Timeshare in Seattle?

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

I was thinking of using Priceline, but I was reading somewhere (and I don't remember where) that there were folks upset at how they'd drawn the lines and felt there were hotels being given out that weren't in the areas people wanted. It was suggested to use Hotwire instead.

Priceline frequently adjusts the boundaries and zones in various locales. I've learned it always pays to check. Particularly in downtown areas, I've found that you are much lore likely to end up on the fringe of the area, particularly if you are bidding anything other than 5*.

As for the ratings, it's well known that Hotwire is more generous with it's ratings than is Priceline. I typically deduct one star from Hotwire rankings.

With Hotwire you also need to be aware of the zone boundaries as well, particularly when the offer isn't sufficienly distinct to enable you to make a good guess as to what the particular hotel is.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Priceline will always get you a better price than Hotwire

That's not true Frank. I've had a lot of experience where HW has had prices equal to or better than Priceline. My standard approach is to try to find the best "open market" rate for hotels in an area. I then do a Hotwire request and comare that with the open market to be sure that Hotwire is actually offering a deal. (There are times when Hotwire is more expensive.) From that information I set my price point for what I am willing to pay on PL.

Using that information I start my PL bidding at some level below the price point based on the number of rebids I can make. If PL doesn't come through for me I take the better offer I had between the open market and HW.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

That's not true Frank. I've had a lot of experience where HW has had prices equal to or better than Priceline. My standard approach is to try to find the best "open market" rate for hotels in an area. I then do a Hotwire request and comare that with the open market to be sure that Hotwire is actually offering a deal. (There are times when Hotwire is more expensive.) From that information I set my price point for what I am willing to pay on PL.

Using that information I start my PL bidding at some level below the price point based on the number of rebids I can make. If PL doesn't come through for me I take the better offer I had between the open market and HW.

It is always posted on bidding for travel that PL will always beat hotwire for deals. They normaly tell you to look at hotwire first then bid below the hotwire price on PL

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

It is always posted on bidding for travel that PL will always beat hotwire for deals. They normaly tell you to look at hotwire first then bid below the hotwire price on PL

You can bid below, but won't always get those lower prices on Priceline.

[easyrider Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close easyrider]

Another place we like in Seattle is the Marriott Courtyard Lake Union. City view is a nice view of the Space Needle. This Marriott is very close to the trolly line and serves a decent breakfast. The motel charges $25 per day for indoor parking but there is a pay parking lot across the street and parking on the curb is free.

[easyrider Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close easyrider]

I just got back from a few days in Seattle. We stated at the Inn at Harbor Steps. Liked it very much. Much less expensive than the Inn at the Market and only about a block away from Pike Street Market.

Inn at Harbor Steps, Located in the Heart of Seattle Near Pike Place Market

Thanks Luanne. I looked at the special offers. It looks very good. How was breakfast ?

Bill

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

It is always posted on bidding for travel that PL will always beat hotwire for deals. They normaly tell you to look at hotwire first then bid below the hotwire price on PL

They can say it all they want, but it's not true.

There have been times when I have bid Priceline first and been shut out. Then I went to Hotwire and got offers that were less than what I got shut out on by Priceline, even after accounting for the difference in ratings.

For example. I might be turned down by Priceline bidding 3* for $40. Hotwire comes back with a 4* (which is usually better than a PL 3*; PL 3.5* is like HW 4*) at somewhere between $35 and $40.

In my experience it's very common to connect on a Courtyard by Marriott (usually 3.5* in PL) for less than the amounts of unsuccessful PL bids. Last time this happened to me was in January, on our ill-fated trip to Portland.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

They can say it all they want, but it's not true.

There have been times when I have bid Priceline first and been shut out. Then I went to Hotwire and got offers that were less than what I got shut out on by Priceline, even after accounting for the difference in ratings.

For example. I might be turned down by Priceline bidding 3* for $40. Hotwire comes back with a 4* (which is usually better than a PL 3*; PL 3.5* is like HW 4*) at somewhere between $35 and $40.

