Priceline Hotel: 3.5* Toronto (Downtown) Delta Chelsea

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My wife and I plan on visiting Toronto for ~3 nights at the beginning of November. We don't have many specific plans, just visiting some museums and exploring the city by foot. It looks like priceline only has one area, "downtown," that would serve this purpose - other regions are too far correct? Also, since we will be driving into the city, is the cost of parking at most hotels comparable?

txs

[thereuare]

I'm not familiar with the museums in Toronto but if you're looking to see "the city" then yes, Downtown is the correct zones.

As far as parking, i'd imagine there is a fairly wide range in costs, but as PRICELINE bidders this isn't something we have control over so i would harp on it too much... just make sure you keep your bid low enough that even with a parking charge your still within your desired budget (and less than you could get thru conventional means)

If knowing the parking charge ahead of time is important to you then you may want to consider HOTWIRE where you can often take an educated guess as to the property you'll be receiving and therefore also inquire as to the parking charge before your purchase. However, HOTWIRE is usually a little more than PRICELINE so not sure if you'll ultimatley be saving more by choosing a hotel with a lesser parking charge.

If you'd like help with this stay please let us know once your plans are firm and the dates of your stay.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[slick_gd]

Most, if not all, of the museums/art galleries/etc in Toronto are located downtown. So according to your plan of walking around the city, definitely downtown is the location you want to be in. The only places that may be of interest that aren't downtown are the Ontario Science Centre and the Toronto Zoo.

Echoing thereuare's comment about parking. Yes, parking rates vary across downtown and often times you can save $5-20/day for an extra few minutes walk. There are some cheap lots sprinkled throughout the downtown area but they can sometimes be hard to find. When you book your hotel (hopefully through the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links provided on this site) and you know where you are staying, I can definitely try to give you some cheaper parking options around your hotel (I live in Toronto). One thing is for certain though, parking on the weekend is generally much cheaper than parking during weekdays.

What dates are you planning on coming to Toronto?

Just an example, I punched Thursday Nov. 6 - Sunday Nov. 9 into HOTWIRE, and the 4* Downtown Toronto West hotel for $79 with amenities: fitness, pool, restaurant, business, internet, and spa matches the Sheraton Centre. Which, in my opinion, is probably the best located hotel in the city.

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It looks like the Nov 3-6 will be the dates we are staying in Toronto.

We are considering visiting the Ontario Science Center - I'm thinking public trans may work out better/cheaper than moving the car from a hotel lot and paying $8 at the Center.

I've seen parking rates at hotels from ~18-28 per day - do you think there are good garage options for less during the week?

I'll be spending more time this weekend looking over Hotwire's options compared to Priceline wins to see which may suit me better. (and I'll certainly use the links at this site to book!)

[slick_gd]

Keep in mind that public transit costs $2.75 per person per trip. So for 2 it would come out to $11. It is also 1-2 trains (depending on where you are staying) and a bus to get there. Which could take up to an hour or more.

$18-28 seems OK for daytime rates. Which hotels have you seen this at? I would say $15-20 is the average weekday rate from 7am to 6pm. From 6pm to 7am you should be able to find lots for $5 scattered around downtown.

HOTWIRE shows the 4* Toronto Downtown West for your dates at $99, which looks to be the same Sheraton Hotel I mentioned earlier. Typically you can get a better deal on PRICELINE than on HOTWIRE, since PRICELINE is completely a shot in the dark.

Also, there are many re-bid zones in Toronto if you are looking for a 4* hotel, so it would really allow you narrow down the cheapest price.

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Thanks for the public trans info - I hadn't gotten that far in my investigating. Sounds like I'm best just driving to the Science Center.

I can't seem to find the reference I had for hotel parking rates, and now I question whether they were 24hr or just daytime...

So you think I can plan on ~$20-25 a day for parking I'd be set for pretty much anywhere I got from HOTWIRE or PRICELINE downtown?

