Hotwire Hotel: 2.5* DC (Crystal City) Courtyard

[saab]

i am getting some deal on hotwire for 74 dollars in DC itself.its a 3-star hotel in The White House - Capitol Hill .

but what i am scared of what if they charge a very hefty parking fee. and also i dont know which hotel this could be ...

should i bid at priceline ? and what rate should i bid at my budget is max 80 dollars...

Thanks.. :)

[thereuare]

Please follow-up your previous request for help for Cocoa Beach with whatever you ended up doing for that stay... we'll then address your post above.

Thanks.

[saab]

thanks for the reply but there is nothing to follow up on that post as i had stated in that post earlier that i wasnt going to bid any further . anyways have replied in that post for yr info

[thereuare]

there is nothing to follow up on that post as i had stated in that post earlier that i wasnt going to bid any further

We prefer that every post has a resolution, which the previous post now has. This tells future readers what you ultimately did for the stay and can help others that may be having trouble with reservations for their own stay.

To assist in identifying the property above, please go to HOTWIRE and list the amenities associated with the hotel you're being offered.

[saab]

the amenities are:

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Laundry Facilities

Also i would like to know if i do bid from any of these , what chances are that i will get a hotel which has parking fees. bec most of them have parking fees which is exorbitant....

[thereuare]

I would think that most hotels in this area have parking fees.

Usually the savings obtained thru using the opaque providers more than compensates for the additional parking charges (remember that you'd be paying parking even thru a 'conventional booking').

If you don't want to pay for parking then i wouldn't stay in DC and/or book direct so you know exactly what the parking charge will be (if any) before you book.

[saab]

you are right , so am thinking that i will keep my options open which means that i will keep some hotels as backup as the hotwire one and i also saw wyndham for 84 dollars plus braxton for 66- but the reviews of braxton are not good at all.

so i would like to know a strategy for bidding. which hotel could this be at hotwire for 74 dollars...

anyways i am taking parking to be 25 per day as thats what is in most of them .

do you have any idea if parking fees is charged if i stay outside dc like arlington etc..

i might still book at priceline though. will post in the priceline forum for yr help !!! :)

[TravelGuy]

Parking will be substantially cheaper in the Arlington, Crystal City and Alexandria/Old Town zones than in DC - $12-16.

Free parking becomes plentiful once you get further out into the Virginia suburbs than the above mentioned zones. All Priceline hotels in the Tysons Corner/Falls Church, Fairfax and Dulles Airport zones have free parking.

[saab]

which areas would you suggest for our stay then bec we are going to DC mainly for sightseeing... so which areas would be closer to us. i can bid according to that...we want to be close to white house, the museums, smithsonian inst.

do you think we can take our car to all these attractions... or is it better if we commute by metros.

Also do you think taking a tour of DC by a guide would be better... any suggestions on that !!!

Thanks a tonne !!!! :)

[saab]

hello,

I wanted strategies on how to bid at the following locations:-

Convention Ctr - Capitol Hill area

White House

[TravelGuy]

I wouldn't worry that much about parking, as you'll probably be able to find a free space on the street somewhere for Saturday and Sunday if you look around enough. For Friday and Monday, you could use a metered space for the portion of the day you'll need it.

I'd be very surprised if you couldn't get a 4* for $70 at the most for those dates - just $10 over budget. If you'd like to go with 4*, I would bid Convention Center/Capital @ $60, then increase by $5 up to $70 adding a couple of free rebids (Alexandria/Old Town & Crystal City). If that doesn't work, I would close the browser, open it again and start a completely new bid for White House/Downtown at $60, again increaing by $5 up to $70.

2.5* in the Downtown/White House zone can be an excellent value on the weekends. There are two Marriot properties, a Residence Inn and Courtyard, and both are very good. Usually the Residence Inn comes up and their free breakfast can be great if you're trying to cut costs. If this interests you, I would try $52 in that zone.

