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You are correct that the Hilton Towers and Westin are both in MTW. There is no way to increase your chances of one hotel over the other or exclude the possibility of getting one of them. (i think you know this already, but i add if for others that may be reading) I don't remember if i posted this on the board or sent to somebody in a PM, but my wife was recently in the Westin to meet a co-worker and she said it was very nice inside (as well, her co-worker said the rooms were nice too, although my wife didn't see them). On the other hand, my cousin recently stayed at the Hilton and Towers (via Priceline) and she said she had a great one nite stay. I'm not doubting or questioning the experience of others at this hotel, but i guess it seems to be 'luck of the draw' as to what impression you will walk away with. Thanks for posting and for the compliments and good wishes. Oh yeah.... WELCOME to BetterBidding! :) PS- i just pulled up a Hotwire search for your dates and don't know if we got the same results, but the 4.5* hotel in my search did NOT show the hi-speed internet icon (which was reported to be associated with the Westin when a user reported it), so there is a chance this is not the Westin (of course it's possible that the icon was temporarily removed for some reason or it was mis-reported, but i woudn't think that these are 'safe' assumptions).

Thanks for posting and welcome to BetterBidding! Could you also supply the name of the hotel? (i'm sure this was just an oversight). You can reply to this message with the hotel name and i'll edit the title accordingly. THANKS!

Thanks for the follow-up. Glad you got this settled. Have a great trip, let us know how you liked the hotel when you return.

Nice job of 'sticking with it' and staying diciplined. Thanks for posting all the details and the thought process that went along with it. I think posts like yours are great because too often newbies only see "XZY hotel for $xx" and get discouraged when they don't have success on their first bid attempt. Your post shows that sometimes it takes some effort, but in the end, the savings usually justify the means. Thanks again.

I understood, it just triggered some thoughts in my head that reminded me of zbenye's situation, and i thought i would reference it for some of the newer readers :)

From THIS POST the NY Hilton and Towers is the one at 1335 Ave of Americans (refered to now as Hilton New York) If Hotwire no longer shows availability, then there is a chance that Pricelie no longer has availability either. I think you have 2 bidding strategies you can try: Strategy 1: Bid 4* MTW $93 If accepted, this will likely land the Hilton or the Westin. If the Hilton is received, it will result in an overbid by about $5/nite, but it at least gives you a chance at receiving the Westin. Strategy 2: Bid 4* MTW $88, if rejected, add your one re-bid zone and... Bid $93 The 'risk' in this strategy is that if both the Hilton and Westin are available, you probably haven't bid high enough for the Westin and will therefore receive the Hilton. If you're not familiar with re-bidding, read this: Bidding Again Before 72 Hours I won't go into a deeper bidding strategy because i think you have a good chance at being successful with either of the above, but if it doesn't work (or you have any additional questions), feel free to post back and i'll advise further. If your plans are firm, i would start bidding this now, as it's less than a month away and you're seeking 5 nites, which adds a little to the complexity of the situation. Please also read my thoughts about NO FREE RIDES (in particular the last paragraph)

You have to take what Hotwire reps say about their operations with a grain of salt... most of them aren't that knowledgable about the real ins/outs of the system. They can answer 'basic' questions quite well (ie- your purchase is non-refundable, the hotel will be within the shaded region of the map, etc), but ask them something intricate and out of the ordinary, and they won't likely be much help. With the above said, the rep confirms my suspicions that it is indeed a different hotel. The amenity icons aren't that unique for this area, so there are likely quite a few hotels that meet this description (although not all of them may be 4* rated by Hotwire.... this is why i wanted i thought it would be helpful if you enabled others to pull the hotel up themselves, so that they can read the comments and add some insight). I'm sure some hotels (the Hilton in this case) have their reasons for not wanting to participate in the Package program, it's really not surprising or unusual. They may feel the margins in the Package product aren't great enough, maybe they think it will canibalize their traditional business too much, or a variety of other scenarios. You can't get both hotels to show up on the same date because in the 'blind' hotel product, Hotwire will only show you a maximum of one property per zone at the same star level.

It has already been discussed elsewhere on this site that not all hotels that participate in the "Blind Hotel Product" also participate in the Vacation Package product. I think the hotel you are looking at is the Hilton WDW Resort. Based upon the info i have, it matches the amenities. I still haven't been able to read the customer favorite comments myself, so based upon what i know, i'm guesing it's the Hilton WDW Resort.

What are the actual icons (please list them all, don't just put 'etc', as the amenities are key to helping identify properties). If you give us the exact date, some people familiar with the area could probably pull it up and read the Customer Comments themselves and pick up some other clues to help identify it. What sub-zone of Orlando is this hotel in, 'Walt Disneyworld Area'? Off the cuff, i would think that they're 2 different hotels, but i should probably hold back that comment until i know the full amenity list.... if the amenities are 'common' for the area, then i'd be more certain that they're different, but if any of the amenities are rare for the area, then i'd lean toward the probability that they're the same (although i've yet to see Hotwire operate this way).

