Thanks for all the answers everybody!..I meant Chel/Knightsbridge.

A bit frustrating but maybe I will have better luck in a few days.

cuiseluv, I find you have a great tool at www.betterbidding.com not only for posted priceline wins but also for deciphering hotwire hotels.

"<i>Well no some parts of Earls Court I would avoid at all costs - really tacky areas with lots of hostels drawing in a seedy IME crowd </i>"

Since we are talking priceline - that is sort of irrelevant. there are no 4 star hotels in the seedy bits. In fact so far no 4 star EC hotels have been 'won' on PL that I have ever seen. That is why it is a pretty safe bidding zone. When you get into 3 star - there might be some --but I've never seen one.

lincasanova: Do try Hotwire too --I always do PL myself, but w/ Hotwire you can narrow things down a bit.

I just saw a $70 PL win for the Olympia Hilton (which yes, is now 3 star) for 2 nights in April. That is less than I've paid the last couple of times. Would think you should be able to get Feb at a decent rate.

I am afraid to bid 3* on priceline cause who knows if some other HORRIBLE place could come up for the first time. I feel more confident with the $89 3* hotwire feb 16-20.There are so few 3* BIDS/posted wins. Kind of risky I think when there are so many 3* hotels around.

Might give it all some more tries the next few days.

I have always been so lucky in the past on Priceline that this has been a bit disappointing! Not to mention time-consuming. Unfortunately I have very little work right now, and getting a good deal is worth the effort.. but only to a certain extent!

You don't happen to live in London do you, Janisj?

No Janisj I know lives in California - I think near or in Fulsom, CA, not the prison I think but I am not sure of that either.

ha ha ha. didn't know you were familiar with the prison.

ha ha ha. didn't know you were familiar with the prison.>

talking to moi or janis?

all kidding aside janis does know her/his stuff when talking about Price Line it seems and London flats - she just don't like the mention of Travelodge nor PremierInns for some reason.

toi.

I decided on Premier Inn Gatwick Central the night before we leave back home as we have a VERY early flight from the North Terminal. Got a fairly good rate of 39GBP incl. tax. At least I know WHERE it is.. and it's just for one night and gets good reviews.

We spent five days bidding on PL for our London hotel in October. We like South Kens and usually stay at the Rembrandt but wanted a lower price. Knightsbridge and Mayfair bid were turned down quickly. We bid $100 and got Harrington Hall ****located near Gloucester Rd & tube station.We felt very lucky not to get a hotel in Earl's Court. This hotel does not quite measure up to the Rembrandt but we liked the room and the location is good and we had no complaints about the price. The lobby area is not very attractive and there was a faint smokey smell in some hallways-but not in our room. We did not consider bidding for a *** hotel.

One word of warning about Hotwire is to watch out for the "Tax Recovery Charges and Fees" they tack on--seems to vary hotel to hotel regardless of star rating and can add several dollars to your total cost.
Betterbidding is a great resource for insight on winning bids at Priceline and for discovering recent hotel wins on Hotwire.
Also, Orbitz can be worth checking as they often have sales that drop the prices and (in my opinion) become competitive with PL and Hotwire.

PQ knows not of what he speaks. I've stayed in more than one Premier Inn/Travelodge/other cheapy places.

It is just the rehashing/pasting of the same £19 and £29 'deals' which are seldom available in central London that I object to. And when the deals aren't available, travelodges (like the one in Covent Garden) can cost more than a decent 2 or 3 star place booked through Londontown, and much more than a 3 or 4 star property via priceline.

Plus if one has an early arrival - they will not hold luggage for you - an important consideration for many transatlantic visitors since most flights land in the early AM.

So -- I probably <i>do</i> know a bit more about Travelodge, Premier Inn, priceline, and yes - even F<u>o</u>lsom Prison - than our friend does. ;)

From personal experience, Premier Inn at County Hall has a hold luggage facility, designated room, locked. And the location is outstanding for tourists.
I don't think janisj meant that no Premier Inn will hold luggage.

"<i>I don't think janisj meant that no Premier Inn will hold luggage.</i>"

Nope - I meant travelodge, but good to clarify. (that Premier Inn is great BTW -- but very popular and won't come in at PQ's £29)

To everyone who tried to help..thank you

I had no luck on Priceline up past the amount I wanted to spend on an unidentified hotel this time. But I was VERY lucky because thanks to my lack of success I was scouring websites constantly and finally got a great sale at the Meliá White House, plus an additional 10% off with a hotels.com coupon I found online.

I know the hotel and have stayed there for a convention, so I am really happy about how this turned out.

Is the Premier Inn Kensington (Earls Court) an okay location? From above it seems like the Earls Court should be avoided? Is the tube station in a seedy area?

Hi europeannovice. No, Earls court isn't especially seedy (It was years ago but isn't awful now). And it is convenient for travel to/from LHR. But it is on the far western edge of central London (sort of defined by inside the Circle tube line) so it is pretty far from most of the sites.

That Premier Inn is not in a bad location at all -- not far from both Earls Court and Gloucester Rd tube stations and lots of bus routes. If the rates are low you could definitely do worse. My first choice of neighborhoods? - no. But at the right price - it is fine.

Hi Janisj,

I am dreaming of going back again maybe next year but with the Olympics coming there I am afraid hotel prices will be really high. Last year we had a great "sale" deal that I grabbed which had two double beds in a room--a rare find for London but I don't think that will happen again.

The Earls Court location seemed reasonable to visit the Natural History Museum, and Royal Albert Hall but I did read some negative things about the Earls Court area so don't know if it would be my first choice.

However, I think Bloombsbury would be better but which are reasonably priced that can accomodate three in a room? We don't need to redo the major sights only the ones we missed--British Library, Natural History, Greenwich--each thing we want to see is spread out so no one location is ideal for all the spots we want to get to.