Priceline Hotel: Need advice on best area to bid

[mjoe]

My husband & I will be visiting Boston for the first time on July 5-7th 2013. I'm starting my planning & research for our 2 weeks trip.

We will be arriving by train at the North Station on July 5th & departing by train at the South Station on July 7th. Because we will only have about 1 1/2 day in Boston & we won't have a car we would like to be close to everything. Which areas do you suggest we bid?

I'm familiar enough with the bidding process that once I know the right areas I should bid for, I will be able to figure out a bidding strategy by myself. As usual I will use the PRICELINE link for my research & for bidding.

[thereuare]

What is your desired budget and star rating?

Are you ready to bid now/commit to a hotel 6+ months ahead of your stay?

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

[mjoe]

I'm looking for a 4*. I'd like to stay around $105-120 but I'm willing to go up to $150. I know I will have 5 re-bid zones.

Not sure when I will bid. I don't mind committing long in advance if I get a good deal. As you can see by my previous posts, I've gotten great deals in the past by bidding long in advance. From what I have observed on the reported wins I got deals just as good as when people bid 1-2 weeks in advance but at least I didn't have to stress about not knowing if I would have to pay full price for a room because I can't get a deal at the last minute. I like to start my research early that way I can start bidding when I feel ready.

I'm thinking Copley Square/Back Bay & Boston Common/Theater District. But since I'm not familiar at all with Boston I'm not sure if those are where the main action is or if I could extend it to other areas

[Romelle]

You might really enjoy a couple Boston travel guides. I know most local libraries carry them. When I'm in the early planning stages of a trip, I go check out an armload. Sometimes even videos too. After I've browsed through them I usually buy my favorite(s) to take along on the trip.

While my personal library tends to fill with Lonely Planet books, you might prefer a different style. The travel guides vary a lot and are clearly aimed at many different types of travelers.

Amazon usually works best for me for the ultimate purchase.

A search on something like "boston top ten tourist attractions" or simply "boston tourist" yields all sorts of interesting things. And sometimes these sites have addresses to which you can write for brochures and maps and such.

Romelle

[thereuare]

Copley Square-Back Bay, Boston Common-Theater District, and Quincy Market-Financial District are generally all considered to be centrally located. Boston isn't rally that large of a city (geographically speaking) and the T (their train/subway system) can usually get you most places you need to go... when not convenient a taxi shouldn't be too much money since there isn't too much distance to cover.

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

[mjoe]

Thanks Romelle! I always do a lot of research before I visit a place especially on the internet but also with guide books.

Thanks thereuare! I will add Quincy Market-Financial District to my list of area to bid on

:)