Priceline Hotel: 3* DC (Bethesda-Silver Spring) Crowne Plaza Silver Spring

[klouwer]

Hi Guys,

I'm quite experienced with priceline I have to say :) , but now I don't know what to do.

I'm trying to find a 3.5 and preferably a 4 star hotel within the Washington DC regions:

Dupont Circle - Woodley Park

White House - Downtown

Convention Ctr - Capitol Hill area

for 10/04/09 until 10/07/09 - 3 days

In the forum I see all kinds of win for around $80 a night for a 4 start hotel.

I tried bidding up to $110 for the regions above. But still no luck. Is there some conference in town or is it just the peak season? Parhaps waiting util the date gets closer might lower the prices? but they could also go trough the roof!

Please advice.

Thanks in advance,

[klouwer]

Nobody? As you can see in the previous post. Some people manage to get 3.5* rooms in October for 80$ a night.

[thereuare]

Start HERE

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

DC is an event driven market... conferences, rallies, and government meetings have a dramatic effect on hotel prices. If there is an event taking place in can quickly spike hotel rates... go doing no events and rates are very affordable (as per the $80 wins at 4* properties you reference)

Rates do seem a little on the high side at the moment, but given the timeframe before your stay, i wouldn't be inclined to chase this one at the moment.

What is the best rate you're able to find at an acceptable 4* hotel for these dates thru traditional booking channels? (use our BetterChecker to assist in your rate search) Are any of these rates fully cancellable?

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

[darklord]

May I ask, I can visit Washington DC over the weekend and Boston on Monday and Tuesday, or I can do it the other way around. Which one would you recommend? Thanks!

[thereuare]

For help with your own stay please start a NEW TOPIC... and indicate how you would intend on traveling between each city, as it's almost an 8 hours trip, which may not be worth the time cutting a day short from one leg of your trip, where you're already spending a short time in each city.

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

[NC Travelr]

One more point.... Oct is over 3 months away and Priceline may not even have gotten inventory for hotels yet. They usually get inventory (with good prices) within 3 weeks of travel. Crystal City is only 3 metro stops away from the Museums in Downtown DC and they always seem to have great rates...

[nycworktraveler]

I noticed that your stay includes weeknights -- Monday-Wednesday nights are the most expensive nights in DC. Hotels tend to drop on Thursdays, and drop even more so for weekend nights. I'd recommend waiting until closer to the date to bid. Right now, I'm sure the hotels would rather not Priceline rooms that can be filled by business travelers paying full price.

[klouwer]

I'm staying there when you leave. For three days. 4 October until the 7th. I can't even get a 3* room for 120$ a night.

I don't get it.

[AaronJB]

Have you continued to bid? If so, what have you bid up to and what areas have you bid on? Do you see anything on HOTWIRE?

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchase.

[Bernard]

Thanks for the heads-up - that was a question I was about to ask. I guessed it would be pointless booking months in advance but I wasn't sure what the timeframe was when hotels would be looking to fill unsold inventory. I haven't used Priceline yet and my US trip is in 2010 - I'm just hanging around here to pick up tips and tricks and get a feel for how it works.

[thereuare]

Bernard,

There is a "bid or early or close to check-in" link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

Once you're ready to bid please start a NEW TOPIC for your own stay.

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

[klouwer]

I ended up with booking via Hotwire.

Crowne Plaza Washington-Silver Spring 3*

Per night: $101

Saved: $400

Total paid: $304

[thereuare]

Thanks for the follow-up.

Please remember to follow-up your threads with whatever you end up doing for the stay, even if you choose to book direct, cancel your trip, etc.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Hope you enjoyed your stay.