My Usual Hotels Are Booked! Any Alternative Searching Suggestions?

[HarmonyNYC]

Does anyone have any alternative ideas or suggestions other then Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline for finding an affordable hotel?

I usually find what I am looking for at rates just under 100 bucks or just over.

But every place I usually stay at, at said rate in Downtown Montreal is booked for the weekend that I'll be intown!

That weekend being May 26th till May 28th.

Should I call hotels directly or if Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline say they are booked that means they are booked?

I thought booking directly with a hotel would only get you higher rates then what such services as Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline will get you?

What I am looking for is a modest hotel in:

- "Downtown" Montreal area

with

- Internet connections (or wireless) in the room.


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[UNDFTD]

It's all you Americans coming up for Memorial Day weekend...

Try this

http://www.hotwire.com

 

[chowhound]

I was also going to suggest Hotwire. I noticed that when I obtained a hotel on hotwire, that the same hotel was listed as full on the other travel websites. Travelocity is another one, but I don't think it will be much different than Orbitz in my experience, but it may be worth a try.
I suspect that the real problem may be the noticeable increase in prices, which may be partially attributable to the current exchange rates.

 

[Doc Holliday]

For some reason, the hotels have jacked up their prices considerably this month, and they've never meen as high (in May) as they are for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. I've bid up to $100 via PL for a 4-star and was unsuccessful. I'm not gonna spend more than that amount on any hotel if i do happen to come to Mtl at the end of the month. The way things look right now, i will postpone my trip....unless of course, the prices drastically go down, which i doubt. If hotel prices in May are any indication, it looks like the doc won't be seeing Mtl very often this upcoming summer! I've already begun to book weekends in Toronto at much more reasonable rates (Renaissance at Rogers Center=$50, Sheraton Centre=$60, Westin HC=$70). Looks like Toronto might be a better place to hang out this summer....anyone visiting this great city this summer?

 

[chef]

For some reason, the hotels have jacked up their prices considerably this month, and they've never meen as high (in May) as they are for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. I've bid up to $100 via PL for a 4-star and was unsuccessful. I'm not gonna spend more than that amount on any hotel if i do happen to come to Mtl at the end of the month. ..................QUOTE]

It looks like we need some enterprising Montrel-based merbite to rent a room to Doc, and be away while Doc plays doctor with an SP.

 

[EagerBeaver]

I just checked Hotwire's rates for 5/26-5/28:

$219 4.5 star (think Vogue, Hotel W, Intercontinental)
$136 4 star (think Hyatt, Sheraton)
$91 3 star (think Days Inn, Quality Inn)

Not exactly the best deals.

I saw a quote of $153 on Priceline for the Days Inn on Guy. This place, as previously described by others, is a rathole.

There has been a spike in prices this month and in particular on Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-28. I am not sure why. I have been to Montreal on Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day weekends and at the peak of Jazz festival each of the past 4 years, and I have never seen hotel prices this high.

 

[incognito_NYC]

Hotels.com

Lately I've been getting pretty good rates for the places I want to stay using www.Hotels.com so give them a try.

And your comment about a hotel being booked ... well if Priceline or some other service says the hotel is booked doesn't necessarily mean that the hotel is full. You can always call direct as a last resort but you'll pay full price.

What the discount services do is purchase large blocks of rooms for various hotels and different dates. When they've sold all of their bookings then they'll tell you the hotel is all booked. But trying one of their competitors or the hotel directly should work unless it's a peak travel time (say Gran Prix or Jazz Fest) when alot of the good places fill up fast.

 

[picasso]

Think FX

Guys,

The reason why hotel prices are higher now than in previous years even during major US holidays has to do with the exchange rate. The USD is really tanking relative to the CAD, it's 1USD = 1.10CAD now. Hotels in Mtl book their margins in CAD so those of us who bid on PL with USD have to fork out more.

 

[picasso]

Hmmm....a trip to Germany is actually beginning to make more sense.

