Hotwire Hotel: Hotwire Bidding Help for 10/8-10/12 Boston hotel

[robinb]

Hi:

I am new to HOTWIRE bidding and need help. I am staying in Boston 10/9-10/12 and was hoping for $150 range for 4* in Boston Quincy Market Financial area (based on previous posts to this forum). But alas 10/9-10/12 seems to be high season. The best I have seen on Hotwire for 4* in the Boston Quincy Market Financial area for 10/9-10/12 is $219 with following amenities:

smoke free

fitness room

restaurant

business center

high speed internet

Questions: (1) What hotel do you think this is? (2) Do you think prices may come down if I wait longer and bid closer to October? (3) My current strategy is to reserve room at the Nine Zero that I can get for $240 (fully refundable) and jsut keep checking on hotwire and pricelin to see if prices come down. Do you think that is a good strategy?

Thanks for your help. And thanks for all the tips on bidding.

[yellowdog]

What hotel do you think this is?

Best guess for this property would be Omni Parker House.

Do you think prices may come down if I wait longer and bid closer to October?

See this link: Should i Bid Early or Close to Arrival Date

My current strategy is to reserve room at the Nine Zero that I can get for $240 (fully refundable) and jsut keep checking on hotwire and pricelin to see if prices come down. Do you think that is a good strategy?

Why don't you start bidding on PRICELINE right now and see if you can score a good deal?

Yellowdog.

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

[robinb]

Thank you for your quick and very helpful reply and answers to my questions. The Omni Parker hOuse is what I was hoping for. I will think about PRICELINE bidding but I am reluctant to do Priceline bidding in this case because the Hyatt Regency is within the same geographic region as Omni Parker House (Downtown Fanueil Quincy Market) and I don't really want to stay in the Hyatt Regency. That is why I was looking at HOTWIRE instead, it gives me a bit specificity to hotel.

Thanks again for all your help. I have used the better bidding links to PRICELINE and HOTWIRE, and to the hotel websites...and will continue to do so.

[thereuare]

HOTWIRE will only show one hotel at each star level in each zone, so if a lower price is offered, it may not be the property. As well, inventory changes often, so if/when you decide you are willing to pay more than $150, this may not be the property offered at that time.

If a property enters your price range or you decide to increase your current budget let us know and we'll take a look at the offering at that time.

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

[robinb]

HI:

I am having a bit of trouble getting a hotel bid accepted for a 4* hotel in the "Bid Zone 9 Quincy Market Faneuil Hall Financial District" for four nights Oct 8-12. I started at $100, and have raised it until my latest bid of $185 has still been rejected. I am willing to go to $200 but thought I'd check in with better bidding to see if anyone has any suggestions. I was hoping my bid will be accepted by Omni Parker House or Nine Zero which have been accepting bids for $150. Regular quoted prices through Priceline for the Omni Parker House for those 4 nights is $289 per night, so $185 seems reasonable. I checked and there is no conference in town that weekend, so that doesn't seem to be the factor driving up prices. Any idea why the $185 bid is not being accepted? Do you think $200 may get it?

My second geographic preferred area is Bid Zone 1 - Boston Harbor Waterfront where the 4*Intercontinental is. But I am waiting to bid on that zone after I bid up to my max bid $200 for bid zone 9 with no success. I really like the Zone 9 Quincy market area because it is closer access and historic feeling, so that is why I keep holding out hope. What do you think is a reasonable winnable price to bid for Bid Zone 1 Boster Harbor Waterfront if none of my bids are accepted for the Zone 9 Quincy Market... area.

I start traveling September 26 so I need to get the reservations made before then. But, I am wondering if I should delay bidding again for a couple weeks until the week of Sept 21? What do you think?

Any suggestions/advice will be greatly appreciated.

I am new to the BetterBidding Forum, but I have learned so much about Priceline Biddign Tips and Tricks from reading the posts. Thanks for setting up Better Bidding, it is a great forum site. I especially found your bidding strategies for getting around the 24 hour wait period extremely helpful. I will continue to use the Forum and of course to link to PRICELINE and HOTWIRE only through the links on our website.

