slruud

Not sure if you're tied into the Union Square area, but the 4* on HOTWIRE in the Embarcadero area, which might be the Le Meridien is going for $124 for your nights. Union Square is not really that far away from this area. Also, Lastminutetravel.com has what appears to be the Hyatt Embarcadero for $109/nite "on request" for three rooms. Good luck.

I see the "unpublished rates" now searching for hotels in Austin, San Diego, and San Francisco.

The launch date is supposed to be June 30, Colfax.

I cross checked with HOTWIRE the same time I had the "Unpublished" hotel waiting for me to purchase by openning up another window. The 4* there was priced at $119, which now is priced at $109...with the amenities being no smoking, fitness center, pool, restaurant, business center, and hi speed internet. It did not take me to the Hotwire site, but had the listing just like you would get if you selected a hotel on HOTWIRE, but it was still the Expedia site. I have not seen the banners come up since I first accessed Expedia around 5am MST. I also checked Austin through Expedia around the same time this morning, and the 4* hotel offered for the Expedia "unpublished rates" was the same being offered on HOTWIRE...both appearing to be the Mansion at Judges Hill by comparing amenities. Maybe it's just something for us night owls, or I caught them testing it. Whatever, I'm happy. PS....Just got off the phone with Expedia, and the rep was surprised I knew about the "Expedia Unpublished Rates" and said the official launch is scheduled for June 30. I had her check that I indeed had a booking and she said yes I did. I must have caught them in a test phase, and just got lucky.

Checking all the usual sites for a hotel in San Diego Labor Day weekend, and going into Expedia, noticed a banner in between every few hotels for "Expedia Unpublished Rates...powered by Hotwire". Clicked on it and searched for 4* and found unnamed hotel with amenities of restaurant, pool, fitness center, business center, and High speed internet, which in the past has got me the Omni, for $136/nite. Rolled the dice and lo and behold it was the Omni. I tried going through BetterBiddings Expedia link, but the "unpublished rates" banner was not showing up, and I have not been able to replicate it since.

Lastminutetravel.com has what appears to be the Hilton Union Square for $116/nite or what appears to be the Westin St. Francis for $98/nite, neither of which could be said is "my cup of tea". But if you bid in this/these zones, you have to be prepared to possibly get one of these. Good luck.

Lastminutetravel.com has the Hilton Bayfront for $119/nite for 2 adults/2 children/2 beds. Have you factored in parking fees for this week long stay?

There is plenty of time before your trip, so no real rush. HOTWIRE has a 4* in the Gaslamp/Convention Center area for $89/nite with amenities of boutique, no smoking, fitness center, restaurant, and high speed internet. Could be Hotel Indigo...maybe some of the pros here can confirm. Good luck.

Started bidding for 4* at $80 with $10 bonus cash....rejected, and countered to add $20 more. Declined and bid $85...no go. Bid $90 and accepted at The Governor hotel. Best rate on their site is $154.

Marla6, Lastminutetravel.com has what appears to be the Hilton for $115/nite or the Omni for $139/nite.

As long as there is a discussion going on between USE/USW vs Embarcadero/Financial District vis-a-vis "dead on weekends" I would like to put in my $.02 in. After a number of bookings throughout these 3 zones, I purposely target the Embarcadero/Fincancial district mainly to target the Omni hotel. Most of my bookings/wins happen through Hotwire, but for the most part recently, I have been able to take advantage of available deals from the Omni itself. None of the 4* hotels in this zone are fare from our favorite restaurant, Tadich Grill, which ranks as one of the best restaurants in San Francisco. I'm sure Colfax, et. al. have a reason to extoll the virtues of the Union Square area, but I for one am not a fan of said area. I believe it to be too crowded, and crowded with tourists as well as homeless. The FD/E zone is closer to...read walking distance to North Beach...and not far from anything in the downtown area that is accessible via a Muni Pass. I consider the Westin St. Francis as well as the Galeria both as dumps. Just my opinion, but I have stayed at both. You may very well win something in the US area for $85, and I hope you do, but if you are willing to accept the Harbor Court, I see no reason you would not be willing to accept any of the 4* hotels in the FD/E zone. On that note, I am now signing off of this board. I, in the future will keep my opinions to my self and hope only for the best for those that post here. Cheers. SteveR

Andy, Have you tried bidding up to $85 in the Embarcadero zone? If you're willing to stay at the Harbor Court, why not bid for a 4* in the same zone. You might get lucky and get the Omni or Le Meridien, but either of the other 4*s in the zone are not all that bad. Good luck.

Unless you want to pay exhorbatent (sp) parking fees. a car is not necessary. BART easily gets you from the airport. SFO or OAK to Embarcadero station which is right where the Hyatt is. For your stay, a three day Muni pass is appropriate. It allows for unlimited rides on cable cars. F-line trolleys. Muni busses. as well as Muni subway. A three day pass goes for $21 and is well worth the money. Also. understand that BART and Muni are two separate entities. Good luck.

I see the 4* on HOTWIRE in Embarcadero area for $109, and it appears to be the Hyatt Embarcadero. Lastminutetravel.com offers what also appears to be the Hyatt for 99/nite. However it's "on request." The Embarcadero area is not too far from Union Square, so a lower bid mid net you something, like BEAV said. I prefer any of the 4* hotels in the Embarcadero area to some of the ones in USE/USW. If you were to get a hotel in the Embarcadero, it's easy enough to get to Union Square. Exactly how many nights are you looking for Jason370? Editing to add, it appears the SFO win was for the HOTWIRE SFO airport zone. The rates for this zone are usually quite cheaper than USE/USW/Embarcadero.

