3* Seattle (Seattle Airport SEA) Radisson Gateway

In past years around the same time, I've gotten this hotel for $42 or $43, I think. In this case, I bid $42, got a counteroffer to add $12 more, failed at $46, and succeeded at $47.

With this hotel, it's possible to walk right into the airport from across the street, so it's very convenient. It's a little less nice than the Hilton or Doubletree, but still fine.

Software bug on Priceline

I'm considering going to Victoria, so I went to the bidding screen through the links above. This is using FireFox.
I selected my dates, and then I selected 2*, and saw the usual note about the average retail price being $179.
Then I clicked 1*, and I saw the average retail price was $NaN.
NaN means "Not a Number", and suggests that there is some sort of blank or null or non-numeric character in that database field.
I clicked the 2.5*, and also got the NaN.
I started from 4*, and got average retail price $218.

Anyway, perhaps there is a slight chance that the NaN is related to lack of inventory, but there could be some other reason too.

Has anyone else seen this?

San Francisco stay Dec. 25-28

I know that nebulous posts are hard to answer, but I'll try to give an idea of what I am looking for.

First of all, last time I was in San Francisco, in 2008, I stayed at the Whitcomb (free stay). In this case, I was just there overnight, so it worked out perfectly to get in and out of the airport by BART.

So far as I can see, the BART is definitely the most convenient option for getting to/from the airport. In this case I will be arriving fairly late, and probably catching the first BART in the morning (although in this case I have a 3-night stay). So even though the Whitcomb neighborhood is not at all great, I don't mind too much as I just get out of there quickly via BART.

To make a long story short, getting a nice hotel that is right by a BART stop would be ideal. Of course I am cheap as always, but I could even be tempted by a 4* at the right price. The Whitcomb is available for $58/night with EasyClickTravel, so while I might consider going higher than that for a 4* hotel, I probably would not want to bid more than $45 for an uncertain result.

Here are the criteria I am keeping in mind:

* Be near BART, if possible.

* Be at least a 2.5* hotel, maybe at least 3*. I don't think I want a hotel worse than the Whitcomb, if that helps. A small room is fine, though.

* A nice neighborhood is important if I'm not very close to the BART. (I know there are buses and MUNI also.) I definitely don't want to be stuck in the Tenderloin and have to walk several blocks through it (I have done this in the past, whether or not it's a good idea, but I don't want it to be necessary.)

In the back of my mind I am thinking that if I can't be sure of a nice, well-located hotel with bidding, I might just stay in a well-located hostel. Not sure if I would follow through with that, though.

If I bid the Civic Center zone, at 2.5*, what is likely to be the worst result I could get, given my above criteria? I know the Whitcomb comes up a lot, but obviously can't be guaranteed. I also know that new hotels can be added at any time.

For the other zones, I guess I have been too long away from San Francisco, because I don't have a clear idea of what to favour.

If you have gotten this far, any advice is welcome.

WA Seattle Marqueen Space Needle

I stayed here March 29 - April 1. This hotel has an elegant lobby, and is an older Queen-Anne-style building.

The rooms are a very good size, and amazingly you get a sizable kitchen as well, with a microwave and fridge. There's a large walk-in closet too. The bathroom is on the dated side, but everything worked fine. The bed (not sure if it was queen or king) had 8! pillows on it, and was very comfortable.

This is a hotel with uniformed bellmen and antique furniture, and I know it's referred to as a boutique hotel. The staff are friendly and helpful.

There's a free breakfast included. I looked one morning and saw some uninspiring pastries, but the fruit, yogurt, juice, coffee, and tea are no doubt good. However, I was getting breakfast elsewhere so didn't partake.

The neighborhood is lively and has lots of options at night, which can be a bit of a challenge in some downtown Seattle locations.

You can get downtown via the hotel shuttle (it left too late and finished too early for me), or you can take one of the buses that are available a few feet from the hotel. I took the #1, 2, or 13 that went along Third Street, and got downtown very quickly.

A few small points:
* The hotel seems to use some sort of potpourri, which was almost annoying, in the lobby.
* There is no elevator, and there are a few steps to walk up to the entrance. This won't be a problem for most, but something to consider if you are disabled.
* I was given the choice of a first-floor room that faced the street, or a second-floor "quiet" room that faced the back. I chose the quiet room, but had occasional problems with wireless (which I actually used a lot). I wonder if the street-facing room would have better wireless connectivity. Mostly I had no wireless problems, though. The hotel explained they had upgraded their wireless services, but it was still an old building.

3* Seattle (Center-Space Needle) Marqueen

A few days ago, I got a counteroffer when I started at $47, with a 2.5* bid for the Space Needle zone.
Today, I started at $47, and did not get a counteroffer.
I did not get a counteroffer at $49, but got them at $51, $52, and $53. The lowest rate on the site is a corporate rate of $108, so I guess they halved it for Priceline.

I was upgraded to 3* for this bid. This looks like an interesting property. Apparently the rooms are converted apartments, and I will have a kitchenette. About 6 years ago, I stayed at the lower-scale sister property, Inn at Queen Anne, and liked it pretty well. Most importantly, there is free wireless. I'm happy to try something different than the usual properties I have had. http://www.marqueen.com/

Ironically, this is one stay where I would have liked to be closer to downtown, whereas I usually don't care, and I got one of the furthest out properties possible. However, if I really wanted that, I should have stuck to the Pike Street zone, but I was not succeeding even at higher prices. I will be fine with this, and I look forward to exploring the Queen Anne neighborhood a little more.

I used the BB PRICELINE link box at the upper right.

I noticed the Days Inn Downtown on EasyClickTravel as an opaque option, for $46/night. This would have been a perfect location for me on this trip. It's supposed to be improved and under new management. But after a stay there a couple years ago (on a free night), I just couldn't face the prospect of 3 nights there.