowered the expected hotel star rating to 21/2 *Still not able to get anything. I would be visiting Washington for the first time and would like to stay close to a metro station to get easy access to different museums/attractionsIs my bid too low ? and what should I bid at or any other strategy I should opt ?Thanks for your suggestions. Thanks, Link to comment
thereuare Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 Welcome to BetterBidding! Please start by reading your messages and clicking each of these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links... then reply to this thread and we'll have a look at your post above. 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 Link to comment
contactme Posted June 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 Ok, Done :)I am/would be using the links from this forum..Thanks. Link to comment
thereuare Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Based upon current rates i do believe that your bids are likely too low... i'm guessing it will take at least $100+ for a hotel in any of the zones above.What is your maximum bid for this trip? Using BiddingHelper.com (and the Hotels.com tab there), or any other sources you like, what is the best rate you're able to find at an acceptable hotel for these dates?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 Link to comment
contactme Posted June 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Hi,I saw one 2* hotel @89/night in downtown and other 2* Arlington hotels ~120-130. 3*+ hotels are probably $150+.I am looking at max $100 per night for 1 room for 2 people.Is there any other area that I should consider, like Crystal city or Bathesda or any other area which is accessible through metro (not more that 30 mins to atleast a few attractions) and is safe ?How is Dupoint - Woodley park area ? Is it accessible through metro and not far off from downtown ?Thanks. Link to comment
thereuare Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 The 'problem' you're going to have when venturing outside of 'downtown DC' is that the metro stops get more sporadic and the zones also get geographically larger... which lessens your chances of landing 'close' to a metro station.If you're going to go outside of 'DC proper' and/or go for the lower rated hotels, i would sooner use HOTWIRE and ideally choose a hotel where you could 1) take a guess as to the property offered and 'know' that it's near a metro station (or if not at least that the hotel offers a shuttle to the metro station) and 2) a hotel that shows a 'good' rating from previous HOTWIRE guests for location as this will give a bit more confidence that the hotel is close to a metro stop. Of course the trade-off is that HOTWIRE costs a little more than PRICELINE (and HOTWIRE can be a bit more 'generous' in their star ratings) but the upside is that you can better target a location that will work for your needs.Also, if you stay out late, keep in mind that the DC metro shuts down ~midnite (iirc) during the week... so take nite time taxi fare into account if you think you may need to take a taxi back on any nite(s) of your trip.Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.EDI TO ADD: if you can stretch your budget to $138/nite HOTWIRE has what appears to be The Normandy hotel which gets a decent 4.0/5.0 TA rating and looks to be less than a 10 minute walk to the Dupont Circle station, should this be of any interest. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
Roadguy Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 thereuare is right, I dont know how much further you want to move out but yet another idea for Hotwiretake the 3.5 star in Georgetown/FB the 9th & 10th and then what appears to be the Normandy for the last 2days...it blends out at 114/nt Link to comment
Romelle Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 It has been almost 10 years, but I bid via PL and got a hotel in Crystal City for a Washington, DC visit with my 12-year-old granddaughter and son. I do remember it working very well. She was intrigued with figuring out the metro. Actually was guiding us toward the end of the trip. We all enjoyed the "quirky" neighborhood with lots of cute and different ethnic restaurants. Not a bad hike to the metro. I suspect the zone boundaries have changed, plus all sorts of other changes, so I guess it won't make any difference that I've long since forgotten the hotel name. I'm thinking you could take the PL hotel list (first post in this area) and check out the various Crystal City hotels people have reported as wins. Reviews both here and on TripAdvisor, Maps& Hotels under the Tools tab, and even the hotel web sites themselves (shuttle service, distance to metro, ??). Perhaps the zone could work for you if you carefully checked everything out.We weren't doing any late night stuff, so the closure of the metro was not an issue. That could be a deal-breaker for you though. RomellePS - sometimes splitting one's bid into a couple different shorter stays can help, but in your case you have all weekdays and there does not appear to be any rate spikes from events. Hotwire Arlington 3* was $126 for each individual night, as well as for the full span. There might be some other area events, but this at least suggests splitting wouldn't help. Link to comment
contactme Posted June 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 Thanks Guys..all your comments are really helpful. After reading some other posts and doing some research, I noticed that prices are much higher if I stay Mon-Fri as compare to if I stay Thu-Mon..so have decided to move my dates to 07/12-07/16 and now checking the price for that duration I am getting a 4* hotel for $99 in downtown and a couple of others withing $110 per night:)...So thinking about bidding for that, starting with $65 and going up till I get the room ...Is that the right way ? Link to comment
thereuare Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 At the 4* level which zone(s) do you intend to bid on?Let us know and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.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 Link to comment
contactme Posted June 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 I am thinking about bidding for Downtown, capitol hill and Arlington areas. As I have moved my dates to more favourable time(cost wise), I expect that I should be able to get something from 21/2*-4* somewhere around $60-80...right ?Thanks, Link to comment
