Priceline Hotel: 4* London Airports (Heathrow) Sheraton Heathrow Hotel

[MadFlyer]

Congratulations, your price of $52 was accepted by Sheraton Heathrow Hotel. I have a Starwood Gold Card and hope they may still grant the "enhanced" room benefit even though I know they do not have to. Actually got Delta miles on my last Priceline Hilton LHR stay.

Decided to try again per the info about the VAT increase in UK. Hoped for Hilton as the $52 rate would fit lowest available there with the new VAT.

Flying to Milan from T1 so really did not need the convenience I had with Hilton when departing from T4 for a transatlantic.

Had been getting $57 offers when trying the $50 offer this week.

Bid 1 $51, counter-offer of $57.

Bid 2 $52, accepted.

A little disappointed with poor tripadvisor reviews, as could have used www.lastminute.com for Top-Secret Hotels. Thistle coming in at equivalent to total including tax, $50, Park Inn with free internet at total of $79 and RadissonBlu for $88. The Marriott Windsor was available non-opaque there even for $83 total.

Sheraton coming in at best rate of $132 at lastminute.com or $136 with Expedia. Starwood had a prepaid 70 pound or $112 offer on their website. Hilton was 109 pounds yesterday, the same as when I booked for $50, but was at 170 pounds just now.

Sheraton Heathrow Hotel

Heathrow Airport (LHR)

Colnbrook Bypass

West Drayton, United Kingdom

44 20 8759 2424

Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: US$52.00

Subtotal: US$52.00

Taxes & Fees: US$16.43

Total Charges: US$68.43

[AaronJB]

Congratulations on your success! :)

Looks like a nice discount for this property - hopefully you will be successful with the hotel and Starwood benefits. While some of the recent reviews are mixed, the overall reviews for the hotel seem fairly good.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links.

Enjoy your stay.

[MadFlyer]

With the discussion about taxes in UK in another thread. I thought I would post the $57 re-bid offer total if I were to have accepted and not just added $1. Priceline would have paid the hotel the same if I had accepted this and would have just pocketed the extra taxes. They only pay taxes on the rates the hotels charge them, not what they charge us.

Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: US$57.00

Subtotal: US$57.00

Taxes and Services Fees: US$17.37

Total Charges: US$74.37

The $50 Hilton LHR stay folio was left under door showing a payment of 30.00 pounds with 4.50 pounds VAT for a total of 34.50 or $55.50 with todays rate. It would have been $56.68 a month ago when I booked that. So, currency fluctuations are another factor. The hotel pound rate stays the same but it took another dollar to cover that rate just a month ago.

A current $50 bid at LHR comes to $66.06. It includes onlz the .75 in real taxes on the 30 pound rate and not the $1.25 that the $50 rate would generate. Priceline just makes sure they make the same total as they pay the hotel the same.

Airport hotels have the added cost or benefit depending on relationship with Airport. Some new hotels connected to terminal, like the Hilton, may pay no shuttle support fees and are allowed to have own shuttle, while other properties like the Sheraton are required to use the BAA shuttle service and not allowed to have own. The connected hotels on Airport property might even get tax breaks, while a hotel on the fringe may pay some extra tax to a local community that the on airport property does not pay at all.

Lots of variables here....

[jraway]

Bid 1 $51, counter-offer of $57.

Bid 2 $52, accepted.

Jealous ;-) - I'm the guy who paid $60 for the Marriott Windsor 1 day earlier.

How was your stay? Weather had made roads at the Windsor treacherous on the 6-7th with the airport shuttle unable to enter the Marriott Windsor property because of ice and the bus sliding around on the road while they considered closing the service(!) Where is the Sheraton? The Marriott Windsor is miles away from the airport- taxi quoted at 22-25GBP (which is comparable to the airport-downtown rate in some cities) and it took half an hour to reach Terminal 1-2-3 in the direct shuttle. I do not believe this would be considered an "airport" hotel in most other cities even though Terminal 5 is a bit closer.

The issue of taxes and fees is diverting. Thanks for pointing out www.lastminute.com which quotes "full" price rather than a base rate whose unpredictable taxes/fees are revealed only after you show interest.

[MadFlyer]

Sheraton was better than expected. They did upgrade to Starwood Elite room even at this rate and awarded points for the stay as well. This property has a mini-market gas station mcDonalds right accross the street and 5 minutes to city bus stop where free bus takes you to T123 Bus Center.

I was even lucky with Hoppa Bus 54 from T4 waiting right outside when I left baggage claim. It was almost 20 minutes. I departed on 06:50 Hoppa 4 and only 10 minutes to T1. The Windsor is not too far from this property and think you have the city buses 75 and 76 go there as well.

Good website for LHR hotels: http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/heathr...parking_map.htm

With this bad weather I really lucked out... I had Snow outbound on the 22nd and then the 7th. I felt so glad I planned my travel with cheap Priceline hotel in both directions. I met so many that had paid huge amounts as stranded travelers. The Sheraton was charging 264 pounds for walk-ins... they threw in breakfast. So.. my $68 total was nothing.

I just wish I had booked 2 more rooms when I got the Hilton. I could have "shared " those rooms easily... but clearly violated all the rules in doing so...

Heathrow area is not recomended for travelers that do not plan. The Concierge was directing check-outs to a 12 pound transfer to airport on a private "shuttle" and not even mentioning the Hoppa Buses that took just 4 pounds.