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Priceline Hotel: Bidding assistance, please. Downtown Seattle (pike place)


zoischa
By zoischa,
in

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I've read many posts regarding Seattle but still do not feel confident moving forward. My 6 year old son and I are traveling to Seattle for a vacation this summer. Never been - have free air tickets and chose this town as it seems fun. After reading the posts I gather that I really want to stay in the heart of downtown. Thereuare, you've been there recently (again), did you stay in the heart this time around? I've chosen the July 4th week only because I thought it would be fun (Mariners are in town and playing two different teams that week) but can change the week if the hotel prices are higher this week due to the holiday. I've looked on Hotwire and found a 4* (sounds like Hotel Monaco as amenities are boutique and restaurant) at $181, a 3* (sounds like Red Lion as amenities are restaurant, fitness center, golf nearby) at $124 and a 2* at $126. I've also checked individual hotel rates and am seeing high prices for this week (well, actually all summer weeks). Westin and Sheraton are showing no rooms available for this week.

I do not want to go above $1000 total for the 7 nights (give or take a few dollars) so I'm guessing that's around $120 a night without taxes/fees?? Does that sound reasonable for a 4* for this week? I am okay with a 3* but from what I have read here Priceline's bidding zone for 3* can include the space needle area but with a 4* I have a much better chance of getting downtown.

How should I start the bidding?

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The Westin and the Sheraton are usually the "low cost acceptors" in this area so if you could easily switch dates to when those are showing availabilty i would think you'd be better off.

I was in Seattle for July 4th a year or two ago and had a nice time at the fireworks in nearby Bellevue. On my recent trip we had family obligations so we stayed outside the city at the hotel where the family function was being held and then stayed two nites with relatives afterwards.

Downtown is the place you want to be, but you also may want to rent a car to see some sights outside the city (somebody can correct me as i'm sure to mess up the name, but the Soquamie Falls trail would be a nice half day trip for you... although i'm not sure how much walking your son would like/be willing to do). For this you would need a car, and parking downtown is expensive. You may also want to look into heading on the ferry to Victoria for a day trip, as another idea off the top of my head.

Also note that, at least on my recent trip, weekend car rental rates are substantially cheaper on weekends (Thursday-Monday) than they are midweek.

If the above week works best for you and changing would be a hassle, you may want to see which dates are causing the sold-out condition at the starwood properties (if you don't know how to do this let us know and we'll help) and then perhaps rent a car for only part of your stay; stay downtown without a car for 4-5 days and then rent a car and stay in a nearby area (Bellevue, Redmond, etc) which would be significantly cheaper and not have super-high parking fees (if any).

Not sure how that works with your plans, but that is an overview of what i would be looking to do. Let us know your thoughts and we'll take it from there.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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I see the Summerfield Suites is available for approximately your dates (I checked July 3-10) for a one-bedroom suite for $117/night with an Entertainment Book rate. I think this is an excellent deal. I haven't stayed at any Seattle 4* hotels, but this is our favorite place that we have stayed at in Seattle, and it's quite convenient (possibly a little further north than some would consider ideal). There's also a shuttle if you want to skip walking or the bus. Breakfast is included, and there is a gym, laundry, and pool.

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I second the recommendation to go without a car for a few days while you're downtown and then rent a car for the weekend. You should be able to find a downtown rental office for most of the major car rental companies. Renting a car for the whole week will add $20/day to the cost of your hotel bill for parking. I could easily see spending a week in Seattle without a car.

A drive/hike up to Snoqualmie falls would be fun. You can also walk down to the ferry dock, take the ferry to Bainbridge Island, and walk the short walk to town for lunch. (Visit the local independent bookstore while you're there.) The return trip will be the best view of downtown Seattle you can imagine.

A previous poster recommended the Summerfield Suites. I've stayed there and they're good. The nice thing is you get a refrigerator and microwave, plus a separate bedroom/livingroom in your suite. Check it out on a locator map though, it may be farther from the areas you want to visit than you want.

Alaska MVP Gold/AA Platinum/HHonors Gold/Marriott Silver/Priority Club Gold/Priceline Addict

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Thank you for the city ideas, thereuare. I did a bit more research and see that is a very happening place in the summer! The rates are highest in August. I thought that the last two weeks in June might be okay but found some dates sold out those weeks as well. I finally found a week in July when hotels were showing slightly lower rates and no sold out dates - that's July 15-July 22. Changing to that week will mean we can only catch one baseball game that week but it's against Boston so that should be fun. I checked my flights to make sure those dates are available for the free tickets and yes, I can make the switch no problem. I'm not used to making plans so far in advance but it looks like I need to get moving on booking a room before it's too late. Am I ready for a bidding strategy?

Thanks for the advice on the rental cars. I did not realize one could rent a car right downtown. I think one of the reasons I wanted to stay so close to downtown was so that I could get away without renting a car. With the taxes and fees I was looking at @ $200 extra that week plus the extra cost per day of hotel parking.

I do have an Entertainment Book (and will have to acquire a Seattle one as the date gets closer) and will check out Summerfield Suites. I like the idea of breakfast being included. That's a newer property, is it not?

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It turns out that one of my free flight tickets expires 7/20 so I cannot change to the week of 7/15-7/22. I decided to stick with my original week of 7/2-7/9. I would have gone for the following week but that week is sold out at several places. I did call Summerfield Suites to reserve a room at the entertainment rate of $130 a night for the week of 7/2-7/9. That rate is good for any of the rooms so I was able to get a one bedroom suite with jetted tub. I am still debating on whether to try for a 4* through priceline. A 4* will get me closer to downtown but I may not get as nice a room or the complimentary breakfast. I also like that this is cancellable. I will make a decision in the next few weeks.

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