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We can no longer link directly to SavingsBarn.com The information i was given is that SavingsBarn can only keep their Priceline affiliate status if we don't link to them. Personally, i will continue to place my bids thru SavingsBarn as: -they are a new site, good people, and i'd like to see them do well -i like their layout of having each travel category on one page as it makes it easy to research travel plans, so that's worth something to me -we hope that if policy changes in the future to re-initiate a direct link to them (another reason we'd like to see them do well)

Ah, i see the confusion, but based upon the fourth post (quoted below), i'd say he checked in on the last day of the reservation (whether that is the 2nd or 3rd): I too am curious as to how the check-in process went, as i'm familiar with the BS that has gone on when missing the first nite (or more) of a reservation.

Zbenye, see the above quote from the first post.

Thanks for posting... could you possibly supply sub-zone within Maui and the amenities as well, they're essential in helping other identify this property in the future. (there's probably many 4.5* hotels in the area, but not as many that are 4.5* and have the same set of amenities). If you didn't write them down before purchase, they should still be avialable from the "My Account" page at Hotwire. Thanks!

Is the correct zone for this (La Defense - Neuilly)? Thanks for the reported 'win' and the Hotel Review.

Squeegie? Hotwire? No, really?... Squeegie? I don't believe it! Is this zone (Westminster - Broomfield) or (Denver North - Thornton)? It seem to me that the correct zone is Westminster - Broomfield and the confusion is that the hotel name is "DoubleTree Denver North". Did i figure it out correct? Also, can you confirm this is a Customer Favorite and the amenities are: Restaurant, Pool, Business Center, Golf, Tennis (you can see the amenities if you can use the "my account" at Hotwire) And yes, we can no longer link directly to SavingsBarn.

Thanks for the add'l information. It's another example of how inventory can change at any time (and often does). Although in your example the bids were placed weeks apart, i've seen the same thing happen when bids were placed back-to-back. Too bad they won't be able to stay with you, but at least you can argue about who got the better $42 hotel!

WELCOME to BetterBidding, and thanks for reporting your results to the rest of us. Glad it worked out for you. Are the 13-15th weekend rates high? How much are you looking to spend? If Priceline/Hotwire doesn't come thru for you for the remaining dates, I have often found QUICKBOOK a good source for weekend rates. I just looked and they're offering Bally's at $122/nite which isn't too bad for a weekend (IP, a much lower class hotel is $72, but may suit your needs depending upon your budget). NOTE: Quickbook does charge a cancellation fee. Although not excessive, it's enough to NOT make it a viable option as a cancellable back-up... i would only book via Quickbook if i intended to keep the reservation.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your results with the rest of us. Seems like less than 1/2 off of the hotel's website rate, so another great deal! Hope your travels are going smoothly.

I wouldn't worry too much, my cousin stayed there about a month ago said it was fine and she'd stay there again.... and she's somebody that 'cares' where she stays.

Perky as a matter of fact! :)

There usually only a problem in cities that are notorious for small rooms (like NYC as the best example i can think of, but there are others). If you're refering to your recent wins in the California/Disney area, these are areas that i'm sure are used to large families sharing a room and i think you'll have a very good chance at your request being honored. Other factors besides goegraphic location play a factor as well, most notably the occupancy level of the hotel. Along the same lines, checking-in earlier in the day (as opposed to late at nite when most rooms have already been asigned) in my opinion, has a better chance of yielding more favorable results. I wouldn't re-arrange my plans just so i could check-in early, but if i had plans to eat at a restaurant down the road from the hotel, i would certainly check-in first and then go out to eat. Another suggestion has been to join the hotel's 'perks' program. There is usually no charge for this, and although a Priceline/Hotwire stay typically does not generate points, it occaisionally helps in order to get bed preference requests, free local calls, morning newspaper, and other perks that are often associated with the program. There's more on this subject here: Join Hotel Affinity Programs After your own stay, we'd love to hear follow up as to your own experiences with these requests.

The only thing i would disagree with is: Since the hotels are selling excess inventory, they're already offering their rooms at near rock-bottom prices, and lower prices closer to the check-in date i would think are less likely (some Priceline rates are just above cost to begin with). The only area where lower prices closer to check-in may hold true is with some properties in Las Vegas, but LV is different than any other hotel market in the world. Other things to consider: - as hotels book more rooms, they're more likely to pull their Priceline offers than offer deeper discounts. For example, i received a hotel via Priceline in NJ that eventually was sold-out for my dates, if i had waited until closer to check-in, there is no way i would have received a room there. -if there is a way to 'identify' the hotel today and/or you're happy with all the hotels that have been reported in a given zone, try to book it (if your plans are firm). Zones are re-defined all the time and the new zones can often be larger, thereby making it more difficult to 'identify' a property. Even if a specific hotel (or hotels) can't be identified, a larger zone makes it more difficult to pinpoint the area you'll ultimately end up. (the San Diego "Coastal" zone as an example)

Since there is an accepted bid on this board for July 5th - July 7th at $45/nite, why don't you check the hotel's website (Paris CDG Marriott) and their rates for these dates and compare it to the rate for June 17th. This will be more relevant to your situation than accepted bids for various dates throughout the month of May. If the rates are higher for your dates, then i would say it is likely that demand is higher for your particular date and it will take a higher bid than is typically needed during non-peak times.

