Priceline Hotel: 2.5* Los Angeles (Airport LAX) Hacienda

[kalo93406]

Any advice on future bidding? One night 3/25/08... I just want a decent hotel near LAX for a good price. I will be driving and then parking somewhere (3/26 - 4-1)... advice on the best idea for parking appreciated too.

Bids so far.

2/8 - $61 for 4*, $54 for 3*

2/28 - $63 for 4*, $56 for 3*

3/10 - $67 for 4*, $57 for 3*

All rejected....

Don't need a great hotel, just something decent and clean with two beds hopefully... would go 2 or 2.5* if anyone thinks they are ok...

Any hotels offer free parking where I might actually be able to leave my car for 5 nights??

TIA.... R:)

[thereuare]

You do have re-bid zones avaialble (five at the 4* level and one at the 3* level)... are you using them? (see Priceline Re-Bidding Explained)

What is your maximum bid at the 4* level? Maximum bid at the 3* level?

Have you finalized any plans for your Detroit Hotel... please follow-up that thread with any update/progess you have made.

[Colfax]

Almost all LAX hotels 2.5* or higher charge to park, even while you're a full paying guest. I can't recommend where to park but you won't find an LAX hotel that will let you park your car five nights for free.

I don't recommend 2* bidding at LAX. 2.5* is iffy---La Quinta and Courtyard are decent but Hacienda gets not so good reviews.

If you're willing to drive a couple miles I suggest trying for 2.5* in Redondo/Manhattan Beach. The Residence Inn there is a great deal when you can get it with free parking (for the one night you stay there) and free breakfast. All the rooms at Res Inn have a pullout couch as a second bed.

[kalo93406]

I bid $47(3/18, +$13 rebid offer), and $49(3/19, +14offer) for 2.5 star and turned down. I will probably keep trying for 2.5 star.

Seems AIRPARK-LAX is a good option for parking at $5.95 per night rooftop... Coupon on the website right now for covered parking at the same $5.95. Bus service may not be as often as other parking per reviews.

[scooby32]

I have just had my bid $66 for 4 star hotel LAX Westin accepted. After checking other accepted bids this seems to be about the cheapest. It is for June but might beworth trying around that level. For a few dollars more Id rather guarantee 4 star. I have stayed at lower star hotels at LAX and they all charge parking

[mrxow]

Do the parking places offer weekly rates? Park your car where you are going to leave it for your trip, take their shuttle to the airport, then take the hotel shuttle to your room. Take the hotel shuttle the next day. Worst case, 6 bucks for parking for the night in the hotel. If they have a weekly rate, maybe won't cost much or anything...

I have stayed at the Crown Plaza - 3* I think and fine. Got the La Quinta at 2.5 once. Nothing wrong with the place - nice breakfast, shuttle. Don't know about other 2.5 places, though. There is a street running down the backside of the Crown Plaza where you can park overnight if you can find a spot. I didn't have to pay for parking when I was there - parked on the street.

[kalo93406]

I tried $59 for 3*, rejected... then went to $53 for 2.5* and got Hacienda. Should be ok for me, just crashing for the night before for an early morning flight.

I waw planning on parking the night before as you suggested. Today I flew in from Taipei and on my way out of the airport I saw the first parking on the left near the In-n-out burger was All-Star I think. they had a $69 weekly rate posted on a sign. I might park at AIRPARK-LAX which is offering a $5.95 covered parking rate via their website. (normal is $5.95 rooftop).

Thanks for all help... R:)

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your win!

Thnak you for sharing your results with the board. Glad to hear you found something which works well for your needs.

Enjoy your stay.

[Bowden68]

I am staying at the Hacienda on 3-28. I got it for $55 and was also shocked. I usually get the La Quinta for $55 and I prefer it to the 3* Crowne. The La Quinta there is great and have awesome beds and newly refurbed rooms. I just assumed I was going to get it. When the freaking Hacienda came up I was pissed.

I called up PRICELINE and threatened to never use them again unless they moved me to another hotel. I was bluffing, and the guy on the other end of the phone, began lecturing me about "the contract". I said some not so nice things, and he actually began shouting back. It was actually pretty funny. I guess they get calls like this all the time.

I use priceline like 10 times a month, sometimes more. I told them if they did not move me, I would use only HOTWIRE. Like I said, I was bluffing, but they would not budge. Point is, they simply do not make changes, that is for sure...

[Vanna]

I ended up with the Hacienda for 5 nights. I thought it was going to be awful after reading some of the reviews, but it wasn't. I didn't mind it at all. The beds could be softer, but that is the only negative. Parking is $5 a night, but most nights if you didn't get in early the lot was full. Parking on the street right outside the lot was easy and when I checked out I told them that I couldn't park in the lot, so they didn't charge me for parking. I called ahead and asked for a non-smoking room in the tower (which is closest to the parking lot) and that's what I got. I ended up staying there on another occasion and had no problems. The staff was nice and service at the coffee shop was great too. On the very plus side, you can't hear the planes roaring overhead like you do at the other LAX hotels.

[mrxow]

First of all, this win should be listed at $53. $59 was their denied 3* bid amount.

Based on the above warning about the Hacienda and the fact that this person ended winning it, I took a look at some of the Hacienda reviews for future reference as I need hotels in this area now and then. I looked at a dozen reviews from 2008. Based on what I read, it doesn't sound like a horrible option, especially for a night here or there before or after a flight. I saw more than one compliment on the food quality. It appears they are putting money into the place as one wing has been remodeled. The parking is 5 bucks and street parking is available. One of the more interesting pieces of information is that it supposedly has a standard 2pm checkout. That can be nice at times... You can't bid 2 stars if you need an airport shuttle. I don't think you need to bid 3* or above to avoid this place if all you need is a basic airport room.

