Priceline Hotel: Barcelona/Rome

[djrh]

I will be going either in Rome or Barcelona (Air France has a sale from Canada, round trip is $600 tax in :)). The dates are roughly Feb 11 or 12 to Feb 15. Which would be a better bet in terms of getting a hotel deal?

I've checked the reviews for the 4* Priceline hotels in Rome, and the reviews were more like for 2*. The Italian way ...

How about Barcelona, is the Priceline star rating accurate, or the Spanish way is no different than the Italian?

What do you think? I have to decide by Monday, sales ends Dec 7.

Gracias/Grazie :)

[thereuare]

European star ratings are different than hear in the states... you will often find hotels are a full star rating lower than what you would typically expect.

If you start by searching HOTWIRE does anything appear in either city/zones within your expected budget?

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

[djrh]

Ok, I've settled for Barcelona. I've been in Rome few times but never in Barca. I've also changed the dates to a week earlier. Don't know anything about Barca, so an advice would be highly appreciated. Looking for a 4*+ within 100$ (willing to pay a bit extra for 5*). The dates are Feb 05 til Feb 08. Will probably go watch Barca vs Getafe on the 7th, so it should not be too far from Camp Nou. If possible not too far from sightseeing.

I guess HOTWIRE is safer if you don't want end up in a 2* motel pretending to be an upscale hotel.

Please advise :)

[yellowdog]

djrh

I guess HOTWIRE is safer if you don't want end up in a 2* motel pretending to be an upscale hotel.

In my opinion PRICELINE is more strict with the *rating

If you don't want to go with PRICELINE, have you looked at HOTWIRE for your dates if there's anything within your budget and prefered "zone"?

Yellowdog.

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

[WillTravel]

If a really good hotel quality is significant, I'd be reluctant to trust either Priceline or Hotwire for less than about a 4.5* for these two cities.

My opinion is that you would be much more likely get a cheaper rate in Barcelona for a better hotel, if there is no huge event going on, than in Rome. I would try these sites for a good deal:

www.solmelia.com

www.hotelscombined.com (This consolidates a bunch of site searches into one. Of the ones listed, it's quite likely GTA Hotels.com will give a good deal.)

www.hrs.de

Also, TravelZoo often has good deals for Spanish hotels.

Location is also really important in these two cities, in my opinion. You can probably get a good, reasonable 4* hotel in Rome - except that it will be way on the outskirts.

[djrh]

Thanks! When would be the best time to book? Now or I should wait?

[AaronJB]

If you are ready to book, I'd recommend starting to research options and making a purchase relatively soon instead of waiting until the last minute.

[djrh]

Thanks,

Started bidding on Priceline for a 5* (using the PRICELINE link). Offered $80 for La Rambla - La Barceloneta, got a counter of 151.

What should I expect? I remember reading somewhere that it's usually in the middle - so can I hope for $115ish?

[thereuare]

The half way point is a guideline, but with time on your side, no need to meet them halfway just yet :)

Is this the only zone you're willing to accept? What is your maximum bid for this trip?

Thanks for using our PRICELINE link for your bidding :)

[djrh]

I am willing to go with other zones as well; basically, I am looking for a nice hotel in a SECURE area, that's not too far from sightseeing.

As for the budget, I am willing to bid $100 for a 4* (a real 4*) and a little bit more for 5* (maybe up to $120 if it's worth it). After reading really bad reviews for some of Priceline's 4* hotels, I am reluctant to bid on a "4*".

[djrh]

Found an ok deal for Hesperia ramblas. It's 3*, but it has only good reviews and seems to be located right in the middle of the action.

It comes to $105 per night (4 nights). What do you think?

[AaronJB]

What website is the deal showing on? FABSAVE10 or WELCOME10 are coupon codes for Orbitz.com that may take an additional 10% off per night if that hotel is showing on Orbitz.

Please use the site's Orbitz.com link.

[thereuare]

Found an ok deal for Hesperia ramblas. It's 3*, but it has only good reviews and seems to be located right in the middle of the action.

It comes to $105 per night (4 nights). What do you think?

It really depends what you want from this stay, what you expect from your hotels, and what the potential possibilities are via PRICELINE.

Remember that star ratings in Europe are a bit more 'generous' than here in the States, and a 3* there may be more like what you would expect from a 2.5*/2*. When i was in Paris a few few years ago we booked a 3* hotel direct that only had good reviews and i was ultimately disappionted in the stay... no A/C during an early spring heat wave, no cork screw available (in the entire hotel) for a bottle of wine we had bought, and other small things that detracted from our trip.

Of course PRICELINE has it's own risk... unkonwn hotel, location, etc, so you have to decide what your priorities and tolerance for the unknown are.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases. (or our Orbitz link if you choose to go that route)

Let us know whatever you decide to do for this stay or if we can be of further help.

[djrh]

meh, was about to book for the 3*, but read some reviews that it might not be the safest place - it's adjacent to a "ghetto" neighborhood.

I am really confused now. I guess I will try 5* PRICELINE at 85. What other zones would you recommend?

$85 declined (used the PRICELINE link :)). Will try 90 tomorrow. No rebid zones as all of them have 5* :)

[thereuare]

Given the previous counter offer you received, and with time on your side, if this is the zone you want i would stick with this before adding other zones. If you increase your bids by $5 every 24 hours, you'll be at/near your maximum bid within a week and can re-evaluate at that time if still not successful.

Thanks for using our PRICELINE link for your bidding :)

[WillTravel]

I can't comment on the hotel, but you might want to look at this TravelZoo special for Barcelona (75 Euros per night for a double, including breakfast) :

http://hotels.travelzoo.com/international-hotels/709823

[SLC-YYZ]

Hi drjh...do note there is a large conference/congress that starts on Feb 15 which will probably quadruple rooms rates at most hotels. You are right in the move-in window for the exposition so it shouldn't be too bad. I'd recommend getting locked in sooner than later.

Sorry, not much help on the PRICELINE bidding for Barca otherwise.