slruud

Thanks for the advice. Will talk it over with my wife. Don't like to rent a car if I don't have to. May start looking for a quieter weekend. Have been looking at the light rail website. definitely a possibility.

Bid for 3* in Disneyland area starting at $38, then $45...accepted at $47. Total with fees for 2 nites...$112.74. Best rate on hotel website $109. Bid through SavingsBarn. Still looking for advice on Baltimore trip.

Bid again today for 4* Inner Harbor up to $132...no dice. May wait a couple of weeks and try again....then 2 1/2 or 3*, or pick another city to visit.

Should I just bag the 4*'s and concentrate on the 2 1/2 and 3* hotels?

Of course. Looked into 2 1/2 and 3* for Inner Harbor area...prices are about the same for both. May try for either one if 4* doesn't pan out. 2 1/2* Holiday Inn and Courtyard around $179 for that weekend. May try bidding from $50 up to maybe $80.

Trying to bid a 4* in Baltimore Inner Harbor for May 25 to May 28. Hyatt...no availability. Marriott...no availability. Renaissance...$259/nite. First night at $219, then $259. Bid up to $120 with no success...didn't know would be this busy, but is Memorial day weekend. Haven't looked into 3* yet, but will start investigating. Have cancellable at Hampton Inn for $169/nite. Thanks in advance.

Decided to book Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter. Won't be having a car so would rather depend on Disney's transportation than off site shuttles.

Just wondering if anyone has any idea which hotel Hotwire is offering here. 3* Hotel in Lake Buena Vista/Downtown Disney area Dates are 2/4/06-2/7/06...$95/nite. Ammenities: Golf nearby...fitness center...pool. Don't see anything on the lists...Looking for an alternative to Port Orleans French Quarter @ $155/nite...too many possibilities with Priceline, but might give it a shot the closer I get to dates. Changing focus from Anaheim/Disneyland to Orlando for above weekend. Thanks in advance. SteveR

What is the base time zone for the BetterBidding site. It does not appear to be EST, but more like GMT. I can't make any corealation between times I see posted and this (MST) time zone. Right now the site shows the time as Dec 24, 12:30 AM, it is Dec 23, 5:30 PM. MST. Thanks in advance.

We'll be staying the weekend of March 24/25. The web rate for the Marriott Courtyard Camelback is $219 for those dates, but got a winning bid of $34. Something must be going on that weekend because rental cars were tough to get and not cheap. We've never been enamored with the Phoenix downtown area. I imagine you would have to pay to park at the Hyatt, but that's just a guess. Try Z Tejas in the Scottsdale Fashion Mall or Jalapenos in North Scottsdale for some interesting Mexican style cuisine.

Bidding in the Scottsdale zone goes from downtown Scottsdale to North Scottsdale. We've been lucky to get the Courtyard Marriott Scottsdale North and were pleased, and others have been able to win at the downtown Scottsdale Courtyard as well as the Hilton Garden Inn. All 2 1/2 *. We were fortunate to bid downtown Phoenix and nabbed the Courtyard Camelback for $34 for March...it's in a great location near the Biltmore Fashion Park with tons of restaurants around. This zone is a little tricky, because of some properties being somewhere in between downtown and the Biltmore area. All in all, give Scottsdale a try. If you score downtown Scottsdale, you won't be too far from plenty of restaurants and also Scottsdale Fashion Mall, or whatever it's called. Tons of shopping from Downtown Scottsdale way up to North Scottsdale, with restaurants to match. Good luck.

Noticed this morning that Priceline merged Fountain Valley with Seal Beach meaning one less rebid zone for Disneyland zone. Someone want to verify for me.

Sorry about the confusion uop. I was referencing the previous comment I made about getting a Priceline bid for a 3* Disney area for under $40. TOBB...That Other Bidding (Bulletin) Board.

