Hotwire Hotel: Portland Airport of Convention Center

[sunshinesteve]

I need a hotel for Portland, Oregon, for March 18th to the 22nd. Close to the airport would probably be best as I have a very early flight on the 22nd. I will be at then Convention center for a meeting on the 21st and will be driving to Olympia and back on the 20th. A third option would be a nice boutique hotel in a historic part of town.

I am a first time user. (My son uses the forum all the time... with great success!) Please be patient as I will eventually get the hang of it. I am retired and am just beginning to travel after a number of years. I sure wish I had had this available when I was working as I traveled over 300 days a year!'

Thanks in advance.

Sunshine Steve

[Colfax]

Welcome to BetterBidding, sunshinesteve, and welcome to PRICELINE and HOTWIRE.

You've mentioned three different areas of Portland that interest you. Downtown will be the most expensive area and if you have a car you'll pay to park Downtown. Airport will be the least expensive zone ($40's?) and all known hotels there, other than 2*, have free airport shuttle and parking. The Convention Center area will be intermediate in both cost and location. You'll pay to park in Convention Center zone, but not as much as Downtown.

Offhand I'd say you'll have the most enjoyable time in Portland if you stay right Downtown. The Convention Center area isn't very charming or walkable. It's chief asset is proximity to the Convention Center. Getting from Downtown to the Convention Center is very easy on light rail though, and since both are within "Fareless Square" the ride is free!

You said you'd want one of the historical hotels Downtown. On PRICELINE you can't specify which hotel you'll get and Downtown has a mix of historical, mid-century and modern hotels. You're probably better off with HOTWIRE, where you pay a little more than on Priceline, but can often identify which hotel you're getting in advance.

Unfortunately for your dates Hotwire isn't offering much in their Greater Downtown zone now: There's a 4* for $83 (Boutique, Breakfast, Fitness, Business, Highspeed, Spa) that appears to be the Avalon Hotel and Spa. The Avalon is ultramodern, about as far from an historical hotel as you can get. It's also distant from the Downtown core, even though it falls within the boundaries of the Downtown zone, and it's not near light rail. I don't think it's a good choice for you.

Other than the Avalon Hotwire only has a 2* Downtown (not recommended) and a 2* in the Convention Center zone (not recommended).

I don't know your budget but here are some well-liked historical Downtown hotels I find on Orbitz for your dates, all within walking distance of lightrail, which you can take to Convention Center or the Airport, if you don't want a car at all. You could rent and return a car Downtown for your day trip to Olympia.

Benson $169

Governor $159

Hotel de Luxe $139

A junior suite at the Mark Spencer Hotel is available for $124. That's a step down in quality from the other three, but still historical, well located, safe, and the suites have a full kitchen, if you desire that. On Mark Spencer's website I see they now offer their own "Name Your Own Price" option. You submit a bid directly to the hotel and they get back to you with a yes or no. I've never known anyone who did that and I don't know what prices Mark Spencer accepts. If you can get that hotel in the $60's or $70's it would be a good value. Priceline doesn't rate the Mark Spencer, but if they did I think it would be a 2.5* or 3*.

Using Priceline you can usually win a 4* Downtown for less than $100 (offhand I'd guess in the $60-90 range), but there's no guarantee that the hotel you'd win will be an historical hotel.

My overall recommendations:

If you decide you want a historical hotel Downtown I think I'd book something conventionally or wait a week to see if anything besides the Avalon comes up on Hotwire. Offerings change frequently.

If you're willing to accept an historical OR newer Downtown hotel then I'd bid for a 4* on Priceline.

If you want the lowest price then bid for a 3* at the airport.

You could also stay three nights Downtown and move to the airport your last night.

When you've decided what you want someone can help with a more detailed bidding strategy.

Your thoughts?

[Colfax]

On Expedia you can book the Heathman Hotel for $104 for your dates. That comes with a $50 prepaid MasterCard gift card you can use anywhere, and effectively brings the hotel rate down to $92 per night. The Heathman is a classic hotel, one of Portland's finest, and it's never been reported won on Hotwire or Priceline.

I know you haven't decided whether to stay Downtown, Convention Center, or at the Airport yet. If you decide to go with an historic hotel downtown the Heathman at $92 is a better deal than the more expensive options I mentioned in the preceding post.

Is $92 in your general price range for this trip? Or are you looking for something less than that?

[sunshinesteve]

Sorry for the delay in replying to your really great post. I have had a slight change in plans and now want to look at:

1. Portland (Vancouver, WA)

3* Hilton

3* Red Lion at the Quay

3* Residence Inn

3* Staybridge Suites

2. Portland (North Harbor - Jantzen Beach)

3* Courtyard North Harbor

3* Red Lion on the River

3* Residence Inn North Harbor

3. Portland (Airport PDX)

3* Holiday Inn Airport

3* Radisson

3* Red Lion

3* Sheraton

[thereuare]

Essentially you're looking for a 3* or better hotel in any of teh three zones above? (NOTE: you're not bididng on those particular hotels, but rather a 3* or better hotel in any of those zones, as you coudl be the first to report a new hotel to the zone a previously reported hotel upgraded/downgraded to the 3* level)

What is your maximum bid for this stay?

