brandiwaters Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 I'm going to DC in February (Sun. 12 - Sat. 18) to attend a workshop. The workshop is in a hotel near the Virginia Square Metro stop (in Arlington). My only preference on the location of the hotel where I stay is that it is relatively near the Metro, since I would prefer to not rent a car. I don't mind staying in the Capital/Downtown/Dupont/Georgetown areas, and in fact, I'm kind of fond of the idea of getting a really great view in the Downtown area. What about the Arlington or Crystal City areas? Are the hotels in those areas likely to be within walking distance to the metro? My budget will allow me to go up to $110/night (of course, the lower the better).I'd like to find a great hotel--show me the way!Thanks in advance. Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 Welcome to BetterBidding!You can't choose your specific hotel, so there is no way to pick one close enough to a metro stop for your liking... you'll need to make sure that accepting a hotel anywhere wthin the zone's boundaries brings you close enough to a metro that you'd be happy.Once you decide which zones are acceptable let us know your maximum bid and we'll try to help further.You can use our PRICELINE MAP for the Washington DC area to assist in your research. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
homeschoolmom Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 The Hyatt and Marriott in Arlington are 1/2 and 3 (?) blocks from the Metro. I stayed at both about a year ago for around $55/night. I liked this area; there are a lot of restaurants, a grocery store, and a mall (adjacent to Metro). Link to comment
brandiwaters Posted January 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 Alright, I used the Priceline map on this site in conjunction with DC metro maps and priceline's area maps to figure out that my best zones are Convention Center-Capital Hill, White House-Downtown and Dupont Circle-Woodley Park.I want to stay under $115/night including taxes and fees. 4 star is preferred.Again the dates are Feb. 12 - Feb. 18.Thanks. Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 Do you have a preference order for the above zones or do you feel the same about all of them and price is more important than one zone over the other?What is your maximum bid amount... pre-taxes and fees? $100? Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
brandiwaters Posted January 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 1. White House2. Convention Center3. Dupont Circle$100/night sounds like a good estimate. Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 Based upon the above i'm assuming you want to try each zone up to your limit before moving on to the next zone? (as zone is more imortant than price? if this is not correct then dont' follow the strategy below and post back and we'll adjust accordingly)When bidding 4* in Washington DC you have four re-bid zones avaiable. 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.Based upon your maximum bid, this is how i would proceed:Select 4* White House Downtown...Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone2...Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone3, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously...Select 4* White House Downtown and re-bid zone4...Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone1...Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone2...Bid $100, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* Convention Center...Bid $75, if rejected add White House-Downtown...Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $100, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Select 4* Dupont Circle...Bid $75, if rejected add White House-Downtown...Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone...Bid $100, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.Any questions feel free to ask.Good Luck and let us know how it goes. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
brandiwaters Posted January 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 All bids were rejected. Do you think that I should try again in 3 days or accept a lower star level?Thanks for all of your help. Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 You could wait 72 hours or lower your star rating... it all depends upon your preferece of how high a star rating you're accustomed to.It is not uncommon for DC to take more than $100 at the 4* level, and i think a 6 nite stay only compounds the issue. If you dont' mind changing hotels midweek, you may also want to consider splitting your priceline bid.Do you have a back-up reservation? If so, where and how much?Let us know your thoughts and we'll advise further. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
brandiwaters Posted January 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 At this point, I'm not interesting in splitting my bid. Might be willing to consider if the situation is looking bleak.My budget for the trip is based on a package deal I found on Expedia at the Best Western Key Bridge. It is right across the street from the metro and just a couple of stops from where my workshop is. I would like to upgrade my hotel, as long as I stay within budget (package is $976, published airfare is $285--which gives me $115/night to spend on another room). Using the priceline list of hotels I determined from the map, I checked published rates this morning and this is what I found (3 and 4 star hotels):White House-DowntownRenaissance Mayflower--$379JW Marriott--$385Hilton Capital Hill--$269Club Quarters--$157Washington Plaza--$159Wyndham Washington--$172State Plaza--$199Holiday Inn Washington--$283Capital Hill-Convention CenterGrand Hyatt Washington--$329Marriott Metro--$389Phoenix Park--$342Hyatt Regency Capital Hill--$291Renaissance--$345Henley Park--$212Dupont CircleOmni Shoreham--$265Westin Embassy Row--$214Hilton Washington--$202Not sure that this is an exhaustive list, but it should be a good ball park. Some prices were listed lower on Expedia than on the hotel websites, so I quoted the lower number.As far as star rating goes, the higher, the better, but obviously a 3 star is an improvement over the Best Western.Do you think I should keep trying for a 4 star or just concede and look for a 3 star instead? If so, how low should I start bidding for a 3 star?Thanks again. Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 Only you can decide if you want to hold out for a 4* property or 'concede' and try for a 3*. I will re-iterate that i beieve it will be difficult to find success for this 6 nite stay. You would probably increase your chances somewhat if you raised your maximum bid a little, say to $120, but even then you may not find success, and i don't know if the extra costs involved would from your perspective justify the additional cost over the Best Western.Even if you do lower to a 3* hotel and have success, it may still cost you more than if you chose to split the bid and received two different 3* properties.If you do go with your back-up, please use our Expedia link to make your purchase. If you'd like to raise your bid, lower your star rating, or split your bid... let us know and we'll revise the above strategy for whatever you'd like to do. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
brandiwaters Posted January 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Success.I retried my bids for 4* properties, with no success. I started with White House-Downtown at $90, added Convention Center at $95, then Dupont Circle at $100, no luck.Then I tried 3* properties. I put in White House-Downtown at $75--rejected, but was given the option to increase my bid $22. I declined and added Convention Center and went up to $80. My bid was accepted for $80/night at L'Enfant Plaza. Link to comment
thereuare Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Glad you found success and didn't have to split the bid as you were trying to avoid doing.Enjoy your stay. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
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