Priceline Hotel: 4* London (Kensington-Earls Court-Knightsbridge) Holiday Inn Forum

[lookup]

Has anyone any suggestions for alternative zones to bid on besides Mayfair Soho and Bloomsbury Marble Arch that is walking distance to Covent Garden? So far my Mayfair Soho and Bloomsbury Marble Arch bids are not being accepted and I do not wish to bid over $150 for June 18-22nd.

I am not familiar with Regent Gardens or Westminster - might they be close enough to Covent Garden? ?

[WillTravel]

Westminster will likely get you about 1 to 1.5 miles away, but I haven't measured up the zones.

The Regents Park zone would probably be more like 2.5 to 4 miles away.

Are you only interested in 4* hotels?

I know opinions differ, but I've been fine with London 3* choices.

Looking at Laterooms.com it looks like you will have to pay 150 pounds or more per night for a centrally located 4* London hotel booked conventionally.

Another option to consider for your dates is the Covent Garden Travelodge. I've never stayed there, and one drawback is no luggage storage, which may or may not be a problem, and no early check-ins. But the rate for your dates is 95 pounds per night, and the location is right in Covent Garden practically.

[lookup]

hey after 4 star how can one go back to 3 star??? HOW?? Travellodge - you must be kidding bro!!! *thumbs nose up*

anywho ...Westminster sounds good

i will include that zone in my next bid! Thanks for taking the time and putting in so much detail !!

[WillTravel]

Good luck with your bid. Hopefully Westminster will do the trick. The farthest out 4* option that I know of in the Westminster zone is the Riverbank Plaza, if you want to measure up how far it is from Covent Garden.

Price, location, quality - If you want exact targets on the last two, the first might have to be significantly increased. If you want the first two, then the last may have to be sacrificed. Also note that not all 4* options in Westminster are well-reviewed - for example, the Jolly St. Ermins has mixed reviews and sounds worse than the 3* hotels I have stayed at.

[lookup]

Yes, I read the reviews about Jolly St. Ermins and hope that I don't get that one if I add Westminster, fingers crossed! I may up my bid price for the other two zones see what I can score. Prices have gone up it seems. I will gladly pay $100 for a 4 star in Bloombsbury but I think that is a pipe dream.

Last year i got all kinds of deals in that area! Anyways, onward and thanks for the valuable imput.

[lwitchel]

This has been my same dilemma as well; I haven't yet found the best solution.

If EasyClickTravel has the "off the record" two star hotels in Bloomsbury, they are the Imperial Hotel Chain's hotels (Royal National, Imperial, Bedford, etc) and the location is good if the amenities are less.

I have booked at Octopus Travel when Priceline wasn't giving me love. Another option is lastminutetravel.com; I've seen better rates there than at laterooms.

If there's a real savings, you may want to bite the bullet and priceline Kensington. It's not walking distance, but if you get something on Gloucester Road rather than Kensington High Street, it's a straight shot into Covent Garden on the Piccadilly line - probably more convenient than some closer zones because of fewer tube changes. That's what I did last trip - it was at least $50-$70 cheaper per night, so worth the 25 minute ride.

[lookup]

Was aiming for Bloomsbury but got nervous and added outlying zones in a flurry of bidding (I went through savingsbarn link every time)

I feel I over paid even though the on line rate was 110 pounds, the place looks ok. I got 3 night then added a night at the same rate! $135!!! darn that is not the usual steal to which am accustomed!! Anywho:

Holiday Inn Kensington Forum

Check-In Date: Monday, June 19, 2007

Check-Out Date: Tuesday, June 22, 2007

97 Cromwell Road

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 3

Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: US$135.00

Subtotal: US$405.00

Taxes and Service Fees: US$83.28

Total Charges for Original Reservation: US$488.28

Additional Nights Reservation

Here is the itinerary for your additional nights reservation.

Check-In Date: Monday, June 18, 2007

Check-Out Date: Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 1

Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: US$135.00

Subtotal: US$135.00

Taxes and Service Fees: US$32.22

Total Charges for Add. Night Res.: US$167.22

[WillTravel]

In my opinion, you got about the best Kensington-zone hotel possible. This is really super-convenient, and it's a nice if busy hotel. With current exchange rates, $135 is about 67 pounds. I know taxes and fees add something too, but still try getting much of anything at 75 or 80 pounds without Priceline or Hotwire.

[lookup]

that makes me feel better....soiunds like you have been there

thanks for your help

your help led me to get this one! the reviews for it are pretty great!

[WillTravel]

I have been there. I think I posted a review for it here.

[thereuare]

Here are the Hotel Reviews (including WillTravel's) for this property.

I'm not familiar with this property firsthand, but i too think this is a very nice deal...

Best 'standard rate' i could find thru the hotel's website was 123GBP, or doing the math in the other direction, $245/nite. Your $135 accepted represents about a 45% savings, which i think is fairly significant (over $100/nite)

Thanks for sharing your win with the board and for using the SavingsBarn.com links to begin your bids.

Have a great trip and enjoy your stay.