Priceline Hotel: Need Help finding a Really Cheap Boston Hotel

[VonDrake]

I would like to stay in the Boston area for 1 week from July 28 thru August 4.

I'll be attending the SIGGRAPH conference at the Convention & Exhibition Center

in the World Trade Center area. I am driving from New York, so I'll have a car.

Is it possible to find a room in a 1 or 2 (or even 3?) star hotel within 20 minutes driving time

of the Convention Center for around $50-60 a night for 2 people?

I already have a reservation at the Motel 6 in Weymouth for $80 a night.

I hope someone here can help me get a better room cheaper and closer.

I would appreciate any help on this as I'm new to this forum.

Thanks

[thereuare]

You'll need to tell us which zones in the surrounding area are acceptable to you, we'll then be able to suggest a strategy to try.

[VonDrake]

The Conference Center is located in the "World Trade Center" zone, but I'm sure that area is out of my meager price range ($50-60/night for 2).

"Cambridge", "Copley", and "Downtown Boston" would be terrific, though I'm not sure how realistic those zones would be.

""Medford-Somerville" and "Brighton-Brookline" would be fine too, I'm not really picky.

I assume my best chances would be in the "South Boston" zone, or in the Boston Metro-South zones of "Randolf-Braintree-Quincy" or "Needham-Dedham-Norwood",

though I would prefer to be closer.

Thanks again, hope this helps.

[GM Mike]

Do the parking fees in the inner zones affect your willingness to stay there/maximum bid amounts?

[VonDrake]

I don't really know Boston well, but yes, the parking fees in the city are a concern.

I could probably live with parking fees if I got a great deal in a really nice or nearby hotel,

but realistically a bit outside the Convention Center (20 minute drive) would be more convenient.

As for maximum bid amount, around 60-70 a night for 2 (all taxes included).

Is this possible?

[GM Mike]

Before I even attempt to answer that, have you ever used priceline before? Your room for two people may have one bed. Is that ok?

Please take a look at PRICELINE FAQ if you don't have a lot of experience with the service.

[VonDrake]

No, I have not used Priceline before. In my previous travels, I've been quite flexible with dates and locations.

This is the first time I've had a set place and dates for reserving a hotel (although the actual conference dates are July 30-August 3, so I could shorten my visit a bit).

One bed in a double room is fine. I'm not picky about hotel conditions, simple is fine.

I would be thrilled if I could find a double room 20 minutes or less driving to the World Trade Center area,

as long as the area is relatively safe and the room clean. Beyond that, maybe free parking. I'm easy.

[GM Mike]

Before anyone here can suggest a strategy, we need you to do one more thing. :)

You need to calculate your bid amount BEFORE taxes. Please go to the Boston bidding section on priceline, put in a bid amount, but do NOT enter credit card information and do NOT click "Buy My Hotel Room". On the credit card screen, BEFORE you make your final purchase submission, it will list a total cost with taxes and fees for a given bid amount.

Please enter bid amounts WITHOUT making a final submission until you find the bid amount that gives you the highest total cost you'd be willing to accept. You'll also want to subtract what you find to be the average parking fee for each zone from the bid amount you enter.

Then, give us a list like this: World Trade Center $x, Cambridge $y, etc.

Someone here will help you develop a strategy that first attempts WTC up to your max bid for that zone, then helps you bid other inner zones up to your max, then outer zones up to your max -- probably at a 3* quality? or 2.5* quality?

You're obviously very flexible about this but we do need guidance as to which quality level is bare minimum for you. Using the hotel lists here for Boston, you can get a good feel for the MOST LIKELY wins to see what quality level will work as a minimum for you.

Finally, before you bid, make sure you run a search on hotwire. Some of those rates may be cheaper than your maximum bid, so they might become an effective maximum bid (above which, you'd just buy the hotwire offer).

Hopefully I haven't confused you too much. :)

[GM Mike]

Totally forgot about this. thenewbie put together this page on BOSTON PARKING. Hope you find it helpful. (Have you considered taking a bus/train instead of driving? Staying near a T stop and riding the T downtown?)

[VonDrake]

Thanks GM Mike, for all your help so far.

Yes, it is a bit confusing, but I understand these are the hoops one must jump through

in order to get a (hopefully) great bargain.

Okay, as you suggested I entered bid amounts, and here are the (possibly unrealistic) numbers I came up with for maximum bids.

World Trade Center, Cambridge, Downtown Boston, Copley: $50

All Other Zones: $40

As far as quality level, I'm perfectly fine with a 1* EconoLodge, although of course I'm hoping for something better. But 1* is okay with me.

And yes, I would consider leaving the car at home if parking is expensive.

Might I have a better chance with Hotwire? I would be happy to try that as well - but I suspect that topic should be discussed in the Hotwire forum?

[GM Mike]

I'm hoping, given that I know relatively little about Boston, that someone else will post a strategy suggestion for you. If not, I'll make an attempt at it tomorrow (or later tonight if you're really "chomping at the bit").

Hotwire is not a bidding service. They tell you the amount you'd have to pay, plus a listing of amenities, then let you decide if you want it. There are lists here that match amenities to known hotels, making it less of a guessing game -- but still a guessing game.

Costs you nothing to run the search on hotwire and take a look.

