Priceline and hotwire?

Hi,

I%26#39;m fairly new to traveling, but like to get the best deal when I do go places. I%26#39;m looking to go to Philly 9/1-9/3 to see the Tut exhibit. I%26#39;ve seen posters say they got some of the well reviewed hotels for $100/night (the 4 stars). Should I go to priceline or hotwire? Which is better? Should I select ';downtown philadelphia?'; I%26#39;m nervous I could end up with a hotel that%26#39;s really far from the good side of town since I don%26#39;t know the area. Should I go with a 3 start and try and do $100 for that or go with a 4 star and try and do $100 for that?

As you can see, I%26#39;m pretty clueless about how this works. I%26#39;ve only ever used orbitz and expedia. Maybe I need a book--priceline for dummies.

Thanks for any help you can give!

Amy

Priceline and hotwire?

Hi There:

This is a special case because of 2 factors. 1, the Tut exhibit and 2, Labor Day weekend.

Normally I%26#39;d say go hotwire and pick a 4 star if budget allows, that will normally get you the best value for money.

HOWEVER, in this case you might want to hang the budget and go with the gophila.com King Tut package, which includes VIP (untimed tickets). The reason is that a lot of the good time slots for the exhibit are sold out. Embassy suites and the Sheraton are both showing $229 plus tax per night including 2 VIP Tickets.

Ticketmaster is showing 9AM for sunday as best available timed ticket as an example. Monday has some 12 PM slots however.

Hotwire is showing 3.5 stars in the $100 range, and 4 starts in $129 to $189 range, when you add in the cost of tickets ($32.50 plus fees each for timed tickets on ticketmaster) and the breakfast the embassy suites gives, $229 is not that much of a stretch. One nice thing is that while there are some mediocre hotels in Philly, there are few truly bad ones. I%26#39;ll assume you are driving in, once you have a hotel, you can let us know and we can find you cheaper parking, then you can use the Phlash to get around.

Either way, make sure you have confirmed Tut tickets pre-departure. With the exhibit leaving end of month, at the door tickets are limited as people rush to see it.