Hotwire Hotel: Newbie - When to bid?

[happychappie]

Hi,

I am bringing a group of family to LA in April 2010. I am finding hotel rates very high and was reommended trying this site for advice on how to get the best deals on hotels.

There will be 9 of us travelling and were planning on having 3 rooms with 2 queen beds in each to save some money.

Am I far to early to start thinking about booking rooms and is there a recommended timeline for starting the process if using your recommended sites? Until I find out about this I dont want to waste peoples time with the other questions re bidding etc. FYI im from the UK, Are there any restrictions on us Brists using these booking sites?

Sorry if this is old news to you guys but to me it could be a real help.

Many thanks

[AaronJB]

Welcome to the site. :)

While I generally recommend to start bidding/looking to purchase a hotel as soon as plans are set, 4/10 may be a bit too far in advance.

One cannot guarantee exactly what kind of bedding the room will have via HOTWIRE or PRICELINE, although you will get some sort of bedding for the amount of people you indicate when searching on HOTWIRE. PRICELINE only guarantees 1 bed per room.

What would be your budget per room/per night?

Using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links is greatly appreciated.

[thereuare]

There is a further discussion in our PRICELINE FAQ regarding "Bid Early or Close to Check-in"

Once you're ready to bid, in addition to your dates and budget, we'll need to know your desired star rating and which zone(s) you're willing to accept.

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

[happychappie]

Aaron,

Many thanks for coming back to me. Having looked into it a little more im thinking of staying in Hollywood or Downtown as people have recommended these as good travelling points. Perhaps staying here for 2 nights and then moving closer to the port on the final night to be closer for a cruise shuttle in the morning. Im thinking that booking this far ahead for April 2010 might not get good rates offered due to it being so far away and hotels not knowing what traffic is going to be like that far away and therefore not keen to discount rooms too much?? Is that a sensible chain of thought?

In terms of type of accomadation I was hoping to get 3 rooms:

1 - Quad Occupancy

1 - Double Occupancy

1 - Triple Occupancy

The budget I have set out at the moment is $170 per room per night inc all taxes. We could rent a 4/5 bed house for 3 nights for approx $1500 hence my thinking. Although I would prefer a hotel so I dont have to make my bed!!!

Is my budget realistic for 3.5+ grade hotels? Ideally I would like a hilton as im part of their loyalty program but I know the hotel is not disclosed so I would have no idea what we are getting. We arent going to rent a car so we dont need to worry about parking fees.

Im happy to book as soon as the right deal is there as our flights and cruise are already booked.

Any help you or other members can give will be appreciated as saving

[Colfax]

The timing issue is secondary, I think.

Given your very specific bedding needs I think I would book something conventionally, rather than using HOTWIRE or PRICELINE.

As already mentioned, on Priceline you're only guaranteed one bed per room. On Hotwire you can stiplulate "four adults" and be guaranteed a room that accomodates four. But that room could be, among many possibilities, two DOUBLE beds (not two queens or kings), or one queen bed and a hideaway sofa that sleeps two.

Renting a large house together (in the right area, of course) sounds like a good idea actually. And with your $500/night budget I think you'll be able to find 3.5* or better hotels that will guarantee your exact bedding preferences as well....depending on your travel dates.

[happychappie]

We could go for 5 rooms to make it a lot easier than having to specify quads and triples but to try and keep within our budget we would be looking more like $100 per night per room. Is this still realistic for 3.5+ hotels in Hollywood or Downtown or perhaps a bit over ambitious!!

Thanks

[Colfax]

Rates are date sensitive and we still don't know your dates, happychappie, but a 4* for $100 or less in Downtown or Hollywood on PL or HW is very possible. Or a 3.5*/3* for less.

The five rooms at $100 option sounds like a good solution that will give your party maximum privacy with five separate bathrooms.

I still think it's early to bid for April 2010 dates yet though. Why commit yourself to something you can't change or cancel if you don't have to? The same deals will be there in December or January, maybe better.

If you do want to bid now though let us know and someone will suggest a strategy.

[happychappie]

Many thanks for the helpful reply. We need to stay for 3 nights in total. Dates are 8th, 9th, 10th April 2010. Perhaps 2 nights in Hollywood and nearer the cruise terminal for Royal Caribbean would be good.

My thinking is that it does no harm to try and secure a good booking right now and if no good rates are available then I can keep trying over the coming months.