If you're planning to go, better do it before or after the World Cup. Even so, the high cost of jet fuel has also made transatlantic fares a lot higher. I'm actually heading there in late summer and the best fare I got was $675 on Lufthansa from JFK to FRA.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Guys,

The reason why hotel prices are higher now than in previous years even during major US holidays has to do with the exchange rate. The USD is really tanking relative to the CAD, it's 1USD = 1.10CAD now. Hotels in Mtl book their margins in CAD so those of us who bid on PL with USD have to fork out more.

How do you explain the fact that I got the Omni on Priceline for $72 only a few weeks ago - the lowest accepted 4 star bid I have had in the last few years (usually get hits in the $75-85 range) - but nobody is accepting bookings on 4 stars up to $100 and the 3 star bookings up to $75 on Memorial Day Weekend?

The exchange rate is part of it but there is a spike in hotel prices on that particular weekend which is not fully explained by the exchange rate which is bad, but has not tanked that much in the last year (maybe it was 1.17 this time last year).

 

[Doc Holliday]

How do you explain the fact that I got the Omni on Priceline for $72 only a few weeks ago - the lowest accepted 4 star bid I have had in the last few years (usually get hits in the $75-85 range) - but nobody is accepting bookings on 4 stars up to $100 and the 3 star bookings up to $75 on Memorial Day Weekend?

.....and i got the Omni for $61 three weeks ago. Oh, these times are-a-changin'....

 

[Robert 21]

Even if the sps would be free, i'm still not paying more than $100 for ANY hotel room in Mtl......

Hello !

I found this Info on Travelocity
(My apologies, as I have never stayed @ the below Property....sorry)

Hotel Les Suites Labelle
1205 Labelle Montreal, QC H2L 4C1
Downtown Montreal
Standard Room 1 Double Bed - Avg Nightly Rate: $97.27
Superior Room 1 Queen Bed - Avg Nightly Rate: $119.02

Hotel Description
97 rooms, 9 floors

It is the perfect location for business or leisure travelers looking for comfort at a decent price in the Montreal Downtown area. 97 room and suites / 4 conference rooms. Capacity 15-100 pax / Continental buffet breakfast included FIT / Continental breakfast included groups / Indoor parking for a fee / Free high speed internet / Free local calls / 24 hour front desk
Just steps away from Berri UQAM metro station
Les Suites Labelle was inaugurated in July 2005.

********************************************************

also found this Note.......

Residence Inn by Marriott Montreal Westmount
2170 LINCOLN AVENUE Montreal, QC H3H2N5
Downtown Montreal
Lowest Avg Nightly Rate:$121.26
What you should know:
The hotel is undergoing renovations to its balconies and exterior walls, now through September 30th 2006. This will generate an increase in noise levels during the day.

Thanks...............


****ahhhh, What Price to Pay.....for a Place to Stay****

 

[metoo4]

I was at the Residence Inn Westmount last week and go there once in a while. The place is clean and quiet. Construction noise is mostly daytime so, if you're in after let's say 6:00PM and out before around 8:00, no noise.
If you can, get the 1 bedroom suite, not much more expensive but more space.
No problems with getting SP in before 11:00PM. (outside door locked at night) Was there about 1 month ago and, look like some hobbyist was there also Got back to my room around 10:30PM and met with a tall tiny sexy blonde getting into the elevator on my floor. I almost asked her to join me

Same price range and same area is the Clarion on Maisonneuve. I'd say avoid. Smaller rooms, older and kind of rundown. Also bed sucks... Blonde cutie at the reception desk but too bad she doesn't do room service...

 

[picasso]

How do you explain the fact that I got the Omni on Priceline for $72 only a few weeks ago - the lowest accepted 4 star bid I have had in the last few years (usually get hits in the $75-85 range) - but nobody is accepting bookings on 4 stars up to $100 and the 3 star bookings up to $75 on Memorial Day Weekend?

