I'm trying to do priceline as well but I think from betterbidding.com and bidyourtravel or something like that, if there is an express deal for that price, you probably can have it for much lower(well I don't know how much lower). You can google those two websites to see if they can offer you help with your bid. I don't think the bed thing is a concern being that the third person is a small child. The hotel can NOT honor requests(call the hotel directly after you win at a pricelien bid), but I think a 4 star hotel would be okay with it. at least you can get a rollaway bed if all else fails.

Betterbidding also has a list of the 4 stars that Priceline is offering so you can guess at it as well. (You can also check hotwire.)

"Downtown - Pike Place" is a very big Priceline zone; hotels could be close to the market, or over a mile away, up a steep hill or surrounded by office buildings without many restaurants.

No idea when you're coming, but I'd probably pass on that offer since you couldn't back out. Sometimes a great deal is, sometimes not so much.

I recently saw a post on Tripadvisor, about someone who booked a room through Priceline for 2 adults and their toddler. When they got to the hotel, they were turned away since they said at the time it was for 2, per Pricelines rules. They figured it was no big deal since the 3rd person was a small child.

It may seem silly, but there are fire codes etc that the hotel has to deal with, so I wouldn't advise using Priceline. Use Hotwire where you can easily put in 3 people and not have to worry.

Thank you all for your feedback. I have done other research and decided that I will definitely NOT use the Express Deal. I just don't want my vacation ruined over details that I cannot control. And from what I read, it usually only saves about 10%. So with that issue out of the way, do you think I should stay closer to the Space Needle or Pike Place? Thanks, again!

Pike Place is the more central location. That is downtown "proper". Seattle Center where the Space Needle is located is on lower Queen Anne Hill, slightly to the north of downtown.

Renee, IF you are two adults with a small child it is highly improbable that any hotel would ever deny you access TO the room guaranteed you by Priceline. (I'd love to find the exact post that DebitNM is referencing, to see the rest of the story )

With that said, and because your 3rd guest is "a small child", I'm assuming that you'd be able to work with anything that Priceline could dish-out room-wise (which is "guaranteed to house/fit two people").

In that case, "Downtown Seattle" typically has good deals possible via Priceline for a total bill (excluding parking charges) of perhaps $140 per night.

Definitely go the "Name Your Own Price" route! (maybe beginning at $80, and advancing by $5 with each "Free Rebid")

In recent weeks I have bid several times on behalf of a friend, each at the last minute, and averaged something near to a base rate of $105 (for 4-star rooms in "Downtown" Seattle)... for a total nightly charge of something near to $122-130.

(just searched for a recent thread on which I cited those exact numbers, but I can't figure out which thread it is)

If you were bidding weeks in advance, you would likely land something favorable via Priceline unless, perhaps, you are traveling right in the height of early August, and/or when some convention is filling all the rooms.

Priceline is NOT a serious worry when your "3rd person" is a small child.

(I'd stay with the "Downtown/Pike Place area"... and demand a 4-star room, while using the multitude of "Free Re-bids" available for use in Priceline's Seattle market ).

(*By sticking with 4-star rooms, you eliminate most any chance of being marooned geographically for not knowing exactly which hotel you'll get. The 4-star hotels Priceline uses are nearly all very centrally located, and if you get The Edgewater, it's on the waterfront and a tad out of the way, but still very much worth every penny)

This is the thread. I did mistaken write that it was a Priceline room. It was a direct reservation made for 2 people and they had a 2 year old child with them.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k5540694-Hotel_cancelled_my_reservation_on_day_of_check_in_unfairly-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

Thanks again everyone for the feedback. I think I will make another reservation in Pike Place Downtown and cancel the City Center reservations.

(sigh) I'm very glad that the referenced post was from Paris (France), and especially so that it wasn't a Priceline bid.

Renee...

Are you fully-skilled at Priceline bidding? If you know it like the back of your hand, then I'd start at, eh, $80 per night, and go upward (using "free rebids") by five bucks with each try...

