Hotwire Hotel: Help with Paris hotels strategy

[goingtochicago]

Hi all,

I'll be travelling to Paris from August 9 to 14 and need advice on:

- when is the best time to bid for a room - long before my travel dates, or last minute

- how much of a difference between hotwire and priceline can I expect

I've never been to Paris (or France for that matter) and any recommendations on areas are welcome. I will likely travel alone (female) and want to stay in a safe area. Amenities and size of room are not what matters, but safety and cleanliness do matter a lot. I hope to find accommodations for as close to $100 a night as possible, not sure if it is though.

Thanks for your input!

[Romelle]

There is a lot of discussion on when to bid in the general areas, so I'll leave that alone and just recommend you read it.

PRICELINE FAQ is a good start, but it would also be a good idea to browse through the other FAQs, and spend some time reading Paris results to just get a feeling for the situation.

The short answer for when to start bidding is now, as soon as you've done some research and figured out your general strategy. Cities are different though as to when the hotels add rooms to PL inventory. Paris sort of has the reputation of waiting until the last minute. So, you might well do some bidding now, and might even score something, but might have to be patient. For this sort of situation, it usually is a good idea to make a cancelable back-up reservation that would do the job, and then stay at your bidding until just before you have to cancel, hoping to score a better deal with the bidding. With something at least workable tied down, you will be much calmer as you work at finding a better deal (nicer place, less expensive, ??).

But I can address your questions about traveling alone as a single woman. I do it all the time, have for years, and you can see from my profile that I'm a 67-year old grandmother. The hotels offered by Priceline are major hotels and tend to be in safe, well-lighted, clean areas. Paris is really expensive, and I'd guess $100 won't buy a 4* there in August, so you probably will have to work for a 3*.

I exercise reasonable caution. No expensive jewelry, try to look as native as possible, don't stand on street corners reading a big map, walk briskly like I know where I'm going, etc. Lots of articles on this. I'll just say it really has never been a problem.

For a quick look at what you might be able to find, try the HOTWIRE link up at the top of the page here. Hotwire sometimes rates hotels a little more generously than PL, but it will at least give you an idea. Typically, one can do a little better (10%??) bidding on Priceline.

You are traveling at a great time. Because of the economy and the more favorable exchange rate, prices have been really low.

With Hotwire, this board also has an interesting feature. Often someone can identify the hotel offered, based on the amenities and sometimes the TripAdvisor rating. If you see something that looks possible, you can post back in this Other Country Hotwire area asking for ID help. Supply your dates, all the amenities (including the additional ones you have to click through to find) and any TripAdvisor rating information.

Long answer - but I'm avoiding cleaning my garage.

Romelle

[goingtochicago]

Location:Latin Quarter - Saint Germain des Pr

[thereuare]

Please keep all posts for the same stay in the same thread.

The property above has not yet been identified, but i'd severly caution against a 2* hotel in Europe... star ratings in Europe are a bit more 'generous' than here in the states and even without knowing this 2* hotel, and not knowing your expectations, there is a good chance it would be a bit disappointing... at the very least i'd wait for HOTWIRE to fix their glitch of not showing the Tripadvisor star ratings to ensure that this one is well reviewed. The Latin Quarter is usually a popular choice, as is the Champs Elysees-Trocadero zone, so i'd look there too and see if that region would work well for your needs.

While i understand your target budget, i would much sooner recommend stretching your budget a bit and spending $5-$20 more per nite for a 3* or 3.5* in one of the main zones (as there are currently 3*-3.5* properties offered at $100-$115/nite and i think the additional money would be well spent, imo).

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

[goingtochicago]

Thanks for your advice Romelle and Thereuare! I'm just beginning my search and your advice is precious.

[goingtochicago]

Following your advice, I'm looking at slightly higher prices... what do you think a 3.5* boutique hotel in Latin Quarter-St-Germain-des-Pr

[thereuare]

Is Boutique the only icon HOTWIRE associates with this property? If not, please include all the icons shown.

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

[goingtochicago]

No, it also has business centre.

[thereuare]

The above would be a match for the Villa Luxembourg so that would be our best guess.

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

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[goingtochicago]

Thanks for the help with this. I ended up staying at a friend's place rather than going to the hotel.