Priceline Hotel: 4* Boston (Downtown-Charlestown) Boston Park Plaza

[Daniel1978]

Hi everyone,

I am planning a vacation for this summer which includes a stay in Boston. I have already tried my luck at Priceline for a 4* hotel in the areas Downtown and Copley, including all combinations with the two free-rebid zones (Medford & South Boston), both for the above mentioned dates and from 6/15-6/17 (hoping to expand this via "add one more night").

For 6/14 - 6/17 (3 nights) I bid seperately for Copley + rebid zones $60, $65, $70, $76 and for Downtown + rebid zones $60, $65, $70, $75.

For Copley + Downtown + Medford I bid $84.

With no luck at all. There is one try left for these dates.

For 6/15 - 6/17 the same, with the difference that I used all combinations from $60 up to $85.

No luck either.

What do you suggest ? A two night stay would be OK, since I can add one more night on my previous station.

Regards,

Daniel

[KRXNLS]

Hi Daniel,

I'm sure you'll be getting advice from Thereuare on this but thought I'd tell you that we were in Bostone last year in June and had quite a time getting a 4 star. After checking rates and discovering what we would have to pay at lower grade hotels if we were to go direct, we bid quite a bit higher and were succesful at $105 (or $110 maybe, can't quite remember).

I have heard that Boston is quite difficult sometimes.

We "won" the Collonade which was by no means my first choice but, ultimately, we were very pleased with it. You'll find my review on this site.

Good luc

[thenewbie]

Rates are not cheap for your dates. Rack rates for the 4* level are over $250, and Hotwire is showing a 4.5* in Quincy Market for $216.

What is your budget? Judging from previous attempts, you likley won't have success unless you are willing to spend more than $160 per night.

A couple of alternatives: EasyClickTravel travel has the 3* Holiday Inn Select Gov't Center for $140 and the 4* Royal Sonesta (in Cambridge) for $178.

[Daniel1978]

Hi and thanks for the replys so far,

since the big "TechEd" from Microsoft will take place in Boston Jun 11-16, I don't think that I will have a realistic chance of getting a hotel room for my desired price, which is at $95 w/o tax. Many hotels do not even show a rack rate for my dates, which I think means that they are sold out.

Anyway, I changed my plans for the Boston visit and I am now planning to come one week earlier, which means Jun 7-10 (3 night stay) or Jun 8-10 (2 night stay). Hotel situation looks much better in this week, but my bidding strategy did not work so far ... Here it is for Jun 8-10 (2 nights):

Downtown 4* bid $62, rejected, added Medford

bid $67, rejected, closed browser, restarted

Downtown 4* + South Boston bid $72, rejected, added Medford

bid $76 (hoping to get the Wyndham), rejected.

Copley 4* bid $62, rejected, added Medford

bid $70, rejected, closed browser, restarted

Copley 4* + South Boston bid $76, rejected, added Medford

bid $80 (hoping to get the Mariott Copley, seen at $79 and $80), rejected.

Copley + Downtown 4* bid $81, rejected.

On my counts I have three more rebids left. What do you suggest ?

Regards, Daniel

[Daniel1978]

Since I had no luck yet with my maximum rate of $95, neither in Copley nor in Downtown, I would like to ask if anyone has ever reported a successful bid in Copley for a 3* hotel.

When using the "normal" Priceline booking engine, I can see only a few 3* hotels in the Boston - The City area, which are Doubletree, Mariott Long Wharf, Boston Park Plaza, Radisson, Holiday Inn Select (all supposed to be in the Downtown area) AND the Hilton Back Bay, which I suppose seems to be the only 3* hotel in the Copley area.

Actually, I wonder if I should make a bid on a 3* hotel in the Copley area - hoping to "win" the Hilton. I know that I could be the first one reporting a NEW hotel in this area, but right now it seems like a chance to me.

What do you think ?