Re changing plans it isnt going to happen as both our cruise and flights are already booked. If a disaster happens and we cant travel at all then we will be using our travel insurance to claim.

Therefore a strategy would be good if you can help and advise?

Cheers!

[thereuare]

To confirm you're looking for 5 rooms for 4/8-4/11 in either the Downtown or Hollywood zones (but not the Beverly Hills-West Hollywood zone), correct?

Did you want to try for a 4* up to your limit first, then if rejected try for a 3.5*... OR are you looking for the least expensive 3.5* (or 3*?) or better for this stay?

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

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

[happychappie]

I think we would prefer to spend up to our limit for the best hotel possible really.

Many thanks and look forward to the advice!!

[happychappie]

In terms of location we have been advised that Hollywood should be number 1 choice as its lively and has good links ofr Universal and the sights but to have Downtown as a back up as it may be cheaper due to availability at weekends but may be a bit quiet in the evenings?

Is your suggested locations somewhere you would recommend?

[thereuare]

I had only suggested the other zone as it know it's bid frequently, especially by those who bid the Hollywod zone, not respective to any of your particular plans.

So to confirm/update, your first step is to bid for a 4* hotel in the Hollywood zone up to your limit? ($100 maximum bid)

Is this correct?

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

[happychappie]

Hi thanks for the reply. Im very much in your hands really. You are right in terms of the price and category and location. However with regards to the location would you recommend looking at West Hollywood too?? We just want to be where it happens, with plenty going on and good access to Universal etc. Typical tourists im afraid!!!

PS: I would like the bid to take into account taxes as $100 per room per night needs to include this. It will be 5 rooms we require.

many thanks

[Colfax]

Dates are 8th, 9th, 10th April 2010. Perhaps 2 nights in Hollywood and nearer the cruise terminal for Royal Caribbean would be good.

Have you decided to spend all three nights in LA then? Or two nights in LA and one night near the San Pedro cruise terminal? Either is doable but you'll need to decide your dates before you can bid.

As for which zone to bid--Downtown, Hollywood, or Bev Hills-WeHO--I think a 4* in Hollywood might be most convenient since I gather you won't be renting a car. The Walk of Fame, Metro train to Universal, and the tourist buses will all be within short walking distance of your hotel, whichever 4* you win.

But a Hollywood 4* usually costs more (maybe $90-110 BEFORE tax) than a 4* Downtown (maybe $60-90).

Let us know your if you're bidding for two nights or three in LA, and if you want to spend more for 4* Hollywood or less for 4* Downtown, and someone will offer a strategy.

[happychappie]

OK - So we are decided:

1st Choice:

Hollywood - 5 rooms (3 doubles, 1 twin, 1 single)

Dates - Check in 8th April 2010 for 3 nights

4* Hotel

Budget $100 incl Tax per room per night

I think we will try this first. As it is so far away perhaps we should try again regularly until nearer the time rather than lower our expectations just yet. Nearer the time we can then look for a lower grade hotel or change the area.

If you can advise what to do next re strategy that would be great. Even if its declined im sure it will help me for future bidding.

[Romelle]

Copied from Priceline:

"If you use our Name Your Own Price hotel service rooms are guaranteed to accommodate up to two adults. We can only say for certain that the room we book for you is guaranteed for double occupancy, but you may get one king, one queen, two queen, one double, two doubles, two twin beds or any combination of the above. Once your hotel room is reserved, you may contact the hotel to request specific bedding. Special request are at the discretion of the hotel and subject to availability. Keep in mind that if available, there may be an extra charge payable directly to the hotel."

Hotels do seem to try to grant bed requests, especially at the higher star levels, but thought it might be helpful for you to read the exact wording above.

Also, if you bid and are successful now, your credit card will be charged immediately.

You will know the tax and fees amount before you hit the final button on your bidding. I'd guess roughly $20, but it varies quite a bit from area to area.

Romelle

[happychappie]

Thats great.

Now for the strategy??

[thereuare]

happychappie,

Since you indicated the bedding configuration of the rooms you wantd, Romelle was pointing out that this is not possible... sometimes this can be a dealbreaker for some people (ie- two friends who need two beds and don't want to sleep in the same bed... but i'll add that these users could use HOTWIRE), so wanted to make sure you were 'ok' with this before bidding.

