Priceline Hotel: 4* DC (Dupont Circle-Woodley Park) Omni Shoreham

[Mattraveler]

Thanks for the great forum. It looks like you've been doing a great job of predicting.

I'm looking at two DC possibilities:

4* White House/Cap Hill @ $109

Customer Favorite

Fitness, Business, High Speed Internet, Restaurants

TripAdvisor 4.5 with 180+ Reviews

Sofitel?

Also 3.5* WH/CH @ $109

Boutique, Fitness, Business, Internet, Golf Near, Tennis Near

Trip Adv 4 with 80+ Reviews

Your guess?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks so much -

Matt

[Mattraveler]

I'm also looking at a 4* Dupont Circle/Embassy:

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High-speed Internet Access

$79

Palomar?

Thanks. If I end up booking with HOTWIRE I'll do it through your link.

Best,

Matt

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

In the White House zone the 4* is a match for the Sofitel Lafayette Square and the 3.5* is a match for the Washington Court, so that would be our best guess for each.

In the Dupont Circle zone the 4* matches both the Palomar and the Hilton Towers, so either of those would be our best guess (i'd slightly lean towards the Hilton on this one)

Thanks in advance for using our HOTWIRE link to begin any purchases you make (or our PRICELINE link if you go that route)

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[Mattraveler]

Is there any rule of thumb regarding how long to hold out before booking? I see the options constantly changing - but not necessarily limiting or getting more expensive. I'm still kicking myself for spending more on plane tix two months ago than I would today...

[thereuare]

See the related "bid early or close to arrival" thread in our PRICELINE FAQ for a discussion on this topic.

However, i'll add, ~$100 for a 4* hotel in Washington DC is pretty good. If you're seeing minor price fluctuations (less than $10/nite or so) this is not likely a change in the supply/demand relationship but rather that HOTWIRE adds a variable mark-up to the hotel's rate in order to increase opacity... so if the rate is changing by just a few dollars it's more likely simply due to the difference in HOTWIRE's mark-up.

While nobody ever wants to see the price go down after they make their purchase, think about what could happen while you wait... what if the offer(s) above disappear and all the prices go up substantially while you were hoping for rates to drop another few dollars. While not so much an issue if you're interested in all three hotels above, but if there is one in particular you'd like, and the price is right, just book it before it goes away.

Please remember to use our PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your purchases.

Let us know what you decide and how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[Mattraveler]

So, I'm trying to book the presumed Sofitel, but...

First, noticing that the other poster got a better rate over the weekend, I tried breaking up my bids to 3/19-20 & 3/20-24. It looked like I would save $43 that way - a nice chunk of change. But, when I tried booking it - using your link, of course - it kept taking all my information then telling me that the offer was no longer available (even though I'd start again and it would appear to be.)

Any thoughts?

Thanks -

Matt

[thereuare]

Give it a few hours and see if the hotel still appears.

Thanks for using our PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your purchases.

Keep us updated.

PS- if you do make two separate purchases, please use our links for each purchase. Click our HOTWIRE link to make the first purchase, then to make the second purchase, return here and click our HOTWIRE link again. Thanks.

[Mattraveler]

The deal was no longer there, unfortunately - you were right, I should have booked it earlier.

This doesn't seem to be on your list:

$79

4-star hotel in Dupont Circle - Embassy Row

This upscale establishment offers thoughtful features, quality rooms and a high level of service. See hotel details

* Fitness Center

* Pool(s)

* Restaurant(s)

* Business Center

* High-speed Internet Access

* Tennis Nearby

Trip Advisor 3/5

Your best guess?

Thanks -

Matt

[Mattraveler]

Sorry -

I think I figured it out -

Hilton Washington -

I'll keep trying and use your HOTWIRE link once something good comes up -

Thanks

[Mattraveler]

You don't have any 2* on your list. Any guess about this one?

2-star hotel in Dupont Circle - Embassy Row $84

This limited-service establishment offers basic accommodations, often with a few extra features. See hotel details

* Complimentary Breakfast

* Fitness Center

* Business Center

* High-speed Internet Access

It says that the Trip Advisor rating is 3.5 based on 20 reviews.

Thanks

[thereuare]

Do you really want a 2* hotel? Especially when it's more expensive than the currenlty avaialable 4 star property? :)

[Mattraveler]

Maybe - it depends on the hotel itself. I don't think the stars count for much. The "4 star" offerings currently available have awful reviews; this 2 star hotel (apparently) has a better TripAdvisor rating than the 4 stars and includes breakfast. So - it leaves me intrigued.

[thereuare]

I've seen Ritz Carlton's with negative reviews and Extended Stay properties with positive reviews... but i'd prefer the RC over an ESA any day. When people book higher rated hotels, they're usually paying more, and expect more. The opposite is true at lower rated hotls. Due to the high expectations (and prices), guests are often more critical and less forgiving at the higher rated hotels... again, the opposite is true at the lower rated hotels (thus the reason for them sometimes having very favorable reviews). But put the two side by side and copare... the higher rated hotel easily wins most of the time.

With the above noted, the above hotel has not yet been identified.

[Mattraveler]

Ended up going with PRICELINE - Got the Omni Shoreham (Dupont Circle 4 star) for $85/night.

I used your PRICELINE link.

Looks a little better than the Hilton - I'll try to post a review later.

Thanks!

[thereuare]

Congrautlations on your win!

Glad to hear of your success and hopefully this works well for your plans (and i'm sure will be much better than the 2* you were considering)

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and for using our PRICELINE link to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay.