ozgirl Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Hi,I have been trying to bid for a 4* or 3* hotel in Paris for my stay 8 May to 12 May 2006 unsuccessfully :) . The 2 areas in which I'd like to stay in are Champs Elysees - Opera Quarter West and St. Germain - Latin Quarter - Montparnasse.My bidding so far:-Bid 4* on 13/01/2006 upto $90 RejectBid 3* on 14/01/2006 upto $75 Reject, counteroffer $102Bid 3* on 18/01/2006 upto $78 Reject, counteroffer $102Bid 4* on 23/01/2006 upto $95 Reject, counteroffer $191Bid 3* on 23/01/2006 upto $80 Reject in Latin Quarter, counteroffer $103Bid 3* on 23/01/2006 upto $80 Reject in Champs Elysees, counteroffer $100Bid 3* on 23/01/2006 for both zones, upto $85 RejectMy aim was to get a 4* for $95 - should I increase to $100/105? Or a 3* for $85. My budget is $105. Any suggestions or advice please?? :) Thanks,Ozgirl Link to comment
valencia Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Priceline is not very easy in Paris, in my opinion. as often recommended, for that price, you can actually choose your own three star exactly where you want it .. there are so many negative reviews about paris priceline hotels that we finally opted to just choose one on our own. at least we know we will not be at EDGE of a HUGE district.we did do priceline for first night at cdg, while we wait for family to fly in next morning. that was $79 ( plus tax and service) and we got the hilton. however, it is a good deal, but hilton now has an offer for $103 , so .. you CAN do pretty well without priceline someitmes.good luck. Link to comment
ozgirl Posted January 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Hi Valencia,I think I agree with you. I wouldn't mind booking something as a back up. But I can't find many hotel hotel sites which will allow me book but not prepay and allow cancellation (just in case I do get lucky with Priceline). Any suggestions? I had a look at hilton - hilton arc de triumphe have rates of 350 Euro and hilton paris have rates of 250 euro. Thats over my budget range. Did you use a promotional code?Thanks,Ozgirl Link to comment
WillTravel Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 If you book directly, you can usually cancel without penalty, but always check the terms.Here's one site to get a start:http://www.accor.com Look at the Novotel and Mercure options, as those are 3* to 4* hotels. Holiday Inn has some options too:http://www.holiday-inn.comAlso see if there are any Tryp specials:http://www.solmelia.comPost back if you want guidance about specific hotels or locations. There are also many, many small, independent hotels that people like. You might want to check the Europe forum at Fodors.com .I think you can get away without air conditioning for an early May stay, so you have lots of options. Link to comment
valencia Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 First thing one must do is be realistic as to what type of hotel you will be able to get within your budget.then, read as many reviews as you can on various websites, and just go for one. Our daughter just got a 70 euros incl. breakfast at a new holiday inn express at place d'italie. well communicated, but she was totally unwilling to spend the xtra money to be closer in the 5th, 6th or 7th.( february).i would much rather book something i SAW online or knew good reviews than take the chance of being out at the edge of an area.do as suggested. book yourself a Cancellable rate, then keep looking. if you see good things coming up here on priceline or hotwire, then try again. Link to comment
ozgirl Posted January 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Hi,Had a another go at bidding. Used SavingsBarn.com link and tried the following:-Bid 4* Champs Elysee on 27/01/2006 upto $95 - Rejected and received counteroffer $193Bid 4* Latin Quarter on 27/01/2006 upto $95 - RejectedAdded Champs Elysee and bid upto $105 - rejectedBid 3* Latin Quarter on 27/01/2006 upto $90 - RejectedI am looking for a cancellable back-up hotel and will book something this week. Hopefully I will eventually get lucky with priceline. Or book something on lastminute closer to my date of departure.Thanks :) Link to comment
kathylu Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 Hi Ozgirl. I have some advice for you for Paris. I stayed there last summer on a PL bid. Knowing what I know now, I would have radically altered my bid strategy. I'll give it to you straight...if you bid ANY other area than Opera Quarter East-Les Halles, you are taking a huge risk that you will get a hotel in the suburbs of Paris. I was trying for OQE and I got impatient after a few bids and I added Eiffel Tower-Montparnasse to my bid and I won immediately (if you can call it a "win"). I got a 4* hotel (the Sofitel Porte de Sevres) on the extreme outer edge of the 15th arrondissement. Now, the hotel was fine, very comfortable. No complaints except that it was extremely inconvenient to the tourist areas of Paris. It was a 15 minute walk from the last metro stop on the line (Ballard). That extra walk is pretty miserable when you are already exhausted from a long day of sightseeing. From there it was a minimum 30 minute subway ride to get to the areas you want to be in. That 45 minute each way commute makes it almost impossible to return to your hotel each day to freshen up or take a rest before going out for the evening. I would much rather have taken a 3* hotel that I could book directly, see photos of it and read reviews about it and KNOW THE LOCATION in advance instead of using PL. Just my two bits, but if you look at the locations of a lot of the hotels that come up frequently in bidding areas other than OQE, many of them are pretty far out. Remember that Paris is simply HUGE and that the PL bidding areas cover all the outer arrondissements.I'll certainly try PL again for my next trip to Paris, but I will only be bidding OQE. I'll just start as far in advance as I can and be willing to pay more for the convenience of being close in.Well, ok. I might try Batignolles-Montmartre-Republique as well. Even the outer edges of that zone are not are not a ridiculous distance out. But nothing else. Link to comment
