* * * This hotel is new for the Alabama list. * * *
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $30.00
Taxes & Fees: $11.37
Total Charges*: $41.37
Last year I had to be in the area and I did several days of strategic bidding and ended up with the 2* Jameson Inn in Decatur (see priceline win here). I was happy with the room and the hotel at the price I paid. Plus, last year I was unable to win 2.5* with bids going as high as $39, so this time I didn't even bother with 2.5* or 3* hotels.
This time, I thought I'd shoot for the same hotel again. I started by bidding for 2* in Huntsville (Decatur) for $25. Rebid several times, each time increasing my bid and adding one more area of town. Had to start again on a second day because I ran out of parts of town I was willing to stay in. On the 2nd day, I won this hotel at $30/night, the same price I paid last year at the Jameson.
La Quinta Inn Decatur 2*
Huntsville (Decatur)
918 Beltline Rd Sw
Decatur, Alabama 35601
256-355-9977
Check-In Date: Fri, Mar 4, 2011 / After 02:00 PM
Check-Out Date: Sat, Mar 5, 2011 / 11:00 AM
Amenities: Remote control TV w/ premium channels Telephone w/ messaging Radio Alarm Clock
Click here for Google map location and reviews.
Used this forum's PRICELINE link to place my bid.
And now that I'm here, readers should also know that this property includes free WiFi, free long distance calling, free fax services, free breakfast from 6am to 10am, and a swimming pool. Also, while I can't say for sure if this is true for ever room, my room has a refrigerator and microwave in it.
Check-inn was quick and friendly, the room and bathroom are clean, and the decor is the latest hotel standard (fancy bed linens, fancy multiple pillows, etc.) The only minor downside in the decor is that there is no big comfy chair in the corner, and the desk/table is a little old.
Great property. Great bargain.
==== NEW HOTEL FOR MISSOURI ====
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $35.00
Taxes & Fees: $12.87
Total Charges*: $47.87
Last week I was hoping to find a 2.5* hotel in St. Louis South that cost less than the $40/night I had gotten for a 3* (Holiday Inn Select South). I accidentally won a downtown Holiday Inn for $32 plus $15 parking. So since I needed another night in town, I thought I'd try again.
Bid $35 right out of the box and won. Same day bid. Used the link for PRICELINE.
Best Western St Louis Inn 2
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $32.00
Subtotal: $32.00
Taxes & Fees: $12.35
Total Charges*: $44.35
*WARNING* - $15/DAY PARKING
Used the link for PRICELINE.
*COMMENTS*
On the plus side, this is the best price reported on this forum for this hotel. Previous reports were for $41 and $65.
On the minus side, the place charges $15/day for parking. Are you kidding me?!?
Thanks be to the Shatner that I only bid for one night! My trip is actually for 2 or 3 days, but I figured I'd bid for one night to see if I liked what I got. I could easily bid again to stay there for my remaining nights, or bid for somewhere else. And since I didn't really WANT to be downtown, I'll be bidding for somewhere else. Heh.
Also on the minus side, I'm in this situation because I'm an idiot.
I was trying to discover if there was a 2.5* property in St Louis (South) that would go for less than $40. I have previously stayed at the 3* Holiday Inn South for $40 and wondered if I could save even $5 by going for a lower star rating.
I bid $31 for 2.5* in St Louis (South) and got rejected.
Then I added St Louis (Downtown) thinking, "There can't be any 2.5* hotels downtown that would go for $32." I failed to remember that Priceline assumes that if you bid for a 2.5* hotel, you'd be just as happy with a 3* hotel. So they gave me a 3* hotel downtown for $32. Can't believe that happened. Can't believe that didn't happen last time I tried this strategy to see how low I could get the 3* hotel in St Louis (South).
Well, now we know. Makes me wonder if there's something going on at the Holiday Inn Select Downtown, like a renovation or something, that's got them lowering their prices. Or maybe they make up for lost revenue in hidden parking fees. Blech.