Another interesting option I see is that Hotwire is showing the Capital Hill Suites for $57 with one person selected. This is a 2*, and while not perfect, I think it's underrated and a very good value. I think the reviewer from Martinez, CA got it just right in his/her review on Tripadvisor.

If this interests you, I would bid 2* for Convention Center/Capital Hill @ $46 on Priceline, as it's probably also available cheaper there than Hotwire.

Lastly, Tourmobile and Old Town Trolley Tours are two of the most popular tour companies.

[saab]

Thank you so much , i really appreciate all your help. Will bid as exactly as you have told me and will let you know... Thnks so much :)

[saab]

hi travelguy,

i bid exactly as you told me but with no luck ... do you think i should try 3* as well...

[TravelGuy]

If you'd be willing to stay in the Woodley Park/Dupont Circle zone at 4*, I'd try $70 for that. If you go that route and don't get a win (unlikely), I'd start completely new bids for your 2 preferred DC zones up to $75 if that wouldn't bust your budget. For the 2.5* I would increase to $55, and for the 2* to $49. Good luck!

[saab]

Thanks travel guy i have no idea about dupont area. are these conveneint areas...

no my budget is not 75 so wont go upto that. but yes can go upto 55 for the 2 star.

Will let you know,

i have found a nice hotel as my backup.

Holiday Inn National Airport/Crystal City -3 star

[saab]

i was also thinking of bidding outside DC like alexandria and crystal city and arlington. i am sure i will be able to get something under 55 dollars there !!!

[TravelGuy]

You might want to try 4* in Arlington up to $70 starting with $60, because there is a nice, new Westin very close to a Metro there, which is the only known 4* in that zone.

Otherwise, for Arlington, Crystal City and Alexandria/Old Town I would suggest biding 2.5* instead of 3* because the 2.5*'s are as good and often better than the 3*'s in those zones. The Residence Inn Old Town/Alexandria is a terrific 2.5* whose lowest Priceline rate is I believe $55. I would be tempted to try for that, however there is no guarantee it will come up.

It's a shame your 4* $70 bid for the Convention Center/Capitol Hill zone didn't work. I see that the rate for the Hyatt Regency Washington, a 4* in that zone, is only $119 for your dates.

[saab]

hi we bid yesterday but got no luck ... i think we will stay in DC itself .. will bid again today !!! :)

REMEMBERED TO USE THE SAVINGSBARN LINK YESTERDAY!!!

[saab]

have been trying to bid 3* and 2.5* till 55 including whitehouse downtown and capitol hill. no luck yet.

we dont want to bid for 2* yet. and dont want to bid till 70 as well. lets see will try again tomorrow...

[saab]

i got counteroffers for 2.5 star today at 52. it asked me to raise by 15 more , i didnt do that and bid again till 55. no luck. now i am wondering if i will get it for 55 also or not!!!

[thereuare]

Signs of life. :)

If $55 is being rejected i would at least try a few dollars higher on your next round... if you're budget allows.

[saab]

yep thinking of bidding till 58 maybe if you experts have any other suggestions for me :)

[thereuare]

Sounds reasonable.

[saab]

i have some news .. i finally did get some reservation but at crystal city for 55 dollars. i had actually bid convention centre , downtown dc and crystal city at 2 star .. got upgraded to 2.5 star. the hotel is Courtyard By Marriott Crystal City.

its got great reviews and apparently not very far from dc .

now just need to figure out the metro routes... the hotel offers complimentary shuttle to the metro and parking is 12 per day ... not that bad considering the current rate is 109 per day . so i got it at half the price !!!

used savings barn link ... Thanks everyone !!!

[thereuare]

Congrautlations on your win!

Glad to see you got a good deal and are happy with the results. The DC metro system is actually fairly easy to navigate and one of the cleanest systems i have ever been on.

Thanks for the post and for using the SB links to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay.