Priceline Hotel: 3* Philadelphia (Downtown) Crowne Plaza City Centr

[faithful96]

This bid took awhile. We were wondering if we could get the Penn's Landing Hyatt (not for more than $55), but we are not upset with how it turned out. It will be nice to try a new hotel:

1st Bid: DT 4* $45 - Failed

2nd: DT 4* $50 (used rebid zone)

3rd: DT 4* $55 (used rebid zone)

4th: DT 3* $46 (lowered level to 3 - got $13 hour counteroffer)

5th: DT 3* $48 (used rebid zone - Stadium Area)

6th: DT 3* $50 (used rebid zone - Gloucester - Runnemede - Deptford)

Your Price has Accepted!

Crowne Plaza Philadelphia-Center City

Check-In Date: Sat, Aug 20, 2005

Check-In Time: After 03:00 PM

Check-Out Date: Sun, Aug 21, 2005

Check-Out Time: 12:00 PM

Your Offer Price: $50.00

Number of Rooms: 2

Number of Nights: 1

Subtotal: $100.00

Taxes & Service Fees: $22.28

Total Charges: $122.28

Was thinking today we are making our way through the hotels in Philly, we've stayed at the following:

Philadelphia (Downtown)

5* Four Seasons (deal via gophila.com)

5* Ritz Carlton (3 times - deal via Expedia)

4* Sheraton Rittenhouse (twice, once via priceline, once via Expedia - heard this hotel is now closed)

3* Marriot Philadelphia Downtown

3* Radisson Warwick (twice)

3* Crowne Plaza Center City (looking forward to trying something new)

Have to say, sure the Ritz is beautiful, but we really like the Downtown Marriot, by Reading Terminal Market. Affordable, beautiful lobby with a Starbucks, great rooms, wonderful service - and a quick step to the market!

As always, this board is invaluable in our quest to get the rooms we want at fantastic prices. Thanks so much!

-T

[thereuare]

Thank you for posting and sharing your win, and bidding history, with the board.

Glad you are able to use the information here and find it helpful.

Enjoy your stay.

[trvl3]

faithful, I was interested in your report about working your way through Philadelphia hotels because I am doing much the same thing. I agree that the Marriott downtown was very, very good and superbly located for central Philly--liked our view of City Hall!

One hotel I have gotten thru Priceline not on your list is the Sofitel--the most beautiful rooms I have seen in the Philly area, very sleekly modern,very well located for Rittenhouse Square. We got a great view of the Liberty Place towers there! Service at both these hotels was excellent. The Sofitel is a 4* (and the highest ranked hotel in Philly--even over the Ritz and Four Seasons--on Tripadvisor.com) and I had to go well into three figures to get it, though, even on PL.

If you want a good close-in suburban hotel with easy access to downtown sometime, that I have gotten for a good price on Priceline, try the Marriott West in West Conshohocken (PL's Pymouth Meeting-Norristown area, although I think there may be one other 3* in that area.) Not such imposing and beautiful public areas as the Downtown Marriott, but our room was even better than the one Downtown. And a big Philly plus--cheap, short walk self-parking, the charge waived entirely the Saturday night we were there.

I have also hoped to get the Hyatt Regency sometime, but I notice that you were bidding for Saturday night, like I usually am. My observation from watching their web site is that their prices go way up for Saturday night. I think that is because they are the least business-oriented and most weekend getaway oriented of the major Philly hotels, due to their location. If you look back over the winning bids with the help of the calendar, I think you'll see that while people have reported excellent PL deals there on all other nights of the week, no one has gotten it for a Saturday night arrival.

We have also stayed at the Crowne Plaza, where you are staying tonight, and it was my least favorite of my PL wins in Philly. People often do get it from PL at good rates, even on Saturday night, as you did. From reading the reviews here and on Tripadvisor.com, it seems that some people, including some with PL bookings, get upgraded to the Concierge level and are quite satisfied. But others, like us, have gotten standard (or less) rooms which, although well-appointed, were tiny and would probably be fine for one, but felt cramped and cheap for two. A desk clerk there told me that "All the Priceline rooms are that small" and that he couldn't upgrade us to Concierge level because the hote was sold out. I definitely didn't feel it was a 3* experience for us, despite that being its PL rating, although people who do get upgraded to Concierge disagree.