The exchange rate is part of it but there is a spike in hotel prices on that particular weekend which is not fully explained by the exchange rate which is bad, but has not tanked that much in the last year (maybe it was 1.17 this time last year).

EB,

You can go to:
http://www.oanda.com/convert/fxhistory
and check the exchange rate for the Memorial Day weekend last year. It was 1USD = 1.25CAD which is about 15% higher in favor of the dollar last year. Throw in the higher demand factor plus higher cost of doing business for the hotel. All of that should account for the 33% hike in getting a 3* hotel room on Memorial Day weekend.

 

[picasso]

FKKs

Considering i usually pay $400-500 to fly to Mtl, maybe i should give Bavaria some consideration. Breadman tells me that it doesn't cost him more than $50-100 per day to hobby with different women. So i'm starting to wonder why the hell i should keep on going to Mtl now that the hotel prices are sky high...?? Who knows...maybe i'll soon be saying "see you next fall, Montreal"......

If you choose the German FKK option, here's a more realistic cost scenario. Let's assume you're going there for 3 nights-it wouldn't make sense to travel all that distance for anything less. All in USD
Airfare: $700
Hotel (nothing too fancy, Accor-type, booked online): $200
FKK admission fees: 3 X 50 euros = $190
4 girls/day (std service) = 4 x 50 euros x 3 = $760 (that's being conservative . It's like being a kid in a candy store!)
Transportation (car rental is recommended since the big FKK clubs are really in the middle of nowhere except for some urban clubs in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Koln)
Food (lousy, not what one is used to in Montreal).
So, you're probably looking at $2500 for 3 days of bliss in the FKKs and shag some stunning Eastern European babes. Still a pretty good deal IMO. Different experience from Montreal, not exactly cheaper alternative.

 

[HarmonyNYC]

If you can, please detail the good and the bad on these...

If you can, please detail the good and the bad on these hotels that are not mentioned much on merb.

Main intertest or concern is the need for a "Downtown" location and "high-speed" internet access.

1 - Taj Mahal

2 - Quality Hotel

Are both of these places considered "downtown" Montreal. And if you've stayed at either place, is the internet access "high-speed" or "dial-up".


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[chef]

Not a Plug

This is not a plug for the chain (I have nothing to do with them), but I just got a Starwood Mastercard, and got 5,000 points for my first purchase, and 5,000 points the first time I stay at a Starwood property (full rate, not Priceline etc). I get the Sheraton Mtl for 2800 points plus US$45.

 

[DirtyOWL]

Taj Mahal

Main intertest or concern is the need for a "Downtown" location and "high-speed" internet access.
1 - Taj Mahal
------------------------------------

Yeah, the Taj Mahal would be 'downtown'. It's a nice looking place, but in kind of a bad location. It's on St Herbert, right behind the main bus station. If you get a good price, I wouldn't worry too much about the location. It has nice under-hotel parking. It seemed safe enough, although that block of St Herbert is a known drug hangout. I think if you get a room in the back, you might get the noise of the buses coming in at all hours.

'High-speed' internet should be a broadband connection. If they don't say 'HIGH-SPEED', then they just have a data port on the voice phone (dial-up). And if they don't say 'Free' then they will probably charge $10/day, so ASK.

 

[Robert 21]

..... but nobody is accepting bookings on 4 stars up to $100 and the 3 star bookings up to $75 on Memorial Day Weekend?

Hello !

Sorry for the Delay......can NOT Access/Post MERB from Work (B^st^rds)

Received the following this a.m. from Priceline for Memeorial Day Weekend

Your Price Has Been Accepted
Congratulations, you got your price of $89 for a 3-star hotel room.

Hyatt Regency Montreal



Thanks !

 

[EagerBeaver]

Robert 21,

For what dates? $89 is an awful lot even for a good 3 star like the Hyatt. I never paid more than $70 for a 3 star bidding on Priceline, and that was last Labor Day weekend booking last minute.