Priceline Hotel: London Hotel Bidding Help

[BPJ]

Going to be in London @ May 27 for 3 night s, and then again @ June7 for 2 nights.

I have never used Priceline before, but have been encouraged repeatedly to do so on Fodors.com. I have also never been to Britain.

While in London we want to visit Tower of London, London Eye, British Museum, cruise on Thames, etc. - probably some of the basic sites - so I guess I want to stay in close proximity or in places with easy tube access to these central attractions.

I was thinking of bidding for the following regions:

Mayfair/Soho

Westminster

Bloomsbury/Marble Arch

Knightsbridge/South Kensington/Earls Court

I am looking for some feedback on whether these are good choices, and advice on bidding strategy. I would like to stay under USD150.00 if possible.

Thanks for any assistance!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

If you haven't seen it yet, this is a good thread to start with: I've Never Used Priceline or Hotwire.

I'll wait for somebody who knows London geography better than i do to respond with your zone selection(s). Once you get zone advice confirm your zone(s) that you would like to bid and we'll suggest a bidding strategy to follow. (if nobody replied within 72 hours then bump this thread)

Please only post one stay per thread... so we'll use this thread for your 5/27/08-5/30/08 stay and once we start bidding this stay please start a NEW TOPIC for the other stay.

Also, once you confirm the zone(s) you're willing to bid, also let us know your minimum star quality.

[Rhine-and-Roses]

We usually stay in South Kensington, and have Pricelined that area for $85 and got Millenium Gloucester (Dec 2006). We really liked the location and the hotel. We still don't know what the complaints are about- that hotel was just fine. We were in a newly renovated room, even with paying only Priceline prices. THe location is perfect for us with the V&A, other museums. It is a less central location that some of the other places you mention. Our friends also used Priceline at the same time for London, same amount, but accepted more zones (Westminster) and got Jolly St Ermins. It was an odd place, but acceptable to me. The halls rambled forever, and the decor was an odd blue and white roccoco in the public areas. It was older and the floors were a little creaky, but their room was larger- probably double the size of ours. The Westminster area seems to cater a little less to tourists than the other areas.

Basically to go most places in London, you'll need to take the Tube or buses, so as long as you don't stay too far out, you should be okay. I would NOT stay in Earls Court- it is in zone 2 for transport purposes, and the hotels can be seedy. If you Priceline that area and end up at the Hilton Olympia, you'll have a bit more in the way of walk from the tube, although I don't think the hotel is as bad as some of the ratings. I have never stayed there, but we were on a tour and some of our group stayed there. I saw the lobby and a room and both were fine, although the lobby is a lot nicer than the rooms.

If you want to book directly, we've stayed at Harrington Hall, which is right by the Millenium Gloucester at the Gloucester Road tube stop. Great location, very nice hotel. They are a part of the NH Hotels chain. I doubt they use Priceline, but you can occasionally get great deals on their website.

[WillTravel]

Earl's Court is in the Knightsbridge/South Kensington/Earls Court zone, so it is a possibility if you choose that zone. However, if price is most important, it's quite likely this zone is your best bet. Also, some hotels in this zone are very central, and some are not.

Mayfair/Soho is the most central and most expensive.

Bloomsbury/Marble Arch is a pretty good zone, in my opinion.

Westminster is very central unless you end up getting a hotel on the south side of the river.

All of the London zones (except in my opinion, Docklands) would work out okay if you are willing to spend some time in the morning and evening on public transit, and also accept it might be quite time-consuming to return to your hotel at midday.

I think you should consider whether price or central location is your most important concern (e.g. would you prefer the possibility of a cheaper $100 hotel or do you want to pay the premium for a very central hotel).