Priceline Hotel: 3* Boston (Downtown-Charlestown) Boston Park Plaza

cheapsk8 · September 28, 2005

1 Room

2 Adults

3 or 4 Stars

4 Nights

1st attempt: Downtown

4 star

$80

rejected

2nd attempt: added Copley

3 or 4 star

$95

rejected

3rd attempt: added WTC

$105

rejected

Any tips? Should I wait until late October to book? Is Hotwire any cheaper?

I checked the Boston Convention Calendar (Massachusetts Convention Center Authority) and it looks like there are 2 events being held during my stay:

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CONSULTANT PHARMACISTS EVENT: 3600 attendees / 7800 room nights

PRIMARY MEDICINE TODAY EVENT: 6000 attendees / 4620 room nights

Various sporting events and concerts: Boston City Search

p.s. Friday, 11/11 is Veteran's Day, no school for most school districts

thereuare · September 28, 2005

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Rates are very high for these dates... are you willing to SPLIT YOUR BID?

What is believed to be the Holiday Inn Select is available for only $118/nite, and you should probably book this as a back-up, especially if you dont' want to split your bid (it's cancellable up to 3 days before your check-in date)

Let us know your thoughts on the above or if you have any questions.

cheapsk8 · September 29, 2005

Thanks for the advice and peace of mind. I did book with EasyClickTravel as you suggested at the Holiday Inn Select Boston and received the pre-tax $118/night price.

I will also try splitting my bid with Priceline, wed/thurs evenings and fri/sat evenings. Any suggestions on rates to start with? This trip is for leisure only (not business), and my preference is to stay is as follows:

Priceline areas:

1) Downtown

2) Copley

3) WTC

Hotwire areas:

1) Boston Common/Theatre District

2) Back Bay/Copley Square areas

3) Quincy Market/Financial District

thereuare · September 29, 2005

Is $118 your maximum bid for the split dates?

All of Hotwire's rates are higher than your back-up.

cheapsk8 · September 29, 2005

Yes, $118 is my max bid. I'd love to stay for less, but IMO that's not a bad price for any quality room, much less at a 3 star hotel. Thanks again!

cheapsk8 · September 29, 2005

Just tried the following and failed . . .barring any other ideas, I will wait until the week of my stay and try again . . .

attempt 1 rejected:

$50

11/9 - 11/11

Downtown

4*

atetmpt 2 rejected:

$50

11/11 - 11/13

Downtown

4*

attempt 3 rejected:

$65

11/11 - 11/13

Downtown + Copley

4*

attempt 4 rejected:

$80

11/11 - 11/13

Downtown + Copley

3 or 4*

cheapsk8 · October 22, 2005

1st bid:

Bid Zone/City Area: Copley

Quality: 4*

Bid: $80

# Nights: 4

Status: Rejected

2nd bid:

Bid Zone/City Area: Copley

Quality: 3 & 4*

Bid: $80

# Nights: 4

Status: Rejected

logged out, started over . . .

1st bid:

Bid Zone/City Area: Copley

Quality: 3 & 4*

Bid: $100

# Nights: 4

Status: Rejected

2nd bid:

Bid Zone/City Area: Copley

Quality: 3 & 4*

Bid: $100

# Nights: 11/11 -> 11/13 (2 nights)

Status: Rejected

3rd bid:

Bid Zone/City Area: Copley

Quality: 3 & 4*

Bid: $100

# Nights: 11/9 -> 11/11 (2 nights)

Status: Rejected

Any ideas? I already have Holiday Inn Select Government Center booked for $117 as a back-up. Possibly wait until closer to our travel dates? Bid more? :-)

thereuare · October 22, 2005

How do you feel about the Holiday Inn vs. the potential hotels you could receive (at the 3* level) thru Priceline?

platna1 · October 24, 2005

Yeah, I tried to get something at $120/night for Veteran's Day and got rejected as well.

cheapsk8 · October 24, 2005

Between Copley and Downtown where the Holiday Inn is located, I'm pretty indifferent about the locations. If I could save $15 a night, that would be nice.

Platna1, you've confirmed my thoughts -- over $120 a night via Priceline tells me to stick with the Holiday Inn for now. Maybe there will be some rooms released closer to our travel date. I'll try again in early November.

Thanks to all!

cheapsk8 · November 1, 2005

re-bid today, 11/1:

1st bid: rejected

offer price: $80

quality: 3 or 4 stars