Kind regards, Daniel

[thereuare]

Not all hotels that participate in the 'non-opaque' service also participate in the 'opaque' service... so don't think that just because a hotel shows in the 'normal' booking engine that it is also available on the 'name your own price' booking engine (and vice-versa).

What about some of the outlying areas and commuting in via the T?

[Daniel1978]

.What about some of the outlying areas and commuting in via the T?

Since I don't know the city at all, I am quite unsure if I should take another zone into consideration. It's important to me that the hotel is in a safe area where I don't have to be afraid of getting robbed, killed or something :)

Seriously, I have many times thought of bidding for the Boston Revere / Logan zone, for I learned that hotels there are very good as well and often offer shuttle services to the next T station. The same applies to the Cambridge zone.

Have you ever been to Boston and have a good hint for me ?

Thanks as always

Daniel

[thereuare]

I've been to Boston a few times, but don't know the city well enough to advise on alternate zones outside of Downtown.

I'll defer to thenewbie who knows this are very well and i'm sure will offer up some advice.

[thenewbie]

since the big "TechEd" from Microsoft will take place in Boston Jun 11-16, I don't think that I will have a realistic chance of getting a hotel room for my desired price, which is at $95 w/o tax. Many hotels do not even show a rack rate for my dates, which I think means that they are sold out.

How firm is your $95 maximum? The cheapest 4* rack rates are the Hotel @ MIT for $249 and the Lenox (which I'm not sure is on PL) for $249. Unless you raise your maximum, you're limiting yourself to a 3* (at best) or some hotel outside of the city.

As for 4* Logan/Revere, I've stayed in both the Hyatt and Hilton properties near the airport. Both offer a shuttle to the 'T' but it'll be on average a 10-15 minute wait for one. When hotel rates in the city are expensive, it's worth a try giving the airport/revere area a shot for the 4* level. As for the 3* hotels, they are further away from the city in Revere, which would result in more expensive cab rides or longer trips on the T.

Most of the usual priceline hotels are sold out for your dates according to Orbitz:

4* Copley

Sheraton - Sold out

Fairmont - Sold out

Westin - Sold out

4* DT

Hyatt Regency - sold out

Millennium - sold out

Omni Parker - sold out

Digging around, the 3* Holiday Inn Select (in downtown Boston) on EasyClickTravel (they call it a 3.5*) is looking like a good backup right now at $140/night, as their online rate is $238. Depending on your plans, staying in a suburb will cost you more for increased subway usage, longer cab rides, etc.

[Daniel1978]

Thanks to both to you, thenewbie and thereuare

@thenewbie

I have looked on several hotel homepages directly, so as Mariott.com (Mariott Copley Place), Sheraton.com (Sheraton Boston Back Bay), Onyxhotelboston.com (The Onyx, Downtown), and none of them was sold out when trying to book directly. The cheapest price per night w/o tax is $279 for The Onyx and $256 (AAA-Rate) for the Mariott Copley place. Those are the hotels I am actually hoping for.

Hotwire is showing a Downtown 3* for $102 (supposed to be the Doubletree) and a 3,5* in Back Bay for $169 (supposed to be the Hilton Back Bay). So I think availability is not the problem - rather the high rates on 4* level.

How's it working with Easyclicktravel.com - are hotel rooms purchased there cancellable ? If so, what is the cancellation fee ? I would at least give it a few more shots on 4* Copley and Downtown, maybe the contingents for June come up later on. Bidding higher than $95 is not an option for me right now, since I am afraid to overbid and later read about many other bargains made for that period. I thought of rising my maximum bid approx. 4 weeks in advance, maybe to $120.

Talking about the Revere/Logan zone - what are the commuting times to the city center (where to find bars, restaurants, shops etc.) besides the waiting time for the shuttle ? I've read that the distance to BOS is only about 4-5 miles.

So long,

Daniel

[thereuare]

For EasyClickTravel in Boston hotels are fully refundable (and no cancellation fee) if cancelled at least 72 hours before check-in date.

