Priceline Hotel: 4* New Orleans (Convention Center - Warehouse - Arts District) Renaissance New Orleans Arts Hotel

[MattEffinCameron]

Traveling to New Orleans on the above dates (3/14-3/17) for a wedding.  Based on glancing around these forums, the fact that I didnt see any major events happening in the city at that time, and the fact that we are pretty flexible as to what area we will be staying in (wedding is in mid-city but we dont need to stay right there as it doesnt seem to be the best base for exploring)...I was thinking we should be able to get a good deal...like a 4* for under 100 bucks a night.

 

Do you think this is a reasonable expectation?  

 

Looking now at list prices around the web and express deals on priceline we seem to be quite a bit above that price point but as long as I have reasonable confidence that I should be able to get a good price as the date draws closer I will just wait and bid the week of the trip..

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding.

 

Something may be going on on these dates as rates are somewhat on the high side. $100 for a 4* is unlikely based on the rates I'm seeing - I'd guess you're likely looking at more around the $150 range for a 4* in one of the core areas.

 

Waiting for the last minute isn't necessarily a guarantee of lower prices. That was true more often around/right after 2008, but rates/demand have ramped up since and rates can just as easily go in the wrong direction and quickly.

 

What would be your desired max bid per night for this stay?

 

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

[MattEffinCameron]

probably like 100...I had budgeted 125/night for this trip (all said and done) and was hoooping to come in under budget.

 

Maybe the prices are due to the st pattys day parades which apparently are that weekend.

[thereuare]

St. Patrick's Day is certain a contributing factor... there is also a Home and Garden Convention as the Superdome (3/15-3/17) which i'm not sure how large of an event it is, but this could be a contributing factor as well.

I was thinking we should be able to get a good deal...like a 4* for under 100 bucks a night.

Do you think this is a reasonable expectation?

I think your assessment that there are no major events taking place in the city over these dates is wrong (whether St. Patrick's Parade, the Garden Show, both of these combined, or some other event... something is causing demand for these dates to be higher than usual, which usually translates to a higher than usual bid needed to win a hotel).

Nobody can say whether rates for these dates will come down, or move even higher, between now and your stay, it all depends upon supply/demand (ie- how expected new reservations/cancellations come in relative to actual reservations/cancellations)

Using our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com what is the best rate you're able to find at an acceptable hotel?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

[MattEffinCameron]

Very cool site, I was not familiar with it....but based on those prices, I am probably going to have to go rent an apartment or bed and breakfast route.  yikes!

 

3*s are probably fine for us...looking at that list the Holiday Inn Westbank Tower is probably the only 3+* property that wouldn't work (based on location).  the remaining properties are prices 186+ with most beign in the 225-250 range.

[thereuare]

PRICELINE EXPRESS does have THIS (confirm your dates on the landing page) 4* Conevntion Center-Arts District hotel for $122/nite before taxes/fees, which would seem like a very good deal relative to the other offers available for these dates (it also has a very good 8.0+ user review rating which is very good). The amenities are:

Indoor or Outdoor Pool

Restaurant

Fitness Center

Free Internet

Business Center

... and while these are common for most 4* hotels in New Orleans, my guess for this one would be the Renaissance New Orleans Arts Hotel or the New Orleans Downtown Marriott at the Convention Center.

Would this PRICELINE EXPRESS offer work for your needs?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

Let us know whatever you decide to do for this stay or if we can be of further help.

Good luck!

[MattEffinCameron]

So I did not see your post for a couple days and by the time I did the express deal was nowhere to be found.  I have been looking around at BnBs and other creative options...havent found anything really unless I want to do something somewhat sketchy with an apartment rental (which I dont)...

 

So I am getting ready to book, prob tomorrow or Wed...figure any last minute deals that are going to show up will show up then.

 

Interested in your thoughts as I am thinking that PRICELINE naming my own price for a room for 15-17, and then trying to book at the same hotel without PRICELINE, or through priceline for 14-15 at a higher rate might be a good option.  The rates for 15-17 seem to be much lower than if I look for 14-17...the challenge is just knowing what hotel I am about to book 15-17 at and making sure they have 14-15 rooms, and they are not 1,000 a night :)

[thereuare]

So I did not see your post for a couple days and by the time I did the express deal was nowhere to be found.

Please always come back to your threads as our response time is usually very good and the deals, as in the case above, often to not last very long.

...the challenge is just knowing what hotel I am about to book 15-17 at and making sure they have 14-15 rooms, and they are not 1,000 a night

When bidding on PRICELINE there is no information given regarding the specific hotel that you are bidding on so there is no way to target or guess as to which hotel you will receive... you have to be willing to accept any hotel in the zone at the star rating (or higher) that you choose. If you want to have a guess as to hotel prior to your purchase you will need to use HOTWIRE or PRICELINE EXPRESS.

Are you willing to change hotels mid-trip?

Let us know how you would like to proceed and we will advise accordingly, and please read your messages before replying.

Thanks.

[MattEffinCameron]

checking with the wife as to whether or not we are willing to change hotels mid-trip.  I am thinking one change for significant savings might be doable :)

I know you 'never know' with PRICELINE what hotel you will be in, but in my experience you can often make a pretty accurate guess....might be tough with these hotels though since there are so many similar ones in the same area..

[thereuare]

In some areas there are hotels which come up significantly more than others, but when you have high demand dates and spotty inventory, the odds of receiving something that doesn't come up all that often increases.

After speaking with your wife let us know how you'd like to proceed and we will take it from there.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

[MattEffinCameron]

Thanks for your help!  I wound up making an executive decision today and was able to book the 15-17 at a 4* Convention Center hotel for only $85!

Wound up being the Renaissance New Orleans Arts Hotel.

 

Followed the PRICELINE links on the site to make purchase, thanks!

 

Got such a great deal on these two nights that I now have more wiggle room for the saturday night...and have not ruled out staying in the same hotel at rack rate...

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

A very nice win for these two nites, especially relative to prices you were seeing for the complete stay. To confirm, you won this by bidding on PRICELINE? (as opposed to a PRICELINE EXPRESS deal)?

Have you yet looked to see how much retail rates at this property for 3/14 and/or did you try the 'Extend Your Stay' option with PRICELINE? If you need help with, or to report a win for, the additional nite of your stay please start a NEW TOPIC.

Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your purchase.

Enjoy this leg of your stay.

[MattEffinCameron]

This was not a PRICELINE EXPRESS deal, I bid for it.  The normal rate was 299 for 3/14...we were trying to decide if we wanted to do that or not but now it looks like they might be sold out for 3/14...I was not familiar with the extend your stay option, I might check into that

[thereuare]

Thanks for the follow-up!

If the hotel is sold-out your chances of extending your stay are fairly low, but you can always give it a try if you'd like (but if the 'extend your stay' option is offered, you can only try once, so you may want to wait until just before you are about to try separately for the nite of 3/14 OR if the hotel should happen to have any availability open on)

Feel free to start a NEW TOPIC for 3/14 if you'd like to discuss options for this nite.

Good luck!