Priceline Hotel: 4* DC (Whitehouse - Dowtown) J.W. Marriott Hotel

[eviljelly]

I bid $70 for a 4 star in Whitehouse - Downtown area and was accepted on the first offer. I probably started the bid too high (this is only the second time I've used Priceline) - I have one more leg of the trip to book, so I'll be more careful next time. Looking at the other posts, though, it doesn't seem like too bad a deal. The location is exactly where I wanted, and that was really the most important thing for me, since I'm only staying two nights. The reviews don't look too good on tripadvisor.com, but the bad reviews are mostly from people who paid $300+ for the rooms! :)

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your win and thank you for sharing it with the rest of the board.

I am in 100% agreement in that it's important to read reviews, but also important to take them with a grain of salt. Many of the people who write negative reviews pay rack-rate or significantly more than we do... and they therefore are looking for a better value for their money than a lot of properties give.

Feel free to ask for a bidding strategy before you bid new areas. Even if you don't follow the advice specifically, at least it gives you another perspective on things and can confirm the bidding strategy you have laid out for yourself.

Enjoy your stay.

[gleff]

Nothing wrong with the JW Marriott. It's a big convention hotel, not high-end luxury, but certainly nice ... and an incredible value at $70/night.

Great location to boot.

[eviljelly]

I'm generally pretty laid back in terms of hotels - as long as it's clean and the service is halfway decent, I'll probably like it. A lot of the reviews I was reading said things like "the furniture was tacky," which I really couldn't care about at all.

I'll post a brief review after I get back from the trip.