EricaG

Just a heads-up--here on the site, the Omni is listed as a 4.5* but I just got it as a 4*, so perhaps they have re-categorized it (again, b/c I believe it had been 4* at some point in the past). Anyhow, I am pleased with this one, especially for the price! Full list of amenities: Pet friendly Fitness center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business center Internet access Spa services In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom I did begin my search through this site's HOTWIRE link.

A last-minute score for Friday night of the busy Dragon-Con weekend, in one of the host hotels! Saw what I think is this same hotel on Hotwire for $166, so headed to Priceline and started at $140, used re-bid zones for two additional bids to $147. Used the PRICELINE link to begin my purchase.

I might be able to shed a little light on this. Labor Day weekend every year is the date of Dragon*Con, a sci-fi/fantasy/comic convention that draws over 50,000 attendees. The conference takes place from Friday-Monday in Downtown Atlanta, and the 5 convention hotels (the major downtown ATL hotels--Westin, Sheraton, Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt) are generally booked solid many months in advance, as are most of the surrounding downtown hotels. Rooms are at such a premium that the con has some partner hotels in Midtown as well, and even the ones that aren't partners tend to book up, or, if they do have rooms available, they are much more expensive than normal. Moving away from Downtown, the Buckhead area MAY end up having some hotels for the full weekend. As of a few days ago, there was a 3* in Buckhead with rooms for $127/night on Hotwire for that Friday and Sat. night that I was watching, so perhaps that one could return? Friday and Saturday nights are usually the most difficult nights for finding a room, and we found one in Downtown through Hotwire for that Sunday night only (Sept. 1st) for $70/night that turned out to be the Omni at CNN Center (I posted that win within the last couple of weeks). So, all that to say: Labor Day weekend is always a tough time to find a hotel in Atlanta, and although you might luck up on a last minute deal in Midtown, I would definitely not count on it. Moving well away from the Downtown or Midtown (and probably even Buckhead) areas may be your only option for finding a good hotel at a reasonable price for that weekend. If there is any chance of changing your trip dates, you would be able to find MUCH better deals in those in-town areas on most any other weekend. Sorry for the not-so-happy news, but I hope it will be helpful.

Amenities: Free Internet Pet friendly Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Was able to get one night here during Downtown Atlanta's insanely busy Dragon*Con weekend, within walking distance of the con's hotels. Very excited about this! Used the site's HOTWIRE link to book.

Thanks. We are still trying to make a decision about this Fall trip, but I will be sure to post our final decision here.

Location: Orlando (Kissimmee) Dates: Oct. 12-Oct. 15 (2 adults, 1 child) Star rating: 3.5* Amenities: Free Parking, Free Breakfast, In-room accessibility, Wheelchair accessible Price: $86 per night I found this deal and there are currently no 3.5* hotels on the board list for Kissimmee. It has 100% guest rating and says it has a 4.5 on TripAdvisor. Based on all of that info., I am thinking it may be the Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista South (on Kyngs Heath Rd in Kissimmee). Even though "Lake Buena Vista" is in its name, its location is within the "Kissimmee" area of Hotwire's map (assuming those area maps are very accurate, it would be in the very corner of the Kissimmee area). Any other possibilities for this one? Thanks!

The Express deal for a 4-star in Buckhead on these dates was $101, so I started my bid at $83 and went up in 2-dollar increments using my free re-bid zones, then won at $87. My husband is running the Peachtree Road Race along with 60,000 of his closest friends :P on the morning of July 4th, and staying close to the starting line (all the 4-star Buckhead hotels are within a few minutes' walk of the starting line around Lenox Mall) makes the whole process so much more enjoyable! As always, started my bidding through the site's PRICELINE link.

Bid $49, got a $59 counter-offer, so added a free re-bid area, went up to $52, and got it. Happy with this win for a quick overnight stay in the city (we're suburban Atlanta-dwellers). As usual, began my search through the board's PRICELINE link.

Thank you. I've thought about it a bit more and, with knowing the complaints that HOTWIRE sometimes overrates their hotels, and with no idea what the hotel might be, a 2.5* makes me a little too nervous to book now. I will let you know when I book something, but I think I'm passing on this deal for now. Thanks again!

Hello, Started my search through this board's HOTWIRE links and found a 2.5* Times Square/Theater District hotel that I cannot identify based on the current list of hotels. Dates: 10/11-10/15 Star Rating: 2.5 Rate: $153/night (2 adults, 1 child) Amenities: Free Internet, Smoke-Free Rooms, Accessible Bathroom It is only recommended by 70% of Hotwire reviewers, but this is an expensive time of year to go, and I know we will not be spending a lot of time in the room. So, I'm willing to compromise a bit on quality. Thanks!

I'm confused, because I have stayed at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead many times and it is quite close to Lenox Mall, certainly within easy walking distance. There is Hyatt Regency downtown (which would be about 7 miles from Lenox), but if the address for the one you actually got on Hotwire is 3300 Peachtree St., then that is very close to Lenox. I noticed that when I used Google Maps, it was showing The Grand Hyatt as being downtown, but labeling it with the 3300 Peachtree St. address, which is just incorrect. If you go to Hyatt's website, you will see that the only Grand Hyatt in Atlanta is the one in Buckhead; Buckhead and Downtown are two different regions which are miles apart, so unless Hotwire made a significant mistake, there's no way you could get a hotel labeled as the Buckhead region that was actually close to Downtown. In other words, don't be disappointed, because I think you are going to be right where you want to be in terms of proximity to Lenox Mall.

Amenities listed were: Fitness Center Restaurant Business Center Hi-Speed Internet Happy with this price, and luckily we will not have a car so won't have to pay those outrageous Chicago parking fees I've been reading about! Began my bid through the site's HOTWIRE link.

Happy with this! Going to see Radiohead at Philips Arena that night and wanted something pretty close-by, and we have been to this Hilton before--it's really nice. Began my search through the site's PRICELINE link.

Looks like this Clarion has not appeared before on the list for the Airport MKE zone; happy with this for the price. Amenities: Smoke-Free Fitness Center Pool Restaurant Business Hi-Speed Internet Began my search through this site's HOTWIRE link. Thanks!