icedancer

Done and done. Sorry about that.

Resort

Free Parking

Beachfront Property

Oceanfront Property

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

Laundry Facilities (self-service)

High-Speed Internet Access

Golf Nearby

Tennis Nearby

Spa Services

Children's Activity Program

Accessible for the blind

Accessible for the deaf

Accessible path of travel

In-room accessibility

Accessible bathroom

Handicapped parking

Roll-in shower

My apologies for forgetting to follow up. I was unsuccessful in bidding up to $140 in a couple of tries. We ended up reserving the Royal Scot Suites and got a 2Br suite with kitchen for about $156 (with coupons).

Had the exact same experience as the other poster who got the Hyatt for nearly the same dates -- PRICELINE wouldn't accept anything up to $190 -- wanted $235 as a minimum bid.

Done! Sorry, it's been a while since I've been here and seem to have forgotten protocol.

I'm willing to bid as high as $140.

For the weekend of 7/19-7/21, I'm pricing out the Fairmont Empress at $253 USD, Marriott Inner Harbour at $240 USD and the Delta Victoria at $250 ($226 with AAA discount). The Laurel Point Inn and Magnolia Hotel are both sold out for that weekend. What looks to be the Delta Victoria is showing up on HOTWIRE for $189.

Thanks in advance.

Did you end up purchasing this hotel, and were you correct that it was the Mauna Lani? I'm looking at the same one for March. I'm tempted to go for it, since rates through the hotel website are $450/night and up.

I suggested this to my husband and he thought there shouldn't be much problem if he's heading there at 5am.

BTW, I was able to locate and book a backup -- $269+ tax (A Columbia U. contracted rate) for the Ameritania hotel near Times Square. It's cancellable up until 3pm the day before arrival. It's listed as 3-star in various places, but the reviews seem REALLY, REALLY mixed and there appears to have been a fire in the lobby a couple of weeks ago. Yikes!

Do you think there's any shot at doing better with something from an opaque seller, or should he just count his blessings that he found anything at all in the city that was above the level of Hostel?

He was not considering getting a car. He's adept at using the subway, but he doesn't want to get stranded at the end of a line somewhere and not be able to hail a taxi, or be stuck hailing a taxi in a not-so-great area.

He will be taking the Acela Express Train into Penn Station from Boston on 10/14 (arriving ~5pm) and will be flying out of JFK at 6:45am on 10/19.

Hi,

Husband has a business trip coming up and is looking for a hotel for 10/14-10/19 (5 nights) with good access to Columbia University (116th and Broadway). We're trying to figure out the best places outside of Manhattan to look. Candidates appear to be: Ft. Lee, Jersey City, and Laguardia Ariport. He will not have a car, but is willing to spend a comparable amount per day on taxis. (~$60 if necessary). Hotel budget is up to $200/night.

Any thoughts?

OUCH! :)

I bid for several straight days, 4* and 3*, all zones that have those levels. Bid through the SB link.

The pain has only just begun. For the second half of this trip, husband needs a room for 5 nights in NYC!

Does anyone know if something's going on in Boston at this time? My husband is looking for a room in the Cambridge area for those exact dates, and rates are pretty astronomical. Could this just be normal mid-week business travel?

Another update -- I found the Hotel De France (in the Ringstrasse, and listed at 5* on Priceline and other sites) for $182 including all taxes, fees and breakfast on Otel.com. I've booked this as my backup. This equates to a maximum bid of around $135-140 + taxes and fees on Priceline, taking into account that breakfast isn't included. I may try once or twice more before the cancellation penalties kick in on the backup, but $135 doesn't seem too promising.

Just to follow up, I have re-tried several times and have been unsuccessful up to $145.

So I went to try again tonight, and saw that Priceline had some special deal -- the price of the Intercontinental through their regular booking engine had dropped to $188. Do you think I should take this to mean anything, as far as bidding strategy goes?

I followed the same strategy as you suggested above and was again rejected up to $125. Going back to the IC hotel's own website, the lowest available price was still about $239.

Not to rain on your parade, but in my experience, when Priceline comes back with a counteroffer like the one you mention, you can go back and add a re-bid zone and undercut the offer by $5-$10 and still get Priceline to accept. Of course, it's contingent upon having the free re-bids available...

OK, I followed the strategy and was rejected up to $125. I'm going to try again over the next several days before raising my max bid or lowering my * rating.

FWIW, the taxes and fees seemed very high -- something on the order of 27%.

Thanks for the suggestions, as always.

So the 5*'s in the city center appear to be the Bristol and Intercontinental.

Bristol is pricing out at ~$373 (Single)

Intercontinental is ~$239

Max bid is $125

Priceline is claiming that the median price for a 5* luxury hotel is $242.

Any thoughts on this one?

el cheapo...

$50, first try. Started bid through SB link.

Thanks again!

Got the Hyatt Regency O'Hare for $50, first try.

Thanks for the help. Started the bid through the SavingsBarn link.

Am I correct that my re-bid zone is Chicago-Midway?

I'm just curious about the strategy...Is this based on a "Hotwire - $15" rule? I saw 4* with golf on Hotwire and assumed it was the Westin based on the descriptions in the Hotwire hotel list.

I'm looking for some bidding assistance for a 4* hotel on 7/10 near Chicago O'Hare.

My maximum bid is $100

Comparables (from the company websites):

Hilton O'Hare: $237

Hyatt O'Hare: $199

Westin O'Hare: $229

Doubletree: $179

Sofitel: $179 ($149 fully prepaid)

Thanks in advance!

The Westin Poinsett finally sold out (per the Westin website), so I've decided to go for a 3*. I started a new thread with my results.

The Westin Poinsett finally sold out, so I was out of luck with 4*. Decided to go with 3* and won the Hilton for $55. Bid $50 on the first try, and then was made a counteroffer of at least $64. Rejected the counteroffer and went with $55 on the next try.

Started my bidding through the SavingsBarn link.

Cheers.

Still no luck, up to $120. If I can't get an acceptance by Wednesday, I'll go for 3*.

I'm definitely still looking, and from the Westin website, there definitely are still rooms available. I've been trying 2-3 times a week up to $120, and have had zero luck. Not even a counteroffer.