thereuare Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 Your budget is possible, but still may be a stretch for a 4* hotel. While not not a DC expert, is there a reason you're including the Arlington zone? This zone is about 5 miles by 2.5 miles (almost the same size as all the 'DC proper' zones combined) which may make your goal of landing near a metro stop a bit more difficult.Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option? If so i think you could increase your chances of getting a 4* in the DC proper area for the Friday-Monday dates near the $80/area. (i haven't looked your options for a solo Thursday nite)... or if you could increase your budget to ~$100-$110 for a 4* hotel for your complete stay (of course lower rated hotels may be had for a bit less)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 Link to comment
contactme Posted June 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2012 Hi,Including Arlington because I read on different posts that it is good area and downtown is accessible. For that period(Thu-Mon), I am getting 4* hotel at $103 without even bidding. So was thinking that I may be able to get that or some other hotel (even 2* would be fine) in the downtown area for $60-80. Splitting is bit difficult as that would involve moving from 1 hotel to another which I don't want to do...Thanks Link to comment
thereuare Posted June 14, 2012 Report Share Posted June 14, 2012 Again, i'm not an expert at the suburbs of DC, but it appears to me that most of Arlington is well serviced by the Metro, but what if you end up winning the 3* Hilton Garden Inn Arlington Shirlington (4271 Campbell Ave) or the 2* Comfort Inn Arlington (2480 South Glebe Rd) (enter both address into MAPS and HOTELS.com and zoom in on the area to see transportation options)... neither of these properties appear to be very close to a Metro station.Please confirm which zone(s) you'd like to bid on, what star rating you'd like to try first, and your maximum bid at that star rating... we'll then suggest a strategy for you to follow.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 Link to comment
contactme Posted June 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2012 ok, thanks.Here are my preferences:- Downtown DC/Capitol hill area: Any 2*+ hotel - George town - foggy bottom : any 2*+ hotel - Any other area which has good access to downtown/national mall (through Metro, not looking beyonf 30 mins ride to downtowm)Budget maximum $90-100. I am flexible on dates as I can stay for 4 nights with any start date from Jul 8 - Jul 11 (with checkout between July 12 - July 15 for those respective checkin dates)Thanks Link to comment
thereuare Posted June 15, 2012 Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 - Downtown DC/Capitol hill area: Any 2*+ hotelDoes this include Convention Center-Capitol Hill and White House-Downtown OR were you only looking at one of these zones?Did you wan to bid the above zone(s) up to your maximum before lowing your bid and trying for George town-Foggy Bottom OR is your goal the least expensive hotel in any of your acceptable zone(s)?Are you willing to pay more for a higher rated hotel OR is your goal the least expensive 2* or better property for this trip?Please confirm the above and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.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 Link to comment
contactme Posted June 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 Preference is to get the least expensive hotel, 2-1/2* onwards in any of the 4 areas:- Convention Center-Capitol Hill and White House-Downtown- George town-Foggy Bottom- Dupoint circle Link to comment
thereuare Posted June 15, 2012 Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 At the 2.5* level in DC you have ONE re-bid zone. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.Select 2.5* CC and WH...Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $70, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 2.5* GT and DC...Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $70, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 2.5* GT and WH...Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $80, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 2.5* CC and DC...Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $80, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 2.5* CC and GT...Bid $83, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $85, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 2.5* WH and DC...Bid $83, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $85, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 2.5* CC and GT and WH...Bid $88, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 2.5* CC and GT and DC...Bid $88, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $90, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 2.5* DC and WH and CC...Bid $93, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $95, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 2.5* DC and WH and GT...Bid $93, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $95, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINESelect 2.5* DC and WH and CC and GT...Bid $98, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $100Any 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 Link to comment
contactme Posted June 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 Finally !!!!I have secured a deal on the PRICELINE at the Dupont Circle Hotel 4* for $90 for 4 nights (7/12-716) after so many days.Thanks all for your help :) and I had used the PRICELINE link from this forum (I will post a new topic to explain a bit more about my bids) Link to comment
contactme Posted June 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 Finally !!!!I have secured a deal on the priceline at the Dupont Circle Hotel 4* for $90 for 4 nights (7/12-716) after so many days.In this cycle this is the bid I followed:$80 for Dupont circle: Rejected and got offered to go to $100 and rebid againI declined and added Capitol hill and bid for $85: Rejected and asked to rebid with $100I declined and added white house area and bid for $90: Bid accepted for The dupont hotel :))(Before this I had tried different dates for these zones, and Foggy bottom but couldn't get through till $100)Thanks all for your help :) I used the PRICELINE link from this forum Link to comment
thereuare Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 Congratulations on your success! Glad to see you're pleased with the results... even less than your previously failed bids!Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding. Enjoy your stay. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
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