Priceline Hotel: Need 4* downtown Dec 21-27

[sooshigirl]

Have bid up to $85 with no luck for 4* Dec 21-27. We are hoping for the Benson as it is best location for us. Any tips? Do they tend to hold rooms over the holiday? Please advise.

[Colfax]

There are at least a half dozen 4* hotels in Downtown Portland and any of them could come up. A few years ago the Benson came up on Priceline more often than the other 4*'s. That's no longer true though.

If you're willing to stay at ANY 4* hotel in Downtown Portland you'll significantly improve your chances of acceptance if you can split this six night stay into two pieces. That will give you two chances to get the Benson too, if you don't win it for the first piece.

[tilepusher]

The best deals in Downtown Portland are generally at the 3* level. I think this would be particularly true during the holidays because the most frequently won 3* hotels -- the Hilton and the Marriott Downtown Waterfront -- are business-oriented hotels. The only risk, it appears, would be getting the Hotel Fifty (formerly the Four Points). If you're willing to tolerate this risk, I would try the following bidding strategy to start:

You have two rebid zones for a 3* bid: Beaverton-Hillsboro and NW Portland.

Start a new bid of $45 for 3* DT Portland

Add rebid zone #1 and bid $48

Exit this bid and start a new bid of $50 for 3* DT Portland + rebid zone #2

Add rebid zone #1 and bid $52

If you really want a 4*, you can split your bids as Colfax suggested, but keep in mind that there is a reasonable chance that your split bids will be accepted at two different hotels. Also, the lowest rates for the Benson are in the middle of your stay -- the 23rd-25th -- so I'm not sure how effective splitting would be if you want the Benson. I think it's best to just be patient; most of the 4* wins reported lately have been within about a week of check-in. I would recommend that you make a fully cancellable backup, then bid every 2-3 days, each time starting at $55 and working your way up to about $80-85. If, 5-6 days before check-in, you're unsuccessful, you can decide if you want to split your bid, try for a 3*, or keep trying the single 4* bid and stay at your backup hotel if it ultimately fails.

[Colfax]

Thanks for the update on the Four Points new name, tilepusher. Hotel Fifty, eh? The name must come from the hotel's address: 50 West Morrison. I might have liked Hotel Morrison more.

The Fifty is already showing up as a 3* in Hotwire Vacation packages with Restaurant and Business Center icons. Time to revise the hotel lists, thereuare!

sooshigirl, I checked HOTWIRE for your dates. There's a 4* that's NOT the Benson for $109 although I don't know what hotel it is. It doesn't match anything in the Hotel List or anything I can summon in Vacation packages.

Also a 3.5* for $96 (matches Hilton) and a 3* for $76 (matches the Fifty).

BUT...checking HOTWIRE for just your first three nights it's a different 4* hotel that comes up and THAT 4* matches the Benson, for $99. When I try adding a fourth night, Dec 24, it changes to a different 4* hotel---the same 4* that's available for all six nights.

SOO...if you want the Benson for your first three nights you can get it for $99 on Hotwire. But not the last three nights. Those nights are $159/159/139 on Benson's website or $143/143/125 with AAA.

That $99 will be for one bed. Not sure if you know the Benson charges an upgrade fee for two beds. That's true whether you book conventionally or through Priceline/Hotwire.

Benson: Fitness, Restaurant, Business Center, Highspeed

Other 4* Hotel: Fitness, Business Center, Highspeed

Please update us with what you ultimately decide on.

[dealboy]

I just booked the Benson thru Priceline for three nights beginning on the 28th of Dec for $80/night. Good luck!