Please use our EasyClickTravel link if you decide to book this as a back-up.

I'll leave the Boston specific questions to thenewbie.

[thenewbie]

Hotwire is showing a Downtown 3* for $102 (supposed to be the Doubletree) and a 3,5* in Back Bay for $169 (supposed to be the Hilton Back Bay). So I think availability is not the problem - rather the high rates on 4* level.

I haven't seen either of these for 6/14-17, but things on Hotwire change, so it is possible.

How's it working with Easyclicktravel.com - are hotel rooms purchased there cancellable ? If so, what is the cancellation fee ? I would at least give it a few more shots on 4* Copley and Downtown, maybe the contingents for June come up later on. Bidding higher than $95 is not an option for me right now, since I am afraid to overbid and later read about many other bargains made for that period. I thought of rising my maximum bid approx. 4 weeks in advance, maybe to $120.

Reservations are pre-paid, but you can cancel 72 hours before the check-in date without a penalty (except for Disney hotels - just in case you use them in the future).

Talking about the Revere/Logan zone - what are the commuting times to the city center (where to find bars, restaurants, shops etc.) besides the waiting time for the shuttle ? I've read that the distance to BOS is only about 4-5 miles.

Blue line on the subway to Government Ctr. (Faneuil Hall & Quincy Market - shopping, restaurants, and bars) is about 10 minutes. Transferring to a different line (i.e. Copley area and/or Fenway park) will add another 10-15 minute subway ride to your trip.

[Daniel1978]

Thanks for your quick responses, thereuare and thenewbie !

I haven't seen either of these for 6/14-17, but things on Hotwire change, so it is possible.

I'm sorry for this misunderstanding, but previously on this post I changed my travel dates to 6/8 - 6/10, just because of the low hotel availability in the other period. Unfortunately, I did not figure out how to change the subject title :)

Anyway, in my yesterday's post I talked about hotel availability for the period 6/8 - 6/10. And for this period, things look much better.

I'll keep on trying and inform you. Thanks for the useful information about Revere/Logan, I'll keep that in mind.

Kind regards,

Daniel

[Daniel1978]

Hi again :)

I decided to include the Revere/Logan airport zone in my bidding strategy, since there was no success neither in Copley nor Downtown up to $95 per night.

I've read that both the Hyatt Harborside and the Hilton Logan Airport are 4* properties with convenient connection to the T with a total traveling time to the city center of about 15 - 20 minutes. I think this is worth giving a few shots on the Revere/Logan zone.

With several combinations, including the free rebid zones but also my preferred zones Copley and Downtown, I tried $50, $55, $60, $63, $65, $66, $67, $68 with no success at all. I've seen that the Hyatt Harborside regularly comes up with rates between $60 and $70, sometimes even below, and the Hilton with rates beginning at $75.

My conclusion on this late hour (12.24 am local time) is that there are no inventories for my travel period yet. Otherwise, I can't explain that even the Revere/Logan zone does not show up at rates up to $68 per night. I could understand that my current limit of $95 might be too low for Copley & Downtown, but I do not know what to do now. I think waiting for one or two weeks and trying again should be the best. From the beginning of April, it's only 8 weeks to go and maybe inventories will be released at that time.

Do you agree ? Or would you even raise the bids for the Revere/Logan zone ? If so, to what limit ?

Thanks a lot for your patience and great help !

Kind regards,

Daniel

[thereuare]

Have you looked at rates at the Airport/Revere hotels for your dates?

The Hyatt is $300+/nite and you're not likely to have success at $60-$70 with rates that high.

[Daniel1978]

Have you looked at rates at the Airport/Revere hotels for your dates?

The Hyatt is $300+/nite and you're not likely to have success at $60-$70 with rates that high.

I have seen those terrible rates, although the Hyatt offers a rate around $280 per night - still too high. The problem is that there have no wins been reported for a future period. If there was, I would immediately check at what rack rates those wins were successful.

