# Bidding for Hotel Rooms



## Everydaymatters (Jan 14, 2008)

Have any of you bid on hotel rooms? It kinda scares me because from what I understand, you don't know which hotel you've "bought" until you've paid for it. I'll be taking a long Amtrak trip and don't want to get to a city and find I've booked a shabby hotel.

Betty


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## had8ley (Jan 14, 2008)

Everydaymatters said:


> Have any of you bid on hotel rooms? It kinda scares me because from what I understand, you don't know which hotel you've "bought" until you've paid for it. I'll be taking a long Amtrak trip and don't want to get to a city and find I've booked a shabby hotel.
> Betty


Betty;

Of all people on the site you might enjoy this the most. The UP sent a single mom to New Orleans for temporary duty as a claims adjuster. She had always wanted to see and "do" the French Quarter and wanted to do it on a budget. She bid $45 and won a room in a hotel on the fringes of the Quarter. She came to one of our safety meetings and was telling us she had to tell her son to wear his shoes when he got out of bed because the carpet was so filthy. She said when the mouse greeted her in the potty at 3 a.m. she moved out quick.

On the other hand I had a conductor who bid and won a wonderful 4 star hotel in San Francisco. I guess it all goes back to the "buyer beware" saying. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Good luck; I've never done it because I really want to know where I'm going to be. Hampton Inn has some great week-end rates and a 100% satisfaction guarantee~ you love it or you don't pay!

Jay


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## Trogdor (Jan 14, 2008)

I've done both Priceline and Hotwire for hotels, and haven't been let down yet. I tend to go after the 3 and 4 * hotels and see what cheap price I can get.

The best I've ever done was $65 per night for a decent hotel in Manhattan about three blocks from Grand Central. Still haven't been able to match that deal anywhere else.

My suggestion is to take a look at Hotwire, and see what kind of deals they'll give you. Then go to Priceline, and see if you can underbid that by a few dollars.

I've never done a low-star hotel through there, so I don't know how, umm, "bad" they can get.

What cities are you thinking of getting a hotel in? I've been able to Pirceline/Hotwire hotels in San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Montreal, and New York.

You may also want to check out the forums at http://www.betterbidding.com for more information and hints, as well as a list of hotels that are frequently used by Priceline and Hotwire.


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## dan72 (Jan 14, 2008)

I've had relatively good luck with Hotwire. Got a pretty good deal in San Diego at a Sheraton in Mission Valley for $65/night about three years ago and about a year and a half ago in Chicago, we got a room at the Hyatt downtown for $95/night. Of the four times I've used it, we were disappointed one time as we went with the cheapest possible room and ended up in a not-so-desirable place. But, I guess that what happens when you book the cheapest room around.

Probably the biggest downside is the fact you cannot get a refund if your plans change at the last minute, so that is somewhat of a risk as well. But, it if works out, you can save a fair amount of money.

Dan


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## Green Maned Lion (Jan 14, 2008)

My mom and I did this once to Washington. It was a benefit for me because the savings were put into taking the Acela from Trenton or Metropark (I don't remember which) to DC. Anyway, we bid on a "five-star hotel center-city near the mall". We got it for $108 a night for both nights. So what hotel was it? The Willard Inter-Continental. So we got on the Acela and made our way to Washington and got to the hotel. And so we were checking in, and the desk clerk announced there was a price change.

We at first thought we had been screwed over. But instead, the price was lowered! And so the desk clerk looked up at us with an expression I can only call appalled horror. And he proceeded to say in the type of voice someone would report a murder, "But... thats... a $640 room!" So we got the two nights in DC, the Acela, a standard Reigonal back, 2 fine dinners, 2 fine breakfasts, a slow-but good lunch at Union Station, entrance into a musuem, and a private tour by Lincoln Towncar for less than one night in our hotel room at its regular rate.


