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Daniel1978

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Everything posted by Daniel1978

  1. Hello Dennis, I followed this thread and would give the following answer to your question above: it probably wouldn't. I won the Marriott West Loop for Sunday night 6/3 and tried to extend it to the previous night, as I'm leaving Houston on 6/4. I got the following message: "Unfortunately, we are not able to add nights to reservations at the Marriott Houston West Loop By Galleria. Please note: Our customer service agents have access to the same hotel rates and availability as our customers do on our website. They are not able to make this booking on your behalf." If I were you, I wouldn't try to bid for the shorter period and then use the "Extend your stay" feature. It probably wouldn't work. Daniel
  2. Hi all, Targeted the Marriott West Loop at Galleria and was lucky ! First selected 3* Galleria and bid $50, but got rejected. Then added Conroe, bid $52 and got accepted. Grand total of $68.16 Used Savingsbarn link to access Priceline. Thanks to all who keep this board up (to date) ! Regards, Daniel
  3. Oh, I totally forgot to mention :) Yes, this property is a 3* on Priceline. The only 3* that is left in this zone is the Doubletree Oceanfront Resort, but this has remarkably higher rates. So the chance was very low to get something else. Kind regards, Daniel
  4. Bid on Priceline for the last two nights of my stay. Hotwire showed a 3* Best Value for $52, which could be identified thru the Hotwire hotel list as the Newport Beachside Resort. Started to bid $43 on Priceline, got counteroffer of $52 but declined. Added North Miami (free rebid zone) and bid $46, but was immediately rejected. Then started over and selected North Miami Beach and Southwest Miami (2nd rebid zone), bid $48 and got accepted on the Newport Beachside Resort. Grand total of $116.95 The hotel has quite good reviews on tripadvisor, so I'm really looking forward to it. I think it's hard to beat the value of that deal. BTW: on Travelocity"]Travelocity, the hotel is shown with a rate of $79 for these dates. Deducting the 50 bucks from the current "Mastercard $50 off on 2+ nights hotel bookings" promotion, I only saved around $16 for the whole stay. But I wasn't quite sure whether they would accept my German Mastercard on this promotion or the "Travelocity"]Travelocity Mastercard" only. Kind regards, Daniel
  5. Thank you, runNgun :) A few more words about this hotel win: Before purchasing this hotel I performed a package search (Flight+Hotel) on Hotwire, which found the Trump Int. Sonesta and Le Meridien as the only 4* properties in this zone. Le Meridien had only a few amenity icons, whereas the Trump showed all of the icons that were displayed in the opaque service. Plus, when performing a search on Expedia and Travelocity"]Travelocity, it shows almost the same rates for Le Meridien and Trump Int. Sonesta, with the slight difference that the Trump seems to be on sale with 10 or 20 % off the rack rate. Therefore, I was pretty sure to get the Trump which I targeted over the Le Meridien, especially because of the complimentary shuttle service to South Beach and other benefits. Of course I tried to save a few bucks by bidding on Priceline, but up to $112 I did not even get a counteroffer. The next step would have been a bid of $115, which would have come to a grand total of $535, thus only $5 less than Hotwire. Since the only reported 4* property on Priceline was Le Meridien, I decided to purchase via Hotwire just to keep the chance up to get the Trump. This was successful. Regards, Daniel
  6. Hi everybody, I have booked a 4* hotel in the Miami Beach North - Sunny Isles zone with the following amenities: Beachfront, Fitness Center, Pool, Restaurant, Business Center, High-speed internet, Tennis, Spa, Children's activity program. Dates are 11/22 - 11/26 at a rate of $119, in total $540.81 I have seen that many of you have wondered which hotel this could possibly be, and it is the Trump International Sonesta Beach Resort Miami . Cheapest rate available on Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity"]Travelocity was $224. Kind regards, Daniel
  7. Regarding room and service quality / cleanliness, this hotel has a good rating on TripAdvisor. Nevertheless, one must consider that this is a basic hotel with standard service and amenities. The only reason I would target this hotel over a North Beach hotel is the location, which is MUCH closer to South Beach. Who is familiar with the 4* hotels in North Miami Beach ? How big is the chance to get something else than the Doubletree Oceanpoint Resort, Trump Sonesta or Le Meridien ? Regards, Daniel