Your Offer Room/Night: $40.00
Subtotal: $40.00
Taxes & Fees: $13.73
Total Charges*: $53.73
Wanted to stay at the Holiday Inn South County. I stayed there in May and it was nice - 3* right where I wanted to be and for only $35 plus fees. Great deal.
I saw that since my stay, someone else on this board had won at that same price, and then, more recently, someone had won at $40. I simply presumed that the $40 bid did not try hard enough to get a better deal. Nope. That's the best deal to be had in the neighborhood.
I started my bidding at $34 (someone had won at that price in August 2009). Rejected.
Bid $35 and added "Forest Park" area because the odds were low that there might be a 3* hotel in that neighborhood for $35. Rejected.
Bid $36 and added "Downtown" with the same reasoning. Rejected.
Tried the next day at $37. Rejected. Added "Forest Park" and bid $38. Rejected. Added "Downtown" and bid $39. Rejected.
Tried today at $40. WIN.
I knew all along that there was never any guarantee that I would get the Holiday Inn South County. There could have been some other 3* property in the neighborhood that would accept my bid, but that didn't bother me. If some other 3* hotel in that part of town had accepted my bid, I'd have been happy to take it. And there was also a chance that there was a property in one of those other neighborhoods, and if I had won there, I would have just sucked it up. Those are really great neighborhoods, and I'm sure I would have been glad to be there. I'm very easy going. I just like to win a great deal!
Used the BB PRICELINE link.
Bid the area I wanted at $38. No love. Added an area (Oregon - Perrysburg East- Millbury) and bid $40. No love. Added Downtown and bid $43. WIN!
As for the area, the Country Inn and Suites at 2.5* has GREAT reviews at TripAdvisor. Everyone says the property is about a year old and everything is clean and new. Better reviews than the nearby 3* property, Courtyard.
Subtotal: $43.00
Taxes & Fees: $13.50
Total Charges*: $56.50
Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Toledo South, OH 2
Started by bidding for a 3* in St. Louis (South) at $33. Rejected.
Changed my bid to $35 and added an area, St. Louis (Forest Park - Clayton), because it is one of the more expensive areas in town. My thinking was that a bid of $35 for a 3* hotel would never be accepted in Forest Park, so I'd still get a hotel in the area where I wanted to stay. WIN!
Used the PRICELINE link from this forum.
$35 bid, plus taxes, total $47.79
Holiday Inn South County Center 3 Star
St. Louis South
6921 South Lindbergh Blvd
Saint Louis, Missouri 63125
314-892-3600
Check-In Date: Mon, Jun 28, 2010 / After 03:00 PM
Check-Out Date: Tue, Jun 29, 2010 / 11:00 AM
Amenities: Remote control TV w/ premium channels Radio Alarm Clock Business services Telephone w/ voicemail Iron and ironing board Hairdryer 24 hour front desk On-site Dining
I bid $40 for 3* in Collinsville-Fairview Heights and was accepted. I've won this same property at $39 before, but I was in a hurry.
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $40.00
Subtotal: $40.00
Taxes & Fees: $12.43
Total Charges*: $52.43
Used the PRICELINE link from this forum.
Well, it turns out this property does have some minor cleanliness problems. A couple of my towels were dirty. The bathtub just wasn't as clean as I would want it to be at home. The bed was awful. I woke up with an amazing pain in my left buttock (TMI?). This property IS renovated, but it's the oldest building in the area. It was here before the Interstate, just a block away, was completed.
On the plus side, great customer service. Friendly staff. Everything in the room worked as expected. Safe, convenient location. Room entrance is off an interior hallway. Radio alarm clock and TV work fine. Nice granite (or faux) counter tops in the bathroom. Free WiFi let's me go online and book a room elsewhere.
Got one more night in the area. Switching to the 3-star Doubletree for $6 or $7 more per night.
