Priceline Hotel: 3* Los Angeles (Redondo-Manhattan Beaches) Crowne Plaza

[nineofdisks]

Tried every region other than downtown and LAX at 3*. Went down to 2.5 stars and got upgraded for one night at Crowne Plaza in Redondo Beach. I wasn't able to get an additional night (never has worked in LA....works anyplace else) at the same price. I'm wondering what ever happened to the Culver City Extended Stay hotel (hasn't come up since March/April of this year, might want to update the list). I think this must be full tourist season as not even the Residence Inns in Manhattan Beach and Beverly Hills are available anymore. Is everyone having the same problems I'm having.

DON"T do 2.5 stars right now in the LAX area. You will get the horrible Hacienda Inn, which is a dirty run-down hole in the wall posing as a bad rendition of a Crowne Plaza or Sheraton. :)

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Hope you enjoyed your stay.

[nineofdisks]

Thank you! The Crowne Plaza at Redondo Beach is a nice place and the going rate is $259. So $74 is quite a bargain. The only problem with getting bargains like these when you get upgraded is that you are usually at a point where you've tried everything for a few day stay and are down to choosing a single night hoping to get a hotel you can then put in a separate longer bid for (such as the Residence Inn in Manhattan Beach, where $50 used to be a good enough bid for a three to four day stay). When you get something like the Crowne Plaza for a whopping 28% of the original price, the odds you will get it for one additional night are very slim.

I'm working a contract at Red Bull in Santa Monica as an Indepent Contractor and I have to relate that I'm a Priceline/Hotwire vet. As I have a cat, the L.A. area is the most difficult area I've ever experienced to utilize these services. I did a contract for the Mirage in Vegas last year, and that was a great city to get consistent, affordable bargains for obvious reasons. But oddly, the easiest and best places tend to be places like Torrance, CA and Irvine, CA, as they are Corporate areas with a surplus of nice upscale hotels that you can dependably get once pinned, and at prices rarely higher than $42/night. And you can dependably find places that accept a cat, unlike LA (places that are pinned that do accept cats in this are include Residence Inns in BH and Manhattan Beach, the ESA that used to come up in Culver City, the Radisson Inn in Culver City and LAX - my favorite place to get in lieu of this fact, and the Hilton at LAX. The one star Ramada Limited in Marina Del Rey/Santa Monica was my mainstay for the beginning of my contract at Red Bull until all Ramada Limiteds in this area went to a "No Pets" policy in May of this year. I've had my cat for 13 years, so it's a real concern trying to pin a place that is pet friendly. If I'm in a real bind, I'll bid in Torrance/Carson region for an ESA, but never bid more than $41 in that region (even if going for a 1* ESA in Carson), as you will inevitably be "upgraded" to the pet-unfriendly "Courtyard from Marriott" who are pet na***. :) As a pet owner, I HATE being upgraded, because inevitably unless it is a Radisson or Hilton, the place you will be upgraded to will NOT accept pets. I wish Priceline had an option ("I do not wish to be upgade; I'd rather fail than be upgraded" option for this reason).

Thanks for all the help this forum has provided to me over the past year for on the road temporary hotel stays for independent contract work in different West Coast cities!!

[Beach07]

Thanks for the info!

I'm currently doing contract work in the bay area until the end of August. I've been staying at ESA for the length of my contract. I'm thinking of heading down south when my contract ends.

Good to know that I could get a room at ESA for under $50!