Chris26WI Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 4* La Defense is not such bad too as there are excellent connections to the city centre. You can take the RER from Grande Arche which takes you in 10-15 minutes to the center or the metro line 1 which stops at a lot of the major sightseeing spots. And if you want to go to Versailles, you can take a train from La Defense SNCF train station. Both Sofitels and the Renaissance are just a short walk from a station. Link to comment
LHFlyer Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 Our daughter just got a 70 euros incl. breakfast at a new holiday inn express at place d'italie. well communicated, but she was totally unwilling to spend the xtra money to be closer in the 5th, 6th or 7th.( february).The hotel and breakfast were a joke when I stayed there. Room had a hole in the wall. Main door was locked at 9pm - I had to wait 15 mins to get in. The shower was out of order. And many others... I complained and got a reply that nothing that I wrote was correct, but I can enjoy a free night at this place next time. No thanks. :) Terribly far from the city centre and a long walk among a busy road from the Metro. Link to comment
valencia Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 Our daughter just got a 70 euros incl. breakfast at a new holiday inn express at place d'italiewell. she just came back, and i believe this hotel has been totally renovated.( free phoneline reservation clerk said so).the breakfast was very good, and she would stay there again. so.. what can i tell you. i believe you. don't get me wrong. just shows that not everyone at a hotel has a bad experience. (also, they had two rooms.. and both were fine)it was so convenient for transport. three important buslines .. and of course the numerous metro lines right there.two highly recommended restaurants "avant gout" and "chez paul" are also in the neighborhood. Link to comment
ozgirl Posted February 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Dear all,After much thought and debate, I ended up booking at a hotel parents of a friend stayed in last year. It's a small (only 20 rooms) 3* near the Louvre. I was given a rate of E107 per night for a single, which works out to approx USD125. But I figure I'd rather be in a good location close to all the tourist attractions and my friend's parents were very impressed with this place all round. So thank you for all your feedback but I guess this time I just didn't feel like taking a chance my accomodation. I will continue to use priceline for other bookings I need to make in London. Hopefully with better results :) Cheers,Ozgirl Link to comment
ozgirl Posted February 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 Hi,Well, I certainly got a surprise today. After many rounds of bidding, waiting, bidding - I finally managed to score the Hilton Paris in the Eiffel Tower Quarter - Grenelle - Montparnasse zone for $115. Check-In Date: Mon, May 8, 2006 Check-Out Date: Fri, May 12, 2006 Your Offer Price: $115.00 Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 4 Subtotal: $460.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $44.65 Total Charges: $504.65 I am really pleased with my bid. I had booked a 3* hotel but continued bidding on priceline on the off chance that I'd get something in the 4* range. I even played around with my dates but still no success. I researched the Eiffel Tower Quarter - Grenelle - Montparnasse zone and decided to add this to my list of acceptable zones. The rate on the hilton site for my dates is showing $239.50USD inclusive of tax, so that's a saving of over $100!!And of course, I used the savingsbarn link. Thank you.PS I still need to find a hotel in London but my faith in priceline has been restored and I will continue trying. :) Link to comment
thereuare Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 Congratulations on your win... glad to see your perseverance has paid off with some great savings!Do you recall your bidding history... was this your first bid in the Eiffel Tower zone or were you rejected at lower levels previously?Thanks for using the SavingsBarn.com links for your purchase.Enjoy your stay. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
ozgirl Posted February 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 Thanks! My bidding history as follows:-Bid 4* in the Eiffel Tower Quarter - Grenelle - Montparnasse zone on 18/02/2006 $100 Reject, Added re-bid zone Batignolles - Montmartre - Republique and bid $115 Accepted!Thanks,Ozgirl. Link to comment
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