sage

Tried Basking Ridge 2.5* at $48. Failed. Re-started bidding, trying splitting bid over the week. Bid $48 for 3 nights (5/23-5/26) for Somerset-Piscataway. Failed. Added Bridgewater-Somerville and bumped to $51. Failed. Confirmed high occupancy (Marriott Somerset site shows no availability for that 3 night stay). Gave up on the area - too rich. Won 3* room in Clinton-Lebanon zone for $39, just have to drive longer or leave earlier in mornings. :) See separate post for bids.

Waited 24 hrs, retried $43 for 2.5 stars for either Courtyard Somerset or Marriott Somerset in Somerset-Piscataway. Failed. Added Bridgewater-Somerville and bumped to $46. Failed. Looks like high occupancy alright. Edison a bit too far (flying in and out of ABE), best location is Bridgewater, but it has more expensive PL rates. Guess I'll try splitting stay dates.

The closest we came to such a scenario was when we stayed at a Summerfield Suites for a week using Hotwire. We needed an extra day in town, so we asked the desk manager if we could add a day at the Hotwire rate. He said okay since it was off-season (winter), but that in peak times, he could sell the room at their higher rates and for us not to expect the same deal. Note that this was probably a case where he could get a better rate directly from us, than if we booked another night through Hotwire who would get their fee.

Tried $37 for 2.5 stars for either Courtyard Somerset ($155 on website) or Marriott Somerset ($189 on website) in Somerset-Piscataway. Failed. Added Bridgewater-Somerville and bumped to $40. Failed. Will try again after 24 hrs wait. Rather not have to drive from Clinton this week (stop'n'go in morning hrs, 30 mins). BTW, Sheraton 4 Points in Somerset-Piscataway is apparently now a Radisson property. Don't know if it is a PL listing. Should comment as such on our pinned list.

Follow-up on stay.... :) overall It still is a very nice property. Several restaurants and a sports bar. A free drink is offered with Priority Club card. Food is a bit pricey but plenty of restaurants are nearby. Indoor pool is separate from the new indoor waterpark (must stay in that section of the hotel to have access to waterpark, which is not the Hotwire room). Interior rooms have balcony overlooking pool. Friendly staff. H/S internet access. Daily paper. A dinner theatre is just across the side street from hotel. Interesting side note: I was charged $175 for the room on my credit card (had no incidentals), which was removed (credited) hassle-free just by leaving a detailed voice message with Acctg department regarding the problem. Judging from the price difference, looks like HW gets a decent return on their effort.

Good point about it being Good Friday. My customer had business as usual that day, so I didn't think of it. The data we have poses a possible Priceline bidding strategy for both Marriott and Courtyard. Let's see if we can roughly correlate chain website lowest rate to lowest bid accepted. Seems like 25 might be the price (percent) point. I'll try in a couple of weeks when I'm back in the area. Enjoy the martinis poolside....

One weekday night at one of the best bargains in the area. First bid was attempted for only this zone and was accepted. Bid was made on 4/4, nine days before stay. Chain's lowest webrate for a room was around $130. Subtotal: $33 Taxes&Fees: $11.89 Total: $44.89

Ah, I see now that 'id1811xecj' is staying on a Sat night for $33. I'll post my recent weekday (Thu night) $33 as a new post. I didn't post it before since my bidding didn't really show anything new...

I stayed one night at Marriott Somerset 2 weeks ago for $33. I see another recent post (5/2) got it for $33. Better luck with fewer nights it seems. Stayed at this Holiday Inn Select this week. Good experience, nice town, great bargain (see Reviews).

I stayed one night at Marriott Somerset 2 weeks ago for $33. I see another recent post (5/2) got it for $33. Better luck with fewer nights it seems. Follow-up on Holiday Inn Select: It's a very nice hotel. As another post says, great pool. Haven't tried the restaurant (Cracker Barrel nearby, and a few good local ones). Very comfortable beds. Stay in a room on other side from Interstate for quietness, though walls are thinner than normal to other rooms. Got a free drink each evening with HI Priority Club card. Certainly a splendid bargain at $39 and an enjoyable overall stay.

As thereuare says, there's very little difference in rental companies. It's generally the individuals at the counter that are different (at every company), so don't be put off on an entire company by one encounter at one location. We rent a lot from Alamo and occasionally have a very minor glitch that is easily resolved with firmness if necessary. Funny that we had a great experience at Alamo in Phoenix last summer (free upgrade to 4x4), though I think they've moved locations since then.

"Tried for Courtyard in Clinton-Lebanon with 2.5* at $35. Failed. Priceline offered a hotel at $9 more. Offered $37 (has been accepted before on forum). Failed. Added Somerville-Bridgewater and offered $39. Failed." My bad, should have read: "Tried to offer $37 (only $2 more, has previously been accepted according to this forum). Site did not allow this bid to even be entered, gave like an input error message in red. Tried to offer $39 ($4 more). Again site did not allow less than its $9 to be entered. Added Somerville-Bridgewater and offered $37. Failed. Gave up for a while and played 9 holes (42 :) ) to gain insight for new strategy." You're right about the deal - should be a great one, conditional on the actual experience when I stay there this week. BTW, the Courtyard there, which often goes for $37 on Priceline, had lowest rate on its chain website at $154. Do you think the short-notice 2-day advance was the reason for neither it nor the Marriott Piscataway being accepted for their typical Priceline $ amount?