As you've discovered, the Tennis icon really means Tennis nearby. Your logic certainly makes sense (and i like the thought process!), but of course, the downside is if you get a hotel other than this one in the airport zone that does not have a shuttle, you'd then have to add in the add'l expense of a taxi to/from the airport (although this seems less likely in a tourist area like Orlando where shuttles are very common) Please keep us updated as to what you decide to do, and if you do go with Hotwire, if it indeed is the Hyatt.

I'm assuming you did a search for Miami Beach. When you do a search, the searched terms appear in red in the posts so that they're easy to find. Pretty neat feature, huh? If you didn't do a search and the words are still in red, then let me know.

LOL! We just won't let them know that it was a possibility!

There are likley others, but this is the only one that is known at this time. BetterBidding is only 4 months young, and there are more Priceline results than Hotwire on the site, so we're still gathering data (and will always be as hotels are added/removed). Since the Hotwire amenities are somewhat 'generic', i wouldn't use Hotwire expecting the Sheraton Towers, but would say it's a reasonable guess as to a hotel that can be received. (and if you were opposed to the Sheraton Towers for any reason, i would avoid using Hotwire) The NMA zone is somewhat more expensive than the Grant/Loop zone, i think the least expensive i've seen in this zone is about $70. So you could try this first: 4* NMA (only) bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone... bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone... bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone... bid $83, if rejected add re-bid zone... bid $86. The above prices include bonus money, so if it says to bid $75, you're actual bid would be $65 if the bonus money wer $10 USD. This would bring your out of pocket bid amount to $76 which would be ~$10 more than the equivalent Hotwire amount, which would account for your preference for the NMA zone. You can adjust accordingly if you don't want to spend $10 more for the NMA zone (or raise it if the NMA zone is worth more than $10 extra). If the above fails..... 4* Loop/Grant Park bid $53, if rejected add NMA zone and bid $55, if rejected add re-bid zone and bid $57 add re-bid zone and bid $59 add re-bid zone and bid $63 add re-bid zone and bid $68 I lowered the bids over the prior recommendation to take into consideration the Hotwire alternative and if bidding this sequence second, we know that the NMA zone is really not a possibility (since rejected above at higher levels). I made a few assumptions as to your desires/wants with the above strategy, so if there's something that doesn't seem right to you, post back with the add'l info and i'll adjust accordingly or comment as to why i think the strategy should 'stand'. If you have no further questions, Good Luck with the bid! (of course, feel free to comment further is there are questions)

I don't like the way that sounds... it makes it seem as if we disagreed on something and clunked heads :) You tried to supply more info (which is encouraged since many here are 'local' to some area) and i simply clarified my comments based upon what i saw via Hotwire. Not really an issue of one of us being right or wrong. Interesting discusion though about what, according to Hotwire, qualifies as "beach access". I too looked further at the Catamaran's website and it describes the beach as 100 yards away. Don't know if perhaps the necessity of crossing the street negates the 'beach access' rating (ie- i could see a family complaining that they chose the hotel based upon beach access, and their kids weren't able to go on their own since it required the crossing of a street).

I just was able to pull up the Catamaran via the vacation package and it is listed as a 3.5* and does not show beachfront. It's possible that there is a mistake someplace, and i have seen one instance thus far where the hotel or vacation product had one less amenity than the other, but not sure if this was just input error on the Hotwire's programmer end.

I would read thru THIS POST from yesterday or the day before which might just give you some useful info about somebody else's 'journey' of bidding this zone (but they're trying for August, so a little different than your won situation) I'm assuming that you know and understand re-bidding, but if not, read this: Bidding Again Before 72 hours and ASK any questions you may have. If you're 'ok' on all of the above, this is how i would proceed: 4* Loop/Grant Park bid $56, if rejected add NMA zone and bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone and bid $64 add re-bid zone and bid $68 add re-bid zone and bid $72 add re-bid zone and bid $76 If going thru the above strategy will go beyond what you're willing to spend, report back and i'll adjust the strategy slightly. As well, i would hope you'll be successful with the above, but you may not be. Since you date is approaching rapidly, do you have a back-up reserved yet and/or are you comfortable trying again in 72 hours (or would you rather just pay more now and be 'done' with it). Let us know if you have any questions OR how you make out. PS- i justed checked Hotwire for your dates and there is a 4* in the Loop @$64/nite. The amenities match those for the Sheraton Towers, but as the amenities are rather 'gereric' (ie- nothing that is uncommon for most hotels) this may or may not be the actual hotel you receive. However, if you'd be happy with this hotel (or Hotwire's judgement of the equivalent) you may not want to bid as high as i mentioned above. Let me know what your plan will be (if the Hotwire option interests you or not) and i'll adjust the bidding strategy above accordingly.

I just added a few hotels to the San Diego list (from the Vacation Package). I didn't see anything that seemed to match up with the descriptions you supplied, but you may want to double check the list (i assume it is at this list that you were able to identify the amenities/rating associated with the Catamaran, but if not, that hotel is listed there). Hotwire Hotel List California

Welcome to BetterBidding and thank you for sharing your results with the rest of us, i know it is appreciated by all who view the board. Have a great hotel stay!

Welcome to BetterBidding! What zone(s) in Chicago are you looking/willing to stay in?

Welcome to BetterBidding! Thank you for taking the time to post and report your winning results, it is very much appreciated. We look forward to seeing you around the board in the future. Enjoy your trip and hotel stays.