I think Customer Favorite is more of a marketing ploy than anything else, but it does at least guarantee you that Hotwire has received some positive feedback from customers regarding the hotel (at least enough comments to put on their website). Please post your dates so that i (and others) can look at this hotel ourselves. Very often there are clues tied into the comments from the customers that can help identify the hotel.

I'm sure you read Priceline FAQ on this subject, including their definition of peak/off-peak (if not let me know and i'll foward you the link). As far as individual's results, some get very good flight times, some are quite disappointed with their flight times... it's all the luck of the draw. The main reason i don't use Priceline for airfare is that you have to agree to a minimum of one connection, and i prefer to fly non-stop. Another disadvantage is that you can depart on the last flight of the day and return on the first flight of the day, essentially reducing your vacation by 2 days :) With lower airfare prices in general, i don't think the Priceilne offers as great a savings as it once did, but perhaps this will change in the future as airline pricing gets stronger. If you're low on funds, it's worth a shot, as long as the restrictions mentioned above don't bother you too much. If you decide to use Priceline for airfare, there's currently a $10 Bonus Link at SavingsBarn.com which will add $10 to the price of your bid (per ticket). With the above caveats, i was actually introduced to Priceline/Hotwire with an airfare itinerary. I needed to travel from NYC to Chicago and my plans were very flexible, so i went with Hotwire because they offered RT of $120/tix while the best i could do conventionally was $210/tix. There were to of us so i thought the savings were significant enough, and i ended up with non-stop flights and very good flight times for our needs: departed NYC at 2pm and departed O'Hare at noon. Ideally it would have been better if the times were reversed, but for the money we saved i wasn't complaining.

Skipper, i didn't mean to imply that you crossed any lines, and your offer of assistance is certanly appreciated (and i encourage you, and all other members, to continue to offer assistance whenever possible). As tone and inflection can't come across in the written word, and some people are more sensitive than others, some users/readers may misconstrue comments like "oh my god ...you made all the first time mistakes" as being harsh. I'm just trying to make sure that everyone feels comfortable here and never is concerned about the comments/replies they might receive for posting. There's already a board that kicks users in the teeth for trying to help. :) Again, $10 may not seem like much money to you or me, but everyone has their priorities. Maybe $50 was the 'line in the sand' for how much to spend for 'just a place to rest before a flight' (which is what i believe this one day stay was for)

Here's some reviews for you: Travelocity.com/Vacations/Reviews/Hotel/Read/0,,TRAVELOCITY_3248_0,00.html"]REVIEWS from Travelocity

I adjusted your title to clarify that this hotel is in the Costa Mesa/SNA zone, if this is incorrect, please let me know. The best advice is to follow the same procedure for the other hotels you have reserverd: join the affinity program, give them your membership number when you call to put in a bed request, while on the phone with them mention that it's your honeymoon, give them your membership card at check-in, work it into the conversation at check-in that you just got married and are on your honeymoon. A final idea is about 2 weeks before arrival, send an email to the hotel manager along the lines of, "I will be arriving at your hotel for the first nite of my honeymoon. As this is a very important day for us and i'm sure we'll be tired after our wedding day, are there any special services available that might make this evening even more memorable for us?" You may or may not get an email back that discusses some 'extras' (which cost money), but what you've basically done is notified the manager of the hotel that you're on your honeymoon and perhaps s/he will do something a little special for you (room upgrade, bottle champagne, etc.... none of this is required on their part or should be expected on yours, but if you get anything be thankful and attribute it to good customer relations and service) One other thing for any future bidding you may do (or for others reading this). It probably didn't make too much of a difference in this case since your bidding was low to begin with, but when you lower your star rating, it's usually recommended to lower your bid amount also, not raise it. You can read more about this here: If you lower your quality level, lower your price One additional tip... when you lowered your quality level to from 4* to 3*, i would have started completely over, only selecting Irvine, if rejected, add a zone, if rejected, add another zone. It seems like when you lowered your star rating you kept all the zones that had previously been selected from your failed 4* bids. We're grateful you found this forum too, and are happy to have you here!

The king bed request is NOT an upgrade. In order to put your request into the computer they need to pull up your reservation and when doing so, they can see that it was made thru Priceline.

As always, THANK YOU! I know the additional info you provided will be quite helpful to future bidders of this area. Have a great stay.

The 1* and 2* hotels aren't that bad, they're all not in bad neighborhoods, and others are paying more than us and actually choose to stay there. Personally, i prefer to stick with the 3* and higher hotels, as well as the occaisional 2.5* hotel as they are often 'AmeriSuite-type' of properties which are fine with me. On the other hand, some people think that the 1* and 2* hotels offer great value and are advocates of them. Perhaps the bidder didn't want to pay $60+ for a hotel room. Remember we all have different tastes and different opinions as to what's important to us and how we want to spend our money (so go easy on the first time user :) ) Here's a thread if you want to read more about 1* rated properties: Why so few 1* bids?

Big Bear, Welcome to BetterBidding! Nice detective work and thanks for adding that info, it certainly seems to be another possibility for that Hotwire description.