Sign up for their Select Guest program, then give them a call and tie your reservation to it. Then a week or so before your trip, call and ask for what kind of room you like and see what happens. We've gotten primo corner rooms the last couple of trips, with both city and bay view. Never had a problem with the trains.

*aNn*, Your best bet for getting around is a 3 day Muni Pass, which allows for unlimited rides on cable cars, F-line trolly, busses, and Muni subway. Haven't had a car in the city for a long time. A three day pass is $21 and considering a one way trip on a cable car is $5, we have ours paid for easily the first day. A single day pass is $13 if you need it for the fourth day. On another note, San Francisco is an easy city to walk. Good luck.

Been bidding for a couple of weeks, up to $85 for 3/3.5* and today bid $85 for 4*. Got Counteroffer to add $20 more. Bid up to $90 and stopped. Marriott is offering the 3.5* Portland Marriott City Center for $99/nite with $25 credit per night for their restaurant for Marriott Rewards members. Cheapest 4* on HOTWIRE has been $129 the past couple of weeks. Will keep trying.

Prices for 4* hotels in the downtown USE/USW are not all that high. I would book a cancellable backup and continue bidding. If you will be driving, you have to factor in the cost of parking. Don't see much in FW, but LMT has what appears to be the Westin St. Francis for $98/nite and Expedia has the Mark Hopkins for $119. I guess we would need to know your budget and star level you're looking for. I wouldn't leave out the Financial District/Embarcadero zone either. How much have you bid previously on PRICELINE?

It takes a little effort, but by looking at the amenities offered, and sometimes number of rooms you can make a pretty good guess. The "Birds Eye" view sometimes brings up a picture of the hotel. For example, if you choose the Downtown/Union Square zone, the Hyatt Embarcadero is usually on of the 4* offerings, then clicking on "Birds Eye" view the Hyatt is pictured. The number of rooms matches the number the Hyattl has, so another identifier. This is a little tougher in the general Union Square area because there may be two or three hotels in the same picture. Sometimes the amenities will mention a specific restaurant connected to the hotel. For Portland, Oregon, one of the 4*s offered in the Greater Downtown zone will have the Daily Grill associated with it, hence it would be the Westin. My last LMT purchase for San Diego, they just mentioned the name on the first page, so I was pretty safe to assume what I would get. Just another tool, but can get you out of a jam if PL and HW aren't working out. What are your dates, and we'll take a look. SteveR

awk316, Just want to make sure you know you may get the Hilton or Westin St. Francis rather than the Parc/Hyatt. Those are two hotels I like to avoid, which is one reason I limit my bidding to Embarcadero/Financial District. Nothing's too far away in the downtown area of San Francisco and with public transportation as good as it is, any area would be acceptable. Lastminutetravel.com has the Hyatt Embarcadero for $99/nite...just for comparison. Not sure what bidding $85 in that zone would get you, but of the four 4* hotels in this zone, Omni, Hiltion FD, Le Meridien, and the Hyatt, in my opinion they are all superior to the abovementioned Hilton and Westin. Good luck and I'll keep an eye out for deals in USE/USW.

Just throwing some dates out for a possible trip to Boston in late August. Selected 4* and Hotwire's response was to offer a free star upgrade to next highest level, in this case to 4.5*. First time I've seen it, but could be nice depending where we are looking to go. Will check to see if it works with other cities.

slats77, If it were me heading to my honeymoon in San Francisco, I would ditch the rental car while there and book the Omni through Expedia. Third night free for average of $126/nite. Saving the cost of the rental car and parking would make up the difference of the extra $26 and tax. A three day Muni pass, available at the Omni front desk, is $21 and is good for cable cars, F-line trolley, city busses, and Muni Metro. Whatever you decide to do, good luck and congratulations. SteveR

hlm3, Lastminutetravel.com has the Hyatt Embarcadero available for $109/nite. Good luck.

I guess I've never seen an "On Request" hotel on Lastminutetravel.com. Everything I've ever booked has been available.To the OP...I've used LMT for a number of recent stays, and currently have LMT reservations for San Diego, Solamar, and Austin, Omni Downtown. LMT reservations are also cancellable for a small fee, so if you find a drop dead deal on Hotwire or Priceline, you can go for it and cancel LMT. Good luck.

Although, as Gallus50 says, the Omni is our hotel of choice, we are usually fortunate enough to book it via HOTWIRE or Expedia at a reasonable discount but not as much as PRICELINE. We prefer the Embarcadero area mainly because it is less hectic than the Union Square area, and even though we do quite a bit of public transportation, it's an easy walk to North Beach, Ferry Building, and Union Square....also close to Tadich Grill and Sam's Grill. All that being said, Lastminutetravel.com has the Hyatt Embarcadero for $99/nite for your dates, wilth the Hyatt website quoting $212. The Hyatt is adequate enough, being that most people just need a place to sleep. We had a quick trip to The City last weekend, and I had no qualms paying the $160/nite for the Omni. If you do go that route, sign up for the Omni's Select Guest Program for a few extra bennies. If you do look into the Lastminutetravel.com option, be aware the Hyatt shows up in the Downtown/Union Square/Nob Hill area. And I do believe a Lastminutetravel.com reservation is cancellable for a $25 fee. Good luck. Editing to add, I see what appears to be the Omni on HOTWIRE for $149/nite.