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## TVRM610 (Jan 15, 2008)

Personally, I use the hotel loyalty programs instead. I am a member of the Intercontinental hotels "Priority Club" (which covers Holiday Inn brands, Crowne Plaza, and of course the Intercontinentals) and the HiltonHonors (covers all Hilton brands and Hampton Inn). Usually I have no trouble finding a hotel in one of these brands for a reasonable price within walking distance of any Amtrak station I am travelling too (or at least a very cheap taxi.)

For me, the problem with not knowing what hotel you get when traveling by train (as on hotwire.com) is that you dont know how far away you will be from the station. If you save $50 on a room, but have a $30 one way taxi ride to get there.. well you do the math!

I personally google map the train station and then search for hotels and look for the closest good match, then i check into prices.

I think priceline.com you bid for a particular hotel, so you could research the hotel quality and location, I would think that would be a fine bet.


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## The Metropolitan (Jan 17, 2008)

I'm pretty big on Hotwire, and have used it a few times in booking. I do tend to be pretty careful, and try my best to determine just what hotel I'm getting before I take the plunge. This is particularly necessary for me, as I'm always using mass transit in the cities I visit.

As Robert mentioned, Betterbidding.com is a big help, but if you know just enough about the place you're going, Hotwire itself may "slip" and fill in the details - here's how.

1 - You find a mystery hotel of interest on Hotwire. Jot down the amenities on a piece of paper.

2 - Pretend to book a package of "Hotel+Car" and see what pops up. When booking a package, Hotwire WILL tell you the hotel you're getting.

3 - Check through the list of hotels to find a hotel of the same star rating and same amenities in the same area that your mystery hotel is in.

More often than not, your "mystery hotel" will be the same as the known hotel in the package deal. Google Earth may also be useful in knowing what the pool of possibilities are in the area, while Tripadvisor.com may be helpful in getting reviews, though they should be taken with a grain of salt.

My own bookings on Hotwire over the past 2 years:

3* Pittsburgh Oakland @ $45 a night - Wyndham University Place

(repeated twice since)

4* Chicago Loop @ $69 a night - Hyatt Regency

3* Boston Medford @ $59 a night - Hyatt Place Medford

3* Orlando Int'l Airport @ $49 a night - Wingate Inn

2* San Jose Airport @ $32 a night - Extended Stay America SJC

On all of these except the last, I was able to guess the property ahead of time with a little research, and saved a lot of money in the process. Never had a bad stay at any of these properties either!!!


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## Walt (Mar 10, 2008)

I did the "name your own price" bidding on Priceline.

I put in a bid for a 3 star hotel, and it was accepted. However, I was disappointed when I went to check in. While I got a nice clean room, this hotel had both 3 star section and a 2 star section, and I was given a room in the 2 star section. :angry:

I strongly felt that I place a "bid" for a 3 star, and I should have gotten a 3 star room.

The 3 star rooms, at this hotel, were larger, included a free breakfast and free internet. The 2 star rooms did not. If you factor in the cost of breakfast ($25 for two at the hotel's own restaurant) and $10 per day for internet, I really didn't much of a deal. 

I complained to Priceline, figuring they would be interested in how this hotel handles guests from Priceline, but no. Priceline just blew me off.

BTW, I did a review for this hotel on Priceline's own website. It was screened and approved for posting. However, I noticed about a week later, my review was deleted. Apparently, hotels have full veto power over reviews, and Priceline will delete any review a hotels asks to be deleted, even if the review is true.

I have since read on some other internet forums, which focus on Priceline problems, that when one "bids", one might not even get a hotel in the area you selected. You could get a hotel on the other side of the city, or one not even in the actual city you selected. *And there is no refunds*.


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## Sam Damon (Mar 11, 2008)

My own subjective gut feeling is that Hotwire seems to be working better than Priceline right now for the casual traveler.

Nothing quantitative, mind you. Just a sense I get from scanning the various travel forums around.


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