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $34.00
Subtotal: $34.00
Taxes & Fees: $11.61
Total Charges*: $45.61
This was an experiment. I've slept on buses broken down on the side of the road in Central America, so I figure I can put up with anything. Several times I have traveled to the area and bid for a 3*. Recently, more than once, I have stayed at a very nice DoubleTree in Collinsville for $39 (plus fees, $51.24). I had a gift card worth $50 and I wondered, if I were willing to go 2*, could I get a room with my gift card for a total that comes in under $50?
The hotel I had in mind, the one that I wanted, was the First Western in Caseyville. I had stayed there once before. I booked it through Orbitz and paid about $46 for it. It was clean enough, very basic, but certainly acceptable. I saw that Priceline's regular (non-bid) section had a price of $49 for that location, and it was about the least expensive in the area for that star rating. I was sure that it would be the lowest priced property if I won.
Over several days, I started at $30, selecting 2* in the Collinsville-Fairview Heights area. Each day, I increased my bid by $1. Today, I was frustrated when $33 did not get it, so I added Granite City because, on regular travel sites, all of the 2* properties in Granite City were more expensive than the 2* Collinsville or Fairview Heights properties, and I bid $34.
It was accepted, but it was not the First Western in Caseyville. It was the Ramada in Fairview Heights, one exit further away from St. Louis. It has very bad reviews on TravelAdvisor:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g3...s_Illinois.html
Next time, for $5 more, I might just go with the 3* DoubleTree in Collinsville or the 3* FourSeasons in Fairview Heights. But I'll report my own experience when I'm done and you can add it to the area hotel list.
Here is my review of the property. Stayed on a Monday night, March 1, 2010. Got a great Priceline rate for this 2-star property.
The room was clean for the most part (the toilet could have been a little cleaner...I know it's hard to get under rim of the bowl, but let's aim for perfection, guys). The front desk staff was extra friendly at check in and in giving directions. Fridge, microwave, TV in the room. No high-end pay-per-view stuff like at 3-star places. That's actually a good thing, I think. High speed Internet worked fine. Room was quiet, except for me when I stubbed my toe in the dark and cursed. I probably woke up the neighbors. Sorry about that to anyone who was there. Bed was comfortable. Location seemed safe enough. I'd definitely recommend it.
Ok, I'm about to check out, and I have to say this was a decent place to stay.
GOOD: Clean. Extended stay type property with a kitchenette (fridge, stove, microwave, etc.). New carpet in the room. Mostly new (if generic and inexpensive) furnishings and cabinetry. Nice flat screen TV. Comfortable newish memory-foam mattress on the bed. Check in was easy. Staff was very polite, professional and accommodating.
BAD: Too much room deodorizer in the hallway and in the room (very sweet smell), no pay per view, hi-speed internet was much slower than at home (streaming Hulu or YouTube was impossible), couch was upholstered in some kind of synthetic plastic material... something better than naugahyde, but not as nice as real cloth.
My list of negatives seems long, but they're only minor. Everything here is clean and usable. And the room was quite cheap. I've stayed in MANY worse 2* places that should never have been granted 2*. This was a good deal.
Started my bidding for 2.5* at $35 yesterday in downtown Huntsville and gradually added areas of town, increasing my bid by $2 per bid. Quit at $39 and all my bids rejected.
Started over today for 2* in downtown Huntsville at $27 and gradually added areas of town and increased by $1 per bid. I don't remember exactly which order I was adding them. When I got to $30, I had just added Decatur.
WIN.
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $30.00
Subtotal: $30.00
Taxes & Fees: $11.54
Total Charges*: $41.54
Plus, it's a new hotel for the list. Jameson Inn, Decatur.
Jameson Inn Decatur 2 Star
Decatur
2120 Jameson Place Sw
Decatur, Alabama 35603
256-355-2229
See Hotel Website
View Map and Directions Check-In Date:
Mon, Mar 1, 2010 / After 03:00 PM
Check-Out Date:
Tue, Mar 2, 2010 / 11:00 AM
Amenities: Remote control TV w/ premium channels Telephone w/ messaging Radio Alarm Clock
Just as an FYI, the reviews for this property are very good: Google Review Link
Used this forum's PRICELINE link to place my bid.
