Priceline Hotel: 4* San Francisco Union Square or Lombard Street

[kingnoerz]

We are starting our roadtrip in San Francisco, and by the time I get off the plane I want to have a hotel of course. So I booked 2* with free cancellation until and up to May, 29th. I hope to get a better deal with priceline/hotwire, and subsequently cancel the 2* hotel. When is the best time to start looking for deals? What would be a real good deal? I want to get a little bit of a feeling for that, as I don't want to end up taking a deal which could be easily beaten a week later. What locations could I consider other then the vicinity of Union Square and Lombard Street?  Thanks a lot! :)

[thereuare]

Your topic title indicates a stay of 5/31-6/31... please confirm the dates of your stay and we'll then have a look at rates for your dates.

It can be hard to compare a 2* hotel vs. a 4* property, but what is your rate of the 2* back-up? What would be your target budget for a 4* hotel?

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

Thanks.

[kingnoerz]

Is there a way to edit my posting? I meant May, 31st to June 3rd - sometimes I still mess up the American date format. The 2* backup is around 460$ without taxes for 3 nights. What budget would I have to consider for 3*-4*? :)

[thereuare]

I think you're likely looking at ~$150 for a 3* hotel.. $175 for a 3.5*... $185 for a 4*; are any of these within your budget? Are you willing to pay more for a higher rated hotel or are you looking for a higher rated hotel at the same price as your back-up?

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

[kingnoerz]

Thanks for the heads up. So 3* is on par with my backup hotel, and therefore a free upgrade. I'd be happy to stay within 500$ for the 3 nights if possible and get 3* stars. However, I'm not quite sure about the best location, as it's my first trip to San Francisco, What strategy would you suggest? :)

[thereuare]

USE and USW are the most frequently bid zone... followed by Financial District (often a little cheaper than the previous two) and then Fishermans Wharf zone (very touristy)

PRICELINE EXPRESS has a 3* hotel in the USW for $156/nite with:

Free Breakfast

Free Internet in public areas

Pets Allowed

Restaurant

Fitness Center

... my best guess for this property would be the Hotel California. You can also use the discount link and code in my signature for an extra $20 off.

Do you want to take the offer above OR try bidding on PRICELINE, and if bidding, which zone(s) would be acceptable?

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

[kingnoerz]

Thanks for the offer you posted. I think I'll try bidding though, I'm considering USW, USE, Marina - Lombard Street and maybe the Financial District. Honestly, as long as the vicinity is nice and safe (especially at night) and I don't need to much time to get around, I don't mind where the hotel is. However, I'm not familiar with San Francisco to know what other zones would fit these requirements. 

[thereuare]

...Marina - Lombard Street...

Hopefully somebody more local to the area than i am will comment, but we don't see that much bidding in this zone, is there something makes you think it will be particularly convenient for your plans this trip? The Fisherman's Wharf zone is more popular than the Marina-Lombard zone... but USE and USW are by far the most popular zones, and given the PRICELINE EXPRESS property within your budget, do you want to stick with just these two zones when bidding, then take the PRICELINE EXPRESS property if rejected?

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

Let us know your thoughts and we'll advise accordingly.

[kingnoerz]

Lombard Street was a friend's advice, as he said that the sights in SF are rather spread out and Lombard is a good center to start sightseeing tours from. Fisherman's Wharf is very nice, but way out of budget with >200$/night. My current strategy is to stick with Priceline Express, NYOP and Hotwire and figure out if I somehow can improve my booking until May 29th (latest possible cancellation for my current booking) within a budget of ~500$ for 3 nights. 

[thereuare]

Fisherman's Wharf is very nice, but way out of budget with >200$/night.

Let us know all the zones that are acceptable, regardless of price. If Fisherman's Wharf is acceptable, you should include it in your bidding as 1) it gives you more bidding combinations and opportunities which allows you to bid in smaller increments, and 2) worst case scenario is that you win a hotel in this zone for even less than you ever thought possible.

As per the PRICELINE EXPRESS property above, you can improve your current back-up reservation and be within budget with the $156/nite USW property... why not bid up to this amount and then take the PRICELINE EXPRESS deal if your bidding is rejected? You can try to wait for a better deal to come along, but what if this one disappears and nothing else within your budget appears over the next few weeks?

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll try to assist further.

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