Priceline Hotel: Good backup for San Diego - Old Town?

[WillTravel]

I've been trying to bid for the Old Town - Sports Arena zone of San Diego, with no success for December 26-28. The Holiday Inn Express, which often comes up as 2* in this zone, is sold out for the night of the 27th (at least last time I checked). I didn't want to bid for 1*, for fear of getting a seedy motel in a marginal area. I tried up to $55 for a 2.5* (which has been the Marriott Courtyard in the past). I think I tried up to $47 for a 2*. Hotwire offers a 2.5* for $133 or so per night, which I think is likely the Courtyard.

So I looked around and found this backup:

http://www.the.hojo.com/sandiego11559

For $65/night + tax, we get a free breakfast, two queen beds, and free shuttles to Sea World, the Zoo, and the airport. I'm a little reluctant to try Priceline now, for fear of doing worse.

I'm hoping there is nothing terribly wrong with this hotel or location - if so, be sure to tell me!

Edit: I found out from another board that the Holiday Bowl is being played on December 30, and in that poster's opinion, block bookings are probably causing some of the area hotels to be sold out. This inventory might be released closer to the date.

[wcj1]

So you are not considering other zones?

BillJ

[WillTravel]

I have the first night at the Hilton Harbor Island, which is in the Downtown - Harbor Island zone. That's fine for the first night, but I don't want a hotel by the airport for the other two nights. So I can't bid for Downtown - Harbor Island again. Old Town - Sports Arena is the only remaining centrally located zone.

[WillTravel]

As mentioned in another thread we have a backup of the HoJo Sea World for $65/night + tax. I decided to try bidding again. I first tried $40 for 2.5*. That failed. There is one rebid zone in the San Diego list of zones that has only 1* and 2* (nothing higher) so that is a free rebid zone for 2.5*. So I did another bid with San Diego - Old Town and this other zone for $45.

We got a counteroffer to add $13, which would take this up to $58. If this is the Courtyard by Marriott, which is the only 2.5* that I have heard of that comes up in this particular zone, it does not have free breakfast. It does have an airport shuttle, but no Sea World and Zoo shuttles, unlike HoJo. So the $58/night + taxes and fees might not be a good deal. A few days ago, a 2.5* bid at $55 failed, but perhaps now I could somehow find some lower number between $45 and $58.

However, I discussed the issue with my daughter and she really does not want to give up the HoJo, particularly as we would be giving up known convenience. So at least at this price range, we aren't going to go for the counteroffer or try any tricks to undercut it.

One other odd thing. I went to the Marriott web site and looked up this particular Courtyard to see what their rates are for this time ($149/night). If I want to do so, I can reserve through the web site. I decided to phone the hotel (with no mention of Priceline) just to ask a few questions about the rooms, the hotel restaurant, and the area. The front desk guy told me that the hotel is sold out Dec. 26-28! I explained that I could book it through the hotel web site if I wanted. He didn't seem at all fazed or surprised by that, but said that I could just go ahead and book it through the site.

(Despite the Lucky Money, I'm not using Priceline HK here due to the fact that they do not have 2.5* bidding, and I am a little nervous about getting a random 2* in an area I do not know. The Holiday Inn Express which is the only known 2* that Priceline has provided so far does appear to be sold out. There are several other possible hotels that could come up.)

[WillTravel]

We used the Expedia code mentioned in the Bonus Money section to get a reduced rate, so this is what we are going with after all. I cancelled my conventional reservation.

[Scorp]

Hi WillTravel, I think you will probably be quite happy with the HoJo. I have never stayed there and my recollection of the area it is in is a bit fuzzy, but I think it is quite central and the shuttle service definitely makes life easier, doesn't it? I think Rosecrans is a stretch of strip malls and light industry, not thrilling or beautiful but you should have a variety of shops nearby. I believe there are some social service offices and Goodwill along Rosecrans, but I don't think they are likely to scare you off. You'll be spending your time seeing all the sights in town, anyway, right?

[WillTravel]

That's exactly what I've heard about the area, Scorp. Someone went and took a look for me to make sure it was in a good area. Some areas around the Marine Corps base apparently cater to the adult entertainment industry, and this HoJo is not in that immediate area at least. We have all our time in San Diego allotted already - Zoo, Japanese Gardens, Mingei Museum, SeaWorld, La Jolla seals, Birch Aquarium, and the Hard Rock Cafe. My daughter is also looking forward to staying that first night at the Hilton - although I wonder if she is probably expecting something more akin to the Four Seasons than the Hilton :).