Any suggestions for hotels in Munich? 4 or 5 star, please. October visit. Thank you!

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A few years back, we stayed at the Munich City Hilton. It was close to attractions, the staff was great, the breakfast buffet was excellent, and the rooms were very nice.

Another thought, Travelchef. Check out Priceline for Munich. I believe the Hilton is the only 4-star offered, so if you bid at the 4-star level in Munich, you'll get the Hilton. Check it out at www.biddingfortravel.com. If I have a minute, I'll check it.

OK, here's the scoop: Checking in at BFT, I found the Marriott City Center North is the only Munich 4* listed, so if you bid on PL at the 4* level, this is the hotel you'll get. A recent bidder got it for $56/night (for June, I think). The only 3* listed is the Renaissance, which was going for $44/night. If you decide to bid, disregard the PL screen that comes up telling you to bid at a much higher level.

Thanks, Betsy, for all your efforts re: Munich hotels. I have never used Priceline...do you have good luck with it? Any horror stories out there?

I've used PL many times in the US and have always had very satisfactory experiences. I don't think the hotel discriminates between PL and regularly booked guests. You need to know what you're doing before you bid, though. I've found the best tutorial to be at BFT. One thing to realize is that your reservation cannot be cancelled. You will rent the room whether you stay there or not! If your bid is successful, I'd suggest that you phone the Marriott 800 number to be sure there's a reservation in your name and to specify special needs, such as smoking/non-smoking room, double or twin beds, high or low floor, etc.

If you decide to use PL, I'd go ahead and bid the 4* level at $56. You can bid again in 72 hours if your first bid is not accepted. Go to the Marriott Munich website to be sure it's where you want to stay. Check their rates on their site, too, because there may be a special rate, though I don't think it'd be anywhere near as low as $56.

As someone on the board posted yesterday, most people are anxious about using PL the first time, but once they do, they're hooked. If you have more questions, feel free to ask. Maybe other happy (or unhappy) PL users will see this post and chime in.

I hope you realize that you might be going during Oktoberfest. And if you are going for that reason. Most hotels are either close to being booked already or are booked. Number 2 it will be extremely expensive for a 5 star hotel. Saying that. You should have a great time. I know I did from what I remember.

Hotel Advice: Try the Hotel Astra - it is across from the Hapbanhof (Train Station).

Googled for Octoberfest and found the dates to be Sept 20 thru Oct 5.

Topping for TC

Having stayed at the Hilton Munich City several times (one of two Hiltons in town) I can vouch for the excellent service, great buffet breakfast, true king sized beds, powerful air conditioning and heating as one would expect, helpful concierge services, and easy access to public transport as it is situated directly on top of the Rosenheimer Platz U-Bahn stop with an elevator from the lobby down to the platform. Not as "central" as the "Four Seasons" (but I think it is better-located than the Marriott property in Schwabing anyway), and perhaps not as old-world elegant as the 4-S but whether or not that sort of thing is a priority for you I obviously cannot determine. Enjoy your stay wherever it is.