Tried for Courtyard in Clinton-Lebanon with 2.5* at $35. Failed. Priceline offered a hotel at $9 more. Offered $37 (has been accepted before on forum). Failed. Added Somerville-Bridgewater and offered $39. Failed. Started a new session a couple hours later. Tried for 3* Marriott in Somerset-Piscataway. Offered $33 (has frequently been accepted before on forum). Failed. Lowered to 2.5* and increased to $36. Failed. Added Clinton-Lebanon and increased to $39. Accepted this time at Holiday Inn Select in Clinton. Haven't seen this hotel on forum in a while, and have never stayed here. Checked chain website and lowest rate was $124. Good deal, looks decent according to Tripadvisor reviews.

Congrats on this good price for this nice hotel. We stay here often. Lots of good features. Ask for a courtyard view to ensure no Interstate noise.

Amenities are restaurant, pool, fitness center, H/S internet, business center, and laundry. $192 + $33 (tax/fees) = $225 This is the Select brand at The Pyramids on Michigan St near I-465. Best rate on hotel's site was advanced purchase at $98/night, so Hotwire is 1/2 the price. I stayed here 5 years ago and enjoyed it.

Bid $15 for compact - rejected, PL allowed a second bid. Bid $17 for compact - rejected. Bid $17 for economy - accepted. Ended up with a compact anyway, as all economy cars were out.

Amenities were Breakfast and Pool on Hotwire. Location is "CI&S North at the Pyramids" a block from Michigan Ave (421) and ~1/2 mile from Interstate 465, a respectable area with plenty of restaurants. Its website lists free wireless internet and free access to a health club as additional amenities not shown on Hotwire. Pool is outdoors. Tripadvisor has a lone review with a 4 of 5 rating. Travelocity has 2 reviews (4/5 and 5/5), so looks like very good accommodations. Total price was $65 on Hotwire. Checked on Expedia and found a special (non-refundable) rate of $51 for the same night, with a total cost with taxes of $59. :) Consequently, this wasn't a bargain for a one-night stay. Nevertheless, we now have a new BB listing. :)

For more info on the Luxor accommodations, look at TripAdvisor.com for reviews from folks who have stayed in the variety of rooms available at Luxor. There are Tower rooms that have advantages over the Pyramid rooms, if you don't mind staying further from the casino. For car rental, check out Fox (foxrentacar.com). Around your timeframe San Diego has Sienna vans or Grand Cherokee SUVs for <$190/wk ($210 total). They also have SUV hybrids at some locations (maybe not SAN).

If you look at the next night (11/11), the kitchenette/laundry amenities come up for the same price. That is the Homestead Suites, which is decent enough and a good value. However, there are a couple of other hotels in that area that could also be 2* types which I haven't tried. Multiple 2* hotels could be why no amenities are listed for 10/11, so no guarantee here. If you're sure of the 3* in Beachwood, please post the amenities/dates/price of your Hotwire stay there for the rest of us to know. It's under Hotwire's My Account Purchase History option. Thanks....

Trying for 3* near airport (either Radisson or Sheraton 4 Points) for one night (Fri 10/21/05). First bid $32, declined. Added NW area (no 3*s) and bid $36, declined. Waited 3 days. First bid $38, declined. Added NW area (no 3*s) and bid $43, declined. Lowest rate through Radisson website was $80. Tripadvisor had a number of bad reviews for both properties. Called Radisson directly to ask about their renovations and chance of getting a good room - said about 50% of rooms were renovated. Didn't want to spend more than $60 after taxes/fees for the risk of an "old" room, so didn't try the "suggested" 40% discount bid ($48 plus taxes/fees).

I've had decent experiences with Homestead (other cities). For the rate and 2* you had accepted, don't have too high an expectation and hopefully you won't be disappointed. Two reviews I found of that particular property were 1 and 2 (out of 5) rated, the lower being a person who found it not as clean as they wanted but didn't bother to ask the desk for an alternative room since they were in a hurry. Allow time to inspect your room, and it could be the great value / decent accommodation you're hoping for (and that I have found at other Homestead properties).

For Hilton Honors members, there is a great concierge lounge on one of the upper floors, where you can have free drinks, heavy hors d'oeuvres, and breakfast items. :)

There is a good Greek restaurant east of the hotel (5 min walk), and a good Chinese restaurant north (10 min walk) across from the movie theatre. A decent steakhouse is along the access road west of the hotel (15 min walk). Save up your money for great food / atmosphere and go to the hip spot behind Ridgedale Mall called "Redstone American Grill", about a 5-10 drive west (exit for the Sheraton, drive past it about 1 block).

Budget usually does not have a drop fee, although occasionally I've noticed they instead charge a slightly higher rate on one-ways. At end of July I'm getting a Reno to San Francisco one-way premium car for a week at $184 base rate, $240 after taxes - a great deal I think (except for today's gas prices).

It's still a good idea to ask the hotel for a receipt, since the desk does make a copy of your credit card, to confirm the incidentals (if any) were correct. I have also had a weird situation where my card was charged, instead of Hotwire, for my stay (at a lower price than HW, as CaseyJPS noted). It's always a good idea to print the Hotwire receipt when you get the email or screen confirmation for 1) employer/client reimbursement record, 2) hotel address and phone number in case of getting lost or late arrival (when desk closes at night at Candlewood or Homestead), and 3) proof of your purchase to the hotel.