Priceline Hotel: London and Paris in February 2014

Ronnie Roncat · January 15, 2014

Hello Everyone! I'm brand new to this site, but would really appreciate some assistance from all the grizzled vets if possible, please :) I'm heading to Europe next month - London from Feb. 14-18 and Paris from Feb. 18-23. I'd like a solid hotel, nothing spectacular, but something clean and in a downtown-ish location. Basically, I'd like to be able to walk to all/most of the major tourist sites and be where the action is.

I'm thinking of using the Name Your Price tool, but I'm uncertain at approximately what nightly rate I should start with for a downtown-ish hotel. Are there any general rules of thumb, please, for where to start the bidding - perhaps 35% of the average rate? 50%? Anyone have any specific recommendations for these particular cities at this particular time, please?

Any/all advice/feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

thereuare · January 15, 2014

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Please use separate threads for each leg of your trip... we will use this thread for your Paris stay from 2/14-2/18, feel free to start a NEW TOPIC for the London leg of your trip.

For Paris, what star rating is it that you would like to try for? Which zone(s) are you willing to accept? So we don't suggest a strategy that goes higher than you're willing to pay, what would be your maximum bid?

Let us know the information above and we will be in a better position to advise. Also, keep in mind that hotels in Europe are a bit more 'generous' in their star rating system than their US counterparts, a general rule is to deduct a full star from the European star rating to get the US equivalent (so a 3* in Europe may be more like a 2* hotel here in the States)

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

Ronnie Roncat · January 15, 2014

Thank you very much! I'm thinking a 3-4 star hotel in Priceline.com's zones 5, 7, 14, 15, or 19. I'd also be willing to move out a zone if the price was significantly lower. If the locate and quality is right, I'd be willing to bid up to $125. Thank you!

AaronJB · January 16, 2014

Please provide the names of the zone/s of interest rather than the #'s. Additionally, with PRICELINE you have to accept any hotel within the desired zone at the rating selected. There may be one or two hotels at a particular star rating that are lesser, as quality often varies at a particular star rating. For the 3*'s in a particular zone, for example, there may be some great ones, some good ones, some iffy ones and some that may be not good. HOTWIRE and PRICELINE express may be a better option in terms of paying a little more and being able to potentially narrow down possibilities. Many HOTWIRE listings also offer the tripadvisor rating for the property, so you can feel comfortable about quality with a high tripadvisor rating showing (if showing, there should be a tripadvisor logo with circles shaded in terms of the review rating.)

Let us know your thoughts.

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

Ronnie Roncat · January 16, 2014

Thanks for the information! I'm mostly concerned with location and price, so I'd be ok with Priceline.com's wider variety. The names of the zones I am interested in are Champs Elysees - Arc De Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Opera Quarter East - Louvre Museum, Opera Quarter West - Jardin des Tuileries, St. Germain.

Also, I believe I wasn't clear on the dates - Paris will be from 2/18/14-2/23/14. Thank you again!

thereuare · January 16, 2014

So we don't suggest a strategy that goes higher than you're willing to pay, let us know your maximum bid (and desired star rating) and we will suggest a strategy for you to follow.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... and your searches too! (please click each of these previous links before replying)

Thanks.

Ronnie Roncat · January 16, 2014

3 star. $75.

thereuare · January 17, 2014

$75 doesn't go too far in Paris but you can try the following:

Select 3* Champs Elysees...