Priceline Hotel: 3* Portland (Downtown) Marriott City Center

[givingtree]

I looked at Hotwire for night of Dec 29th and it looked to me like the 3.5 star was the Hilton. Am I on target here? The only problem is that the price is $94, which is just $7 cheaper than the internet rates on any other site. If I go for the 3* Priceline option, are the chances good that I'll get the Hilton? Or what other Hotel could I be stuck with?

My main priority is staying in the downtown downtown, in a relatively safe area, so I can walk around for entertainment. The hotel should be nice and decent, but I don't need luxury by any means.

Any help?

[thereuare]

What city?

What are the amenities that HOTWIRE associates with the 3.5* hotel you're refering to?

[givingtree]

Whoops! I'm talking about Portland, OR.

HOTWIRE is showing a 3.5 in the Greater Downtown area for $96. Ammenities are Fitness, Dining, Business, Internet. It also has the "customer favorite" with the thumbs up logo as well.

[Colfax]

Those icons are a match for the Hilton. But you can usually get a better rate than $96 by bidding for a 3* on Priceline. The 3* "sweet spot" has been between $50 and $60 lately.

If I go for the 3* Priceline option, are the chances good that I'll get the Hilton? Or what other Hotel could I be stuck with?

My main priority is staying in the downtown downtown, in a relatively safe area, so I can walk around for entertainment.

I can't quote precise chances of winning the Hilton. It comes up a lot but so do the two Marriotts. The Fifty Hotel (formerly the Four Points) is another possibility, although it hasn't been reported here yet. All the reported 3* hotels are in "downtown downtown" though and I think any of them would meet your criteria.

If you decide to try the Priceline route let us know and someone can suggest a specific bidding strategy.

[givingtree]

I would be totally fine with either the Hilton or either the Marriott City Center or Marriott Waterfront (I'm assuming those are the 2 Marriotts you are referring to...?). If the chances at this point seem pretty slim to none I'll end up with the Fifty Hotel (the reviews on this place are much less than favorable overall, and the location is a little seedy from what I remember) I'd like to try the priceline route. So, what exactly do I do in terms of bidding?

Thanks for the help!

[thereuare]

With time before your stay i'd begin as follows:

At the 3* level in Portland you have two re-bid zones available. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 3* Dowtnown...

Bid $45, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $50, if reejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 3* Dowtnown and re-bid zone2...

Bid $55, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $60.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[givingtree]

Wow, that was surprisingly easy!!

Thanks for the insight!

So, I followed your advice and bid $45 for Downtown, was rejected.

Then added Beaverton/Hillsboro zone and bid $50.

Bid was accepted at $50 and I got the Marriott Portland City Center.

Considering the going internet rate for a room for the night I want there is $119, I'd have to say $50 is a steal.

Thanks for keeping up this site, it's a wonderful tool!

[givingtree]

Started with a Downtown Portland zone bid for $45 for 3*. That was rejected so added Beaverton/Hillsboro zone and bid $50. Was accepted and got Marriott City Center for the night I wanted, which is 12/29.