  8. This is exactly what I am scared of - expecting one specific hotel and getting a totally different one. Neither do I want to take a risk on Hotwire, and your previous posts just support my initial feelings that I could end up in a way I really don't want to. Considering that there are only 2 weeks remaining until this stay, I think I will either pay the rack rate of the Atlantic Oceanfront or move to a different zone (Miami Beach North), where you can get 4* hotels for reasonable prices. At the moment, Hotwire has an offer of $119 for a 4* in that zone, which I expect to be either the Trump Sonesta Beach Resort or the Le Meridien. Even if I end up with the Doubletree Oceanfront Resort, this is fine with me because all of those hotels look great. The risk of getting a bad hotel should be very very low on this star level. Thank you so far Daniel PS: believe it or not - I've learned both words at school :o
  9. Thank you so far. No, I did not bid on Priceline's 3* level, because I am quite scared of the hotels to expect - especially the New Casablanca which has bad reviews). Some of them have so-so reviews, and it seems like many of them are not worth the money. On Priceline's 3* level, it is also likely that the Miami Beach Resort & Spa will come up, since it appears on Hotwire as 3,5* Best Value (at least it is a match with the Hotwire hotel list). Reviews are quite good, but I've checked the surrounding on my navigation system, and it seems like there is absolutely NOTHING around (restaurants, shops, etc.). The Atlantic Oceanview Hotel seems to be a good location, since South Beach is not far away, it's clean and has a good beach access AND complimentary breakfast. Since you two do not recommend giving it a shot on Hotwire, I think I'll go for the rack rate which is $84. Has anyone experience with bidding for 3* on Priceline ? Can you determine which hotel is likely to come up when Hotwire shows specific hotels ? Thank you - Daniel
  10. Hi everyone, can anybody help identifying the following 2,5* property in Miami Beach, FL (Miami Beach zone) ? Amenities: Near beach, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Laundry Facilities. Dates are 11/22 - 11/24. Price shown is $52, "Best Value". My best guess would be the Atlantic Oceanfront Hotel (formerly Fairfield Inn & Suites), but I'm not quite sure which other hotels could come up since the Hotwire hotel list doesn't show any properties at 2,5* level. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you. Daniel
  11. Hi everyone, last-minute bid for a one night stay on Aug 12. Selected 4* both in Tiergarten and East, and bid up to $60 without any success. Counteroffers at $52 (add $15) and $60 (add $17). Total after tax $78.45, and won the Park Plaza Wallstreet, a brand-new hotel which opened for business in March 2006. Hotel seems to be located conveniently at Potsdamer Platz and city center. Regular rate of EUR 99 including tax, which equals to $126. Savings around 37 %. Kind regards, Daniel
  12. Hi everyone, can anyone help me identifying a 4* hotel in Berlin, Germany on Hotwire ? The zone is "Mitte-Kreuzberg", the date is 8/12 (one night only) and amenities shown are Fitness center, Laundry facilities, Restaurant, High-Speed Internet access. Price is shown as $70 (tax is only shown to be $7.15 - what's that ??). Thank you ! Kind regards, Daniel
  13. Tried several times in various zones. Focussed on Notting Hill Bayswater zone and bid from $50 on. Got special counteroffer of $76, but ignored. Increased instead, and got accepted at the Hilton London Kensington at $70. Grand total of $173.29 . Regards, Daniel
  14. Hi everyone, I am trying to get a cheap hotel room at Priceline for a stay from Oct 5 thru Oct 7 (2 nights). Although my last use is just weeks away, something seems to have changed. My favorite zones in London are Bloomsbury-Marble Arch, Mayfair-Soho, and - for a cheaper price of course - Notting Hill-Bayswater and Kensington-Earls Court-Knightsbridge. Strange thing - when bidding for zones, I don't get counteroffers the usual way (add by $17 or $22), but I get a totally unknown screen where Priceline is telling me that they didn't find a hotel room for my specific bid, but for $110 (Bloomsbury-Marble Arch), $90 (Kensington) or $76 (Notting Hill). Did anyone of you get this screen before ? The usual counteroffers always seemed to be fake - when getting one you could be pretty sure to get accepted when raising the bid by approx. $5. This time, I got this screen when bidding $50, and had no success with bidding up to $72 - not even at Notting Hill where the "counteroffer" was $76 ! Is it still too early to bid for a stay in October or does Priceline have a little "defect" and is telling me the minimum bid which is being accepted in a zone ? However, has anyone of you been successful after getting this "new" counteroffer ? Kind regards, Daniel
