Priceline Hotel: 4* Paris (Champs Elysees-Opera Quarter West) Concorde Layfayette

[trb]

I'm needing some advice on a hotel in Paris please. We need a room in the Eiffel tower area. I'd like something nice at a decent price. Here are my questions:

• 
  

If I choose the Eiffel tower area on priceline, how far away from the tower could they put us? Since I've never been to Paris, it's hard to tell by the map. I wouldn't want to be more than a mile away.

• 
  

We'll be there in September. I see some people have gotten a 4* for around $100. Does bidding higher increase my chances of a better hotel or just more profit for the same hotel? I've read some reviews on the Novotel, and they weren't very good, so what would I need to bid to ensure I don't get the Novotel?

• 
  

Can you get a 5 star on priceline?

Thank you!

[Romelle]

I'll do the easy ones for you.

Priceline doesn't offer any 5* for bidding in Paris as of now.

The first (top) thread in this Other Countries area has a list of Paris (Eiffel tower area) hotels people have reported here as having won. There are only three on the list, but it is always possible to get one not yet reported (speaking from experience). So - if you are familiar with Yahoo maps, a way to check distances is to put in the Eiffel Tower address and the hotel address. Yahoo will give you a map with the route and mileage and even driving time. Alternatively, somebody here who knows the area may well jump in and offer those distances for you.

Interesting question on whether bidding higher increases chances for a better hotel. Assume there are three PL offerings in the zone and star level you are bidding - A at $80, B at $90, and C at $100. If you start your bidding low and creep up, when you hit $80 you will get hotel A. However, if you jump in and bid $90, there really isn't any way of telling whether you will get hotel A or hotel B. Both are in the pool to be won, and Priceline doesn't explain their logic.

Regarding avoiding Novotel, there is nothing one can do to keep from getting a particular hotel, other than to not bid in that zone.

Have you read the general material at the top of this site? Particularly the Questions and Suggestions? Always a good idea.

Romelle

[slick_gd]

I would suggest your read Don't bid higher for a specific hotel. Generally, it is not recommended to bid higher for one hotel over the other because you are very likely just going to overbid for your stay.

Just a couple other comments.

Romelle pointed out correctly that you can't pick and choose the hotel you are going to get with PRICELINE. You are equally likely to get a hotel with poor reviews as one with stellar reviews. It's the risk you take in order to snag a great deal.

I think it would be unlikely that you would win a hotel within 1 mile of the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower zone on PRICELINE is quite large and it's furthest point is quite far from the Eiffel Tower. There is a possibility that even if you get a hotel in the Eiffel zone you would have a long walk to the Tower and possibly even need to take the metro.

Just to give you a quick reference. I just booked a hotel (not through PRICELINE - a budget 2* for 59Euro) that is very close to the Cambronne metro station, which if you zoom into the little map PRICELINE, is pretty close to the Eiffel Tower. From there it is about a 10-15 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower. That is roughly about a mile away, maybe just slightly less (average person walks at 3 mph).

Paris maps are deceiving because they don't convey how large the city actually is. The furthest point of the Eiffel Tower zone is a little over 2 miles from the Eiffel Tower - about a 45 min walk. The great thing about Paris, however, is they have an amazing metro which can take you anywhere you need to be pretty quickly. And even though you might be close to the Eiffel Tower, you'll still need to take the metro to get to the Louvre, or to Notre-Dame...Unless you are up for walking over an hour to get there...and then just as long to get back.

You would definitely need to be open to the possibility that you will not get a hotel that is that close to the Eiffel Tower.

Is this ok?

If not, then PRICELINE may not be the route for you.

If you are flexible, PRICELINE is perfect. If you have specific requests, then you may be disappointed with the result.

Let us know your thoughts and we'll try and help you find a good place.

I just spent the last 1-2 weeks trying to find good budget accommodation in Paris, so I'm pretty familiar with what is out there. I've also visited there before, so if you have any questions, I can try to help as best as I can.

[Romelle]

Thanks slick_gd for giving that reference to "Don't bid higher for a specific hotel". I looked for something like that first, and didn't find it. Now I know where to look.

Romelle

[trb]

Thank you both - this is great information!!! You are right about the map being deceiving. When looking at Priceline, the area looks pretty "tight", but when you map it out, that's quite a walk sometimes!

We have such a short time in Paris (excuse to go back later!). We are on a cruise, and LaHavre is our port, so we are taking the train into Paris, and will see as much as we can in a day, and stay overnight and take the train the next morning back to Cherbourg to catch up with the ship.

We are taking a night bike ride tour that ends at 11:00 at the eiffel tower, so we thought it would be good to stay in this area, and take the metro to the train station (St Lazare) the next morning. But if the metro is easy to use, maybe we should be more flexible with our location, and that would give us more options.