I will keep on trying.

So long,

Daniel

[Daniel1978]

Hi everyone,

since I have no success with my Boston stay at all, I am trying to lower my hotel level for I hope this is more affordable.

When entering 6/5-6/8 into Hotwire, it shows a 3* hotel in the Boston Common Theatre District area for $102 with the following amenities: Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business Center.

This hotel is not listed in the Hotwire hotel list. I thought of the Club Quarters, but they have no business center. The Radisson downtown is a 3,5* on Hotwire.

Does anyone of you have an idea which hotel this could be ?

Regards,

Daniel

[thereuare]

Do the above dates replace your other BOSTON DATES or is this simply a stay that will lead into the other stay?

[Daniel1978]

Do the above dates replace your other BOSTON DATES or is this simply a stay that will lead into the other stay?

No, they do not replace the other dates. I have tried to find the least expensive period within this week via Hotwire. Although those dates are not preferred, I would take these instead of paying $100+ for a 4* hotel for 6/8-6/10.

Regards,

Daniel

[thereuare]

So in other words you're looking for 2-3 nites anytime from 6/5-6/10?

[Daniel1978]

Correct.

If there is any possibility to save money I would stay there on different dates.

[Daniel1978]

When entering 6/5-6/8 into Hotwire, it shows a 3* hotel in the Boston Common Theatre District area for $102 with the following amenities: Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business Center.

@all

What would be a reasonable bidding strategy to catch this hotel (hopefully) on Priceline ? I started at $51 and bid up to $70 with no success. Hotwire is showing $100 for those 3 nights now. The hotel is definitely NOT the Club Quarters, Holiday Inn Select, Radisson or Park Plaza, since all of those hotel are within the Quincy Market-Financial District zone (Hotwire) or have a pool or different star ratings at Hotwire. I could not figure out which hotel this could be. By the way, it is signed as "Customer Favorite!".

Can anybody help ?

Thanks ! Daniel

[thenewbie]

Since you've bid up to $70, and you are considering the 3* level, you may want to try this the next time around:

Select 3* Downtown...

Bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $65, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* Downtown and re-bid zone2...

Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $75.

Select 3* Copley...

Bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $65, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* Copley and re-bid zone2...

Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $75.

Select 3* Downtown and Copley...

Bid $79, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $84, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $89

[Daniel1978]

Thank you, thenewbie

I will try this strategy tonight when my lockout period expires.

Generally speaking, does it make sense to downgrade to 3* hotels just because of the price or is there any risk to get a bad hotel ? Since I am not local to Boston, I'm not quite sure what I can expect, apart from those hotels listed in the Priceline/Hotwire hotel list.

Would you expect the 4* rates lower if I wait a few more weeks, especially at the Logan Airport zone ? I found out that the Hilton Boston Logan has a nightly rate of $249 in the entire week 6/5-6/10. Amazing to me, when using Hotwire and selecting a different check-in date (e.g. 6/3 instead of 6/5), but the same check-out date (somewhere between 6/5 and 6/10), the nightly rate for the Hilton is shown at $108. When selecting check-in date 6/5, the rate goes up to $234, no matter what check-out date you select.

Daniel

[Daniel1978]

Finally got my hotel room in Boston. Followed strategy from thenewbie and bid up to $75 both for Copley and Downtown.

Selected $79 and bid Copley AND Downtown, got counteroffer, telling me to increase by $22 in order to try again. Declined, tried then $81 and $83, rejected both w/o counteroffer. Then bid $85 and got accepted at the Boston Park Plaza. Hotwire showed this property for $100-$110 in the last few days, so it was likely to get this property.

Note the new period: 6/6 - 6/8

Your Offer Price: $85.00

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 2

Subtotal: $170.00

Taxes & Service Fees:

$30.80

Total Charges: $200.80.

Went through Savingsbarn link. Thanks for all the help and patience here - you are great ! Hope the hotel will not be as bad as some reviews are.

Regards,

Daniel