[slick_gd]

I would say probably $25-$30 is a safer bet for parking, but it also depends on how far you want to walk. If you get a hotel around Bloor St (i.e. Intercontinental Yorkville), or around Front St. (i.e. IC Front, Westin Harbour Castle, Renaissance) then you might have to walk a little further to get cheaper parking.

But if you get the King Edward, Delta Chelsea, or Sheraton, it's a little easier to find something close.

And by close I mean up to ~10 min walk.

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Thanks for the help so far slick_gd! Now I've got another question - do you know of any good sites for checking free wi-fi availabilty in Toronto?

My wife just got an iphone which we plan on using a lot on our trip, but with international data transmissions so expensive we'll be using wi-fi. This may be another reason to consider Hotwire, so I can select a hotel with free wi-fi...

[slick_gd]

I think it is safe to assume that most hotels (at least the 4*) in Toronto will charge at least $10/day for internet. I just did a quick search on a number of hotels and that seems to be the trend. You may get lucky with the odd hotel that offers it for free, but I wouldn't count on it.

Here are a couple sites that I found listing some of the free wi-fi areas:/businesses:

http://auth.wirelesstoronto.ca/hotspots_map.php

http://www.wififreespot.com/can.html

[thereuare]

Depending how reliable of an internet connection you need, in most large cities you can usually 'find' an open internet signal if you're willing to wait / search for a connection OR you can stop into a coffee shop which offers internet access, buy a cup of coffee, muffin, cookie, etc and surf a bit to find the info you need for the next day or so.

Alternately, you don't say where you're from or what service you're currenlty on, but if you're traveling for an extended period you can probably go to the local carrier when you arrive and sign up for service for a month (since you already own the phone you won't need to sign a contract and can just go month-to-month... you'll probably need to cancel at the end of 30 days (if you cancel before that time i'm not sure if they will pro-rate it or not) but this accomplishes two things... gives you the internet access you're seeking as well as gives you a way to make local calls at no cost (well, included in the plan you choose). I can answer some questions regarding iPhones and service here in the US but i don't know how the provider is in Canada.

Secondly, remember that when using the opaque providers you can't choose which one you will receive, so trying to find out which ones offer free internet access can be a moot point. If you do want to go on such a pursuit it's better to try to ID the hotels HOTWIRE is offering and then see if the ones offered provide free internet access. However, even if a cost of $10-$20 per day, the hotel savings usually more than make up for any internet fee you may need to pay vs. paying full rate at a hotel which offers free internet.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

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Please help in identifying Hotwire listing:

$79/night Nov 3- 6th

3.5-star hotel in Downtown Toronto East

This hotel features the following amenities:

Smoke Free Rooms

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High-speed Internet Access

Children's Activity Program

Looks like the Delta Chelsea EAST to me - any other thoughts?

[slick_gd]

I'd agree with you that this looks to be the Delta Chelsea. While the location is amazing, the room size can be slightly on the small size. With 2 people it should be good enough, but if you had 4 it would be quite tight.

For location though, I would rate it as one of my top 2, with the Sheraton being the other.

Help support this site by using this HOTWIRE link and let the board know the result.

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txs - I guess I'll keep this Hotwire info in mind, but I think I'll see how my luck is with saving money through Priceline. It's been a while since I've bid, so can you help with a bidding strategy?

While I don't see any 3.5 star hotels listed in the priceline hotel list on this site, it seems to be an option. Should I stick to only trying for 4 star hotels?

It looks like Don Valley, Brampton, Missasauga, OakVille, Toronto East, Toronto West and Vaughan are all rebid zones for 3.5 or 4 star. Markham and Scarborough are rebids for 4 star only.

A little overwhelming - It's been a while since I've bid for any stay and have never bid on Toronto, so can you help with a bidding strategy?

txs!

[slick_gd]

I'll start working on a bidding strategy for you, but first I need to know what your maximum bid is. People have been pretty successful getting 4* hotels around the $65-75 range in Downtown Toronto.