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

[sunshinesteve]

My maximum bid is $50.00. Is this realistic? Where should I start my minimum bid?

Thanks!

Steve

[sunshinesteve]

Yes... I will be bidding on a 3* or better in the three zones that I indicated. I am no longer interested in any other zone. Preference is Vancouver, WA.

How low can you start? I understand that you can rebid every 24 hours. Is there a set amount that you must raise your bid when rebidding?

Obviously I want the lowest price I can find but I don't want to end up not have accommodations.

Thank you so much for you help!

Steve

[thereuare]

Yes... I will be bidding on a 3* or better in the three zones that I indicated... Preference is Vancouver, WA.

This raises an additionl question...

Given your Vancouver preference, did you want to bid for that zone first up to your maximum before considering the other zones OR is price the most important factor and the least expensive 3* or better in any of the three zones is your goal?

Let us know and we'll suggest a strategy to follow.

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

[sunshinesteve]

Price IS the most important factor. It did not use to be but "the times they are a changing!"

Thanks,

Steve

[Colfax]

Hotwire has a 3* in the Vancouver zone for $49.

Smokefree, Continental Breakfast, Fitness, Pool, Highspeed.

This is probably the Residence Inn or Staybridge Suites. No TripAdvisor stats are given that might help pin down which it is. Either hotel would work out well for you, I think.

PRICELINE usually beats HOTWIRE on price. If a 3* is $49 on Hotwire you might win a 3* on Priceline for $40 or $42, for example. But the Priceline 3* could turn out to be the 3* Vancouver Hilton that charges $12/night for parking. Bottom line, the $49 on Hotwire could come out cheaper than a $42 win on Priceline. Add in four free breakfasts and the price difference gets larger. Plus the rooms at ResInn and Staybridge are suites with full kitchens.

If you purchase please use this HOTWIRE link and let us know which hotel you get.

[tilepusher]

Hotwire has a 3* in the Vancouver zone for $49.

Smokefree, Continental Breakfast, Fitness, Pool, Highspeed.

This is probably the Residence Inn or Staybridge Suites. No TripAdvisor stats are given that might help pin down which it is. Either hotel would work out well for you, I think.

But it might also be the La Quinta Inn & Suites Vancouver, a hotel that's rated 2* on Priceline. The set of amenities doesn't exactly match those of any Vancouver hotel on Hotwire's vacation packages or reported wins here, but it is a subset of La Quinta's (Smoke Free, Complimentary Breakfast, Fitness, Pool, Business, Laundry, High-speed Internet) as well as the Residence Inn and Staybridge Suites. (As a side note, it appears that my latest update of the Portland hotel lists was missed, as was BEAV's update of Ft. Lauderdale just before it.)

But the Priceline 3* could turn out to be the 3* Vancouver Hilton that charges $12/night for parking. Bottom line, the $49 on Hotwire could come out cheaper than a $42 win on Priceline. Add in four free breakfasts and the price difference gets larger. Plus the rooms at ResInn and Staybridge are suites with full kitchens.

The Hilton is not currently showing any available rooms for your dates. And if you somehow did get it, I think you'd be very pleased (I stayed there this past September).

The cheapest of the 3* hotels on PRICELINE's retail service is the Red Lion Airport at $70, so I wouldn't bid higher than about $40 for now. You have one rebid zones for a 3* bid (Northwest Portland); if price is the most important consideration, you could try the following strategy:

Bid $33 for 3* Vancouver

if rejected, exit and start a new bid for 3* Jantzen Beach and bid $33

if rejected, add Vancouver and bid $35

if rejected, exit and start a new bid for 3* Airport and bid $33

if rejected, add Vancouver and bid $35

if rejected, add Jantzen Beach and bid $38

if rejected, add rebid zone and bid $40

This will get you the lowest-priced hotel in the three zones, with a slight preference for Vancouver. Personally, I think I'd bid a litter higher for Vancouver and Jantzen Beach before adding the Airport zone; if you'd rather do that, let us know and we can suggest a different strategy.

[thereuare]

(As a side note, it appears that my latest update of the Portland hotel lists was missed, as was BEAV's update of Ft. Lauderdale just before it.)

Got 'em now! :) Thanks for letting me know, and just because i missed them, please don't for a second think its not appreciated!!

sunshinesteve,

LOTS of info since you last posted, so not sure if you want to go with one of the HOTWIRE offerings discussed above or give it a go with PRICELINE.