Priceline Hotel: washington dc

[betsey898]

I am new to Priceline, Hotwire and Betterbidding. I searched and did not find any info, this is hopefully not a repeat.

I need a hotel for 2 adults, 2 kids in August. We want to take the Metro everywhere. Is there a way to make sure we get a hotel close enough? Is there a way to find out about wireless internet and a pool? Also is safety a concern? What happens if it turns out to be a crack hotel or something?

Thank you for any input.

[thereuare]

The hotel you receive can be anywhere within the shaded region of the zone that you select. With that disclaimer, some zones are small enough that just about anywhere is close to a metro station and/or (at certain star levels) have only had hotels 'won' which are close to a metro station. Board member TravelGuy and a few others seem to know this area extemely well and will hopefully reply when he/they see this thread.

Furthermore, if there are certain amenities that you are seeking, Hotwire may be a better option as they will show you a list of the amenities that a property has before your purchase... this way you can ensure that the hotel you receive has the pool and internet access that you are seeking. We can also use this amenities to help you identify/make an educated guess as to the property you're being offered... thus improving your chances that it will be near a metro station.

Lastly, Hotwire will let you search for up to quad occupancy while Priceline only guarantees double occupancy... further discussion of this is on our PRICELINE FAQ.

So pending further info above, i would begin to consider whether you want to go with Priceline or Hotwire... hotwire offers the advantages mentioned above but the disadvantage that it is usually a bit more expensive than priceline.

[TravelGuy]

What is the maximum you'd like to spend per night on a hotel for your stay?

[betsey898]

I would like to not go over $125. Thanks for the reply.

[TravelGuy]

$125 should be enough for a 4*. The only upscale DC hotel I know that could be called a “crack house”, at least in jest, is the Westin Washington, formerly Vista, where in 1990 DC's then Mayor Marion Barry was arrested for smoking crack in an FBI sting operation.

As mentioned, you may have a problem with Priceline having 4 people. Unless the hotel is particularly busy, they will probably accommodate you, but there is no recourse if they wont. If you'd rather have the security of being assured of no problems with quad occupancy, use Hotwire and look for the pool and Internet icons. However, a Hotwire listing with Internet access doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be wireless.

I can't recall any Priceline hotels that have come in the Downtown/White House, Convention Center/Capital Hill and Dupont Circle/Woodley Park zones that aren't Metro accessible. It looks like all the Hotwire ones that have come up in Dupont Circle/Embassy Row and White House/Capital Hill would be as well. So if you limit yourself to those areas you should have no Metro problem. Some suburban zones at certain star levels are also completely Metro friendly.

If using Priceline and you must have both a pool and wireless, you might consider bidding 4* in the Arlington zone. It's the only 4* in there, just across the river from DC in a pleasant area, an easy walk to a Metro and has an indoor pool as well as wireless (for a fee).

With regard to security, there is generally no cause for concern. Although it may very well be prudent to exercise some extra caution late at night in the vicinity of *some* hotels in the Downtown/White House and Convention Center Capital Hill zones.

[betsey898]

Wow! Thank you for such a detailed response. I will do what you have suggested.