Hotwire Hotel: Need Suggestion

[bettyboop]

Hello all,

I would like to ask for some suggestions as to how to proceed with this.

I'm looking secure a month long stay in San Jose from 2/25 - 3/23 for as cheap as possible...here's my questions:

• In what duration should I book it in? 1 booking of the whole stay, 2 books of 2 wks each? etc
  
• How long should I wait before booking it?
  
• Should I look somewhere other than Hotwire/Priceline because it's such a long stay?
  
• And whether anyone else has done something similar and would kindly share their experience?
  

It seems to be more expensive the longer the stay.

Thanks in advance for your help...It's just a little nerve recking since it's such a long stay...

[thereuare]

You can't bid for this complete stay as the maximum rental period thru both priceline and HOTWIRE is 21 days.

Whether to use priceline or HOTWIRE is whether amenities (such as a kitchenette for such an extended stay) is important to you.

For such a long stay i would begin bidding as soon as your plans are firm, but making sure you don't overbid in the process. See the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ for further info.

Once you decide which route you'd like to take and you're ready to make a purchase, let us know and we'll advise accordingly.

[Colfax]

There are several zones around San Jose where you might win a 2* for $35-40/night for an extended stay.

Do you need to be in some part of town or you're flexible on location?

Are Extended Stay America and Homestead Suites hotels allrite with you? That's what you're most likely to win.

[bettyboop]

You can't bid for this complete stay as the maximum rental period thru both priceline and HOTWIRE is 21 days.

Whether to use priceline or HOTWIRE is whether amenities (such as a kitchenette for such an extended stay) is important to you.

For such a long stay i would begin bidding as soon as your plans are firm, but making sure you don't overbid in the process. See the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ for further info.

Once you decide which route you'd like to take and you're ready to make a purchase, let us know and we'll advise accordingly.

Perhaps they have changed it recently, but you can book 30 days max. I am hoping to be able to get an extended stay type of place where there is a kitchenette. It seems with Hotwire, the longer I book, the more expensive it is.

[bettyboop]

There are several zones around San Jose where you might win a 2* for $35-40/night for an extended stay.

Do you need to be in some part of town or you're flexible on location?

Are Extended Stay America and Homestead Suites hotels allrite with you? That's what you're most likely to win.

Yeah, I'm hoping to get an extended stay or homestead...I actually really like them. I'm just worried that since it's such a long booking, I'll end up in some odd place. :)

[thereuare]

Priceline is still at 21 days maximum stay... HOTWIRE is up to 30 days.

Is a complete stay thru HOTWIRE (since they show you the price) out of your budget? You state that the rate goes up the longer the stay... at what point are you seeing a rate increase?

[Colfax]

It seems with Hotwire, the longer I book, the more expensive it is.

For me prices look level on a 14 day vs 30 day booking.

For 30 days the cheapest on Hotwire is a 2* in South San Jose at $39. Probably Extended Stay America.

For just your first 14 days, 2/25-3/10, the cheapest on Hotwire is the same 2* at the same price, $39.

Probably you could do this for a few dollars than $39 on Priceline. I don't recommend bidding longer than 7 days at a time on Priceline though because you could win some other 2* hotel that doesn't have a kitchenette. If you win a Priceline hotel that you want, say for 7 or 10 days, then you can attempt Add a Night to add the same number of nights again, if available.

[bettyboop]

I was perhaps just focusing on the Milpitas 2* one that I bought before as Homestead. I got it for $36 per night for 6 nights...but when searching for the same one for longer it turns into $49 per night (month didn't seem to matter, I tried searching with variations in months but same duration of 30 days.) Just thought it was odd since I figured it would be the other way around...the greater quantity, the cheaper it should be.

(btw, thanks for all the replies so far...really appreciate it!)

[bettyboop]

Probably you could do this for a few dollars than $39 on Priceline. I don't recommend bidding longer than 7 days at a time on Priceline though because you could win some other 2* hotel that doesn't have a kitchenette. If you win a Priceline hotel that you want, say for 7 or 10 days, then you can attempt Add a Night to add the same number of nights again, if available.

Yeah, I think I'm going to stay away from Priceline...30 days is a long time to be in a place that you don't want to be. Thanks!

[Colfax]

You might call the Extended Stay America directly and ask them what their 30 day rate is. When you book through ExtStay you don't pay Hotwire fee. Also I think ExtStay stays of 30 days or longer booked through the hotel are exempt from local hotel tax. You'll pay the tax on a Hotwire purchase.

I suspect the $39 HOTWIRE deal, even after taxes and Hotwire fee, will bottom line still be cheaper than the hotel's 30 day rate. But worth a quick call to check.

[Colfax]

I was perhaps just focusing on the Milpitas 2* one that I bought before as Homestead. I got it for $36 per night for 6 nights...but when searching for the same one for longer it turns into $49 per night (month didn't seem to matter, I tried searching with variations in months but same duration of 30 days.) Just thought it was odd since I figured it would be the other way around...the greater quantity, the cheaper it should be.

If you prefer Milpitas area over South San Jose I think your chances are very good for winning either the Extended Stay or Homestead in Milpitas for $39 or less on Priceline.

But the 2* Park Inn has come up too and the reports weren't good. I think the hotel might only have been reported one time but it is a possibility.

If you're a gambler you can try $35 or $36 for a 2* Milpitas on Priceline for your first 7 days. Or wait a month and see if the 2* Hotwire rates in Milpitas come down.

[jrnyman04]

Park Inn Milpitas is currently listed as 1* by PL. If you win a bid thru PL, you generally get an "Extend Your Stay" option many/most times. How long can you extend? Is there a max# of days that PL allows or is it simply for how many more days PL can give the same hotel at the same price?

[thereuare]

Is there a max# of days that PL allows or is it simply for how many more days PL can give the same hotel at the same price?

You can extend your stay up to the same number of nites that you have bid for... as long as extending your stay won't result in a stay of over 21 days.

The longer the time period you try to extend your stay, the greater the chance that it won't be accepted (or won't be accepted at the same price)

[Colfax]

Park Inn Milpitas is currently listed as 1* by PL.

In the last report I can find Park Inn was rated 2*. Have you won it as a 1* since then?

Park Inn Milpitas Priceline Win

[jrnyman04]

No. I saw the hotel listed as a 1* in the "shop and compare" listings for those dates on PL. Does PL list a hotel as a 1* there and say it is a 2* in "Name your price"?

[thereuare]

They should be the same... although i do recall one instance when a hotel was upgraded (or downgraded, i forget which) and the change was only made on the "Name Your Own Price" side of things at first. The change was eventually made at the retail product, but it was a few weeks later, and when the user complained to priceline of the mis-rating there was no refund offered or compensation made.

[Colfax]

When Priceline first introduced their "Shop and Compare" product MANY hotels had different ratings in "Shop and Compare" and "Name Your Own Price". I just scanned the "Shop and Compare" listings of a city I know well and I couldn't find any rating discrepancies now, at least in that one city. Maybe Priceline has moved to one uniform rating system for both products, as they should.

Even if the Milpitas Park Inn is rated 1* now my original point still stands---if you want a particular hotel then bidding for a long stay in one bid is especially risky. If it's not the Park Inn some other unreported 2* could come up. Cutting the bid into a few pieces, then using Add a Night, reduces the risk. (Although the transaction fees when breaking a long stay into pieces are slightly higher.)

bettyboop....please let us know what you end up doing.