Priceline Hotel: London 5/18/11-5/20/11 4* get me started

I'm flying in to London May 18th for two nights. I would like a great neighborhood, Chelsea, S. Kensington, etc. I can go as high as 160 but would love to target something in the 125 range. Is that possible. I am traveling with a toddler, so neighborhood matters, being central is key. Beyond that, I have a lot of flexibility. I'd be forever grateful if someone could give me a bidding strategy, AND if you might note which are the free zones. I just joined so that I could start sharing my winning bids, because better bidding has opened up a whole world of travel for me--and have previously had several wins because I had an idea of where to start. I would like to now start sharing the info. Wish me luck! Thnx.

Welcome to BetterBidding!

A 'great neighborhood' is in the eye of the bidder, please indicate exactly which zones, by PRICELINE name, you're willing to accept and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

Please also determine and confirm your re-bid zones with the board. New hotels are added/removed frequently, and other hotels are upgraded/downgraded, so it's important to make sure that you know how to determine these on your own since they need to be checked each time before starting a bidding cycle. See this thread: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and if you're confused or don't know where to start just post back and we'll break it down further for you. (HINT: at the 4* level you have TWO re-bid zones)

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases (and your searches too!).

I was able to bid $115 for a 4* in the regent park area. It's about 2 miles from the city center and close to the tube. I noticed that Hotwire and Hotels.com had a lot of 4* hotels in the $130 range. So definitely start at the lower end and work your way up.

Thanks Newbie!

As far as areas that I am targeting in my quest for a winning bid, Chelsea, Kensington, Westminster, SoHo, Notting Hill, and Bloomsbury. I haven't won a bid thus far and have gone as high as 135, adding a new area each time. Hence my seeking help in a strategy for a *4 star in London. Not sure if it makes sense to add *3 star at some point (I'd want to lower my bid price when doing that however) because I have had experiences in London with a couple of hotels, that were pretty bad.

Again, thanks everyone for their input.

Also, can anyone speak to how successful they've been in bidding on hotels in other european areas that are smaller cities (outside of london, paris, rome, madrid, etc.) Just curious to how it all works with priceline and these hotels.

Thanks again!

Also, can anyone speak to how successful they've been in bidding on hotels in other european areas that are smaller cities (outside of london, paris, rome, madrid, etc.) Just curious to how it all works with priceline and these hotels.

Have you checked the very first post in this Priceline - Other Countries area yet? It contains a list of hotels people have reported as wins. If you want to see the actual threads where the wins are reported, you can just enter the city name in the Quick Search box straight above here.

Personally, I've had success with Manchester, Edinburgh, Bordeaux, Newcastle, Brussels and some that escape my memory just now. With smaller cities the pool is just not as deep. Always worth a try, but one needs to research a little harder first.

Any particular city you are considering?

The trick with this site is to know how to get at the stored history. People are good about reporting, and the moderators keep it organized and tidy so one can find things. But the travelers usually aren't logged on here after they successfully get their hotels.

Romelle

As far as areas that I am targeting in my quest for a winning bid, Chelsea, Kensington, Westminster, SoHo, Notting Hill, and Bloomsbury. I haven't won a bid thus far and have gone as high as 135, adding a new area each time.

How high are you willing to bid at this time for a 4* hotel in one of these zones?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.... please click this PRICELINE link before replying.

Thanks.

Target bid 120. No more than 135 for 4*.

.... please click this PRICELINE link before replying.