Priceline Hotel: Need help for San Diego hotel in downtown area

[ginat]

Hi all!

I am new to the site and would like to thank you in advanced for your comments and suggestions!

We are taking my son to San Diego for his 8th birthday and will be visiting Seaworld on Saturday and to the Padres game on Sunday at Petco Park. I would like to book a room in the downtown area for Saturday night, checking out Sunday. I'd actually prefer the Omni if possible since it is connected to Petco Park however, what do I need to do on PRICELINE to ensure that I will win the bid for the Omni or is it random? What should my starting bid be for the downtown area?

My budget is around $100. All suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to the site. :)

There is no way to guarantee a particular property via HOTWIRE or PRICELINE, although one can at least make an "educated guess" for most HOTWIRE listings. PRICELINE is more opaque, and as a result, the prices are generally lower.

HOTWIRE does not appear to be showing the Omni for this date. The Omni is in the Gaslamp/Convention Center zone on HOTWIRE, but there is a 4.5* showing for $119, although that listing is a new HOTWIRE listing that has not yet been ID'd.

The Omni is $289 (and some of the other 4*'s in the area are also rather high), which makes the unknown 4.5* seem rather reasonably priced (in comparison.)

There is also a 3.5* in the Downtown-Harbor Island area w/Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business that is likely the Sheraton Suites which, according to google, is a little less than a mile from Petco.

Let us know if any of the HOTWIRE options are of interest; if you would like to try bidding on PRICELINE, let us know which zones you would be interested in, and if your budget is $100 pre-tax or $100 w/tax.

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

[BeritOlam]

Just checked HOTWIRE....

It appears the Hilton Gaslamp (4 stars) is listing right (Thursday morning) for $135 a night. It's not the Omni for sure....but it's only about 2 short blocks to Petco. Decent location to see a lot of stuff. Just keep in mind parking is brutal anywhere around Petco/Gaslamp....so plan ($$$) accordingly.

That's the only sure-fire way I can see to get right next to Petco Park.

The Downtown/Harbor Island zone through PRICELINE has some killer deals, some of which include this Hilton and the Omni. But there's just no way to know what you're going to get.

One thing you might consider (with an 8-year old) is stay somewhere in Old Town, and take the trolley down to Petco. It's $5 for adults (R/T), and I'm not sure how much kids pay. It's a fun ride down!!

My two cents....