Priceline Hotel: Need Boston hotel in Charlestown/Downtown area

I've only used Priceline once and it was a long time ago. I can't remember how to access the page where it gives descriptions of the hotels in the different star categories (without listing the name, of course). I bid in the Charlestown/Downtown area before and got the Boston Park Plaza, which was fine, but I see that that's listed now as a 3 star and I'm wondering if I should bid a 4 star? If someone can give me advice on how to get started and how to view descriptions of the hotels, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

Please follow-up your PRICELINE NYC thread with whatever you ended up doing for that stay... then bump this thread and we'll have a look at the above. (did you even try bidding for that stay?)

Okay, I went back and followed up on the NYC thread, which I ended up never bidding on. But when I did bid for the Boston hotel before, I remember there were descriptions of the various hotels, such as "This is a smaller boutique hotel in the historic area, which includes indoor pool..." and then people were using the amenities that were listed to try to figure out which hotel it was. Today I went to check on the 4 & 3 star hotels and couldn't find where the descriptions like that were listed. It just had the names of the hotel chains that were likely to be in that category. I'm trying to figure out how to get an idea which hotel I might get and whether I should start out bidding on a 4 or 3 star.

Try using this link to search HOTWIRE... it sounds as if that is what you are refering to.

Does that look as you remember it?

Yes, that does look like it but I know it was Priceline I used before because I found the old receipt. Is there a way to get an idea which hotel you will get on Priceline? I would like the Park Plaza again or something in close proximity near a T stop. We will be there to attend a concert at TD Banknorth and the last time the Park Plaza was a perfect location for this. Should I start out bidding on a 4 or 3 star hotel, and could you make a suggestion as to what price I should start? Thanks.

If you use the Non Opaque side of Priceline then, like any other agent they provide descriptions of the amenities of the hotels they offer

Is there a way to get an idea which hotel you will get on Priceline?

No, but you can probably narrow it down to a few 'suspects' with research on HOTWIRE and looking at the list of recently reported Priceline wins

Look at the reviews of the hotels either on here or Tripadvisor

If your main priority is being near a T stop rather than price then HOTWIRE may be a better bet, but there's still no guarantee.

What's your maximum budget?

What dates do you need?

Which areas do you want to bid in (Downtown -Charlestown)?

I did check HOTWIRE but their prices seem really high. I got the Boston Park Plaza before for $101, which I was very happy with. The area that I want to be in is listed as Downton/Charlestown on Priceline. I want a hotel in that area and close to a T stop. As far as budget goes, I would like to keep it under $150/night if possible. If I can't get close to that, I may cut my stay down to one night instead of two, which I would prefer not to have to do. The dates I will be there are November 10 & 11. What should I do to start?

I want to bid on a room in Boston in the Downtown/Charlestown zone. There are four of us going, and I know they only guarantee it for two people but what are the chances that if I request two beds ahead of time I'll be able to get them? We have Aerobeds we can bring with us to use for two of us, provided the room is large enough to fit them. I'm thinking if I got a really good price on a bid, if worse came to worse and they gave us a room with only one bed, we could get another room and even if it was expensive, it would probably still be cheaper than just booking a room for four on our own ahead without using Priceline. If you've booked with Priceline and you get there and the room is exceptionally small, do you have the right to ask for a larger room? Is there any way to find out before we get there if we would definitely have a room with two beds? I'm really tempted to use Priceline even though there's four of just because the rates in this area are quite expensive. I'd appreciate hearing from others if you've been in a similar situation, especially those of you who did have more than two people. Thanks.

Please keep all posts for the same stay in the same thread.

If you've booked with Priceline and you get there and the room is exceptionally small, do you have the right to ask for a larger room? Is there any way to find out before we get there if we would definitely have a room with two beds?

If the room can accomodate double occupancy the hotel has fufilled their side of the obligation.

Is there any way to find out before we get there if we would definitely have a room with two beds?

See the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

I want a hotel in that area and close to a T stop.

You can't choose this type of option when using priceline... you can only choose the zone, as defined by Priceline.

I did check HOTWIRE but their prices seem really high. I got the Boston Park Plaza before for $101, which I was very happy with.

What you received previously may have very little to do with your current stay. Rates are date specific, and rates for 11/10-11/12 are high.

We can suggest a strategy for you to try, but first you'll need to be willing to accept what is and is not possible thru the opaque suppliers, as per our reply at the beginning of this post.

To follow up on my inquiries regarding a stay in Boston, I ended up getting a room on my own at a government rate that was very good so I booked that. After researching it futher, it looked like there were a lot of rooms in Boston that could be very small and may only have one bed and because there are four of us going, I was too nervous to take a chance.