Priceline Hotel: 2* Los Angeles (Downtown) Mayfair Hotel

[scottlevin]

Hey gang!

I have been reading this site for a long time but never written in. Now's my chance!

I am going to be in LA for 4 nights in April and was wondering if anyone had a good sense of what strategy I should use to get the cheapest room possible! I don't have any star requirements. Location-wise, we need to be near USC, though we will have a car. So Downtown LA is great, as is Hollywood. West Hollywood/Beverly Hills or Culver City are not ideal but I guess we could manage (although it seems the cheapest rooms are not in those areas). Anyone have any tips?

Thanks from a very poor college student!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Are you sure a 1* hotel in the Hollywood zone (or any other areas) is really acceptable to you? Remember that while there may be some budget properties which you'll be fine with, there may be others which are not, and with PRICELINE / HOTWIRE you can't choose which type you will get.

Did you want to include the 'not ideal' zones in your bidding from the start OR do you want to first stick with the zones which work better for your plans?

Please let us know which zone(s) you would like to bid and, so we don't suggest a strategy that goes higher than you're willing to pay, your maximum bid.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[Colfax]

I am going to be in LA for 4 nights in April and was wondering if anyone had a good sense of what strategy I should use to get the cheapest room possible!

Welcome to the board, scottlevin.

The cheapest brand name room possible will probably at an outlying Motel 6, maybe 10 miles from Downtown or Hollywood. For your dates Motel 6 in Whittier is $43.99, for example, but Motel 6 in Hollywood is $66.49 with parking $10/night extra.

Almost any Priceline hotel you win in Downtown or Hollywood zone is going to charge for parking, and the charges can run as high as $40/night, depending which hotel you get. (There are usually cheaper alternatives nearby but not free alternatives. Still $10-20/night.)

You'll need to decide which is more important to you---being near Downtown and USC or low price.

If proximity to USC is paramount the Vagabond Inn on Figueroa is one option. It's $87.20 for your dates with parking and breakfast included.

You might win a 3.5* or 3* in Priceline's Downtown zone in the $50's, but after Priceline fee and parking charges it will come to about the same total price as Vagabond, and not as close to USC.

We hardly see any 1* or 2* bidding in Hollywood zone, but the last report here someone won a 1* for $45 with parking extra. Some motels that could come up only have rack rates in the $60-70 range so the savings aren't necessarily large at that level.

If you want something better than a Motel 6 for $55 or less with free parking, and you're willing to drive 10 miles or so, you could try for a 3.5* in Priceline's Commerce-Norwalk-Rosemead zone. The Doubletree Commerce and Marriott Norwalk come up there, and that's the closest "free parking guaranteed" zone to Downtown LA.

If you decide to bid for one of the options discussed---Downtown, Hollywood, or outlying zone---someone can suggest a strategy.

Your thoughts?

[scottlevin]

Oh, I hadn't thought about the issue of winning a downtown hotel and then having to fork over for parking. There's no free street parking after a certain time of night?

Also, is the Crowne Plaza at LAX for $42 a standard thing? That seems like a pretty good deal. And do people know if parking costs money there?

Lastly, doesn't including fewer areas and then adding more give you more bids? That seems like a good thing right?

[Annabella]

parking in West Hollywood, Hollywood and Beverly Hills is more expensive than other areas. If you have a car you can stay anywhere in LA. Even Culver City is a nice option. I won the Radisson Westside in Culver City in January and it is by the highway (I-405) which takes you almost everywhere.

If you want the cheapest room AND HAVE A CAR, you should consider other areas too. My favorite areas in LA are Marina del Rey, Santa Monica, Redondo Beach and even Culver City (area I didn't consider before, but I stayed there and it was nice). I stayed in West Hollywood before, but Culver City was much nicer (and less expensive). I'd rather stay in a 3* hotel in Culver City or LAX, than a 1* in Hollywood!

[thereuare]

Lastly, doesn't including fewer areas and then adding more give you more bids? That seems like a good thing right?

Yes, but you should determine all your acceptable zones beforehand so that you can bid systematically... simply adding new zones to your previous bid can result in an overbid for the zone you just added.