You've answered the most important question - don't overbid expecting a nicer hotel. I think we should either pick a hotel we want and book through Hotels.com or roomsnet.com or be flexible with the quality and get a great deal through priceline.

Slick, did you do priceline? Where did you end up with your reservations?

Thank you very much!!

[marnie_g]

Thank you both - this is great information!!! You are right about the map being deceiving. When looking at Priceline, the area looks pretty "tight", but when you map it out, that's quite a walk sometimes!

We have such a short time in Paris (excuse to go back later!). We are on a cruise, and LaHavre is our port, so we are taking the train into Paris, and will see as much as we can in a day, and stay overnight and take the train the next morning back to Cherbourg to catch up with the ship.

We are taking a night bike ride tour that ends at 11:00 at the eiffel tower, so we thought it would be good to stay in this area, and take the metro to the train station (St Lazare) the next morning. But if the metro is easy to use, maybe we should be more flexible with our location, and that would give us more options.

You've answered the most important question - don't overbid expecting a nicer hotel. I think we should either pick a hotel we want and book through Hotels.com or roomsnet.com or be flexible with the quality and get a great deal through priceline.

Slick, did you do priceline? Where did you end up with your reservations?

Thank you very much!!

Hi trb

You can find some good information on hotels on Tripadvisor - wether you are after big or small hotels - also their Paris forum offers a lot of threads on small hotels. Some of these little cosy french hotels have their own websites and you can book directly with them.

marnie_g

[lacuadra]

I'm needing some advice on a hotel in Paris please. We need a room in the Eiffel tower area. I'd like something nice at a decent price. Here are my questions:

• 
  

If I choose the Eiffel tower area on priceline, how far away from the tower could they put us? Since I've never been to Paris, it's hard to tell by the map. I wouldn't want to be more than a mile away.

• 
  

We'll be there in September. I see some people have gotten a 4* for around $100. Does bidding higher increase my chances of a better hotel or just more profit for the same hotel? I've read some reviews on the Novotel, and they weren't very good, so what would I need to bid to ensure I don't get the Novotel?

• 
  

Can you get a 5 star on priceline?

Thank you!

Just got Hotel Concord Lafayette for 105.00 for memorial day. ( 5.22/25)

[Romelle]

lacuandra,

If you would please report your nice win as a "New Topic" it won't get lost in this one and people not see it. Be sure and include the star level and the Paris zone.

Thank you.

You got a great deal.

Romelle

[trb]

:)

I put in a bid yesterday for $99 for the Opera West District, and they countered and asked me to increase my bid by $22. And then I added Opera East and increased the bid to $105, and they countered and asked me to increase my bid by $27.

Today I put in a bid for Opera West for $110, and it was accepted! I got Hotel Concorde Lafayette. Looks like a nice place. Now I just need to figure out which is the closest metro stop to the hotel. The website says Metro 1 line.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success.

Thank you for posting your win. This looks like a beautiful property in Paris, and this is certainly a terrific rate.

What are the dates of travel? (So the thread title can be edited.)

Please use the site's HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links to start future purchases.

Enjoy your stay.

[trb]

Congrats on your success.

Thank you for posting your win. This looks like a beautiful property in Paris, and this is certainly a terrific rate.

What are the dates of travel? (So the thread title can be edited.)

Please use the site's HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links to start future purchases.

Enjoy your stay.

Dates of travel are 9-6-09 - 9-7-09

[AaronJB]

Thanks for the follow-up.

[haygar2389]

I'm needing some advice on a hotel in Paris please. We need a room in the Eiffel tower area. I'd like something nice at a decent price. Here are my questions:

• 
  

If I choose the Eiffel tower area on priceline, how far away from the tower could they put us? Since I've never been to Paris, it's hard to tell by the map. I wouldn't want to be more than a mile away.

• 
  

We'll be there in September. I see some people have gotten a 4* for around $100. Does bidding higher increase my chances of a better hotel or just more profit for the same hotel? I've read some reviews on the Novotel, and they weren't very good, so what would I need to bid to ensure I don't get the Novotel?

• 
  

Can you get a 5 star on priceline?

Thank you!

I just got back from Paris and stayed at the Novotel near the tower its about a 10 minute walk. As for the Hotel i got it on price line for 100.00 a night but think i could have gotten it cheaper. The main issue with this hotel is the heat. The rooms are hot and the Air condition realy does not do the job. If you stay here go to the concierge and ask for a fan thats what we did and it did the job

[slick_gd]

trb I booked the Hotel Ibis Cambronne. It might lack some parisian charm, but the location is great and the price is the cheapest I have found for Paris. (based on a 21-day advance purchase rate)

I would have gone through PRICELINE but with the canadian dollar being so low it just wasn't worth it. Even if I could have gotten a hotel for $100 on PRICELINE once you factor in taxes, fees, and exchange rate and I would be about 50-60% more than this one.

haygar2389 if you can, please post your experience in the Hotel Reviews section of the site.