If you really and truly will accept ANY hotel...... you may just get what you want in the zones you want.

EDIT: Looking at the information you gave, there's no reason I can't suggest a strategy, so I'll post one in a few minutes. Then everyone can critique it. :)

[thereuare]

We'll see if GM Mike and I cross-post :)

This is what i would suggest....

Select 2.5* and Cambridge...

Bid $25, if rejected add WTC...

Bid $30, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2.5* and Downtown...

Bid $25, if rejected add WTC...

Bid $30, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2.5* and Copley...

Bid $25, if rejected add WTC...

Bid $30, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2.5* Cambridge and Downtown...

Bid $35, if rejected add WTC...

Bid $40, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2.5* Cambridge and Copley...

Bid $35, if rejected add WTC...

Bid $40, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 2.5* Cambridge and Downtown and Copley...

Bid $45, if rejected add WTC...

Bid $50.

If the above is rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously. Repeat the above, but use 2* instead of 2.5*. If this too is rejected post back and we'll proceed from there.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[GM Mike]

I would suggest beginning at the 3* level. This will include the potential for 4* hotels. You could do a round of only 4*, but given your price ranges, it's highly unlikely to yield anything.

At 3*, you have 3 free rebid zones. Make sure you read the PRICELINE REBIDDING EXPLAINED page and understand it fully before you bid. Feel free to post what you think your rebid zones are for confirmation before you bid.

Since you prefer WTC, I'd start there:

Select WTC 3* with bid of $40 -- if rejected, add rebid zone 1 and...

Bid $45 -- if rejected, add rebid zone 2 and...

Bid $48 -- if rejected, add rebid zone 3 and...

Bid $50.

If that doesn't work, close your browser, access priceline however you did previously, and start a brand new bid: (NOTE - it is possible to get more bids here by more creatively using combinations of zones, but I think it's a waste of time)

Select Cambridge, Downtown Boston, and Copley 3* with bid of $40 -- if rejected, add rebid zone 1 and...

Bid $45 -- if rejected, add rebid zone 2 and...

Bid $48 -- if rejected, add rebid zone 3 and...

Bid $50.

If that doesn't work, close your browser, access priceline however you did previously, and start a brand new bid: (NOTE - structure here is a little different. You have no rebid zones at 2.5*)

Select Cambridge 2.5* with bid of $40 -- if rejected, add Downtown Boston and...

Bid $45 -- if rejected, add Copley and...

Bid $50.

If that doesn't work, and you're really ok with ANY hotel... close your browser, access priceline however you did previously, and start a brand new bid:

Select Cambridge 2* with bid of $40 -- if rejected, add Downtown Boston and...

Bid $45 -- if rejected, add Copley and...

Bid $50.

Let us know how all of that turns out. If you still don't have a room, we can expand the strategy. It's probably better to expand geography than bid 1*.

Good luck!

[Wow, two different but correct strategies... Now we've certainly confused VonDrake... :) Reading over both, I think I'd do the 3* WTC section in mine, then start a new bid and switch to thereuare's]

[VonDrake]

Thanks GM Mike and Thereuare for all your very thorough help. I had no idea how this all works,

so your step-by-step strategies will of course help enormously - for me and anyone else reading this board.

I'm not "chomping at the bit" to bid just yet, as I'm waiting to see if a swap for my New York place comes through (that would be the best deal of all - free).

For my dates (July 28-August 4), when do you think would the best time to begin bidding?

Would a week or so before the 28th be too late?

[thereuare]

when do you think would the best time to begin bidding?

With your maximum bids i don't think you run too much of a risk of overbidding, so i dont' see any advantage of waiting. For further discussion on this subject you can see the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

[dahammer]

I'm not "chomping at the bit" to bid just yet, as I'm waiting to see if a swap for my New York place comes through (that would be the best deal of all - free).

so, your plans are not firm? :)

[txgeekboy]

Siggraph is 8/1 - 8/3, so there's a bit of vacation/exploration included in the timeframe. Unfortunately, you aren't going to find much, if any, in the $50-$60 range. The Revere/Logan area has lowest PL prices, sometimes in that range, and is quite convenient to WTC area by the MBTA Silver Line. I think you'd have to go to Peabody/Danvers, Waltham/Newton, or Woburn/Wakefield to find similar values. Consequently, I'd include the Revere/Logan in all free rebid permutations. You might get lucky and get DT, Copley, or WTC, but I'd bet almost any amount that you'd get acceptance from Revere/Logan first. If you wind up with anything other than DT/Financial, Copley/Back Bay, Revere/Logan, WTC, or Cambridge, you may be well outside your 20 minute commute. Brighton/Brookline, South Boston, and Medford/Somerville might be close. Good luck.

[txgeekboy]

Also, regarding your question about whether a week before would be to late to start bidding - possibly. I'd start bidding right away, with each session working its way up to a reasonable cap ($70 or so). If I had no success by a week before the trip, I'd start each session a little higher than the one before.

While it's true some hotels don't release inventory until very late, it is also true that some sell out their inventory quite early. According to the convention checker, Siggraph expects to draw 20,000, one of the largest convention crowds of the year. Also, still at the height of the tourist seaon. I wouldn't wait too long.