I've been seeing a number of Hyatt bids accepted <$40 on TOBB. It ususually happens when the web rate is $119. My trip isn't until next February, so I can low ball it once in a while. Just saw the Crowne Plaza go for $39 for December. In the long run, it might be better to just book one of the hotels fronting the entrance to the park and not have to deal with parking fees and shuttles. Still have plenty of time. Thamks for responding.

Checked Hotwire again, and show rate of $53 for this property. Classified as customer favorite and best value. Guess it could also be Hilton.

Received email from Hotwire yesterday about deals in Anaheim/Disneyland area. Had what appeared to be Hyatt Orange County for $74. Amenities include restaurant, pool, fitness center,high speed internet, golf, tennis, business center. Seems to be match based on hotel lists. Seems good through November 20 at least. I'm weighing my options...hopefully Priceline for <$40 for Hyatt or something with free parking. Hope this helps someone.

Be careful. The Courtyard Camelback is in the downtown zone, but is quite a ways from downtown. We got it for March 24/25 for $34...web rate $219. Some of the other downtown hotels may not be too near down town either. Anyway, with that kind of savings, can afford rental car.

Found it. Did a Google search of restaruants and recognized name...Brasa.

Trying to find name of the place you mentioned for happy hour in Seattle. Half price appetizers and drink specials...my kind of place, Will keep looking. Headed out that direction this Thursday. Please feel free to move this post to most appropriate area if necessary.

Received notification from Priceline that reservation has been canceled and funds will be refunded.

Posted review of this property in Hotel Review section.

Just returned from a 2 nite stay at the Galleria Park Hotel...rated a Boutique by Priceline. Rate per nite was $75 plus taxes and fees. Hotel was in a very convenient location, close to Market and trolly ride or easy walk to cable car at Powell/Marke or California/Market. Easy walk to Sam's Grill, John's Grill, or Tadich Grill...some of our favorites. Did not try restaurant connected to the hotel...Perry's. The hotel itself was in need of a refurbishing, and the staff expected a multi million $$$ remodel to start soon. Our room was a little small, as so was the bathroom. A little peeling wallpaper in the bathroom, and chipped paint here and there was noticable. Shower head was at a height just fine for a 4-5 footer, but we dealt with it. Water pressure was moderate and toilet flushing was just adequate....just one of my obsessions about hotel rooms. There was coffee/tea available in the lobby each morning as well as local paper. Wine tasting in evening was pleasent enough, and surprised many people by not having had to pay full freight for room. I booked room early June, and hotels were booked solid throughout the city for this weekend and this coming week. Two computer terminals with a shared printer were set up in lobby, so printing out boarding passes was a breeze. Even though we had a room facing the street, room 812, it was reasonably quiet except for the occasional siren. It was just a short walk from the Montgomery BART station to the hotel, which we found very convenient. All in all not too bad an experience. If they get the refurbishing done and spiffy things up a bit, I would be willing to stay there again. PS...just a note on transportation. The cable cars are $5 a ride now. If you are going to be doing any travel using public transportation, the 1, 3, or 7 day Muni pass is the way to go. They cover cable cars, F-Line trolleys, and Muni busses. They can be purchased online ant SFMUNI web site or at visitors center downstairs at the end of Powell at Market.

It looks like you should be able to bid a total of 6 times....first bid for Downtown/Riverwalk, then 5 rebids with zones that do not have 4* hotels. Just check the zones on Priceline one at a time to see what star levels are in each of those zones. I always do, to avoid any surprises. Two other zones offer either 4* or resort, which should not be considered if you want to be downtown and not upgraded to a resort or win a 4* in a zone you don't want.

Noticed on Travelaxe that there is a NASCAR race that weekend...must be reason for scarce rental car availability. SteveR

Bid for Compact at $19....rejected, bid for Economy...left price at $19...accepted. Probably could have been more patient, but Avis and Budget showed no availability, and Hotwire had none also. National website rate was $40/day. Bid the Barn.