A year ago I won a decent night's stay at the La Quinta in Homewood for $42.
With that in mind, I checked the list of known hotels for Homewood and thought, "Hmm...that was a really clean and comfortable room, and it looks like we're aware of only one 2* hotel in Homewood." So I decided to lowball the price and see what would happen. Last year I won with $42. This year I would go with $31.
I selected only one area of town: Homewood, and I selected 2*. Then I bid $31, just to see. It was rejected, and I was given the chance to bid again if I could add extra parts of town.
After checking this forum carefully, I knew from the list that there were no 2* hotels near the airport, only a 3* hotel. So I added the airport and bid $32. This time I won. But it was NOT the La Quinta. It's a new hotel to add to the list: TownePlace Suites Homewood.
{sarcasm on} JOY! {/sarcasm off}
The most recent TravelAdvisor reviews of the hotel say that it has undergone renovation, so maybe the earlier reviews that complain of a general grimy-ness are out-dated. I'll let you know how it goes. If the room is clean and the staff is competent, it will be a great bargain!
Here's the Priceline info on that property:
Towneplace Suites Homewood 2 Star
Oxmoor - Homewood
500 Wildwood Circle
Birmingham, Alabama 35209
205-943-0114
See Hotel Website
View Map and Directions Check-In Date:
Sun, Feb 28, 2010 / After 03:00 PM
Check-Out Date:
Mon, Mar 1, 2010 / 12:00 PM
Amenities: Remote control TV w/ premium channels Telephone w/ messaging Radio Alarm Clock
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $32.00
Subtotal: $32.00
Taxes & Fees: $11.93
Total Charges*: $43.93
Used this forum's PRICELINE link to place my bid.
Priceline has only two known 3* hotels in the area. (Last time, I got the Four Points for $43, and the previous times I got the Doubletree for $43 and $45.) I also knew that Priceline listed NO 3* hotels in the Granite City area.
I bid $35 for 3* in Collinsville-Fairview Heights and was rejected.
I added Granite City to my search, leaving my search at 3*, and increased my bid to $39. WIN!
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $39.00
Subtotal: $39.00
Taxes & Fees: $12.24
Total Charges*: $51.24
Used the PRICELINE link from this forum.
I bid $35 for 3* in Collinsville-Fairview Heights and was rejected.
I added Granite City to my search, leaving my search at 3*, and increased my bid to $43.
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $43.00
Subtotal: $86.00
Taxes & Fees: $19.24
Total Charges*: $105.24
Used the PRICELINE link from this forum.
Based on previous wins for the Collinsville-Fairview Heights area, I knew there were only two known 3* hotels in the area. It looks like no one has had a win at the Four Points in over a year, but it still seemed like a possibility. However, my best chance seemed a repeat of my last stay at the Doubletree. I also knew that Priceline listed NO 3* hotels in the Granite City area.
I bid $40 for 3* in Collinsville-Fairview Heights and was rejected.
I added Granite City to my search, leaving my search at 3*, and increased my bid to $43. WIN!
Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $43.00
Subtotal: $86.00
Taxes & Fees: $19.24
Total Charges*: $105.24
Used the PRICELINE link from this forum.
Saw that the last few folks who've tried for the Collinsville area have won with a $45 bid at 3* for a Doubletree room, so I bid that and got it on the first try. With taxes, the total is $57.91. Not a bad deal.
Used the PRICELINE link from this forum.
Checked other wins on this forum for that part of Dallas. Saw that several had won 3.5* places at the $40 pricepoint. Won this on one bid.
This is a really sweet deal considering I'm attending a conference in that part of town.
Used the forum's PRICELINE link to bid.
