Priceline Hotel: Help with Hotel 11/26

[salukidean]

We will be traveling from Las Vegas on the weekend after Thanksgving to attend an LA Kings game at the Staples Center on 11/26. We than plan to hit Magic Mountain on 11/27 before heading back to Vegas that evening. We only plan to stay overnight one evening and have 2 adults (myself and girlfriend) as well as 2 kids (girlfriend's daughter and niece).

It seems that if I bid around $45 for a 3* property near LAX we are likely to end up with an Embassy Suite. This would be perfect as the kids could sleep in the living room and we'd have the bedroom.

However, a higher bid seems likely to get us the Marriott which could create a dilemma as we'd have to try and book a second room than (and hope that this wouldn't be a problem)

Whats everyone think our possibilities of getting the Embassy Suite would be if a bid of $45 was submitted?

I know its a little out of the way...but the property sounds ideal, the money saved would be nice, and we'd also eliminate parking charges that would be encountered downtown.

We's also be open to opportunites near Magic Mountain if anyone has suggestions in this area.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[motters]

I started at $45 for my bid in the hope of getting the embassy suites. Perhaps you might start lower?

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

It seems that if I bid around $45 for a 3* property near LAX we are likely to end up with an Embassy Suite

This is not true... properties won often come and go in streaks, but the Embassy Suites is not the most likely outcome in this zone. I would not bid with the expectation that this will be the hotel you receive.

Given that the ES is not guaranteed, let us know how you want to play it... your maximum bid, which zone(s) you want to bid, and if you want to bid for one room or two. We'l then be able to suggest a strategy to try going forward.

[salukidean]

I'm rather flexible on location.....just don't want to end up going too far out of the way (into Anaheim for instance). I'd take 2 rooms if we had to do so......but it just wouldn't seem necessary if we got the Embassy Suites.

We won't really be spending a lot of time in the hotel room....just basically looking for a bed to crash on and don't really want to share a room with the kids (they are teenagers).

I see most of the posts on here for 3* and up hotels.....what if we bid $25 or $30 per room for 2 rooms in a 2* near Valencia? Do you think this could work? Or are all 2* and below properties really dumpy? (A Comfort Inn. Ramada or something similar would really do us fine).

Thanks again for the help.

I started at $45 for my bid in the hope of getting the embassy suites. Perhaps you might start lower?

On the date you are staying (12/14), Embassy is charging a minimum of $135 for their rooms on their own site.......while they start at only $89 on 11/26. This leads me to believe they might not have had any rooms to discount on 12/14 while there's a good chance of getting approved at a low dollar figure for travel on Thanksgiving weekend. Does this sound logical or is my rational flawed?

[thereuare]

You have to remember that you are buying an opaque product.

Yes, you only need one room if you get the Embassy Suites... but you can't know that before your purchase and select the number of rooms you are bidding for. If you bid lower than 3* mabye you get a decent 2* property... maybe you get one of the less desirable ones. again, you are bidding on an opaque property and don't know which side of the spectrum you'll receive. Rates for 3* properties in the LAX are typically so inexpensive that it isn't worth the risk (to most) to lower their star quality, which explains the high proportion of 3* bids.

Let us know what you decide and we'll suggest a strategy to move forward.