Help using priceline to get a hotel in Austin

I am going to Austin and need a hotel I was thinking about trying priceline to name my own price but I just did it a couple times and it told me it will give me a 4 star hotel downtown if I raise my bid to $153 a night. This is more than I wanted to spend so I am very hesitant especially since I have no idea what the hotel is.

Anyone have good experience with priceline? Should I lower the star rating for what I am bidding on? Or should I scrap it all and just do a hotel through amex or some other travel site?

I use Priceline quite a bit and find that the star rating is important for the type, but the reviews help quite a bit.

When are you looking for? I hope not the F1 week....

Most of downtown is pricey. But, Austin is small, so you could look outside of downtown.

-Rob

Nope not f1 weekend, although I would like to be there for that. Yeah we want to stay downtown so we can walk to bars and nightlife. I don't want to worry about driving around.

I just tried 3 1/2 stars with the same result at the 4 star. It gave me the option of $153 a night.

Are 3 star hotels okay with them? I think at this point I would be more comfortable booking the hotel I know what it is going to be. This not knowing thing is like gambling. I was hoping we might get a room at the Driskel, but I knew that was a long shot.

Have you checked prices on the normal sites? Also, there is (was?) a site that people shared their accepted bids for various cities, you might try that. Also, try calling the hotel directly.

Yeah, the Driskill is pricey. All the downtown hotels are nice, but really expensive. I guess it depends on what you're looking for. If you just need a bed to sleep in (i.e. no 5 star room service or concierge service) then look on the Priceline normal site and just do some comparison. I would bet the 2 1/2 and 3 star rooms downtown still get great ratings, meaning they'll be safe to stay in.

Looks like Priceline considers the airport part of downtown, which it's not, nor is it a great place to stay. Most of the hotels are nice, but that part of Austin is still kinda dicey....

If you go to the regular part of Priceline and look at downtown rooms in the 3 1/2 to 4 star range, there's only 5, which means the $153/night deal is going to be one of those. (Make sure you specifically selected downtown area only). All are pricey. I would guess you'd get the Airport Hilton, which is a nice hotel ON the airport grounds, but a good 20 minute cab ride from downtown.

Otherwise, if you want to stay downtown, you're gonna have to pay....

-Rob

Yeah i guess that is the case. Although I found this cool site biddingtraveler dot com that helps you bid on priceline rooms, it has some tricks to get you the lowest price.

try airbnb or couchsurfing if you want to go super low buck.

I use hotwire for alot of my hotel bookings. It gives you the star ratings and what the cost and reviews are but not the name.

Chris

I have used Priceline when I wanted to stay right downtown in nice hotels, and have scored some good deals at truly memorable places. Your deal for the Driskill is that kind of thing. I have stayed at the Driskill, and if you do go there, actually eat dinner in the grill. At the very least, if you're on a budget have a cocktail before dinner in the very cool bar, and snack on the most excellent cheese plate. Then go to the Alamo Drafthouse for dinner and a movie. Don't forget the beer milkshake!

Have fun!

I'm staying at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capital for the F1 week and my wife is staying at the Extended Stay Deluxe on hwy 290....should be a good weekend.

Marjorie Suddard wrote: Don't forget the beer milkshake!

I'm listening!!

I also ran across the Frozen Pints stuff that is sold in Atlanta.......would love to be able to try those too!

It's delicious. Really. Creamy, thick, sweet... With a delicious nutty, toasty flavor from the porter. Alamo Drafthouse

Margie

Some of us (including me) are really familiar with Austin. Tell us what you need and we can help you out.

There are a few Motel 6's just a few miles from downtown that are $39-49 a night. The closer you are to the I-35 corridor, the cheaper they tend to be with the obvious exception of the immediate downtown area.

There are a few Staybridge suites that are also very nice and not insanely expensive.

If you want cheap and close (to downtown) you'll have a bit tougher time. The best I can suggest is the I-35/290 area. There is a Holiday Inn, a Doubletree/Hilton, and multiple others including Motel6, Super 8.

Use THIS LINK to get to the area I'm talking about, then click "search nearby" and put in Hotel. You'll find a several. Most of them are very reasonably priced and vary from slummy to awesome. Immediately adjacent to many of those hotels are some of my favorite restaurants, a liquor store, an awesome coffee shop with live music, and some other neat haunts. That area is not directly downtown but its about 5 miles away and a super-easy jaunt from the airport.

Oh, and if you want, I have several very close friends down there, including some performers you will want to see. If you want me to let them know you're coming, I can set you up.

Thanks everybody, I always love how helpful everyone is on this board. Last night I snagged a deal on priceline for downtown omni only $114 a night. That hotel is usually around $250 a night so a pretty big savings.

That biddingtraveler site is awesome it really helps you score a deal on priceline rooms, I highly recommend giving it a try.

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