Hotwire Hotel: 3* Miami (Downtown) Hilton Downtown

[amchi]

I am taking my family of 4 (2 of us, and 2 kids) to Miami from 17th Nov to 21 Nov. Dates are fixed. We would like to be near the beaches and have a nice view of the ocean. I have an account with Priceline. My first priority is to be close to the beaches, next is the view.

Looking for a 4* hotel.

The areas I have identified are:

South Beach - Ocean Drive

Miami Beach

Miami Downtown

South Beach - Collins Avenue Oceanfront

South Beach - Central

I checked the calendar and someone found a good deal with my dates: 4* Miami (Downtown) Hyatt Regency - $55

What strategy should I use? Is it possible to get a 4* with $55 for 4 days or should I try lower or higher?

[Romelle]

Are you thinking of one room (sharing with kids) or two? Priceline only says there will be enough beds for two people?

For bidding, I'd of course start lower and work my way up. No sense leaving money on the table.

You've listed a number of different areas. I don't know Miami that well, but suspect Miami Downtown probably doesn't have a view of the ocean? And some of the others may well be several blocks from the beaches? Somebody else here likely can answer that.

When you are sure of the number of rooms and the areas, the next step is to line up the selected areas roughly in order of their room cost. Then when you start bidding, start with the less expensive ones. As you raise your bid, add in the more expensive areas. That approach saves you from getting a less expensive room at a more expensive rate.

You can make a series of bids (starting with one area and adding in the others one at a time as you try higher numbers) every 24 hours.

Romelle

[amchi]

We were planning on all sharing the same room - 2 double beds. That's what we have done on all our trips. Is this a problem in Miami hotels?

Is $50 a smart first bid for Miami Beach?

[Romelle]

I don't know the likely bed configuration on Miami Beach hotels. Somebody else here might volunteer a guess. Technically, Priceline only has to provide for 2 people. Many of the tourist places have a couple double and larger beds in the rooms, but there are no guarantees. In fact, the hotels can charge more for more people if they choose to do so. You might look at the Hotel Reviews (tab above) to see if people mention the bedding situation in Miami. Or look on the hotel web sites of the ones others have gotten via Priceline.

Since the best winning bid you've seen is $55 for Downtown Miami, and the beaches are all higher than downtown on Hotwire, $50 is a perfectly good place to start. Most likely it won't work, but you will at least know for sure you didn't overbid.

Which areas have you selected for bidding besides Miami Beach?

Romelle

[yellowdog]

amchi

Is $50 a smart first bid for Miami Beach?

$50 for a 4* is not realistic for this zone. But you have plenty of time so you can start at this and work your way up.

We were planning on all sharing the same room - 2 double beds. That's what we have done on all our trips. Is this a problem in Miami hotels?

I can be with the boutique hotels, especially if you decide to go for a 3* due to budget. And you never know what you hit with PRICELINE. Have you looked at HOTWIRE for your dates? They guarantee a room for the amount of people you book for.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

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

Yellowdog.

[Pthomas156]

South Beach is very tricky for families. A LOT of smaller hotels there only have one bed in their rooms, intended for 2 people. And many that do accommodate more than 2 in a room charge extra for each extra person. So it's not the same situation as in an area with mostly big chain hotels where most of the rooms are double-bedded and they really don't care whether you have 1 person or 4 people. (New York City is like this too.) I'd go with Hotwire, where you can say exactly how many people you need to sleep. It's worth it for the peace of mind. And sometimes a hotel's own web site can offer the best deal. My family is staying at the Essex Hotel and Suites in Sobe next week for $81 a day (before taxes), which was cheaper than any travel web site (except one I'd never seen before, bookit.com). The farther north you go on Miami Beach, the more likely you are to have big hotels with 2 beds. But the kids would really like all the action in South Beach.

[amchi]

Just to confirm that I got the deal above. Used the link through this forum. Thanks!

[amchi]

Thank you PThomas and yellowdog, I took your advice and booked through Hotwire. Got a nice deal for a 3* Hilton Downtown for $67. Priceline might have been lower, but am sure that no one will have to sleep on the floor!

[yellowdog]

amchi

Thank you for sharing your result with the board :)

Can you please add a reply to this thread with the amenities shown before your purchase... you can still view this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

Enjoy your stay.

Yellowdog.

PS. I have merged and moved your posts.

[amchi]

This is what it

This hotel features the following amenities:

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High-speed Internet Access

Tennis Nearby

[yellowdog]

Thanx for the info!

Also thanx for using the boards HOTWIRE link to book this hotel :)

Yellowdog.

[jrusso45]

I LIVE IN MIAMI . Why would you want to be in a business hotel with 2 kids. This is proabably the worst place you would want to be , At night you can not go out to walk anywhere, there a bums, homeless people all over downtown. This is stritly for people who have to be downtown. thats where all the courts are. Federal ,state, City etc. A total useless place ,day or night. Call the people at hotwire ,beg them to give you a break and book you anywhere on Central Miami Beachyou should be near the water. and South Beach has all the restaurants. Bars. Disco.s ,shopping , Thats where all the action is. You could have gotten a hotel for the same price or less ,up in the Collins Ave and 60 to 90 street on the Beach. Like I said . Do not stay Downtown. I don;t care how many stars they have. I have been in the Hitlton ,strictly for business people. boring. I FOUND YOU A COUPLE OF GOOD PLACES TO STAY ON THE BEACH. 3 STAR AND 2 STAR.

* Newport Beachside Resort COLLINS AVE AND 167 STREET MIAMI BEACH.,

Amenities: Resort, Beachfront, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Golf, Tennis, Spa, Kitchenette, Children Activities, Laundry

AND ANOTHER PLACE ON THE bEACH DEZERLAND HOTEL. cOLLINS AVE AND AROUND 85 STREET . IT MAY BE A HOWARD JOHNSON HOTEL. NOT EXPENSIVE PLACE. GOOD LUCK. YOU TAKE A BUS ,DOWN TO SOUTH BEACH .FOR RESTAURANTS ,BARS NIGHT LIFE. NOT THAT FAR.

[amchi]

jrusso45, thanks for your reply. I got back from Miami over the last weekend, wish you had replied before I left. Anyway, you are right about not being able to walk around at night. The Hotel was nice though, views were good too. Thanks for your suggestions, unfortunately, I could not use them. Miami was awesome!

[AaronJB]

Glad you enjoyed your stay. :)