San Diego hotels on Priceline: any downside?

[Sthomp]

It was suggested to try Priceline for our one night pre-cruise stay in San Diego next February.

 

We don't have a specific place in mind, just somewhere downtown. Would love to get a bargain, but don't want a crappy hotel either. Is there a downside? Is there a bad hotel that we could possibly get?

 

Any tips or recommendations would be appreciated!

[WINEMANVISALIA]

we live in san diego and often priceline a room to find out about our town...

SAN DIEGO

 

Downtown San Diego & Harbor Island

 

5 Star

The US Grant [reviews] (formerly a Wyndham hotel)

 

4 Star

Andaz San Diego

Hilton Bayfront

Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter [reviews]

Hotel Solamar [reviews]

Manchester Grand Hyatt [reviews]

Marriott Gaslamp Quarter [reviews]

Marriott Marquis & Marina [reviews]

Omni Hotel San Diego [reviews]

Se San Diego

Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina [reviews]

W Hotel San Diego

Westin Gaslamp Quarter [reviews]

Westin San Diego (formerly Wyndham Emerald Plaza) [reviews]

The Westgate Hotel [reviews]

[Sthomp]

Thank you ... great information!

[riffatsea]

February is often a good time here to get deals on hotels as it is kind of off season.

I would NOT do Priceline NOW for next Feb!!

You get the best deals when a hotel is not full and wants to give away its rooms but it is certainly to early for them to know now for that far away.

You might also keep track of deals by looking at:

http://www.travelzoo.com

This web site tracks deals all over the world and then gives you coupon codes to use on the hotel's own web site. We have gotten wonderful deals for staycations here in San Diego by watching that site and signing up for its 20 best deal e-mails.

[MAHLO]

we live in san diego and often priceline a room to find out about our town...

SAN DIEGO

 

Downtown San Diego & Harbor Island

 

5 Star

The US Grant [reviews] (formerly a Wyndham hotel)

 

4 Star

Andaz San Diego

Hilton Bayfront

Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter [reviews]

Hotel Solamar [reviews]

Manchester Grand Hyatt [reviews]

Marriott Gaslamp Quarter [reviews]

Marriott Marquis & Marina [reviews]

Omni Hotel San Diego [reviews]

Se San Diego

Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina [reviews]

W Hotel San Diego

Westin Gaslamp Quarter [reviews]

Westin San Diego (formerly Wyndham Emerald Plaza) [reviews]

The Westgate Hotel [reviews]

As you are a native what do you hear concerning Holiday Inn on the bay? Hubby wants that 1. I'am leaning towards Mission Inn Old Town any suggestions on those 2? Thanks.

[WINEMANVISALIA]

holiday inn on bay is in front of cruise terminal/near uss midway...you have rickshaw peddelers or cabs that can take you to seaport village and rest of downtown area-many great restaurants baseball dancing etc...much to see and do and eat...if you can walk so much the better...

 

old town is a state park that has been restored to turn of the century ambience with great mexican food, entertainment, drinks of course, new orleans type eatery-many shops...you would have to cab it to downtown area...my old town hotel recommendations would hacienda hotel or cosmopolitan hotel (b and b type) but you are atop working restaurant and overlooking people walking by...they have authentic drinks from the old days...easy to walk

 

so depends on your capability to walk and your interests...keep asking we are retired and love to share our town with people...

[ScootsMom]

Do you know anything about the Holiday Inn Express at the Airport?

Thanks for your help.

[kruzin']

:) we will be in san diego ,labor day weekend...we are staying at dbletree-downtown with points....any comments about the hotel and any "secrets" you can share with me about your city? we need an italian restuarant/pizza place and a great place for cannolis...any info is appreciated and thanks in advanceiffatsea;29617240]February is often a good time here to get deals on hotels as it is kind of off season.

I would NOT do Priceline NOW for next Feb!!

You get the best deals when a hotel is not full and wants to give away its rooms but it is certainly to early for them to know now for that far away.

You might also keep track of deals by looking at:

www.travelzoo.com

This web site tracks deals all over the world and then gives you coupon codes to use on the hotel's own web site. We have gotten wonderful deals for staycations here in San Diego by watching that site and signing up for its 20 best deal e-mails.

[Rina155]

I just learned by reading this board that Comfort Inn at Old Town Airport is now "HI Express" I made reservations several months ago for the "Comfort Inn" I am hoping even though they changed chains my ressie is still in effect. I plan to call tomorrow regarding it. Online it states I still have a reservation but still as the old name of the hotel..

[Fattony]

I assume you mean the name your own price (some call "bidding") feature of Priceline. I wouldn't rule out Hotwire, since, using the icons for features, you can sometimes get a better idea of where you might end up.

 

www.betterbidding.com can be a useful tool when utilizing Priceline or Hotwire. You can ask questions, and also get an idea of hotels others have gotten using the two services. There are also hotel reviews (you can also look at Tripadvisor for reviews of hotels that you think you might get). There is no guarantee that you'll get one of the hotels others have gotten and reported (the hotels used can change, and not every user of Priceline or Hotiwre send info to Better Bidding). Be careful with the geographic areas used by either of these services. They use different geographic designations (they also use different ratings, so what one considers a 3-star another might consider 4-star). Make sure you'd be happy anywhere within the area for that service.

 

We used Priceline last June, and with an $80 bid (plus taxes and fees; always be sure of those), we got the Omni, next to Petco Park. Enjoyed it. Note that parking can be expensive (i.e., $20-35 a night) at many area hotels. I did have one unpleasant experience with Priceline, for an LAX hotel: I got a 4-star hotel (Sheraton Gateway) 3 weeks before our trip, but just before we arrived in L.A., Priceline informed me that the hotel "discovered" that it was overbooked and we were being put in the Radisson (3 or 3 1/2-star) down the street. I found their customer service department hard to deal with (Hotwire a little easier), but if you go in knowing the service's limitations, you can benefit from savings.

