I realize that if you need two rooms, you need to bid for two rooms, but if we bid on hotels in the Lake Union area in Seattle and get a suite hotel, like Residence Inn, is it possible to then call the hotel and upgrade from a one-bedroom suite to a two-bedroom suite? Anybody ever try that?

Vera

I'm guessing that you will not be able to upgrade at all over the phone with a Priceline reservation. Sometimes you can upgrade at the front desk when you check in, just depends on the hotel. If you are trying to factor that in before bidding, I certainly wouldn't count on being able to do it.

Andrew

I guess you could give it a try, but it doesn't sound like a logical alternative to me. Say you won a bid on a 4-cylinder car. Would you then call the car dealership to upgrade it to a 6-cylinder?

Say there are 4 of you. Assume you bid for one room and get the Residence Inn suite. You call and they can't upgrade you. Then what do you do? If you bid again, you may end up with a different hotel.

So, I don't know how this can work.

Take a look at Hotwire for a hotel room

Some people have been successful at adding nights to a Priceline reservation. Say you booked for two nights with Priceline and decide you want three. You can call them up and ask if you can add another night at the same bid price. Sometimes they'll let you do it, sometimes not. I think it depends on their inventory.

You could also try the same thing with adding a 2nd room to your Priceline reservation. Again, they may deny you, but it is worth a shot.

Andrew

Another GREAT option is www.hotels.com I used that in Seattle not long ago and stayed at a very nice hotel, close to my client's office.

I like hotels.com more than priceline because you can see the specific hotel and find out the amenities, and then book.

You can add days to a Priceline booking if you can satisfy Priceline's conditions. But you cannot add more rooms. It's stated in Priceline's FAQ.

Thanks for all your replies. I was thinking that upgrading a Priceline reservation from a one-bedroom suite to a two-bedroom suite might work, since upgrades from standard to a better class room do work for people sometimes. It is not quite the same thing as going from one individual room to two rooms. I'll take a look at hotwire, also.
Thanks again
Vera

Vera, it MAY work but it MAY not. Different hotels have different policies on how they treat Priceline users. I'd be vary wary of this.

Vera, it MAY work but it MAY not. Different hotels have different policies on how they treat Priceline users. I'd be very wary of this.

And what happens if you merely get a regular hotel room - with no option to upgrade since it was not a suite to begin with?

We always use Seattlesupersaver.com and get good rates. Sometimes they throw in parking, too.

I guess the OP thinks it's the Residence Inn because that's the only hotel posted for 2.5* Lake Union for the last several months, as listed on biddingfortravel.com, with like 10+ postings. [Most for $53.]

So, I'd say it's a reasonable guess that it'll be the RI next time too.

In that case, why not call the hotel directly and ask if they can upgrade you?

Ah, but herein lies the rub: Priceline can UPGRADE you if they wish. I once bid on a 2.5 Courtyard by Marriott (only 2.5 in the area, so I was "safe") and got a 3 star Hilton instead. I wasn't displeased but I was surprised.

Yep! For every single 3* bid I've made in Chicago, I was upgraded to a 4* on my winning bid.

sks:
Thanks for the tip on seattlesupersaver.com I'll give it a try.
Vera

Only Lake Union hotels reported on biddingfortravel.com are 2.5*, and only the Residence Inn reported in recent months.