For a suggested strategy please let us know your maximum bid before taxes and fees... you can go to PRICELINE and enter a bid price, on the next 'review your information' screen you can see what the total will be including taxes and fees. You can then use the BACK button on your browser, raise/lower the bid amount and repeat to get the appropriate bid amount which will bring your total to $100 'all-in'. All of the above can be done WITHOUT submitting your credit card information, so you won't accidentally purchase the hotel room, and WON"T click the 'buy my hotel room now' button.

Let us know your maximum bid amount and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[happychappie]

The bedding configuration isnt a deal breaker. We just want to get the best price whether it be hotwire or priceline. So which ever provides us with the best deal is fine.

As im thinking $100 max incl tax give or take a few $ perhaps $80-85 is the max bid I should be making.

Hopefully with this info we can now get to a point where I can make a bid based on the advice you experts can give?

Thanks

[Colfax]

happychappie,

I can tell you're eager to bid and we're not going to keep you from bidding much longer.

The reason romelle, thereuare, and I keep bringing up the bedding issue is that you're looking at a $1,500 purchase that's 100% nonchageable and nonrefundable. We want to make sure you fully understand how bedding preferences are handled on Priceline, so that you know what you're buying and won't be unhappy with the outcome.

If, in a worst case, you win five rooms with one bed in each room will that work for your party of nine? If the answer is YES then I'm satisified that Priceline will work for you, at least from a bedding standpoint. If NO then we should look at other alternatives.

A second issue is that I think $100/night, tax/fee included, is too low for a 4* in Hollywood. $100 after tax/fee means a maximum bid of $85. Type "Hollywood" into the Quick Search box at the top of the page you won't find any recent 4* Hollywood bids accepted in the $80's.

I'll suggest $100-110 PRETAX is a more realistic limit for a 4* in Hollywood. If you can't win anything up to $110 now then I think you're bidding too early. If you don't win up to $85 now then nobody knows if you're bidding too early because you're bidding too low.

A few alternatives to consider, all geared towards keeping you under $500/night:

1) Raise your limit to $110 pretax but bid for four rooms instead of five. If you win four rooms I think it's very likely the hotel you win will be be willing to give you at least one room with two beds, but of course I can't guarantee that.

2) Raise your limit to $110 but only bid for the first two nights in Hollywood instead of all three. Stay near Long Beach the third night. Hotels are usually cheaper in Long Beach, so you should be able to come in under $100/night average on average---maybe $110 the first two nights in Hollywood and $75ish the third night in Long Beach. And you'd be near your cruise departure on 8/11.

3) For five rooms at $85 try for a 4* or 3.5* Downtown or a 3.5* in Beverly Hills-West Hollywood.

If you can live with Priceline's bedding rules then let us know if you want to try for 2 nights or 3 in Hollywood and your pretax bidding limit, and someone will suggest a strategy. Really!

[thereuare]

I'll give you a strategy up to $85 since that is what you want to spend at the moment, from there you can either decide to:

-try for a 3.5* with this limit

-increase your maximum bid for a 4*

-split the stay with Long Beach (or some other zone)

-wait it out

At the 4* level you have THREE re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 4* Hollywood...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $83, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $85

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let su know how it goes.

[happychappie]

Many thanks for that advice. I have tried the 4* following the guidelines set out and unfortunately I had no bid accepted at any of the suggested bids. No surprise though as perhaps im asking for a little too much, especially this far in advance. I think the next idea for me is to look at the hotel list for 3*+ to see the kind of hotel I could be allocated and try the process again. Is it possible to obtain an up to date list somewhere? Im assuming the looking on price line is the best starting point.

The help thus far has been great so many thanks for that (And yes I did use the PRICELINE links from this site!!!!)

[Romelle]

For the hotel list - the third post down in the California area is a list of hotels reported by members here as wins. And since I saw an update with today's date on it, it is indeed up to date.

Romelle

Besides looking at the 3*+ hotels, part of your strategy might include some regular bidding of the 4*s. Maybe once a week, or even every couple weeks this far out. One never knows just when hotels choose to give rooms to PRICELINE inventory.

[thereuare]

Is it possible to obtain an up to date list somewhere?

See the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

Once you decide how how you'd like to proceed let us konw and we'll advise accordingly.

Thanks for using our PRICELINE links to begin your bidding.