Hard to make a back-up to compare to Venetian or Bellagio. I would doubt you'd need a cancellable back-up for a near-term mid-week stay in Vegas where rates are currently so low (i know, breaking all the rules here, but the Vegas hotel business is different than just about anywhere else in the world). If you'd be more comfortable with a back-up, i'm pretty sure that the Park Place properties booked directly with the hotel (Bally's, Flamingo, Paris) offer a 72 hour cancellation policy, but confirm that with the hotel before booking. For a cancellable back-up, i think usually booking directly with the hotel is best as they usually have the most liberal cancellation policies (but always ask when booking and write down the person's name that tells you it's cancellable); most of the 'online agencies' often have some time of cancellation penalty.

Don't worry about it too much. Consider that this hotel sells for $189 on their website (and the Hyatt received sells for $179), how bad can they be if they typically fetch those prices? If you'd like to alleviate your fears somewhat, you can go to Trip Advisor and do a search for each of the hotels you received and read the reviews there. After that, use the Travelocity link at the top of the page and do the same. There is also a Hotel Reviews section at the bottom of this board, but as we're less than 5 months old, i don't think either of these have been reviewed yet (maybe you could add a review when you return?). I also advise people to expect to see a few negative reviews at any hotel, and focus if the majority are positive or negative. People have different expectations and demands for levels of service, so your bound to get different opinions of the same hotel. More importantly, i usually rate a hotel based upon the value i receive.... i have been thrilled with hotels that i have received on Priceline for $30/nite, yet if i was paying the hotel's $180/nite rate i would review it as being overpriced and 'not worth the money'. With the above said, i scanned reveiws of the 2 hotels you received and i'm confident you'll be happy with them. I would sign up for each hotel's membership program (Join Hotel Affinity Programs) and call each hotel and put in a request for a King bed and a smoking/non-smoking room. While on the phone, make conversation with the front desk clerk and happen to mention it's your honeymoon ("can you please put in a request for a king bed.... afterall, it is my honeymoon"). A week or so before your arrival, call each hotel back and have them put your membership number to their affinity program into the computer, and once again, "can you confirm that i have a king bed reserved, as this is our honeymoon and i want to make sure everything is set and it's special for us". (this may earn you a perk or potentially an upgrade.... it's possible, but don't expect it) Congratulations on your upcoming marriage.

Not a problem, that can be easily fixed (and it has been :) ) Welcome to BetterBidding and to the savngs that can be had with Priceline! You'll soon find that you won't book hotels any other way! Am i correct that the actual zone of this hotel is Monterey - Pacific Grove? Thanks for posting.

Hmmm.... tough decision! Given the low rate and apparently open availability, it would seem like the $79 rate should be avialable about 1 week before check-in, but this being Vegas, that can dry up at any time! If it were me, i would probably be willing to bid up to $93 via Priceline in order to get this secured today, but this is only a figure that you can decide. My thinking is that if ultimately successful at $79, you'd be saving $40/nite, however this may or may not be available and what if availability suddenly dries up. Therefore, if i can lock in 2/3 of the potential savings today, then i'd take that. We have had a report of $89 being an accepted bid (and being Priceline's cost), so i would make sure that one of your bids is that number exactly. If you need an exact bidding strategy, let me know the maximim that you'd like to spend at this point in time and i'll post an approach for you to follow. Was the rejected $85 bid in which you received a counter-offer your first bid? If so, you can still bid again now by using the technique discussed here: Bidding Again Before 72 Hours Few things to note when bidding this: -plenty of re-bid zones, so you have the ability to raise your bids by only $2-3 with each re-bid -plan accordingly so that you're not locked out of bidding (the 72 hour rule) 10 days before your arrival date (ie- since the Veneitian usually makes their lowest rate available about 7 days before arrival, make sure that you are able to bid on the 7th day before your check-in date) If you have any questions about anything discussed above, or would like me to spell out a strategy for you, just ask :) As a new member to our board, please give a quick read to our thoughts about using an affiliate for your Priceline and Hotwire bidding: No Free Rides And i forgot.... welcome to BetterBidding!

NYC is it's own animal, and believe it or not, i don't think star rating has that much affect on whether you will get the bedding choice you want (i say this about NYC, not a blanket statement throughout the country). In the case of the Shoreham, they have 2 classes of rooms (no, not Priceline/non-Priceline :) ).... their standard room can only accomodate a Queen size bed, to fit a larger bed (or 2 beds) requires their next class of rooms, which i agree with the hotel that Priceine/Hotwire guests are not entitled to (these are not special "priceline rooms", but literally a different class of room which is more expensive if booked direct). I don't have a problem with this, but can understand how it can be a complaint of an unknowing Priceline guest, and result in an argument and/or misinformation of "i was treated differently as a Priceline guest." So the bottom line is that in NYC... anything goes! I'm not really sure of what your bedding preference is based upon your comments, but if you can deal with a minimum of 1 queen bed i would think you'd be fine. I would be concerned if you absolutely needed 2 beds, but it doesn't sound like that's the case.

Your 100th post... NICE! Thanks for supplying the information.

I have added some hotels to the Aruba list (as well as the Puerto Rico list)... courtesy of Priceline's vacation package.