In my experience it's very common to connect on a Courtyard by Marriott (usually 3.5* in PL) for less than the amounts of unsuccessful PL bids. Last time this happened to me was in January, on our ill-fated trip to Portland.

I think you have the 2 back wards, a 3 star PL hotel maybe rated a 3.5 or 4 star on Hotwire.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

They can say it all they want, but it's not true.

There have been times when I have bid Priceline first and been shut out. Then I went to Hotwire and got offers that were less than what I got shut out on by Priceline, even after accounting for the difference in ratings.

For example. I might be turned down by Priceline bidding 3* for $40. Hotwire comes back with a 4* (which is usually better than a PL 3*; PL 3.5* is like HW 4*) at somewhere between $35 and $40.

In my experience it's very common to connect on a Courtyard by Marriott (usually 3.5* in PL) for less than the amounts of unsuccessful PL bids. Last time this happened to me was in January, on our ill-fated trip to Portland.

I did not have to look for long to find what I needed , even with my slow internet I was able to go there find a thread and post it here with my slow typing in under 5 min
Stick with Priceline-Hotwire sucks in General Observations About Hotwire Forum Keep in mind Bidding for travel is the expert on PL and hotwire bidding like we are on Timeshareing

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

Thanks Luanne. I looked at the special offers. It looks very good. How was breakfast ?

Bill

Breakfast was good, but didn't change much day to day. We were there for four breakfasts. Each morning they had scrambled eggs, and hash browns. They usually had some type of quiche, or two and a couple of mornings they had poached eggs also. There was a variety of breads, English muffins and muffins, fresh fruit, cold cereal and oatmeal, juice, tea and coffee. They also had fresh baked cookies at the front desk each day and the cook/baker was usually making them in the morning while we were at breakfast.

Also, there was bottled water in the rooms and it was replaced each day. The room we stayed in, a double double, was quite large. If you use their parking garage the cost is $20.00/day.

I'd definitely stay there again.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

I did not have to look for long to find what I needed , even with my slow internet I was able to go there find a thread and post it here with my slow typing in under 5 min
Stick with Priceline-Hotwire sucks in General Observations About Hotwire Forum Keep in mind Bidding for travel is the expert on PL and hotwire bidding like we are on Timeshareing

That's not exactly correct, Frank. Bidding for Travel is the expert on Priceline. They most assuredly are not the place to go for information about Hotwire. For that, you need to go to betterbidding.com.

*******

Sheryl, who runs bft with a tight fist, is a fan-girl for Priceline. She is very biased against Hotwire, often to the point of being hostile and condescending to anyone who dares post that they did better with Hotwire. If you drive away everyone from your site who might say that they got a better deal with Hotwire, it becomes pretty easy to say that with all of the bids entered on the site Hotwire has almost never come in lower than Priceline.

Note that Sheryl also makes money from BFT by driving traffic to Priceline through referral links. (Which, by the way, I'm glad to do to help support her site.) But she is not at all an impartial observer. While she wants people to use Hotwire as an aid to bidding on Priceline, she doesn't want them to actually book reservations through Hotwire.

One of the reasons why betterbidding.com was set up an alternate to biddingfortravel was because of Shery's very obvious and overt hostility toward Hotwire. As a result, betterbidding is the go-to site for info on Hotwire.

******

Also note that the thread that you linked was started in 2004. At that time I would have agreed; that was certainly my experience working with the sites.

Since 2004 that has changed quite. I first noticed it with rental cars, where HW started beating PL on occasion. A year or two later they started being competitive on hotel rooms as well.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I agree about Sheryl being tough and as far as I know and I can be wrong she gets a cut if it is PL or hotwire.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

I agree about Sheryl being tough and as far as I know and I can be wrong she gets a cut if it is PL or hotwire.

You piqued my interest. I went to bft and tried the links to HW and PL.

The PL link inlcuded click referral. whereas I couldn't see one for the HW link.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

You piqued my interest. I went to bft and tried the links to HW and PL.

The PL link inlcuded click referral. whereas I couldn't see one for the HW link.

it's there look at the top left hand corner