Hotwire Hotel: 3* Miami (Downtown) Courtyard by Marriott Miami Downtown / Brickell

[missparker]

We are taking a cruise in early Jan and will be getting a hotel room in FLL. I am not looking for a luxurious 5 star hotel as it's just a stopping point on our way to Miami. How far out can you bid on Priceline? There are obviously no other dates to compare bids to, but any idea what a range would be?

[thereuare]

PRICELINE and HOTWIRE allow bidding up to 330 days in advance so you are within that timeframe.

What are the actual date(s) of your stay? Which zone(s) are you considering for this stay? Do you have an expected star rating and budget in mind?

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

[missparker]

We are staying one night on January 3 and then heading by train to Miami on January 4 to board our ship that afternoon. I would prefer a hotel closer to the airport and I'm OK with a 2 or 3 star. I do not want to spend more than $100.00.

All things being equal, I would consider and actually prefer to stay in Miami since we would already be in our city of departure, but the base rates are much higher than what I have seen in FLL. If we did book in Miami, I would like to stay somewhere within a 10 minute cab ride to the Port of Miami. Price of $100.00 still applies - 3 star perhaps?

[thereuare]

At current rates I think a 3* Miami Downtown hotel will likely cost you closer to $130-$150 for the nite above... you may be able to get something in the Miami Airport zone for closer to $100 (but this too may fall a little short)

Fort Lauderdale looks a little cheaper, but you may also have a little trouble staying at $100 or less if trying to stay at 3* or above.

Also, i don't hear of too many people taking the train from FLL to MIA... how many people are traveling and what is the cost of this, as it may be more cost effective to take a shared shuttle service, taxi, or even rent a car.

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

Let us know your thoughts and what course you would like to try first and we'll take it from there.

[missparker]

Hello,

we are taking a cruise that leaves Miami on Saturday, Jan 4, 2014. I am looking for a room for one night on Friday, Jan 3 that is fairly close to the port and I would like to keep the cost below $150.00, which I think I can do? Does anyone have a sense of what a starting bid might be in that zone? I would prefer a 3.5 or above.

I would be willing to bid another zone, but do not want to get too far out. The other option is a hotel at the airport with transportation, but it would be nice to be in the city and maybe find a nice place to grab some dinner if the price is right.

Thank you!

[thereuare]

At current rates i think that $150 will likely fall short for a 3.5* or better hotel in the Downtown zone.

If you want to give it a try, when bidding 3.5* in Miami you have SIX re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 3.5* Downtown...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $150

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[missparker]

While looking around today at HOTWIRE, I found a 3 star downtown for $149.00. Based on the description it looks like the B2 Hotel.

Free Internet

Boutique Hotel

Smoke Free Rooms

Fitness Center

Restaurant(s)

Self service laundry

Spa Services

I checked out their website and it looks pretty nice. Anyone know if this is a good hotel? I might just book this, esp. if my 3.5 bid ends up being about the same.

[thereuare]

The property above does match previous reports for the B2 Miami Downtown so that would be my best guess for this one.

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

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[missparker]

After this post, I waited a while before buying anything. However, I ended up with the Courtyard by Marriott Miami Downtown - Brickell for $133.00 a night Jan.3 - Jan.4 using the HOTWIRE link from this forum. It got stellar reviews on Trip Advisor so I am pretty happy with the purchase since it retails for $329.99 and it's close to port.

I have always used Priceline via Better Bidding as I found that I could get better deals than the Hotwire hot rates, but I'm learning that it all depends on the area and the going rates. There are a lot of hotels to bid on in this zone and since we are trying to get close to the Port of Miami, the risk for me was too great to not get something I knew was probably a sure bet.

Thanks BB as always!!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to hear this property has good reviews and will work well for your plans.

Can you please add a reply to this thread with the amenities shown before your purchase... you can still view this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

Thank you for sharing your results and using the HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your purchase.

Enjoy your stay (and cruise).

[missparker]

The amenities are:

Free Internet

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

Internet access

[thereuare]

Thanks for the follow-up!