Priceline Hotel: Help with Seattle Airport Hotel (August 27, 2013)

[ditto905]

Hi BetterBidding friends!

I'm looking for some advice about bidding for a hotel near the Seattle Airport for the night of August 27 for 1 person.

I've been eyeing prices on Hotwire (and of course, I used the HOTWIRE / PRICELINE links for this!) and I saw a 1* room for $55/night. If I could get a suggested bidding strategy, as well as an expected target price that'd be awesome! Also, should I start bidding now or wait until the date is closer?

Thanks in advance!

PS. I used and will continue to use the provided links

[yellowdog]

Welcome to BetterBidding :)

Thanx for using boards HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links!

What is your max budget before tax/fee for this stay? Bidding 1* in the airport zone is risky business for most cities. You should atleast try to bid 2* within your budget to start with.

Also, should I start bidding now or wait until the date is closer?

Please read this link: Should i Bid Early or Close to Arrival Date

Let us know your thoughts and we'll go from there.

Yellowdog.

[ditto905]

Hi there,

Thanks for the quick reply - as I am using the hotel literally only for one night's sleep, I am trying to go as low as possible (my alternative is to sleep in the airport). I'd say even $60 all included if at all possible, keeping in mind, I don't know what the range is.

May I ask you, what cautions do you have about airport hotels?

Cheers

[thereuare]

Airport hotels are frequently used for one nite stays so there is a lot of turnover and the rooms get worn a bit more quickly vs. hotels where guests stay for longer lengths. Some of the higher end hotels have deeper pockets and are more efficient at keeping the rooms well maintained, but at some of the lower rated hotels the rooms are not as well maintained and rooms can quickly fall into disrepair. As well, airport hotel or not, when buying an opaque hotel sight unseen, there is a risk at the 1 star level as you basically choosing a hotel that can't get rated any lower... while it's conceivable you may find a diamond in the rough that is perfect for your needs, there is also a chance you land something that is not up to your standards and you wish you had spent a few dollars more for something comfortable.

For example HOTWIRE has a 1* hotel in the Airport zone for $54/nitewith no ratings and no other information known about it.

For just $5 more HOTWIRE has a 2* hotel in the airport zone for $59/nite room rate where it's known that 80% of previous guests recommend the property, a TA rating of 3.5/5.0 (not awesome, but not terrible either for the star rating and price), and you could take a guess as to the property offered (my guess would be the Red Roof Inn Seattle Airport)

Let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to proceed from here. If PRICELINE, please let us know the maximum bid price (before taxes/fees) and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[Romelle]

You might also check out the PRICELINE EXPRESS deals. There currently is a 5% discount deal if you use a code "SUMMER". This will sweeten the deal a little.

The numbers mentioned are NOT "all-in". They are the base bid on PRICELINE, or the base rate on HOTWIRE and PRICELINE EXPRESS. An all-in number would also include taxes and fees. When you are bidding via PL (or purchasing via PRICELINE EXPRESS or HW) you do see this total before you commit.

If you opt to bid at the 2* level, there actually even is one free rebid zone. So that could allow you to try a second number with each bidding session.

The "Hotel Lists" feature up in the header will let you see the hotels members have reported here - for both Priceline and Hotwire.

Romelle

[ditto905]

Thanks for all the info! I just ended up going with the 2* on HOTWIRE, of course using the links provided!

Cheers!

[thereuare]

What hotel did you receive? In your post please include the star rating, city, zone, hotel name, room rate per nite, dates of your stay and amenities shown before your purchase... you can still view all of this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

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

Thanks!