CdnDavidK

Nope...Orleans. The Ottawa Marathon is two weeks later. I'm doing the Place d'Orleans Mothers Day Half Marathon on the May 13. I guess by reasonable I mean I'd like to pay about, or under, $300 for the three nights. Does that help? Does that seem reasonable? (Remember, I'm not an experienced traveller.)

The more I consider it, the zone preferences are not that important. Thanks for helping me realize that. I'll be running a half marathon in Orleans while I'm there, so my real priorities are: 1) A clean, quiet room for a good night's sleep... 2) ...at a reasonably low price. My worry is getting something like the Chimo Hotel (3*, Free Parking) with a guest review score of only 6.8. (How does a property with those kinds of reviews rate 3 stars?) Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks for the info Romelle. Regarding the zones, they are (in my preferred order): Gloucester, Ottawa, Ottawa West, Hull.

I'm looking to book 3 nights in Ottawa - May 11, 12, 13, 2102. I'm looking for a 3* and would like Free Parking. My preferences for zone are (best to worst) zone 1, zone 3, zone 4, zone 2. I'm looking to stay under $75/night if possible. Questions: (I am not a frequent traveller, so please forgive the very 'basic' nature of my questions.) 1) I understand that there's no definitive answer to "should I try to book now, or wait til May", but can anyone offer some guidance? For example, should I try some very low bids now to see what kind of counter offers, if any, I get? 2) Is there a way to ensure I get a hotel with free parking? On Priceline? On Hotwire? 3) Any suggestions on a bidding strategy? Thanks in advance.

Thanks to both of you. This is a great site! I'm really looking forward to 'playing the game'. As my upcoming trip is to Ottawa, Ontario (though not until May), I will post the details in the Canada forum. And I will use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board always!

In the FAQ there is a topic named "When To Book, Will Prices Go Down, etc." which suggests booking a cancellable reservation as a backup. My questions is: Is it ok to book this backup at a hotel that's one of your target hotels that you're hoping to make a successful bid on? I'm not talking about cancelling the backup and then bidding in the hope of getting the same room at a better rate. I'm asking if having a reservation at a particular hotel will prevent Priceline from accepting a bid at that hotel (perhaps based on my name or credit card info). PS: In the "When To Book, Will Prices Go Down, etc." topic there is a link for EasyClickTravel. This link failed for me. Is the link still valid?