Priceline Hotel: 5* London (Mayfair-Soho) St. Martins Lane

[hishhish]

I am looking for a 5 star hotel in the mayfair, kensington area for 5-6 nights. How do you think I should proceed?!

how can i bid for a hotel and have breakfast included in priceline.com??

[rapazfreiburg]

If you want breakfast, you should book conventionally.

[Blueskies]

Hi

What are your dates?

What is your maximum bid?

Any back up plan?

Have you looked at conventional rates for the hotels previously won? What is Hotwire showing for your dates?

Rapazfreiburg is correct you won't get a breakfast inclusive rate through Priceline (unless it is a lower value one with buffet breakfast). The potential savings are more beneficial to most people to outweigh the inconvenience of having to pay for a breakfast.

I would pay for breakfast as you take it. Many options in your hotel or outside your hotel.

let us know the answers to the above and it will help you get best advice.

[hishhish]

My dates are in 1 week from now, for 5 nights. Actually, I tried the website and they said they could offer 220 per night, and without realizing it, they confirmed it for me.

Is there I can do now!?

I am now stuck.

[thereuare]

My dates are in 1 week from now, for 5 nights.

What are the actual dates of your stay?

Actually, I tried the website and they said they could offer 220 per night, and without realizing it, they confirmed it for me.

Huh? Did you buy a hotel thru Priceline's "retail" division... where you know the name of the property beforehand and they tell you the price? If so, what hotel did you receive?

[hishhish]

the actual dates were April 8 until 13th.

I placed a bid (131USD) they said they had a rate of 220USD, but didn't specify a hotel. Without realizing it, I must have agreed to it, then the name of Saint Martin Lane hotel was given to me.

On other websites, the hotel was classified as a 4.5*.

I made the mistake of not reading the fine print and agreed to something, when I didn't realize exactly what I was being offered.

[pirate]

Hi Hishhish, welcome to the joys and frustrations of opaque travel sites. Don't be put off by your experience. There are fantastic savings to be made bidding for hotels, but like anything worthwhile you have to work at it and there are hiccups in the initial learning curve.

It looks as if what happened is that Priceline made you what we call a"counter offer" and you unwittingly accepted it. Experience has shown that these "counters" can almost invariably bebeaten, usually by adding about 50% to 60% of the difference between your bid and the counter to the original sum.

For instance in your case, Bid $131 ~ Counter $220 ~ Achieveable win bid range maybe $180ish. This would make sense as the win rate for a 5* in Central London is often about $185.

I still think you got a pretty good deal, a quick look at the consolidators show that a rate of $300 per night is hard to beat, so you have saved a useful sum. The St Martins is a trendy, happening place and more importantly the location is unbeatable for exploring Central London. Covent Garden, Theatreland, National Galary and West End shops are all within a couple of hundred yards stroll; as are several tube stations to access attractions a little further afield.

Have a great trip and send us a review of the hotel when you get back!

:) Pirate

[thereuare]

I don't think there is much you can do. If you really want out of it (still appears to be a good deal, albeit more than you wanted to spend perhaps) you can try contacting priceline and letting them know of your error... at times they have had a heart and offered a cancellation (sometimes with a fee), but this is more the exception than the rule.

For the future you can learn more about conter offers here: PRICELINE COUNTER OFFER and you should feel free to ask for help before bidding. As you can see the savings are certainly there (nearly $100 off per nite for this hotel), but you also see that once you agree to a price and they accept it, you are bound to it and there are no refunds or cancellations.

[lwitchel]

Hishhish -

Like the others, I think this may turn out fine after all for you. It may not be the greatest savings ever reported on Priceline but you got a top of the line hotel. The St. Martins Lane is extremely convenient for Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square.