Have you determined which zone(s) you want to include in your bidding based upon the reply(s) above? Do you still want to stick with your 1* rating?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[Colfax]

Oh, I hadn't thought about the issue of winning a downtown hotel and then having to fork over for parking. There's no free street parking after a certain time of night?

You shouldn't count on finding free street parking at night near the popular Downtown hotels. You can find free street parking farther away but it's not necessarily safe. (Lots of breakins.) And what will you do with your car in the daytime?

Also, is the Crowne Plaza at LAX for $42 a standard thing? That seems like a pretty good deal. And do people know if parking costs money there?

Parking at the LAX Crowne Plaza is $12/night. They also charge $10.95/day for internet access.

What's your budget per night, parking included?

If it's $45 then I don't know any options besides Motel 6.

If it's $55 then you might try for one of these:

1) 1* Hollywood

2) 2* Redondo-Manhattan Beach

3) 3.5* Commerce-Norwalk-Rosemead

Among those three a Hollywood location will probably be most convenient for you, and you'll be able to take Metro to USC if you want. The other two options are more distant but you'll get a nicer hotel than you would in Hollywood, for the same money. It depends what your priorities are.

Someone can give a strategy after you post your bidding limit and which PRICELINE zones you want to bid in.

[scottlevin]

Just to update you all on what happened, I bid $40/night for 4 nights in two zones: Hollywood and Downtown. This was for a 2*. I won the Mayfair Hotel, which Priceline classifies as a 2*. With the Entertainment Book taking $10 off per night it came to $150 total, so 37.50/night after taxes/fees. I am hoping to get two double beds instead of one bed because I am traveling with another guy, a big guy for that matter. I have tried calling the Mayfair to ask them what kind of rooms I can expect, but their phones don't really work. This place seems like a REAL DIVE. I probably would not have bid if I had known this was an option, but oh well, that's the game. Now I guess future BetterBidding forum members will know what happens when you lowball a downtown bid at 2*. I'll report back and tell you how wonderful a place the Mayfair Hotel is (or is not).

[AaronJB]

Sorry to hear that the results are disappointing - the reviews are quite mixed (some think it's a value for the money, some not), but hopefully the hotel will work out better-than-expected. There are rooms w/2 doubles at this property, so hopefully you will be able to work something out at check-in.

Thank you for letting us know about this new PRICELINE property so that we can update the site's Priceline Hotel List for the state.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[Colfax]

The Mayfair's seen better days but given your budget, desire to be near USC, and need for parking I think this is a pretty good "starving student" outcome. Mayfair charges $10/night parking, which is cheap for Downtown. Anything nicer was going to cost more or be farther away or both.

For you dates Mayfair is $61.20 for one queen and $64.60 for two doubles. They might charge $3.40 for an upgrade then, but maybe not.

Since the Mayfair's never been reported here before it would be great if you could come back and let us know how it went after your stay, scottlevin.

Good luck!

[scottlevin]

This has probably been discussed somewhere else, but what do people think of the idea of giving the hotel clerk a $20 bill?

[scottlevin]

Also, I didn't mean to sound that disappointed. This is totally awesome! What a great value.

[thereuare]

There is a thread on this subject here: Tipping at Priceline Hotels. I'm not familiar with this property, but unless you know that there is a specific room type that you're seeking, i don't think i'd do it at a 2* rated hotel... how nice of an upgraded room would they likely have?

[scottlevin]

Just to give you all an update, we stayed at the Mayfair. It was a nice enough place. Sure, a little run down, but the room was clean, and the sheets were white. What more could you ask for?

The neighborhood was not sparkly and clean, but a few blocks away it gets better.

In terms of occupancy, they typically give their Priceline customers, it turns out, two TWIN beds. Which is really unfortunate. They ended up charging me $10/night extra (plus tax!) to get two double beds. However, my deal was SO good that it ended up being okay. So more like $50/night instead of $40/night.

Also, the $20 thing doesn't really work at a hotel like this. For the record! LOL.

Also, regarding parking, we were able to park on the street for free, as the Mayfair abuts a residential neighborhood with non-permit, non-metered parking. So, all around, we really got a "starving student" deal.

[Colfax]

White sheets? Impressive!

Glad to hear the Mayfair worked out and thanks for the update.