 

Disadvantages of using Priceline or Hotwire are well-known and discussed at length on many forums: pricipally that you don't know your hotel until you book, plus the fact that they are non-refundable. If your plans change or you don't like the hotel you get, it's basically tough luck. I think one or both offer trip insurance but I don't know its limitations. I've seen complaints on Better Bidding of people getting (or saying they got) worse rooms, and with less ability to request changes, if they got their room through Priceline (not sure about Hotwire). Most hotel chains do not let you earn points with their frequent guest programs if you've booked through a service like Priceline, though the Omni in SD was an exception.

[Fattony]

I just learned by reading this board that Comfort Inn at Old Town Airport is now "HI Express" I made reservations several months ago for the "Comfort Inn" I am hoping even though they changed chains my ressie is still in effect. I plan to call tomorrow regarding it. Online it states I still have a reservation but still as the old name of the hotel..

 

I'd phone the hotel. We can only guess.

[Rina155]

I'd phone the hotel. We can only guess.

 

I received an e-mail yesterday and phoned the hotel they are still honoring my reservation at the same price. :)

[mudscraper]

In Feb. 2010 using Hotwire ($68.00) we stayed at Hotel Solamar--excellent.

That same month using Priceline ($70.00) we stayed at Marriott Gaslamp-excellent.

Solamar had a great complimentary wine tasting Happy Hour.

The Marriott has a fantastic rooftop bar.

[Sthomp]

In Feb. 2010 using Hotwire ($68.00) we stayed at Hotel Solamar--excellent.

That same month using Priceline ($70.00) we stayed at Marriott Gaslamp-excellent.

Solamar had a great complimentary wine tasting Happy Hour.

The Marriott has a fantastic rooftop bar.

 

Oh! Both of those hotels sound great!

 

When do you guys recommend I start bidding for the first weekend of February?

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I bid downtown San Diego last year and won the "W" Hotel. It was very contemporary, very nice. A little quirky. It is a 4* hotel. The only downside we experienced was the parking. It is quite expensive to park there, as it is at most downtown San Diego Hotels, plus extra fees for things like the internet. Also, breakfast was very pricey and there were no alternatives within walking distance that we could see.

 

We stayed at the HI at the Bay (I think that is the one) previously, which is a 3.5*, but not downtown with free parking and free internet and the standard hotel free breakfast. Because of that, the HI was a better price per day, even though we paid internet rate instead of Priceline. So, if you have a car and can drive to the places you want to go and if price is your major priority, then you may want to consider booking someplace a little farther from downtown where you can get free parking. The HI was an easy drive to downtown and had a free shuttle to the port.

 

If you want to stay downtown and don't have a car or don't care about the parking fees, then I don't think you can go wrong with the 4* Priceline hotels.:)

 

BTW - I usually begin my Priceline bidding 4-6 weeks prior to my trip. If I am going on a cruise or if it is a high demand time of year for an area I will usually pre-reserve a hotel at a slightly lower star level than what I will be bidding for that I could be happy with as a back up in the event my bidding is unsuccessful. I have only had to use that back up once, but it was good to have. Just be sure you can cancel your back up without penalty if you do get a successful bid on Priceline. Also, be sure to not bid MORE than your back up rate! I usually keep my bidding at least $20 - $25/night less than my back up rate to compensate for extra charges that the individual hotel you win may charge, such as those I mentioned before. It seems the higher the star rating, the fewer included amenities. If your primary goal in using Priceline is to have a nice hotel at a significant savings don't get so caught up in the bidding that you actually spend more in the long run than what you could arrange on your own.

[mudscraper]

Oh! Both of those hotels sound great!

 

When do you guys recommend I start bidding for the first weekend of February?

I think we booked this cruise three months prior and did our bidding at the same time.

[trvlcarib]

WINEMANVISALIA,

 

I'm looking at a 3 day weekend to catch the Chargers/Bills game in Dec. Would like a nice area to stay near water. Coming from Colorado and don't have much of that here. Would like to be walking distance to some restaurants/bars shopping. No car so will have to figure out light rail to game on Sunday. Any help or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks

[Johanna7]

holiday inn on bay is in front of cruise terminal/near uss midway...you have rickshaw peddelers or cabs that can take you to seaport village and rest of downtown area-many great restaurants baseball dancing etc...much to see and do and eat...if you can walk so much the better...

 

old town is a state park that has been restored to turn of the century ambience with great mexican food, entertainment, drinks of course, new orleans type eatery-many shops...you would have to cab it to downtown area...my old town hotel recommendations would hacienda hotel or cosmopolitan hotel (b and b type) but you are atop working restaurant and overlooking people walking by...they have authentic drinks from the old days...easy to walk

 

so depends on your capability to walk and your interests...keep asking we are retired and love to share our town with people...

 

You do know San Diego. We do not, living in Toronto, Canada. We are flying in on the 2nd of Feb. 2012 and our cruise leaves Feb. 4. We would like a hotel near the port with some restaurants nearby. We are also interested in spending the one full day in between in taking a hop on, hop off trolley or something like that to see some of the sights in San Diego.

 

Any suggestions? When to book the hotel. Thanks.

[lssg]

only downside is when you bid on priceline and hotwire, along with your bid you have additional taxes and fees...I tried for priceline for a hotel in November 2011, bid was for $85 a night for a 4 star hotel in downtown San Diego and the total cost would be $104 (not bad) but I didn't win any hotel...ended up finding a deal for the holiday in on the bay so I booked it