Hotwire Hotel: 2* Richmond (Downtown) Comfort Inn and Conference Center

[TZMOM]

Good morning - I'm trying to get the 4* Omni for 03/13/09 for one night (going to see concert at The National - I think this hotel is closest)

Tried bidding (through the PRICELINE link) this a.m. up to $87.00

Richmond Downtown $77.00 denied

added Midlothian $79.00

added Richmond South $83.00

added Glen Allen (I think) $87.00

all denied

Still have plenty of time - just wondering if I'm doing this the right way. Reg. price for a double is $149.00/night right now.

Thanks for your help.

[AaronJB]

It doesn't seem like an instance of incorrect bidding, it may just be an instance of that hotel may not have PRICELINE inventory for this date (or may not have any yet.) It does not appear to be showing on HOTWIRE, either. Additionally, while that hotel is the only reported 4* in that area, that doesn't mean that another, previously unreported 4* could be won.

[thereuare]

What is your maximum bid, at this point in time, for a 4* hotel in the Downtown zone?

Thanks for using our PRICELINE link :)

[TZMOM]

Hey - thanks for your quick replies!! My maximum bid would be about $90.00.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Happy Holidays!! :)

[AaronJB]

There is an unidentified 2.5* w/free breakfast for $68 on HOTWIRE in downtown Richmond. While not the 4* property you were hoping for, I thought I'd offer the suggestion, as it's a cheaper option for 1 night.

While definitely not guaranteed, if I had to venture a guess as to which hotel this is, it *might* be the Holiday Inn Express in Downtown Richmond. If it is in fact that hotel, it doesn't appear that far from the venue you're going to.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases. Let us know what you ultimately decide to do and we can then edit the thread title to reflect the chosen hotel.

[thereuare]

If you're trying to keep your star rating at 4* and above and the option AaronJB presented isn't of interest, you actually have 7 re-bid zones at the 4* level. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

So while you're bidding approach aboveis 'ok', i think you could do better as follows as it not only allows you to start lower, but also brings you up to your current maximum bid all in the same bidding cycle:

Select 4* Downtown...

Bid $74, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $77, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $82, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $84, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $86, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $88, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $90

Any questions freel free to ask.

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

Keep us updated as to your progress.

[TZMOM]

Thanks for the suggestions!! Since I've been on a low budget due to son's college, etc., I decided to go with Aaron's suggestion for the cheaper option. I did indeed get a 2.5* hotel, but it was the Comfort Inn and Conference Center. Amenities are breakfast, pool, laundry. Reviews on TripAdvisor aren't that great (bed bugs, etc.) I won't tell my son. Good news is that we'll only be staying one night - most important is spending time with my son at a concert we'll both love.

Thanks again for your help - oh - I used the HOTWIRE link!!

Happy holidays!

[thereuare]

Sorry to hear you didn't get the hotel you were expecting.

The reviews for this property are negative "enough" that you may want to try calling HOTWIRE and suggesting the hotel is not up to the 2.5* rating, and ask them to read the tripadvisor reviews for this property too. If there is a ray of light, the reviews are not recent at all so perhaps things have changed since previously reported.

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

If you do pursue anything with HOTWIRE let us know the outcome.

Enjoy your stay and time with your son.

[TZMOM]

Thereuare - thanks for the suggestion. I called HOTWIRE this morning and it turns out that they downgraded this hotel from 2.5* to a 2* on 12/03/08 - just didn't make it to the website yet. Subsequently, I was refunded my $$$ and will start all over again. I think in a few weeks (hoping for that Christmas bonus) I'll give it a go for the Omni with your previous PRICELINE suggestions.

Thanks again for the hint to call HOTWIRE - I would have never thought that was possible. GLAD we won't be staying there. I'll let you know once I begin.

[AaronJB]

Also sorry to hear that the HOTWIRE property turned out to be that hotel, but thrilled that you were able to get a refund!

[thereuare]

Thanks for the follow-up and glad that HOTWIRE issued you a refund.

When complaints are "this hotel isn't 3* because there was a chip on the furniture" i usually side with the booking service, but the reviews of this place were pretty bad, and i know HOTWIRE has been reasonable in the past when questioning star ratings.

Glad it ultimately worked out and we were able to assit.

Let us know when you're ready to bid again and we'll try to help.