Thanks again,

Robin

[robinb]

HOTWIRE will only show one hotel at each star level in each zone, so if a lower price is offered, it may not be the property. As well, inventory changes often, so if/when you decide you are willing to pay more than $150, this may not be the property offered at that time.

If a property enters your price range or you decide to increase your current budget let us know and we'll take a look at the offering at that time.

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

Thanks for the additional info. Just wanted to close out and let you know that I took your advice and decided to start Priceline Bidding to see if I could get the Omni Parker House or Nine Zero for $150. I am up to $180 in bidding and still no success, but I am still trying. So maybe I will see you in the Priceline forum discussion feed.

[thereuare]

Please keep all posts for this stay in the same thread... we'll move this thread to the PRICELINE section of the board if/when that's the service you ultimately use.

I'm not sure why rates are high for these dates... there is a large conference starting on 10/14 and perhaps with the long weekend prior some are coming in early? Red Sox playoffs? (i'm ont sure when this would be)

Regardless of why rates are high, i do believe you have a very good chance of success at $200/nite, as HOTWIRE is showing 4.5* and 4* options at ~$215/nite. I'll also add that rates are cheaper in other nearby zones, such as under $125/nite for a 3.5* in the Back Bay-Copley zone... not sure if staying in Quincy Market is worth the extra money to you or not.

Nobody can say if rates will go down, or up further, in the next 2 weeks so whether to wait or not depends upon how much you want this particular zone vs. how open you are to staying in a different area (should rates go higher from here or these offerings are no longer available)

Thanks for using our PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your purchases.

Let us know what you decide and how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[robinb]

Thank you so much. And thanks for letting me know that I should keep using this thread as I continue this particular bidding search.

[AaronJB]

Good luck, and let us know what you decide or if you have any questions.

[robinb]

Just wanted to give you a little update. I stuck with PRICELINE Bidding, and I raised my my bid from $175 all the way to my max of $200 for a 4* hotel in both Zone 9 Qunicy Market Fanueil Hall area and in Zone 1 Harborfront Aquarium ... and still no luck with any hotel taking my bid!

I think I am now going to wait til I get back in town on Sept 21 and try again then. If I don't get priceline acceptance on Sept 21 at $200 or lower, then I will check Hotwire prices again and hope they are still offering $219 for 4* and 4.5* in these two areas.

Thanks for your suggestion of looking at Copley Back Bay area. I did look there, but that is not as a convenient location for me, and I don't like the choice of hotels as much as in Priceline Zones 9 and 1. Also thanks for suggesting 3.5* I like the choices in 4* better. And I do have a back up reservations at the Omni and Nine Zero (my 1st 2 choices) for $240 at my government rate. I was just trying to get lower.

Thanks for all your help. I iwll keep you posted...and of course will keep using the BetterBidding links to PRICELINE and HOTWIRE.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the update... just continue this thread once you return if you need help or to report your win.

[robinb]

Hi:

Wanted to close-out and give you one last update on my search for a 4* hotel in Boston - Quincy Market area for 10/8 to 10/12. I was unsuccessful in getting Priceline to accept any of my bids up to $210 ($10 past my $200 goal). That must be a busy weekend. But in the end Kimpton had a special one day sale price of $199 for its loyalty club members so I was able to get to get a room for $199 at the Kimpton Nine Zero hotel, which was one of my choices. So in the end I got my price, just not through PRICELINE or HOTWIRE. But it was great fun learning all the bidding strategies from your Better Bidding website.

RobinB

P.S. I was very successful in a PRICELINE bid of $75.00 for 4* hotel in Downtown Sacramento, CA and got the Hyatt Regency(!) where the average price room is $199.00! Quite a huge savings, thank you very much! I will put that in the Sacramento PRICELINE thread.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the follow-up and 'closing' this thread with what you decided to do for this stay.