Priceline Hotel: "Planning fault": Bidding help for SF in September 2013

[Pelham123]

Flights are booked, trip is planned, I have (cancelable) reservations for all other citys BUT the last city I'm trying to book a hotel in is San Francisco.

Dates: 9/17/13 - 9/22/13 (5 nights)

Thep problem is the America's Cup Finals --> Double the hotel prices... That somehow ruins our trip planning...

I now reserved a 2* motel for $160 a night... Has anybody already secured any decent Priceline deals for September 2013? Initially, I was expecting to secure a 4* at quite less than $160 a night, but the America's Cup it now looks like I can either cough up more than $200 a night even with PL or stay at the 2* motel.

Right now I'm even thinking of shortening the stay in SF to 3 nights (a pity!!!) and staying a day or two more in San Diego or Monterey. What do you think - will prices go down the closer we get to September or will they stay up? Any tips/stategy advice for PL bidding under these circumstances?

I'm happy with most central SF ares (but not SOMA or Tenderloin, which is a risk when booking USW) but the hotel should at least be very decent (3.5* or up)...

Best regards & Thanks

Pelham12

[thegirlwho]

Hey

If it helps, I've won on Priceline the 3* Warwick Hotel in USE for $116.00. Dates are 29th August-2nd September.

So its worth a try on PRICELINE maybe? :)

[thereuare]

You can use the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins as well as our Priceline Maps (which allows you to filter by month, days of the week, etc) to see other wins for this coming September as well as historical pricing.

HOTWIRE has a 3.5* property in the USE zone for $162/nite with:

Free Internet

Boutique

Smoke Free

Fitness

Restaurant

Hi-Speed Internet

Blind Accessible

Deaf Accessible

Room Accessible

Bathroom Accessible

Handicapped Parking

Roll-in Shower

... but more telling is that it also has a 4.5/5.0 TA rating which is excellent.

Best guess for this property would be the Orchard Garden, and although a few dollars over your original budget, may be worth considering given the high reviews and how difficult rooms may be to come by during this event.

Would this work for your needs and budget?

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

[Pelham123]

Already gone, I suppose...

Currently looking into Oakland or Berkeley as an alternative... :-(

[AaronJB]

I'm seeing the above 3.5* for $161 when searching. Are you not seeing the 3.5* at all? If so, how many people are you searching for?

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

[Pelham123]

San Francisco

Sep 17 to Sep 22

1 room

2 travelers

Union Square East - Moscone

I'm seeing a 3*, 75% recommended, for $163/nite and a 3.5*, 95% recommended, for $203/nite. Both plus taxes.

The 3.5* has

Free Internet

Boutique Hotel

Smoke Free Rooms

Fitness Center

Restaurant(s)

High-Speed Internet Access

Accessible for the blind

Accessible for the deaf

In-room accessibility

Accessible bathroom

Handicapped parking

Roll-in shower

--> That's what I see on the US site. If I switch to the German site, I see a 3.5* USE hotel for $241/nite (including taxes - German legislation) and a 4.5/5.0 TA rating - probably the same hotel.

Right now, I assume, neither PRICELINE nor HOTWIRE offer decent deals. I will most likely reserve a very good 4* for 3 nights in Berkeley at rack rate (160$/nite) and wait if prices in SF drop later this year. (While we're at it: Any PL bidding tips for Berkeley? I haven't found a strategy to make sure the offered 4* are close to a BART station. Haven't checked HOTWIRE yet, though...)