Bowden68: 10 PL stays a month? Please go into your PL bidding history and post some of that info!!

You, too Vanna!! :)

[Bowden68]

"Bowden68: 10 PL stays a month? Please go into your PL bidding history and post some of that info!!"

It seems lately I have been nailing 3* Sheratons for $50 and under. I usually travel to big cities, but I never stay right in the city. Usually I stay 10-15 minutes outside the city and that is the key. You can get 3* like clockwork in that case. Unless you absolutely have to stay in a major city, its best to stay a few miles away to get the best deal. Recently I got a $34 Hyatt 10 minutes outside Columbus. Funny thing was I did it 10 days in advance. When I got there, they were completely sold out with people paying $175 a night. There I am with my $34 priceline receipt!

I usually don't fool with 4* anymore. It takes too much time to nail one of those, too much bidding. I generally just do 3* and sometimes 2.5* and I am happy usually. Every now and again I drop down to a 2* and usually get an Extended Stay America, which are fine providing I am just using it for a night or two to crash. Like when I go to LA, literally I am in the room from 10pm to 5am, so I usually just get one of those for $40 or so.

On the Hacienda, I did go to the hotel website. Looks like it will be fine. I just really like that La Quinta at LAX, but oh well.

[mrxow]

I was very happy with the La Quinta myself, and would love to get it over the Crowne Plaza.

You might want to add the downtown zones anyhow if you would be happy staying there, especially on the weekends. It sounds like maybe you are going midweek more often, though. Some downtowns can be deserted on the weekends. We got the doubletree in downtown Columbus one time. 50 bucks a night, two beds in a suite. Free street parking - very happy. I am one to take an outer zone, save my money and drive, though, too, if that is the cheapest way to go.

I guess you just joined up here, and it looks like you have posted some wins, so that is good. A lot of the time, more info is available on here for central, higher star options. It is always good to get more info posted about outer, lower star wins.

One tip - as it is very likely that 2* wins will be at Homestead or Extended Stay if you bid in a zone that contains one, it is good to figure out where they all are so you don't add a zone that contains one late in the bidding process and end up paying more for it than you needed to.

As far as posting your wins on here, the moderator might modify your title and subtitle to conform to the following standardized post:

Title : x.x* City (Zone) Hotel Name

Subtitle: $xxx ... mm/dd/yy-mm/dd/yy

If you forget, just look at the new posts page and you will probably see several that look like that. It is also nice to know if the price you got was for a first bid in that zone (if it might have been available for less)

If you have some free time someday, I was trying to suggest you check out your priceline wins on the priceline site and maybe post some of them. You probably have a bunch to share...

Welcome to BetterBidding! :)

[Bowden68]

Yeah, I usually stay only on week-days in hotels. I have just found staying in a city during these times you pay minimum $25 more than if you stayed 10 miles away at a similar hotel. Then factor in a $25 parking charge all of a sudden you are paying an additiona $50, sometimes much more. Sometimes though it makes sense staying downtown, especially if you are going to a game or drinking booze and entertaining. But usually I can stay in the "burbs" and I can pick up great deals. I mean, $50 or less for a Sheraton or a Hyatt? Wow, just a steal during the week. But I agree, on a weekend, I'd stay downtown too since they are deserted.

On ESA, they are what they are. I always go to the ESA website to see if there is one in the area. That way I can decide whether to bid 2 stars.

My deal on ESA is this. Some stays I know what my schedule is. Like when I go to LA, it's at the offices at 7am, all day, then dinner afterwards. When I get back at 9pm, due to the time change (I am on east coast) I am out like a light by 10pm, then up by 5am next morning due to the time change. So I do not mind the ESA. BUT, if I were getting to the hotel at 2pm and had the day to kill, I avoid the ESA because I generally do not like no frill hotels. But to sleep only, the $45 I throw down is fine.

Personally the best hotel in my book are Courtyards, but its hit or miss since they are 2.5 stars usually. Sometimes I think they should be 3 stars since in many cases La Quinta are also 2.5 stars, and I am not talking about the La Quinta quality at LAX if you get my drift...

[kalo93406]

My stay at the Hacienda on 3/26 was fairly good, but did request a room change. The first room we got must have had the carpets cleaned that same day or possibly the day before. I'm extreamly sensitive to chemicals and my sinuses were swelling very quickly. I leaft to go park the car in the airpark-lax lot and decided i would try to move rooms when i got back. It turned out to not be to much of a problem, but i was traveling with an older person so a bit of trouble for them. But the 2nd room was good. I was in the south tower... room seemed updated and has a coffee maker and small first aid and sewing kit.

I think this hotel might get more of a bad rap than it deserves. I'm sure some people have issues come up, but i wouldn't hesitate to bid on this hotel again in the $50-$58 range

The http://www.airpark-lax.com/ (9800 La Cienega) parking seems to be one of the best prices for parking. When I got there the girl inthe booth came over to my car.. I should have just quickly punched the button and took a ticket before she got to my car, but... she told me the parking was full. Asked me if I had a reservation.. I told her no... etc etc.. long story short she was trying to hijack me for a Tip to get in.. I don't really think the place was full at all. I ended up getting into park, but watch this one if you try to park there. Best might be to try and make a reservation. Also they don't seem to have vans very frequently. I saw other parking vans coming 10 to 1 over this parking place. Becareful parking here..