Priceline Hotel: 4* Philadelphia (Downtown) Hyatt Penns Landing

[kstrom]

Hi -

I looked at the list of Priceline hotels & regions for the Philly area, and it appears that the Hyatt Penns Landing is part of the Philly Downtown area. Is Penns Landing part of Priceline's Downtown area? Was it ever a separate region?

-- kstrom

[thereuare]

The Hyatt is currently part of Priceline's Downtown zone (if you look at priceline's map of this zone you'll actually see "Penns Landing" at the eastern most edge of the zone).

A LONG time ago (at least 2+ years) i think there used to be a zone which had "waterfront" in the name, and the Hyatt was part of that zone, but it has since been consolidated into the current "Downtown" zone.

Are you looking for this particular hotel? Can you accept others? What are the date(s) you're looking for and what is your budget?

[kstrom]

I'm obsessing about this trip (it's a present ) and I apologize for the long post, but here goes ....

The Penns Landing Hyatt would be fabulous (fantastic pool), but what I'm really looking for a hotel with a decent pool in the downtown Philly region. My budget is in the $100 range per night. The two possible time periods are 1/19-1/21 (ML King weekend) or 1/25-1/27 (less desirable)

Back when the Penns Landing/Waterfront area was a separate PL region, I was able to bid for a 3* or better in the Penns Landing region with a fair degree of confidence that I would get a hotel with a pool because most (perhaps all) of the hotels in that region had pools. The list of identified 4* hotels in the Downtown PL region has several that are pool-less.

On the PL forum, over the past 12 months, the 4*s PL Downtown hotels that people have gotten are Penns Landing Hyatt (many < $86 bids), Marriott (pool), Loews (pool costs $10), and Westin (several >$90 bids, no pool). I'm tempted to roll the dice and do a low bid for a 4* hoping that I don't get the Westin.

The pool is important, so I checked out Hotwire for the HW Center city east & Old Towne regions. But even with HW, I've got a fair chance of getting an outdoor pool

For 1/19-1/21, there is a 3* in Olde Town for $79. Based on the amenities Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry) and customer favorite, it looks like the Holiday Inn. Alas, the Holiday Inn's pool is an outdoor pool. The there is also a 4* hotel in Center City East for $116. Based on the amenities (Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Spa), it could be the Loews which is described as having a small lap pool (no whirlpool) that costs $10 per day.

For 1/25-1/27, these two options show at the same price. There is also a 3* in Center City East for $75. Based on the amenities (Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Business), it seems like it might be the Doubletree (photos of pool look great!) or (less likely) Crowne Plaza (outdoor pool).

So, what would you do if you were me?

-Kstrom

[thereuare]

What are your thoughts regarding the Doubletree vs. Hyatt? Besides percent of reported wins, is there something that makes you believe you're seeing the Doubletree rather than the Crowne Plaza?

Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option? (i did read that it's a gift, but not sure of the recipient)

[kstrom]

I didn't look at the frequency of Doubletree vs. Crowne Plaza accepted bids-- I should! As you guessed, because it is a present, splitting isn't a good option.

That said, right now, I have a pretty good backup. By scouring the Penns Landing Hyatt website, I found a limited time cancel-able rate of $109/night on Fridays & Saturdays during 1/11-1/27. I'm not sure why, but I was able to make a $109 reservation for Sun 1/20.

Kstrom

[thereuare]

That seems like a very good rate... did you still want to bid to try to bid this? (and risk not getting the type of pool you're seeking)

[kstrom]

I haven't yet decided whether to gamble for a better rate. It seems like I have a very good shot with a $70-85 bid of getting the Penns Landing Hyatt. The difference would pay for a nice dinner ..... If I do, I'll use SavingsBarn and post what I did.

Kstrom

[kstrom]

On 1/6/08, I began bidding for a 4* in Philadelphia Downtown region. I started at $60 and taking advantage of the 5 "free" rebid zones for 4*s, I increased my bid by $1 and $2 increments. At $79 I was given the offer of getting the room for an additional $22. This would have yielded a cost almost exactly what I had direct from Hyatt's website as a backup. I had one bid left so I bid $87 and got the room.

The difference in price between the PL price with fees ($207)and the "limited time offer" at Hyatt with tax/fees ($249) is only $21 per night. Probably not worth the time/effort of all the rebids, but, hey, there aren't many opportunities in real life to make use of combinatorics.

Kstrom

PS I closed the browser window as needed to take advantage of all of the rebid possibilities. Each time, I went through SavingsBarn.

[thereuare]

Congratulation on your win... glad to hear you received the hotel you were hoping for! (and enjoyed "the process" :) )

Thanks for using the PRICELINE links at SavingsBarn.com to begin your bidding.

Hope your gift is appreciated and the recipients enjoy their weekend.