Priceline Hotel: Please advise on finding a hotel with pool

[kriseMN]

I have never used Priceline to bid before, but hotel prices in Washington DC have me looking for options. How can I know that my family will have a hotel with a pool if I bid on Priceline? We are planning to travel 6/9 to 6/16, but our dates can flex a bit more toward summer if necessary. We have 2 adults and 2 kids (5 & 8) ready to see the monuments, Smithsonian, zoo.... so I am leaning toward the Dupont area. Prices seem to be up in the $200 or so range on a quick search at Hotwire.

Is there anything else you need to know? I am so confused by this process, but I am determined to pay a reasonable rate. Hoping for $150 or less. I'm willing to be more realistic if I have to be.

Thanks for your help.

Kris

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

How can I know that my family will have a hotel with a pool

With Priceline you can't. If a pool is important to you then you may be better off with HOTWIRE which will show you the amenities available (one of which is a Pool icon) before your purchase... however, this can also be an outdoor pool, which may or may not be suitable at the beginning of June.

We have 2 adults and 2 kids

Are you intending on getting one room for all four of you? If so, Priceline only guarantees double occupancy... after that it's at the discretion of the hotel. HOTWIRE will allow you to search for up to quad occupancy. Some use priceline for more than double occupancy and accept the risk... but it is a risk you and your family will need to decide if it's worth taking. For a further discussion, see the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

After reading the above let us know if you still want to try Priceline (for one room) and/or if anything within your priceline appears on HOTWIRE. If moving forward with priceline, is the Dupont Circle zone the only area that is acceptable to you?

Let us know the above and we'll advise accordingly.

[kriseMN]

Thank you for the welcome! There is a lot of great information here.

I think from what you've said Hotwire will be the place to go. We are looking for one room for all. I see the amenities on Hotwire, so this makes sense.

Dupont is not the only area in play. We require only that it is easy to get to the National Mall/Smithsonian without wasting a lot of time transferring on the metro/bus each day and that there is some sort of restaurant option available in the area. Well, that plus a safe area. Are there other options that would work well for a limited budget?

Again, thanks so much for the help.

Kris

[thereuare]

We require only that it is easy to get to the National Mall/Smithsonian without wasting a lot of time transferring on the metro/bus each day and that there is some sort of restaurant option available in the area.

You can select the following criteria.

The best way to play this is to do a HOTWIRE search for your dates and see which hotels are within your price range. You/we can then try to identify them and then you can see which, if any, fit your criteria and work well for your needs.

Remember to include 2adults/2children in your search as you may get different hotels than if you searched for 2adults only.

[kriseMN]

I found a 3* hotel on Hotwire in Arlington for $119 from 6/14 to 6/20. These are the amenities:

Airport Shuttle

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

Can anyone tell me which hotel this probably is? It is listed as a customer favorite.

Thanks,

Kris

[thereuare]

This is a match for the Sheraton National Hotel so that would be our best guess.

Please remember to use this HOTWIRE link to begin any purchases you make.

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[kriseMN]

Well, I didn't care to stay at the Sheraton, so I kept looking. Thank you very much for the heads up on that. I had a hard time finding a good deal on Hotwire, so I started looking at individual hotel websites. I found a deal at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington for a split fee 132 for 3 days and then 119 for the remaining 4 days between June 28 and July 5. On Hotwire the rate was 132 per night, if I remember correctly. I know it didn't show 119. The booking through the hotel is refundable until the day we check in, so I have some time to keep an eye on Hotwire if you think it will help.

We did book airfare on HOTWIRE using your link. Flying out on June 27 and coming back July 5. $264 a person. Turned out to be American Airlines. I chose to spend a bit more in order to have an afternoon flight out and an evening flight back. One stop over each way in Chicago. Not fantastic, but definitely do-able.

Since the flight was much cheaper to fly out on June 27 rather than the 28th, I need a one night stay for the 27th before we check in to the Marriott. I found a 3.5* in Crystal City for that night, $165. It's amenities are:

pool

restaraunt

high speed internet access

business center

fitness center

Do you have an idea what this might be?

Thank you for all your help with our family travel plans. I will pass along your link to others booking travel.

Kris in MN

[thereuare]

Those amenities match what has previously been associated with the Hyatt Regency Crystal City so that would be our best guess.

Please use this HOTWIRE link to begin any purchases you make (and thank you for doing so for your airline tix above)

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.