chadomac

After posting in some other travel forums I read, I'm under the impression that hotel prices are a bit inflated throughout all of Carnival season - even early on. I was worried about prices continuing to inflate and was comfortable with up to $125... so I won at $115. I bid $110 Downtown, then added East (free re-bid) and got it at $115. I should note that I've been attempting 3, 3.5, and 4 star bids at prices between $75 and $110 for weeks now. This is the #3 ranked hotel on TripAdvisor and in a great location just two blocks from Harrah's and Canal Street. Even though I usually prefer the fancy newer hotels, this one looks like it has some personality to it, and you can't beat the location. Thanks for your help, thereuare.

$150 for a 3 star (Best Western Plus St. Christopher) is the lowest rate on Maps and Hotels.com. We ended up with 2/20-2/25 as our dates of stay. Seems high, I'm hoping it' just early and prices will be lower by mid-January or so. We usually go every January or February (NOT during Mardi Gras) and have always found a 3 star or better hotel in that $75-100 range. I can't logically explain why they are inflated when Fat Tuesday isn't until March 4. Thanks for your help, I will continue to use the PRICELINE link from here to make my bids. *EDIT* The NBA all-star game is in town on Sunday 2/16... but I still find it hard to believe this would inflate prices that much for 2/20-2/25. Hm.

Fat Tuesday is March 4 this coming year... meaning that most tourists won't even arrive until the end of February to start their Mardi Gras celebration. The Mardi Gras season begins in mid-February, but it's my understanding that the city does not fill up with tourists until that last week before Fat Tuesday. We'd prefer a 3, 3.5, or 4 star hotel in the French Quarter or Downtown areas. I was unsuccessful today with bids as high as $90 for 3 stars and $106 for 4 stars. I'm wondering if hotel prices will be inflated due to my dates being close to Mardi Gras... or if I'm just bidding too early and prices will likely go down. Does anyone have any advice on this?

Anyone that is okay with this hotel... I just won it on HOTWIRE for $70 per night. If you see Downtown for $70 per night still on HOTWIRE today or tomorrow... I think it's very likely it's the Hyatt Regency. I too am not thrilled with the location... I hope it's a safe walk to the French Quarter. I don't mind walking 7/10 of a mile a couple times every day, I just don't want to get mugged.

I have been trying for literally months to get something decent for this span of dates and prices were just too high for me on Priceline. I gave Hotwire a try and saw a 4 star for $70 a night. I was bidding $85+ per night for 3 star hotels in Downtown/French Quarter for over a month without success... so I had to bite. I'm a little disappointed with the location just because I'm worried that stretch of area between the Superdome and French Quarter won't be the safest to walk at night... so if anyone knows the area... please feel free to chime in. I'm definitely happy with the price and level of hotel.

Thank you! Still trying, no success yet. I would be totally happy with the Royal St. Charles, so I tried up to $65 for a 2.5 star downtown but it didn't work. Crazy. Is there a resource with a list of hotels that take reservations without a fee? I am starting to get nervous and want to put a back-up plan in place... but I don't know where to look.

Thanks for the info... I couldn't find any event calendars noting something that would drive prices up so I'm a little surprised rates are so high. I'm actually getting married out there myself on the 13th. We're switching to a fancier/nice hotel the last 3 nights of our stay, but need something for those first four nights. Hopefully something opens up.

Is there some event going on 5/8-5/12 in New Orleans that I'm not aware of? Was I just bidding too early? I have been trying to get a 3 star (or better) hotel in the Downtown/French Quarter areas for well over a month now and with no success. The highest I've bid is $85. I've Pricelined really nice 3 and 4 star hotels in the past in NOLA for $60-75 per night - this is the first time I've struggled this long to find something. I'm considering dropping my expectations to 2.5 stars in the downtown area and hoping that I get the Royal St. Charles hotel that others have been getting. I would be completely happy with that hotel - especially at a rate of $50ish per night. Does anyone have any advice? I'm hoping I just was bidding too early and I will be able to land something cheaper over the next few weeks.

I bid 3 stars, but was upgraded automatically to this 4 star hotel. Won on my first bid of $60 in the Convention Center area, so you may want to try $55-59 first and see if you can win it for a little less. Good luck, bidders.

I decided I wanted to save more money and didn't mind the Convention Center area so much (it's just a few extra blocks from the Quarter), so I went in at $60 today and bidded Convention Center. Got upgraded to the Marriot Convention Center hotel - a 4 star hotel. Works for me, thanks for your help guys.

Thanks guys. I will try upping my bids for a few days before lowering my standards/expanding my area. I just wasn't sure if I was close or not... maybe I am. With 3 star hotels, I believe I have two re-bid zones if I understand that correctly - Garden District and NO East. Thanks again for your help.

I'd prefer not to bid more than $80 per night for the hotel, so I realize I probably will have to either add the Convention Center area or lower my standards to 2 1/2 star hotels within my original area wanted.

Is there something about the weekend of May 11-15 that is driving up hotel costs in the French Quarter or Downtown? I've been there twice before and been able to find a 3 star or better hotel in that area for a $60 bid, and I've bid up to $69 this entire week to no avail. I'm wondering if I'm booking too early (it's more than 2 months away) or if there's an event or convention I can't seem to find that is taking place at that time and driving up the price. I'm considering adding the Convention Center area to keep the price down, but would prefer to be right near the Quarter. Last time we were there we bid $60 for Downtown/FQ and got the tall Sheraton there on Canal. Great price and great location, right across the street from all the French Quarter stuff. Can anyone give me some advice?