  15. I just wrote my hotel review for my stay from Jun 6 - Jun 8. Look at the hotel reviews section.
  16. Hi I just returned from my Boston trip and I stayed at the Boston Park Plaza. This 3* hotel is located in the Downtown - Charlestown area at Priceline and is only a walk of 10-15 minutes away from the Westin. The Boston Park Plaza has recently been won at prices around $80-$100 - this could be an alternative to the Copley area. Daniel
  17. I have just returned from my stay at the Boston Park Plaza from Jun 6 - Jun 8, and all I can say is that I'm positively surprised. Via e-mail, I have reserved a room with two double beds, and got this room without any Priceline comments upon check-in. I should remark that my check-in was 10:30AM, and absolutely no problems. The girl at the desk (Ana) was VERY nice. My room was on the 11th floor and had a view upon Chinatown. The room was quite spacious, the bathroom small - compared to other hotels - and rather old. Only the shower was very modern, a twin shower head with a lot pressure. Beds were OK, not uncomfortable but far from the Mariott's Revive bed, which I could sleep in for 3 nights on this stay. The most important thing - the room was very clean, housekeeping did an excellent job and provided me with many fresh towels and toiletries during my stay. When leaving the tip on the night desk, I wrote "Thank you" on a piece of paper. When I came back, the same piece of paper said "You're welcome !". Altogether, I can't say anything bad about the Boston Park Plaza. It is not a deluxe hotel, but a good 3* and for $85 per night via PL, I won't complain. Plus, the location is excellent and very convenient. I would definitely return to this hotel. Look at realhotelphotos.com, where I will try to publish the pictures I made of my room. Regards, Daniel
  18. I will be staying at this hotel from 6/8-6/10 - as funny as it seems, I got my bid of $59 accepted for almost the same dates. But $65 is still a nice saving versus the $129 rack rate. And the hotel seems to be very nice and has only good reviews. Well, I'll see you there :)
  19. I called the Marriott hotel in Peabody and they are not affected by the floodings and open for business. Priceline's homepage doesn't say anything either. I'll be optimistic. It's still three weeks to go, and a lot of water can recede in that time. Thanks a lot, Daniel
  20. Hi everyone, I was really looking forward to my New England trip, which will start in 2 weeks from now. But I nearly fell of my chair when I saw the extreme floodings in New England, especially in the Boston North shore area, where I am going to stay for 2 nights. Peabody, MA, where my hotel is, seems to be affected badly. Apart from that I'm hoping that the water will recede quickly, I am wondering if such an event qualifies to cancel a Priceline hotel reservation booked via "Name your own price". I know that they say "no refunds - no cancellations", but due to German law (this is where I am living), the Terms and Conditions of a contract are being overruled if there occurs something like that (act of nature beyond control). Does anyone of you know if American law or the Priceline Terms and Conditions handle such a case ? Kind regards, Daniel
  21. Congratulations. The Park Plaza might not be the best choice (referring to the mixed reviews in TripAdvisor), but at least it's a "cheap" stay compared to every other 3* or 4* in Downtown/Copley. I'll be staying there one week earlier than you, and I cross my fingers in order not to get one of their European Rooms. Enjoy your stay. Regards, Daniel
  22. Hi again, as already discussed per PM with thenewbie, I wasn't successful bidding $125 for 4* level in Boston-Downtown. Since this is a big amount of money we're talking about, I decided to move to the suburbs for the last two nights and use a hotel there as a base for day-trips to other sights along the East coast. The most interesting zone was Boston North Shore (Peabody-Wakefield), since there are well-rated 3* hotels at a very resonable price. I got inspired by TripleQ, who recently "won" a hotel in this area, and redsox2006, who wrote a nice list of all hotels in this area he has stayed at. This made me confident to get a good hotel in this area when bidding at 3* level. There are no free rebid zones for Boston North Shore, so I had to wait 24h between my bids. First I tried $50, getting a counteroffer of $64. I then tried $55, with no success. Yesterday, I bid $59 and got the Mariott Boston Peabody. Rack rate is $114. A nice hotel, with very good ratings at Tripadvisor. I can spend the saved money on a nice rental car which I will use for getting around in this area. Went thru Savingsbarn.com before bidding. Thanks a lot for all your help. Regards, Daniel
  23. Hi everyone, I recently "won" the Boston Park Plaza for the period 6/6-6/8. I now decided to stay a little bit longer in Boston, so I would need another hotel room for the adjacent period 6/8-6/10. "Extend your stay" is not really an option, since I don't know if I will like the Plaza and therefore, would rather try another hotel - at 4* level if possible. I tried to bid for a 4* property in Downtown, Copley + Cambridge up to $120. In Downtown, I got a counteroffer at $112, $115 and $120, telling me to increase by $22. I am very confident that I can get it for around $125, since other people reported that they have won the Wyndham (soon being reflagged to Hilton) at that price for stays in July and September. Another point - at Hotwire I saw that a 4* hotel at Logan Int'l (supposed to be the Hilton) is available as Best Value for $97, but only for one night 6/9. I thought about trying to catch this hotel for this single night over PL and then try to extend the stay. My concern is, since the rate for 6/8 is still high ($249 rack rate), that this won't work. On the other hand, I could wait a few more weeks and try to extend the stay later. However, I tried to bid for Logan 6/8-6/10, but was not successful up to $95. Assuming that I could get 6/9 for $80, I could go up to $110 for 6/8 and still have $95 as average (not regarding PL's fee). What would you suggest ? My absolute limit per night is $125. Kind regards, Daniel
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