Maybe IF you run out of rebids on the first day, then start the 'base' bid 5 or 10 bucks higher after each 24-hour waiting period (until you can bid again on Priceline) when repeating the process.

Stay firm with the "Downtown-Pike Place" region... only daring for (Seattle Center/Space Needle) IF all else fails (for several days in a row).

Glad to have relieved you; perhaps now you can chill a bit and lose the caps , italics and other drama.

Yes, I've been bidding on Portland hotels for weeks now. It seems that hotels are probably more likely to accept low bids closer to the actual stay, as they probably better know how full they will be. I have made reservations that can be cancelled in Portland and Seattle, but continue to low bid. Lots of the Seattle hotels are already booked. But there is an Express Deal for 4 stars in Seattle Downtown/Pike Place for $150. Seems hard to go wrong.

I just starting trying to find out people's thoughts on the Express Deals and ran across a complaint site. I worked in the customer service industry for about 15 years, so I know that many of the people who complain the most are also the least intelligent . So generally I take these sites with a grain of salt. But there were many Priceliners who had been avid users who were sharing a recent horror story. I just thought I might stay away from that. If you've used Priceline bidding/express deals with good results, let me know. I would like a little assurance that it's not going to ruin the end of a great vacation.

Also, wanted to discuss this... I see that many people state you wouldn't want to walk from Downtown to City Center, yet it's only a mile. Is that because of the neighborhoods in between, the terrain, out-of-shape folks??? A mile isn't very far, so was just perplexed by this. I know there's a monorail and great city transportation, as well, so not terribly concerned, just want to understand the thinking.

Sure you can walk from the Seattle Center to the central part of downtown. You are correct it's just a little more than a mile and not terribly hilly terrain.

To me it's more about when you are a tourist and likely walking around *all day* all around, to add that extra mile every time you leave your hotel is not the most convenient.

Say you end up walking from Seattle Center, down to the Pike Place Market, and continue on south to Pioneer Historic district. By THEN you'd be about 4 miles from you hotel. I

It's not about terrain or bad neighborhoods (although that area isn't particularly attractive as it is commercial with lots of parking lots, warehouses, car dealerships, etc.).

I DO like the Mediterranean Inn specifically, and it's location to the west side of Seattle Center. And the straight shot down 1st Avenue. (Better than locations to the east of the Center).

I mapped the driving path from Dick's Drive In just west of Seattle Center, to the Nordstrom Rack, in the central shopping district, and it said "1.7 miles" (which I'll take as "1.5") considering those walking can possibly shorten it up a bit.

During daylight hours the neighborhoods are fine, but after dark Belltown isn't exactly a great area.

It seems I may have used ONE "Express Deal" on Priceline, for Seattle, within the last year, and while it was some random hotel (decent enough), it wasn't especially memorable in either direction. (didn't need more than a spot to put my friend's head at night)

LOL - I went to find your other post, Renee, (and you probably would have done best to create your own thread)... mainly to find the dates of your trip.

Do I perceive correctly that your interest might be for just ONE night in downtown Seattle?

If so, the "Express Deal" cost is less of a concern than if you were trying to get the best price for, say, 4 or 5 nights.


Were your trip during anything outside of July/August it would be a buyers market on Priceline, for the most part, but seeing how it is in August, AND that you are seemingly not staying in Seattle for more than a night or two, the "Express Deal" just won't come with enough additional risk or expense to seem a bad idea.

Given this summer's earlier efforts I made on Priceline, I wouldn't realistically predict a Priceline score for a downtown 4-star for less than $120 base rate (w/total bill near to $140 per night).

A 'sure thing' for $150 + fees just isn't that much more if repeated only one night or two.

While some are perhaps more ideally located than others, you really can't go wrong with FOUR-star Priceline hotels in the Downtown-Pike Place section at Priceline.

For such a short stay, the "Pike Place" zone beats the life out of the Seattle Center zone... though of course it does make sense to go to Seattle Center once (to the 'Needle). You can do the latter on the monorail, very easily, from the more central area of downtown Seattle.