The only clarification that I'd like to make on your zones, is that the 4* re-bid zones include all the zones you listed below, not just Markham and Scarborough. With the 9 re-bid zones, you can make a tremendous amount of combinations.

[thereuare]

The 3.5* level is new at PRICELINE and we haven't gotten to the Canada forum yet to update the hotel list (see this Priceline Star Rating announcement for more info)

Let us know your maximum bid if you want to try for a 4* first or a 3.5*... we'll then be able to suggest a strategy for you to follow.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

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The only clarification that I'd like to make on your zones, is that the 4* re-bid zones include all the zones you listed below, not just Markham and Scarborough.

yep - I kind of worded it funny, but do realize that all 9 are 4 star rebids. Those two are the only two that are not 3.5 star rebids as well - right?

Since my wife and I will be able to do separate bid sessions back-to-back, I was thinking of bidding up to $60 on 4* first, and increase my max to $65~70 the second time if necessary.

[slick_gd]

yep - I kind of worded it funny, but do realize that all 9 are 4 star rebids. Those two are the only two that are not 3.5 star rebids as well - right?

Yes, that's correct. But you always want to check this before every bidding round just in case the star ratings have changed at that moment.

Since there are so many re-bid zones available, you can really hammer down the price almost to the dollar.

Here is a quick way of bidding Toronto:

Use this PRICELINE link to start bidding:

4* Downtown - $45

If rejected, add re-bid zone A - $47

If rejected, add re-bid zone B - $49

If rejected, add re-bid zone C - $51

If rejected, add re-bid zone D - $53

If rejected, add re-bid zone E - $55

If rejected, add re-bid zone F - $56

If rejected, add re-bid zone G - $58

If rejected, add re-bid zone H - $60

If rejected close the browser and go back to PRICELINE in a new browser.

4* Downtown and re-bid zone I - $62

If rejected, add re-bid zone A - $63

If rejected, add re-bid zone B - $64

If rejected, add re-bid zone C - $65

If rejected, add re-bid zone D - $66

If rejected, add re-bid zone E - $67

If rejected, add re-bid zone F - $68

If rejected, add re-bid zone G - $69

If rejected, add re-bid zone H - $70

It's quite tedious with all the re-bids, but I don't think you'll get a 4* for less than $45. You could always increase your bids by $2 instead of $1 and cut down the amount of re-bids if you wanted.

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I tried the above strategy Sat night with no luck up to $60. Sunday I modified the strategy and bid from 55-70 in one session, again with no luck. This was a little discouraging after the posted win of $60 I saw with some common dates, so I decided to try for a 3.5*. I won the Delta Chelsea with my first bid of $55. I guess I should have started lower and taken advantage of the numerous 3.5* rebids, but I'm fairly happy. The hotel gets mixed reviews on this site, but other travel sites like Orbitz have overall good reviews. With daily parking of $23 and free Wi-fi access in the hotel lobby, Signature Club, Monarchs Pub, Market Garden, and Elm Street lounge I think this hotel will suit my needs well.

Of course I used the PRICELINE link from this site to book, and I'll post my impressions after the trip. Thanks slick_gd & thereuare for all the help!!

[slick_gd]

Congratulations on your win! $55 is a great price.

I have stayed at the Delta Chelsea before, and although the rooms are a tad bit on the small side, the hotel location is excellent. It is definitely in my top 2 (along with the Sheraton Centre) for location. The Eaton Centre is right down the street, you are minutes from the subway, and you are right in the heart of the action on Yonge Street.

And it might even work out extremely well for parking. I know a parking garage there that is $9 for 24hours which I used to park at when I went to school there. It is within a couple minutes walking distance of the Delta. The parking is underneath an apartment building and there is usually a red sign out on Gerrard St pointing you in the right direction. I believe the address of the building is 40 Gerrard St East, here is a map of the hotel and where the parking is located Delta Chelsea and Cheap Parking The parking is on the East side of the building and you will turn into the lane-way at the side of the building.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your win!

Glad to hear of your success and that this will work well for your plans... we're happy to have helped.

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

Enjoy your stay.