Hotwire Hotel: Help ID 3.5*/4* Downtown LA

[Lulos]

Hello, I'm a complete newbie to Hotwire and Priceline, so I don't really know if I should use the Hotwire prices or Priceline bids. I don't know where to start. I plan to stay from the 22nd to the 29th of September 2013 in Downtown LA. Just need 1 room for 1 or 2 adults.

I used the links you guys provided for the search.

Travel Dates

Check-in: Sun, Sep 22, 2013

Check-out: Sun, Sep 29, 2013

4* amenities

Pet friendly, Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Restaurant, Business Center, High Speed Internet Access, Accessible for the Deaf, Accessible for the Blind, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Handicapped Parking.

Rate per night $118.00

3.5* amenities

Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant, Business Center, High Speed Internet Access, Accessible for the Deaf, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Handicapped Parking, Roll-in shower.

Rate per night $121.00

I don't understand why the 3.5* is more expensive then the 4*. Also I would like to avoid the Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Each hotel sets their own prices based upon supply/demand (ie- occupancy levels) for their hotel on any given date.

Take two fictitious hotels:

3* Hotel A: for a specific date they have a large conference that they are the host hotel for AND a large wedding for the nite (with many guests from out of town and staying over)... of their 100 rooms, 90 of them are already confirmed by wedding and conference attendees

4* Hotel B: has not events planned for the same nite and although this hotel also has 100 rooms, only 15 of them are booked

In the scenario above, the 4* hotel is looking to aggressively fill more of their rooms and sets rates for the nite accordingly... while the 3* hotel feels they may sell the remaining 10 rooms to last minute walk-in customers (who often pay the highest rates since they usually walk in the tired and weary and not about to go drive down the street to the next hotel in order to compare prices).. so they price their remaining rooms close to top dollar.

For the HOTWIRE hotels above, best guess for the 4* would be the Sheraton Los Angeles and for the 3.5* my guess would be The LA Hotel Downtown Hotel.

The Millennium Biltmore was last reported to the board as a 3.5* property, so if you're looking to avoid this hotel, you can 'safely' do so by setting your minimum bid at the 4* level (but can't lower to the 3.5* level as then this property would come into play)

As far as which service is 'better' depends upon your needs for this stay... PRICELINE is usually a little cheaper than HOTWIRE, but HOTWIRE let's you know the amenities that are associated with a property (in case you wanted to ensure the hotel had a pool, restaurant on-site, or anything else that may be important to you) and this also gives you the ability to take a guess as to which property you may receive. So, if lowest possible price is the primary goal then PRICELINE will often be a little better than HOTWIRE, but if you feel more comfortable having a guess as to the hotel you may receive and/or the amenities offered, then HOTWIRE would be a better option.

Let us know your thoughts, or additional questions, and we'll take it from there.

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

[Lulos]

Hi, thank you for the answer. I need some more information before I decide which one I should use.

1. If I were to bid in PRICELINE what would be the starting bid and how should I proceed after that bid? Lets say the max budget I have is $120 because that is what I can get from a HOTWIRE 4* deal.
   
2. Should I buy as soon as I can, or wait a week or two?

[thereuare]

If I were to bid in PRICELINE what would be the starting bid and how should I proceed after that bid? Lets say the max budget I have is $120 because that is what I can get from a HOTWIRE 4* deal.

It takes time to research rates and type out a bidding strategy, so please first decide if you want to bid on PRICELINE OR go with the HOTWIRE offer. If you decide to bid on PRICELINE we will be happy to provide a strategy to follow, but if you are still undecided, things (such as rates) can change between now and the time you are ready to bid, so we won't suggest a strategy until you decide that is the route you'd like to take and are ready to bid.

Also, not all hotels are rated the same thru PRICELINE and HOTWIRE. For the above, assuming our guess for the 4* HOTWIRE property of Sheraton is correct, this same property is only 3.5* rated by PRICELINE, so using a $120 maximum bid for a 4* hotel based upon the rate of the 4* HOTWIRE offer is not an apples-to-apples comparison.

Should I buy as soon as I can, or wait a week or two?

Nobody can say if rates will come down, or move higher, between now and your trip... but if you're happy with the rates currently discussed where we think you can likely win a hotel, and it represents a nice enough discount vs. a conventionally booked room to lock it in now, then it's worth doing so. Besides 'rate risk', in the case of HOTWIRE where you think you have identified the property, there is also 'hotel risk' in that the hotel you are currently offered can disappear at any time (and be replaced with a hotel that you may not care for as much). For additional discussion on 'when to bid' see the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

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

[Lulos]

Thank you for the tips, it has helped me a lot. I'll come back when I've made a decision.