Priceline Hotel: 2.5* San Francisco (Union Square West - Nob Hill) Hotel Metropolis

[scully]

There is a 3.5* hotel on hotwire for $74 a night, regularly $160 on other sites. it is in the Civic Center South - Hayes Valley area of San Francisco

here are the listed amenities:

Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access

it has 3.5 rating out of 5 on tripadvisor and a 3.0 overall satisfaction rating on hotwire.

[AaronJB]

Please provide the date/s of your stay and we would be happy to take a look and try to ID.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[scully]

the dates of my stay are 11/10 thru 11/16 this year. thanks.

[scully]

I'm booking a room for a trip to San Francisco. Dates are 11/10 - 11/16. I want the same hotel for the entire six-night stay. It's a partial business trip, so the cost is limited to what my boss will pay. He'd be happiest if I spent $100 or less a night for a room. I do not know if this is possible. What is the star category I could expect to get for $100 max a night?

I am attending a huge convention at the Moscone Center, with 30,000 other people in town, so it will be a high demand time for part of my stay. I would prefer to stay as close to the convention center as possible in order to keep transportation costs down. So my main choices are the SOMA districts, with Union Square East and Union Square West my second and third choices.

I bid yesterday, and lost, used the PRICELINE link here. I started at $80 a night for 4* and rebid up to $94 using rebid zones, then added in 3.5* and added in the two remaining rebid zones I hadn't used yet, starting at $75 and stopping at $83. I rebid today from $85 to $105 using rebid zones for 3.5* and was still turned down.

I don't want a terrible quality hotel. Anything under 3.5* worries me as far as quality goes. What could I expect to pay for a 3.5 *? Are the 3* hotels okay quality wise?

I used to travel to this city a lot, but haven't been there in 10 years, so my knowledge of the areas is rusty. What other zones should I consider? I want to enjoy my surroundings as well as have easy access to the Moscone Center. I used to play it safe and always stay in Union Square East at the Kimpton Hotels there, but those are clearly out of my price zone nowadays.

[thereuare]

If you go back to HOTWIRE and click the 'See all' link at the end of the amenity list, do you see more than what you've included in your post above?

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

[thereuare]

Realistically you're likely looking at $150-$200 for a decent 3.5* property... $100 and under will maybe get you a 2*/2.5* (although i would still try for a 3* but i would think it unlikely).

Keep in mind that if the personal dates for this stay are of lower demand then the conference dates, you'll actually be 'overpaying' for your dates while your employer will be 'underpaying' for your stay.

For example:

Business Dates 3 nites: $150 average price

Personal Dates 3 nites: $100 average price

This 6 nite stay may cost $125... with your boss getting a good deal (since regular rates are $150) and you overpaying by $25/nite (since if you booked on your own it would only have been $100). Assuming your personal days are out of your own pocket, i would consider either SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID (and changing hotels mid-stay) or show your boss how the conference dates by themselves are expensive and if a more realistic budget is possible (of course you know better how flexible your company is and if this would be seen as a reasonable request by them or not... or is it already a stretch just to send you to the conference and any more expense than $100/nite they might not send you?)

What are the actual conference dates and what are the personal dates?

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[scully]

thanks for all the info! the actual personal days are 11/10 thru 11/13 and the business days are 11/14 thru 11/16. so three nights personal followed by three nights business.

we're then heading to napa for two nights, 11/16 and 11/17, and I've had just as much trouble getting something there. seems like there are very few hotels that offer priceline bid for hotel rates in napa and upper napa. (those are the only two areas I am interested in.)

[thereuare]

thanks for all the info! the actual personal days are 11/10 thru 11/13 and the business days are 11/14 thru 11/16. so three nights personal followed by three nights business.

Even if you SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID (which you previously stated you didn't want to do) something is going to have to 'give'... either your budget or minimum star rating, as $100 just isn't likely realistic for a 3.5* or better for these dates.

we're then heading to napa for two nights, 11/16 and 11/17, and I've had just as much trouble getting something there. seems like there are very few hotels that offer priceline bid for hotel rates in napa and upper napa. (those are the only two areas I am interested in.)

Please start a NEW TOPIC for this leg of your trip, and include your price expectations for whatever star rating you're seeking, as well as any bids you have already tried.

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

[scully]

Won Hotel Metropolis for six nights, 11/10-11/16, for $95 a night. A 2.5* hotel.

This six-night stay includes three nights during a 30,000-person convention at the nearby Moscone Center.

Spent five days bidding for a room in either SOMA, Union Square West or Union Square East. Hotel cap price was $105. Started with 4*, quickly moved to 3.5*, minimum bids of $80, max of $105. Finally went to 2.5* today after carefully reviewing list of possible hotels in this category. Started at $90 for SOMA and was turned down, then upped it to $95 for SOMA and added Union Square East since that was another acceptable area for me. Won the bid at $95, for hotel in SOMA district.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success.

Very nice win for this San Fran property and thank you for letting us know about this new PRICELINE property so that we can update the site's Priceline Hotel List.

Thank you for sharing your win and please use the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links to start your purchases and searches.

Enjoy your stay.

[scully]

Thanks, Aaron. The hotel is $152 a night for the nights of my stay on regular hotel booking websites. I'm thrilled with $95 a night.

The area is a tad shady (edge of Tenderloin), but all tripadvisor reviewers said their worry about that was for naught once they arrived. And the hotel itself is trendy and clean and comfy and quite nice. And a block from the Mission Street cable car stop and very close to the Powell St. BART station as well. And just five blocks from the Moscone Center where I will be attending a three-day conference.

[scully]

I started a new thread on my hotel win. You can close this thread. Ended up with 2.5* room for $95 at Hotel Majestic for my 11/10 - 11/6 stay.

[scully]

Just FYI - I found the Hotel Metropolis on their own website sells this room for $97 a night. And it's refundable.

Not such a great deal after all. I'm bummed.

[thereuare]

Won Hotel Metropolis for six nights, 11/10-11/16, for $95 a night. A 2.5* hotel.

Ended up with 2.5* room for $95 at Hotel Majestic for my 11/10 - 11/6 stay.

To confirm, was 'Majestic' a typo and the hotel you actually received was the Hotel Metropolis?

Thanks.

[scully]

yes, it's a typo. Hotel Metropolis is what I won.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the confirmation.

[scully]

need to make a correction on the original post. this hotel is in the Union Square West district of San Francisco. Not SOMA.

[thereuare]

FIXED... thanks for letting us know!