Doubletree Hotel Dallas Market Center 3
Sorry for being so slow in responding. I guess it's been a few weeks since I logged into the forum. I placed this thread in the "HOTWIRE" section, so I thought it would be obvious it was a Hotwire purchase. I did it long enough ago that I would not be able to locate the amenities listed by Hotwire for this hotel.
Also, even though I spent the money, I didn't stay. I was going to use the room to catch a few hours sleep on my way home to Memphis from Louisiana, but I was ahead of schedule and decided to push all the way through and sleep in my own bed.
Sorry I wasn't very helpful on this one. I usually try to provide good, helpful information.
Listed as 2*. Total after taxes, etc., was $50.13.
Booked using your link.
Mixed reviews of this hotel from others who have stayed there:
http://travela.priceline.com/travelguides/...iewID=232575900
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews...pi.html#REVIEWS
I'll give my review after I've stayed.
Hotwire just sent me a note saying they have reviewed the Shreveport Travelodge and have lowered it's star-rating to just 1 star. As a result, they gave me a $62 "HotDollars" credit I can use on future travel.
Very cool that Hotwire takes these things so seriously. I didn't even ask them for a credit or a refund, although I did give it a bad review when they asked me to rate the hotel after my stay.
This hotel is now a ONE STAR property in Shreveport for Hotwire purposes. And Hotwire has not lost me forever as a customer. Good deal all around.
Yesterday, used the PRICELINE link above and began bidding for Savannah (Airport SAV)
--Bid 3* @ $42. Rejected.
--Bid 2.5* @ $45. Rejected.
Today,
--Bid 3* @ $47. Rejected.
--Bid 2.5* @ $47. Accepted.
$47 + $13.98 (fees) = $60.98
This hotel wasn't already listed here on the Forum. So, new hotel to add.
PRICELINE hotel info:
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Savannah-Pooler 2
Here is the information concerning amenities that Hotwire supplied BEFORE any transaction took place:
PARTICULAR INFO FOR THIS HOTEL
=======================
2-star hotel in Shreveport
This hotel features the following amenities:
Pool(s)
Property offers at least one pool area; hours and dates of operation may be seasonal.
Restaurant(s)
Property offers at least one restaurant on the premises; hours and days of operation may vary.
Please note that Hotwire cannot guarantee the level of services offered at a property and/or if services are operational at the time of visit. Services may be closed due to seasonality reasons and/or may be closed for renovation.
BASIC INFO ON 2-STAR HOTELS
=====================
Economy 2-star hotels Economy 2-star hotels
These economy establishments offer reliable accommodations with a few extra features. Features may include:
* In-room coffee maker
* Cable TV
* Alarm clock
* Continental breakfast
Off-site dining is usually located within walking distance. Our 2-star hotel suppliers include Comfort Inn, La Quinta, Days Inn, and other respected hotel brands.
**********************************************
And here is the info from the property's website: http://www.travelodge.com/Travelodge/contr...s?&id=12134
AL Huntsville Jameson Inn Decatur
in Hotel Reviews
Posted
Stayed on a Monday night, March 1, 2010. Here is the related winning priceline bid.
The room was clean for the most part (the toilet could have been a little cleaner...I know it's hard to get under rim of the bowl, but let's aim for perfection, guys). The front desk staff was extra friendly at check in and in giving directions. Fridge, microwave, TV in the room. No high-end pay-per-view stuff like at 3-star places. That's actually a good thing, I think. High speed Internet worked fine. Room was quiet, except for me when I stubbed my toe in the dark and cursed. I probably woke up the neighbors. Sorry about that to anyone who was there. Bed was comfortable. Location seemed safe enough. I'd definitely recommend it.
Here is Priceline's description of the property:
Jameson Inn Decatur 2 Star
Decatur
2120 Jameson Place Sw
Decatur, Alabama 35603
256-355-2229
Amenities: Remote control TV w/ premium channels Telephone w/ messaging Radio Alarm Clock
Here is the link to Google's map and reviews for more information.