Hotwire Hotel: 3.5* Houston (Galleria) Marriott West Loop

[biddingIsFun]

Hi there

I'm new to this forum, but not to bidding itself. Got some great information here, maybe you can help me with the following:

I'll be on a trip to Houston, TX on 6/3-6/13 and will stay at the Galleria district from 6/7 - 6/13. Since I'm a big fan of Marriott hotels, I'd like to bid for the Marriott West Loop. On Hotwire, a 3.5* property which probably is the MWL (amenities Rest. / Pool / Fitness / Business / Hi Speed) appears at $66 when entering 6/7 - 6/11. However, I'd like to avoid a hotel change for the last two days of my stay. But when entering 6/13 as departure date, the MWL? disappears and another 3.5* property comes up (amenities Suite/Pool/Fitness/Rest./Business/Laundry/Hi Speed/Kitchenette).

Does anyone have experience with the "Extend your stay" feature at Priceline ? My plan is to bid for 6/7 - 6/11 and then try to extend at the same rate. How likely would this request be accepted ? Besides that, what property could be the other 3.5* property ?

Thanks to y'all.

Dennis

[blindman]

Welcome to betterbidding.

The board coverage this week is limited but we're all helping out.

The "Extend your stay option" on PL is no guarantee that you'll be offered to extend or if you are the rate could be ridiculously high.

Have a look at the MWL web-site for the rates of your proposed stay to see if there is a rate hike for those last two days. That could explain its 'disappearance.' on HOTWIRE.

A strategy to play with Extend your stay is to bid andtry to win those higher rate last two days on PL 'then' Extend your stay BUT the rules state you can only extend up to the same amount of days you bid, so that wouldn't really work in this case. :)

Have you looked at the "Shop and Compare" part of of PL to see what rate they are offering for the MWL?

Besides that, what property could be the other 3.5* property ?

I'm no expert, maybe someone else will help.

I would build a HOTWIRE package and see what comes up.

[biddingIsFun]

Hi again,

I did some investigation work and am pretty sure that the other 3.5* property that appears from 6/7-6/13 is the Doubletree Guest Suites by the Galleria. It's the only suite-only hotel that has laundry facilities and a full kitchen in each suite (due to Expedia). Therefore, the amenities shown on Hotwire would not fit to any other hotel in the surrounding.

The question is: which hotel will show up on Priceline when bidding for the 6 night stay ? I'm pretty confident that the 3.5* property I mentioned first is the Marriott West Loop, for it shows up at the same dates that another user here got the MWL on PL for $52.

For 6/7-6/13 I already bid $50, $52, $55 and $57 and got a counteroffer at $55 (increase by $15). So perhaps something shows up at $60 or $65 ... the 3.5* suite-only hotel at Hotwire is $79.

What are your experiences with such a scenario ? Did PL always come up with those hotels that Hotwire shows for exactly the same dates ? What do you think are the chances in this case of PL coming up with the MWL or perhaps some different property ?

Thank you.

Dennis

[thereuare]

Did PL always come up with those hotels that HOTWIRE shows for exactly the same dates?

No. There is probably some corellation, but it is nowhere near 100%.

There is a reason the HOTWIRE hotel changes for the last two nites of your stay... no availability at the Marriott, a price increase at the Marriott, a price decrease at the Doubletree, etc, etc. I'd think if you bid the complete stay you're more likely to not receive the Marriott than to receive it (where as your chances of receiving the Marriott are better if you bid the partial stay).

[biddingIsFun]

Thanks, thereuare.

In fact the rate at the Marriott West Loop increases on 6/11 from $129 to $229 per night, so that might be the reason why HOTWIRE shows the suite-only hotel as the cheapest 3.5* property.

Exactly what do you mean by saying the chances of getting the Marriott would be better when bidding for the partial stay ? I'm quite confident that I will get the MWL when bidding for 6/7-6/11. But how would you proceed with the remaining 2 nights, trying to avoid a hotel change ?

Nevertheless, the Doubletree Guest Suites by the Galleria has not yet been reported as a PL win on this board. Regarding the Sheraton Suites, I would assume that they sell their PL inventory for less than $60 or $65, relating to the winning posts here. Therefore, my best guess would be the Doubletree to show up for this period. Would you agree ?

Regards:

Dennis

[thereuare]

But how would you proceed with the remaining 2 nights, trying to avoid a hotel change ?

I think you'll either need to compromise in 1) chaning your hotel or 2) not targeting your prefered property.

Regarding the Sheraton Suites, I would assume that they sell their PL inventory for less than $60 or $65, relating to the winning posts here. Therefore, my best guess would be the Doubletree to show up for this period. Would you agree ?

I think you're trying to read to much into this, but based upon your comments above, i'm not understanding why you think the Doubletree is a more likely outcome over the Sheraton?

[biddingIsFun]

I think you're trying to read to much into this, but based upon your comments above, i'm not understanding why you think the Doubletree is a more likely outcome over the Sheraton?

Just because of the Doubletree (or at least, what I expect it to be) appearing on Hotwire :)

But I think I'll give it a shot after I spoke to my girlfriend, just to make sure she could live with the Doubletree :)

[Daniel1978]

Does anyone have experience with the "Extend your stay" feature at Priceline ? My plan is to bid for 6/7 - 6/11 and then try to extend at the same rate. How likely would this request be accepted ?

Hello Dennis,

I followed this thread and would give the following answer to your question above: it probably wouldn't. I won the Marriott West Loop for Sunday night 6/3 and tried to extend it to the previous night, as I'm leaving Houston on 6/4. I got the following message:

"Unfortunately, we are not able to add nights to reservations at the Marriott Houston West Loop By Galleria.

Please note: Our customer service agents have access to the same hotel rates and availability as our customers do on our website. They are not able to make this booking on your behalf."

If I were you, I wouldn't try to bid for the shorter period and then use the "Extend your stay" feature. It probably wouldn't work.

Daniel

[thereuare]

I thought you were basing the Doubletree on the HOTWIRE offer, but then i wasn't sure why you went into the discussion regarding the Sheraton.

If the Extend Your Stay option is offered, there is a good chance you will either be rejected or that you'll be offered a price higher than your accepted bid amount.

[biddingIsFun]

I just considered the Sheraton Suites as another possible 3* property, as reported on this board. I would be happy to get the Sheraton, although farther away from The Galleria.

Call me silly, but I give a lot on other traveler's opinions, and the Doubletree Guest Suites by the Galleria do not have such a good reputation as other DT's. Usually I just need the hotel for sleeping, but since this is going to be a romantic getaway, things like room setup, interiors etc. are also important this time. And these are categories where the DT did not perform as expected.

I'll keep you informed.

Dennis

[biddingIsFun]

Update on this topic:

I decided to book 4 nights at the Marriott West Loop by Galleria from 6/7 - 6/11. Hotwire price for the 3,5* with the following amenities dropped to $59: Fitness, Pool, Restaurant, Business, High Speed Internet.

Tried to bid on Priceline up to $59 without success, receiving counteroffers at $54 and $57, but as the grand total on Hotwire was lower, I booked there, making sure that no other property would appear instead of the Marriott.

Used Savingsbarn link for the purchase.

Thanks to all, now I have to deal with the last two nights :)

Kind regards,

Dennis

[thereuare]

Congratualtions on your success.

Thank you for sharing your results with the board. Glad you got it settled and received the hotel you were hoping for.

Please note that we now have our own HOTWIRE link, please use it for any future hotwire purchase.

If you'd like help with the balance of your stay please start a NEW TOPIC.

Thanks again, and enjoy your stay.