Priceline Hotel: 2* San Francisco (San Mateo) ExtendedStay America Belmont

[Colfax]

A new hotel for the Hotel List.

<<sigh>>

Extended Stay America-Belmont

120 Sem Lane

Belmont, CA 94002

$40/2* rejected.

Other rejected bids, via SavingsBarn:

$55/2.5* San Mateo

$52/2.5* SFO

$48/2.5* Redwood City

ExtStay's best online price $99.99.

Hotel is at the south end of the San Mateo zone, almost to Redwood City. I could see Oracle's headquarters a half mile away out the window of my 4th floor room.

When I arrived the desk agent was on the phone. I heard her saying, "No, sir, in order to get the Priceline rate you have to book through Priceline....I'm very sorry, sir, I'm unable to give you the Priceline rate over the phone...."

This was my first time getting an ESA room with two beds. This ESA felt more businesslike than some of the others I've won. There were actually business people staying there, with suits and ties and briefcases. And I didn't hear noise through the walls like I often (usually?) do at others. I don't know if the rooms next to me were occupied though.

Also remarkable about Belmont ESA: when the front desk closes at 11pm they don't pull down a locking metal gate to protect what's behind the counter. I've never seen an ESA that didn't gate or otherwise secure the front desk. Laser printer and fax machine in plain sight, just a hop over the counter.

It seemed very odd to me and what a contrast to security at the last ESA I stayed at, by LAX, where the desk agents stand behind thick glass, even in daytime, and communicate through a microphone, and paperwork and credit cards are passed through a sliding metal drawer in the wall, like at a check cashing place.

[thereuare]

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and helping us add this property to the Priceline Hotel List.

It doesn't seem as if you were happy with this win (<<sigh>>) but your commentary seems to indicate an enjoyable stay... maybe it was the location within the zone? How would you feel about winning this property again for the same price?

[Colfax]

I don't have any specific complaints about ESA-Belmont. The room was clean and quiet and I had an uneventful stay.

The <<sigh>> was more about winning ANOTHER ESA. I've won ESA five of the last six times I bid 2*, in five different cities. They should call them Visa Hotels because they're everywhere I want to be.

I guess if I won this hotel again I'd be okay with it. It was the best of the five recent ESA's. They all have identical design and amenities, so the differences between them are just about the clientele and what's available nearby and the hotel's "spirit". No problems in Belmont.

That said there were a 2* Fairfield Inn and 2* Best Western in the San Mateo zone. I haven't stayed at those hotels in San Mateo but just based on brand name I would have preferred either of them to ESA.

I started using Priceline a couple years before ESA began participating and 2* was what I usually bid. I got accustomed to staying at Holiday Inn Express, Fairfield, Hampton, La Quinta, and Best Western as 2*'s. All those chains offer more than ESA. When ESA joined the party, 680 of them in the U.S. and Canada now, in so many zones they undercut the Priceline rate of the others and crowded them out. So I have a perpetual sense of disappointment at winning these ESA's because 2* bidding on Priceline used to be better. Maybe my attitude would be different if I'd come to Priceline later and had been winning these from the start.

Anyhow, no problems for me in Belmont. Stilll I'll probably bid higher for a 2.5* next time I'm in San Mateo or SFO.