Hotel advice for Seattle
 

Okay, folks, please help! Arriving in Seattle June 1. Have narrowed hotel search to the following, as we do not wish to pay over $175.00nper night. The choices thus far: Hampton Inn, which is near the Space Needle, Hawthorne Suites and the Hilton. Please, someone, give me some feedback. Thanks

IMO Hawthorne Suites is best for the price and location. We were not impressed with the Hampton in Seattle, although in other cities seemed o.k. Hilton is really downtown!! O.K. if you want to shop.Also be aware bus service is FREE in designated downtown area. Be sure to check this out--ask any bus driver or visitors bureau. <BR>Take umbrella!! (although this year not much rain) <BR>Good luck.

Thanks for the reply, Kay. I have already booked the Hilton, but I will definitely check on Hawthorne Suites now. Kathy

Kathy, <BR> <BR>Here's a Web site you might want to visit: <BR> <BR>http://pub4.ezboard.com/bpricelineandexpediabidding <BR> <BR>It's for using Priceline to bid on hotel rooms. (Read the FAQs for Hotel bidding--there's a process you need to learn and follow.) There's a thread specifically for people to report successes in getting Seattle hotels. <BR> <BR>There are a couple of successes on 4* properties (Sheraton and Westin) in downtown Seattle for dates in June and July, with winning bids of $50 and $65/night. These bids included $20 American Express bonus money that is no longer available, but excluding the bonus money the winning bids would rise to only $70 and $85/night. (But there is currently a link for a $5/night (up to $25 total) bonus money opportunity in the Bonus Money Opportunities thread on the Web site mentioned above.) <BR> <BR>Using some of the strategies detailed on the Web site, you could bid on a 4* property in downtown Seattle plus get 5 free rebids (by adding, one by one, other Priceline zones in the Seattle area that don't include 4* properties). And (although you can bid using any credit card that Priceline accepts) if you have an American Express card, you can use AmEx's Private Payment numbers to get an unlimited number of free rebid opportunities--so if you're patient, you can increase your rebid amounts slowly so that you don't overbid on a winning bid. <BR> <BR>Anyway, the downside to bidding with Priceline is that you aren't guaranteed a particular property--just one that falls within a certain star-designation (1*, 2*, 3*, 4*). If you bid for a 4* in the Downtown zone in Seattle, you might not be right near the Space Needle, but downtown Seattle isn't too huge. There's an art to using Priceline, but it's all laid out on the Web site. <BR> <BR>Usual disclaimers apply--I have no affiliation with or vested interest in the Priceline-bidding Web site (other than being a member), I have no affiliation with American Express, there's no guarantee that you'll get a particular hotel via Priceline, you need to read the information on the Web site to understand the bidding strategies, etc. <BR> <BR>Anyway, hope you enjoy your trip to Seattle. (It's hard not to!) <BR> <BR> <BR>

I appreciate your interest in the Hilton but it is the one major hotel in the Seattle area that I have avoided over the past 30 years, since I have heard that it is somewhat strange. Even the Portland Hilton, in which I have recently stayed, is odd in that it has the smallest rooms that I have ever seen in a major hotel. There must be something about Pacific Northwest Hiltons! So before you stay there, please get some more advice. If the price is a criterion, the Entertainment Book (see their website) can save you a lot of money.